SEVEN THINGS TO CONSIDER BEFORE HOMESCHOOLING YOUR KIDS

Homeschooling offers families a unique and personalized education experience. While this can be a rewarding and fulfilling experience, it's important to consider your decision before embarking on this educational journey. Various factors can impact the success of homeschooling, so it's necessary to think through them before deciding on homeschooling This way, you can determine if homeschooling is the right choice for you and your family and will set you up for success. Here are a few you should consider. 

1. Family goals and values 

One of the key benefits of homeschooling is that it allows you to tailor your children's education to your distinctive goals and values. Before beginning homeschooling, it's vital to think about what you want to achieve through this educational experience. For instance, some families prioritize academics, while others focus on instilling religious or moral values. Understanding your family's priorities will help you create a homeschooling curriculum that aligns with your goals, so feel free to consider this. 

2. Your financial situation 

Homeschooling can be a cost-effective option for families, but it's essential to assess the financial implications of this choice. Homeschooling often requires an initial investment in educational materials and supplies and ongoing costs for field trips, co-op classes, and extracurricular activities. Additionally, if one parent plans to stay home to homeschool, you will need to evaluate the impact of this decision on the family's household income. 

3. Time and scheduling needs 

To homeschool successfully, parents and children must make time and commit. Parents must be available to create lesson plans, teach classes, and oversee homework, while children must be willing to spend their days on academic pursuits. Before beginning homeschooling, ponder how this will impact your family's daily schedule and routines. Also, families with multiple children may need to consider the logistics of homeschooling multiple students at once, so keep this in mind. 

4. Your educational and teaching experience 

Homeschooling requires parents to assume the role of teacher, which can be a significant challenge for those without a background in education. Before you start homeschooling, assessing your educational and teaching experience and your willingness to invest time and effort into learning the required skills is necessary. Many homeschooling families find it helpful to take courses or attend workshops to develop their teaching skills. Others also rely on online educational resources that teach specific subjects. You can click here for more information to make the best decision. 

5. Support system 

Teaching your children at home can be a lonely experience if you lack a supportive community. You will need to consider how you will stay connected with other homeschooling families and how you will provide social opportunities for your children. Homeschooling co-ops, support groups, and extracurricular activities can help families stay connected and build a supportive community. 

6. Child's feelings 

The decision to homeschool can have a significant impact on your child's emotional well-being. This is because homeschooling can be a highly isolating experience, especially for children who are used to spending time with peers in a traditional school setting. If your child is introverted or struggles with social anxiety, homeschooling may not be the best choice. On the other hand, homeschooling may be a great fit if your child is highly independent and enjoys working independently. Also, evaluating how your child feels about being homeschooled is crucial, and if they are on board with this choice is crucial. Involving your child in the decision-making process and ensuring that they feel heard and valued can help mitigate negative emotions and increase the likelihood of success. 

7. Reward system 

A reward system can motivate and engage your child in their education. It can also help create a positive and encouraging environment that promotes learning and growth. Children are more likely to stay engaged and motivated when incentivized to work hard and make progress. Further, a reward system can foster a sense of accomplishment and pride in their work, boosting their self-esteem and confidence. When contemplating a reward system for homeschooling, it's significant to choose meaningful and relevant incentives for your child, such as special privileges, educational experiences, or material rewards. This way, you can help create a positive and supportive learning environment that prepares your child for success, so keep this in mind. 

In conclusion, homeschooling is a big decision that requires careful reflection on multiple factors. By evaluating your family's goals and values, financial situation, time and scheduling needs, educational and teaching experience, and support system, you'll be better equipped to make an informed decision about homeschooling.

Expand children's reading & science skills with a Rainforest Journey

** A Geek Daddy received the featured product for free to review **

The winter months can be cold and dreary in Michigan, but that hasn't prevented my kids from exploring tropical habitats filled with lush vegetation and exotic creatures over the last few weeks.  They've been able to go on a Rainforest Journey without having to leave the comfort of our home thanks to an innovative online science and reading curriculum program created by the company EdTechLens.  Designed for children 5 - 12 years old, EdTechLens' Rainforest Journey teaches the life science components of elementary school science curriculum through taking kids on a vibrant, multimedia tour of a rainforest. Students are walked through five multi-chaptered units of study during their Rainforest Journey which include the big picture of the rainforest, adapt or die, animals, plants and fungi, and ecosystems. 

(c) EdTechLens - Rainforest Journey

Whether using for home schooling or to supplement what a child is being taught at school, the curriculum format of this program ensures kids are learning during their Rainforest Journey.  Parents can customize the reading level and educational complexity so it is appropriate for their child's grade in school from Kindergarten through 5th Grade.  We've been utilizing the first grade edition (CLICK HERE to sample one of the lesson segments my kids have used) and it has meshed well with where my twins are in their studies at in school.  If children are struggling to read along through the presentation on their own there is also an optional audio narration component that reads the text as a child follows along.  Scientific concepts such as ecosystems and the water cycle are explained through easy to understand graphs and illustrations.  Plus there is a focus on using this experience to expand a child's vocabulary as they make their way through each section of this online teaching aid.

To reinforce the lessons learned in each unit of the Rainforest Journey includes a printable activity sheet that parents and kids can work on together before they move on to the next topic.  Also each section concludes with an online test that measures a student's comprehension of their grade appropriate material and provides parents with an assessment.  Parents can block children from moving on to next unit of material until a satisfactory score has been achieved.

Rainforest Journey's online educational portal will work with any computer or handheld device that can connect with the Internet.  It's lessons are aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards and the New York State Science Standards plus each lesson includes a non-fiction reading passage to promote literacy. To further assist with reading skill development each of the learning sections provides parents with a Lexile score and word count to assist with measuring a child's abilities.

To prevent children from considering the educational aspects of Rainforest Journey as being boring or burdensome, lessons include video clips and photographs specifically selected to pique a child's curiosity.  Brilliantly colored amphibians, bug eating plants, camouflaged predators, distorted fungi, and rhinoceros-looking insects will wow and intrigue kids into wanting to learn more.



My son's favorite animal is the jaguar and he was just thrilled by the photos and video of this ferocious feline when we came upon them.

It is nice that you can select a specific grade level from K - 5 so that you know the material is relevant and relatable to the child using a Rainforest Journey.  My twins are beginning readers and their teacher has asked parents to make sure students read for 30 minutes every night after school.  With  pages that feature one line sentences crafted for first grade aged children to read this was a perfect opportunity to get in their reading every night while enhancing their interest in nature, conservation and science.

An annual subscription to Rainforest Journey is normally $50 per grade level.  So for example using the program for one child in first grade would cost just $50 for twelve months access. But say for example you have multiple children in kindergarten, third grade and fifth grade and want to customize the complexity for each of their individual learning levels that would be a $150 subscription fee.  Unless you use this special code ETLN2015 which will provide new subscribers to Rainforest Journey with a 50% discount on their order! This is a limited time offer and I'm not sure when it will expire.

Before making a decision, CLICK HERE to take a walk through Rainforest Journey to get an in-depth overview of the activities and resources provided through this educational tool.  Check out samples of the five lesson units as well as compare how the kindergarten version differentiates from the fifth grade.  Take a few moments to watch a video orientation that explains the program and its merit.  Note that a Rainforest Journey isn't fun and games meant to amuse kids but rather a serious educational tool which utilizes interesting topics and visuals that entice children to be enthusiastic about learning. Put those cold winter days where your kids may be trapped in the house to good use with a Rainforest Journey.