Homeschooling in Wisconsin

Computer Programming Classes Made Easy

2011-09-01T09:18:00.000-05:00

Whether you have a computer geek in-the-making or you need to add some technology coursework to your homeschool curriculum, Codeacademy is a great option for teaching kids how to code. Codeacademy is free, interactive and it's a web app, so it runs entirely through a web browser and there is nothing to install. Codeacademy starts off with a really, really basic lesson, so total newbies need

SAT, ACT, GMAT, GRE or LSAT Study Resource on the Web

2010-11-03T10:18:00.000-05:00

The Wall Street Journal All Things Digital has a great review of Grockit, an online resource for studying for college entrance exams. Grockit makes studying for the SAT, ACT, GMAT, GRE or LSAT less expensive with lessons, group study and solo practice while being fun and educational, according to reviewer/reporter Katie Boehret. Grockit also has practice for English Language Arts and Math for

When to Start a New Paragraph - Middle School Writing

2010-10-11T10:48:00.001-05:00

Recently, my homeschool student wrote a short compare and contrast report of the book, Nim's Island and the Nim's Island movie. What was handed in consisted of two long paragraphs when it should have been broken down into several paragraphs, although I reviewed that a new idea or subject requires a new paragraph before the writing began. My student thought that anything written about the book

10 Online Games That Teach Kids About Earth, Ecology & Conservation

2010-09-10T16:43:00.000-05:00

Check out these ten online games and game websites that teach kids in a fun way about the environment and the world around them. These interactive educational websites teach that each action has an effect on the Earth. When kids learn about animals and conservation in an interactive way, the lessons learned are sure to be remembered. 10 Environmental Games That Teach Kids About Earth, Ecology

Lesson Planning and More: Homeschool Skedtrack

2010-09-09T09:54:00.003-05:00

Homeschooling takes a lot of lesson planning, with reading, workbooks, online activities, field trips and other academic planning. I started planning on paper, and then created a spreadsheet to track hours, but still needed a flexible tool for daily lesson planning. Homeschool Skedtrack Today Screen IRT Web Solutuions I tried three different online applications for homeschool lesson planning,

Homeschool Unit Studies: What is a Unit Study?

2010-08-26T17:34:00.000-05:00

A unit study is study of one topic (mammals, ocean, Civil War) that incorporates many cross-curriculum subjects, like history, science spelling and writing. Unit study author Amanda Bennett defines a unit study as "a complete immersion into the topic so that the student will see things as a "whole" instead of bits and pieces learned throughout their education." Some reasons that unit studies

Chronicles of Narnia Study Book 1: The Magician's Nephew

2010-08-21T17:05:00.002-05:00

I've been learning more about C.S. Lewis and The Chronicles of Narnia after my middle school daughter was looking to do some end-of-summer summer reading. I didn't realize that The Chronicles of Narnia actually consisted of seven books, and neither did my daughter. Although the books weren't written in chronological order, they can be read in this order.I found a Narnia boxed set of the books on

Bookswim : Convenient Homeschooling Book Rentals

2010-07-15T10:35:00.001-05:00

Here's a great resource for renting books for home schooling students from preschool through high school, without leaving the house. Bookswim is an online book rental service that lets you put together a queue of books to be delivered to your door. Among the classifications for children's book rentals are sections by age, literature, science and nature, animals, people and places. Adults

Book Review: The Ultimate Book of Homeschooling Ideas: 500+ Fun and Creative Learning Activities

2010-06-11T15:32:00.000-05:00

As I read through The Ultimate Book of Homeschooling Ideas, I found myself wishing I had known about this resource years ago. Even though I was not home schooling at that time, my daughter and I would have had tons of fun with the activities presented in this book. I am starting to home school my daughter in middle school, so the activities are too simplistic for her. However, the first 33

4 Software Picks That Teach Kids About Money

2010-06-09T11:09:00.001-05:00

As the financial software guide at About.com, I take personal finance education seriously, but I had fun researching online and desktop software that can be used to teach kids of all ages about money. Each of these free or low-cost educational software choices has a unique feature that may be especially appealing to your child. Learn about software to teach kids about money at About.com, and

Signs of Stress in Children and Family: Are Your Kids Doing Too Much?

2010-06-09T08:54:00.000-05:00

We often hear that kids are too busy these days, yet most families continue to participate in multiple activities with little or no downtime. Home school families can be just as susceptible as other families to the lure of getting kids involved in too much, whether it's out of pressure from comparing to other home school households, insecurity about developing curriculum, or other reasons. Keep

Home Schooling in Wisconsin: Everything You Need to Know

2010-06-08T16:21:00.006-05:00

Home Schooling in Wisconsin: At Home with Learning has been written by experienced home schoolers and is published by the Wisconsin Parents Association. This book is updated regularly, with my copy being the sixth edition, published in 2006. I first considered home schooling my child in first grade, but felt intimidated at the prospect of doing so. Still, I remained interested in this method