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Homeschooling is a full-time job and any parent who has taken on the role of teacher in the academic sense knows the challenges that come with being both parent and teacher. One of the most important things to cover in a homeschooling curriculum is reading. But what do you do when your child is having problems reading? There are a variety of exercises you can find to broach the subject but if you got a dog or know someone who has one then you might consider letting your child read to it.

I know it sounds ridiculous – especially since dogs cannot understand English, at least not in the way you and I understand it. However studies have shown that children who read to dogs have increased vocabulary, self-esteem and confidence in their ability to read on their own. Part of it has to do with the fact that a dog is a living thing and free to listen to them read out loud. A dog won’t criticize them or interrupt.

It’s also good for the parent who is homeschooling. Just five or ten minutes a day of this and the child will surely improve and, during that time, parents can handle some of the pressing tasks around the house. Things like paying some of those bills, cleaning up around the area, researching possibilities with Security ADT services, checking the mail, etc.

1. Storage: Every teacher knows storage is a must! Organize art supplies, activity centers, and anything else causing clutter in your classroom in colorful, labeled storage bins. This is a practical way to bring a pop of color into the classroom. Get creative with the labels for even more dcor.

2. Educational Posters: Hanging posters around the room is a great way to keep your kids learning. Make sure these posters are relevant to the curriculum and depict cultural diversity. For example, use pictures of historical figures, flow charts, and geographical maps.

3. Artwork: Using your student-s artwork as decorations is Read the rest of this entry »

One way to improve reading skills is to add word games to your lessons. Word searches, crossword puzzles, and word games can give you better understanding of words, increase your vocabulary, and provide entertainment to readers. Games such as Scrabble, Boggle, and Apples to Apples, are perfect examples of comprehension games.
Another tip is to choose new books that will challenge your mind. Set new and more difficult goals each time you are finished with a book. By choosing longer, higher advanced reading books each Read the rest of this entry »

How can you bring history alive in your classroom? One way is to visit a local historical site: a museum, a battlefield, a historical building, a farm, or other geographic site. Go to an historical re-enactment. If you are limited to the classroom however, here are some suggestions to make history come alive.

Do your own re-enactment of important historical events. If you are studying the Constitutional Convention of 1787, have the students each play a representative to Read the rest of this entry »

Assigning papers for students to do is great, but figuring out how you are going to fairly grade those papers is not always so easy. There are many different methods that people have taken over the years to try to grade papers turned in by students. When they do this, they are trying out different things that they cannot be sure will work. If the methods do work, then that is great, but if they do not, then it is just unfair to the students.

One tip to grade papers fairly is Read the rest of this entry »