Home education is rapidly becoming more and more popular. Many families are choosing to turn to this option instead of public school, private school, or charter schools. How can you make sure that your child still gets a great education at home? Here are four ways children can get a great education at home.
Real Life Application of Skills
In the traditional public school model, much of what is learned is learned through pure paper and pencil applications. Things are read in books, and then problems are solved or questions are answered on paper. At home, however, you can ensure that the lessons they learn have a real life application. This real life application will help the information stick, make more sense, and feel more real. How do you apply things learned to real life? A few examples are: math is used in baking, cooking, grocery shopping, and home renovations. Reading is used with grocery lists, reading recipes, and reading instructions for video or board games.
History can have real life applications if you take a field trip to a historical landmark, reenactment, or theme park. Social and cultural studies take on real world meaning if you visit restaurants with foods from different countries. You can also get to know neighbors from other countries, or stop to talk to people on sidewalks.
Online Schooling
Maybe the problem with public school wasn’t the quality of the education, but instead concerns about bullying. Or perhaps your child has learning difficulties that made it difficult to keep up in class. For instance, Alabama online school provides the best of both worlds. Your child still gets the same quality education they would have gotten if they attended public school, while avoiding the issues that concern you. Many online public schools allow you some flexibility in when and how your child studies. They all have teachers available to help your child, which means you don’t have to take on all the pressure of your child’s education alone.
Educational Websites
It has become very easy to find websites that offer quality educational content in the last few years. Some of these sites are free, while others are paid services. The ones that are paid often offer a free trial so you can try it out. They are available for a variety of age ranges, from preschool straight through high school. Some work well as a supplement to a core educational program, while some are comprehensive enough to be a core educational program in their own right. They can be focused on a single subject, or provide information on many subjects. Many format the content into games, making the learning especially fun for kids. A lot of kids learn even better when they don’t realize they’re learning, so these sites can be an excellent resource.
Don’t Stay Home
Home education doesn’t have to be done at home. Changing up location can improve learning. Unfamiliar environments can shake things up and make your kids pay more attention. Head to the park or the coffee shop. Even better, make travel part of learning. Many families do what’s called “RV schooling” or “world schooling,” in which they travel the country or the world and incorporate that into their schooling. This can expose your child to diverse environments, people, foods, and even languages –providing an incredibly broad education they might not otherwise have.
All education options have value, and homeschooling is no different. There are many ways to ensure that your child’s education is as good as they would get in any other education choice. It just takes a little out of the box thinking sometimes.
