Homeschoolers cover an entire spectrum of different educational methods. On the one end, you have unschoolers, families that believe in self- or child-led learning. Relying on real world experiences, they learn by living. On the other end of the spectrum, you find parents who have "school at home." They may set up a classroom environment, use structured curriculums, and rely on schedules to keep things moving smoothly. And of course, there is everything in between. There are as many different ways to homeschool as there are homeschoolers. Explore the different methods, ideas, and approaches that make the homeschooling experience so rich.
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| Learning Styles |
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Knowing your child's learning style can help you teach him or her in the best way possible. Explore these diverse ways of learning and get tips on the best way to help your child grasp and learn new material.
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| Eclectic Homeschooling |
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What do you call the homeschooler who doesn't necessarily subscribe to a certain homeschooling method? Well, the term eclectic fits just perfectly. Eclectic homeschooling involves a diverse and unique approach to learning at home.
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| Unschooling |
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Unschooling is more than just not going to school. It is following your child's interests to get the most out of learning through living.
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| Montessori |
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The Montessori approach to education can work very well in the home environment. Learn about incorporating Montessori techniques at home, national support organizations, and how to find resources and materials.
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| Waldorf |
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Explore the Waldorf philosophy of education and see how it can be integrated into learning in the home.
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| Classical/Trivium |
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The classical method of education, based on the Trivium, is a traditional model of learning and teaching. Read more about this method and find out how homeschoolers are using it to teach their children at home.
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| Charlotte Mason |
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Charlotte Mason's philosophy and model of teaching can be used with great success in the home. Explore this method and find ways to incorporate this teaching and learning style into your homeschool.
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| Moore Formula |
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Dr. Raymond and Dorothy Moore were pioneers in the homeschooling movement and have given generations of homeschoolers inspiration, know-how, and ideas that make learning at home fun, less stressful, and more rewarding. Learn more about their philosophy of education and their methods with these resources.
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| Unit Studies |
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Unit studies are a creative and dynamic way to integrate core subjects into topical learning. They can excite interest in your child and can help you cover a number of subjects in a shorter amount of time. Learn more about unit studies and how to incorporate them into your own homeschooling methods.
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| Co-Ops |
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What do you do when you are overwhelmed and feel like you can't do everything all by yourself? Join a co-op! Co-ops pull together the resources, strengths, and gifts of several people to help provide a more diverse, complete, and rewarding educational experience for your children.
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| Online Programs |
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A virtual school in general refers to a program in which your child is at home, but takes courses over the Internet. These virtual schools offer online programs and often full curricula. They are usually administered by a public or private school. Thus, children enrolled in these programs are effectively enrolled in a school and skirt the definition of a homeschooled student. There are some controversies regarding these programs, but they do provide an alternative that is appropriate for some families. Learn more about how these programs work, what to expect, and how to get the most out of them.
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| Vocational Training |
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Vocational training offers teenagers and yound adults the opportunity to learn a trade, often with on-the-job training.
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| Community Colleges |
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Many community colleges around the country have opened their doors to homeschooled teenagers, giving them an opportunity to start their college careers early, to gain classroom experience and college credit, to challenge them with more difficult materials, and to expand their horizons. Many parents look to community colleges to provide instruction in materials that they are not well suited to teach themselves.
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Live Education! |
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Live Education! produces homeschooling supplies for families inspired by a Waldorf perspective. They offer individualized curriculum and pedagogical support (K-8) to form the basis for full-time home education or to supplement traditional schooling.
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Classically Eclectic |
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This loop was created for homeschoolers interested in presenting school materials, real books, and/or purchased curriculum in a manner consistent with Classical Education philosophy. Specifically, Classical Education refers to educational models (such as the Trivium) described by Laura Berquist, the Bluedorns, Dorothy Sayers, Doug Wilson, Jessie Wise, Susan Wise Bauer, and others, in which material is presented to children according to their stage of development (i.e., Grammar, Logic, and Rhetoric stages). The purpose of this loop is practical in nature: to share resource suggestions, reviews, schedules, ideas, and encouragement, in order to help one another provide Classical Education within the homeschool environment. |
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Crunchy Unschoolers |
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A list for unschoolers who are interested in moving towards a sustainable lifestyle. Topics for discussion may include how sustainability and unschooling complement each other, and how we resolve conflicting values. |
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Homeschool Parents Don't Need to Be Teachers |
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Penelope Trunk |
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Instead of needing parents to be teachers, kids need teachers to get out of the way of their learning. Homeschooling is not about a teacher-student relationship. There are people who are trying to recreate school at home. For the rest of us, though, we an see the school model is broken, and we are not recreating it at home. For us, homeschooling is about the parent-child relationship. |
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