How can I help my child reach “the next level” in reading?
It’s a simple process.  Reading specialists say that after a child has read approximately 35 books on his current reading level, he’s ready for the next level.

That’s a cinch.  Just read 35 books on your current level, and you’re ready for the next!

But how do you tell which reading level a child is on?
Have your child open a book to any page and read it aloud.  If there are five or fewer words that she can’t pronounce, then the book is fine for her.  More than five unknown words, and the book is counted as too difficult.

How to accelerate this reading achievement?
Read a book together each night that’s just above average reading level of children (one or two levels).

Some of my favorites include ….
Laura Ingalls Wilder series
G. A Henty books (true stories of courage in which the children can relate to the characters)
Summer of the Monkeys (one of my favorites to read aloud; very endearing characters)
The Sign of the Beaver (great adventure book)
Swiss Family Robinson
Heidi

I’ve posted precise questions to ask to increase comprehension at multiple levels on the
HomeschoolHelper.com site, and you can access them here.  http://homeschoolhelper.com/reading.html

Take care, and I will talk with you later!

Lisa

Extraverts need to talk in order to process their learning. If you go into a typical public school setting, you’ll see that they are not really set up for the extraverted learner. Most of the time children are asked to sit and work independently and not talk because the constant chitchat will disturb other people.

It is true that your child is around other children seven hours a day, but they’re not interacting that much. There is a little time before school starts and then recess and lunch. Most teachers do employ some cooperative learning activities a couple of times throughout the day. But that’s not the majority of the day by any stretch.

In fact, extraverted children usually get in trouble because they exercise their learning style in the classroom. I believe what extraverts need is to be able to talk out the subject matter so they can grasp it. This means when they’re learning something new it’s important for them to have someone else with whom to talk and bounce ideas around.

Extraverts are also very active learners. Just sitting around contemplating what to do bores the socks off these kids. They want to jump in and just do it. So, hands-on learning activities suit them best. Public schools can offer some hands-on activities, but not on a regular basis. First off you have the issue of cost. As a teacher, there were so many hands-on activities I longed to do with my kids in the classroom. But I would have needed 25 to 28 of each item used in the activity. That would have blown my budget right there with one activity.

Then there is the issue of the teacher’s sanity. Hands-on activities are great, but with 28 children every day, Ms. Crabtree is going to end up a total Looney Toon. So, if you consider the two biggest needs of an extraverted child, you can see that the public school really doesn’t have the funds or the ability to meet the needs of extraverted learners on a regular basis.

Here’s the big question, how does a homeschool mom meet those needs? I’ll be honest; if you’re an introverted mom and you have an extraverted child, it’s a challenge. You’re longing for silence and they’re longing for conversation. But they’re not going to get this meaningful conversation in a public school setting. What can you do? You could set up activities that involve interviewing, role-playing, and interacting. Siblings come in very handy here. You can pair kids up and have them share the concepts they’re learning each day. And grandparents can get involved. Even if a grandparent lives far away, a child can call and share what he’s learning or interview the grandparent.

Another place that’s just wonderful to take children is the senior citizen center and sometimes nursing homes. How many older people would give everything they have to know someone is coming to visit and that they could actually share in a meaningful way and meet somebody else’s needs. We all need to be needed. And to have a child come and share his science experiment or read to an older person would just make their day. Really, here’s your child sharing the heart of Jesus through the interaction and making a difference in the other person’s life.

Beyond that there are multiple opportunities to get together with other homeschooling families. Many areas sponsor co-ops where parents or other teachers teach classes like chemistry, drama, videography, and technology. Basically, trying to homeschool the extravert alone could drive you nuts. So my suggestion is to utilize everybody you can find - from your local librarian to people you can call across the country. Schoolteachers use as many resources as they can find; you do too. It’s just all part of offering a quality education for your child.

To hear the audio interview Lisa did with Marnie Pehrson of Ideamarketers on the topic of homeschooling an extravert, go to http://www.ideamarketers.com/library/article.cfm?articleid=369194

…the three biggies we were taught in our education classes and in numerous teacher conferences - these are the ways children learn.

Funny, I never fit into any of those categories.

Then researchers added in the “tactile connection”. Great! Now we have a category while feels like home to me.

Unfortunately, tactile learning is often squashed in with kinesthetic, as it involves touching - which is movement in a sense. But tactile learning is actually very different.

With a true tactile learner, there is something about the actual feel of an item that connects the brain’s circuits with the information to be learned.

We sometimes want children to sit still and listen and quit all movement while they’re reading, watching, or attending to a lecture or sermon. Tactile folks actually learn better if they can be fiddling with some squishy toy, piece of soft fabric, etc. That touch literally heightens the learning process for them and makes things “click”.

I am highly tactile. When I’m in a store, my hands are on unusually textured items constantly. I can be reading about a historical moment, and then touch something symbolic of that moment, and the whole essence of the learning comes alive for me. In that moment of touch, I “get it”.

Particular items I enjoy feeling of while I’m learning are soft blankets, chenille socks, squishy gel toys. But if you can use something symbolic of the learning activity, it’s even more powerful.

For instance, if you’re studying history, go to the cemetery and look for old stones, dating back to the 1700s. Telling the stories of the founding fathers of your town while tracing the faded names and dates can connect children to the reality of the past. These were real people, who really made some sort of difference in the world. What was it? What difference will I make?

When you study bees, capture a specimen, freeze it and touch the wings and body. If that freaks your child out, then buy some honeycomb - anything related to the subject that can be touched.

Spiritual Growth and Connection

Tactile methods work in the spiritual realm, too. For instance, last night I attended a prayer conference where there were prayer stations all around the perimeter of the room. One in particular drew me like a magnet. There was a small table set up with various tapestries and a cross standing in the center. Large pillar candles arranged among the folds of material added a feeling of calm.

I found myself in front of the table during the worship time, touching the fabric and connecting with the Father in a beautiful new way. The feel of the iron cross, the purple satin, the textured deep red fabric - the touch - connected me with Jesus’ heart.

Relating to Others

Tactile children also tend to relate to people and deepen relationships through physical touch. They’re the folks who are always touching loved ones on the shoulder, patting them on the arm, hugging, play wrestling, etc. Without that meaningful physical touch, there’s a feel of “disconnect” in the relationship.

Some children connect by seeing, some by hearing, some by moving around. Others must touch to learn. It’s one reason hands-on activities can be so powerful!

That’s the news for today!

Talk to you later!
Lisa

She was beside herself with frustration.

“Lisa, it’s so much worse than when you were teaching. Gosh, the state decreases our funds, crams our classes too full, and then we have to mainstream all the kids with emotional disorders.

“I have a schizophrenic child who screams for hours. The school hired an assistant just to walk around with him all day - to keep him from hurting others.

“We have so many kids like that in our classes - it’s just about impossible to teach! Teachers are quitting right and left. We had nearly one third new teachers last year. It’s crazy.”

Prior to our talk, I had actually felt the urge to be back in the classroom again. Zap that thought.

I share this with you, not to dishonor the pubic schools. I taught for 17 years under some pretty crazy conditions. I know the stresses teachers face.

But I do want to encourage you, wonderful homeschooling family friends! I applaud you for your courageous decision to give your children the best education. It’s a sacrifice at times. It’s not easy. But your children are safe and learning far more than in most public school settings.

I know it’s been a long year for some of you, and you may feel the need for three or four summer breaks. I pray for your continued stamina! You’re heroes and heroines, in my estimation.

Your work is making a huge difference in the lives of your children and our communities.

Thank you!

Lisa

Well, in my quest for a more organized and stress-free 2008, I was seriously praying for guidance about what to do with my business and life in general.

And do you know what God said?

Okay, you’re going to think I’m kidding - would the Holy One of Israel actually say this? But I’m totally serious.

Clear as a bell, I hear in my spirit, “Wash your dishes every night before going to bed.”

Now, I honestly expected something a little more spiritual sounding, you know? Fast one day a week, get up at 3:00 AM and intercede for nations, give all you have to the poor… something along those lines.

But nope. When I wanted to know what God wanted for 2008 in my life, He said, “Wash the dishes.”

My grandma always said there were two things she couldn’t stand. An unmade bed and a sink full of dishes. I didn’t inherit those pet-peeves.

But I do have this tendency to get totally overwhelmed and paralyzed when there’s too much to do. I just shut down.

And I realized, as I started washing the dishes at night, how awesome I was feeling in the mornings as a result of seeing a clean sink. Man, it’s amazing what a grimy two foot stack of plates and bowls can do to the psyche! That mess contributed to my overwhelmed feelings and paralysis.

Isn’t God amazing? I mean, He knows smack dab what my issues are and how to alleviate stress in my life.

Who knows? Maybe next year I’ll actually start folding laundry.

Want to share what He’s telling you for 2008?

Lisa

Honestly, I can hardly talk about this topic without feeling some heat rise into my face. Socialization.

I will attempt to maintain composure.

I find that home schooled children tend to be more mature, sensitive to others, caring and ministry oriented. For people who question the socialization aspect of home schooling- socialization is not taught at school. There may be character curriculum in a public school, but its teaching comprises a tiny part of the child’s week. Character isn’t integrated into life as it can be in a home setting – it’s just presented as another lesson.

As a public school teacher for 16 years, I depended on parents to teach kindness self control, caring for others, manners, and appropriate behavior. In order for my classroom to be effective, those social skills already needed to be learned at home. Bottom line - moms and dads are the molders of social skills.

Homeschooled children are among the most considerate, sensitive, mannerly children I have ever come in contact with. Someone asked me if not sending a child to public school would be detrimental. I replied, “Imagine never having to deal with being pushed into your place in the hierarchy based on what clothes you wear, what you look like, and how much of a clone of your peers you become.

Imagine never having to worry about being bullied, not having to hear obscenities or witness fist fights. I know many people who have gone through years of therapy to try to get beyond ways they were treated as children in public school. Imagine being so free that that whole “you don’t belong here” worry is like a foreign land.”

Do I think the public school has a place in educating our children? Yes, but I believe it is primarily for those children whose home life is abusive –horrible things are witnessed at home, and their only way of escape is coming to school. Many children live in these situations and, for them, school is a godsend. No, it’s not the very best educationally and emotionally, but it’s far better than what they could have at home. So while the public school has its place, I believe it’s secondary in quality to the type of education that can occur in the home.

Take care, and thanks for reading!

Lisa

And it’s so simple, even a five-year-old can do it!

All you have to do is ask the child to document in some way the jist of what was learned in each subject that day. Younger children can draw a picture. Older children can write a few sentences.

Boring? So non-creative? Ah, therein lies the secret.

When we read information, we can move through quickly, get to the end of the book and then if someone asked us what we learned from that text, we say, “Uhm, well, see, it’s about… uhm… Well, hand it here again…”

But if two minutes are taken at the end of each chapter to form a two sentence synopsis of what the chapter was about, WOW! That information ends up rubber cemented to the brain. If the child talks about what she’s learned within 24 hours, and actually explains those two sentences to someone, the info ends up super-glued to the brain.

This simple tip is often overlooked, because by the end of a learning session, we’re likely eager to skip to something else, or we’re headed out the door. But taking that extra two minutes to summarize the basic ideas of what was learned means that come test time - there won’t need to be a ton of review or stomach ulcers. It’s all cemented in the brain, just waiting for retrieval.

It’s potentially the most valuable two minutes of the learning process!

Talk to you later!
Lisa

P.S. For numerous tips to help your children learn faster and easier, check out the “Brain Strategies” section at http://www.homeschoolhelper.com

Well, I don’t normally plan on being this longwinded - but this post is exactly why I started this blog, so… Thanks for your indulgence!

Home schooling allows parents to utilize the best teaching and learning practices (such as one-on-one learning instruction) and to implement unique brain strategies. And since you don’t have a classroom of 25 children to manage, you can allow your child to pursue areas of his own interest. This freedom skyrockets motivation!

A home schooled child can have a customized, tailor-made education. How freeing to learn at his own pace, not hurried and frustrated or twiddling thumbs while waiting for others to listen or catch up.

Homeschooling also allows for a breadth and depth of curriculum that isn’t available in the public school. For instance, recent studies show that listening to a foreign language before the age of two gives a child the ability to later learn and speak that language like a native. You don’t have to wait until age 14 to begin Spanish! Many home schooled children learn real-life skills – they can cook, grow their own vegetables, build a house –and they develop musical and artistic talents, too. Some even start their own businesses as early as age 8!

Also, when a person is schooled at home, and there is an emphasis on meaning and understanding. Learning isn’t just a bag of trivial facts, it becomes an entire dimension when you’re home schooling.

Home schooled children are likely to become independent, creative thinkers. They feel free to search for truth and question opinions stated as facts.

Most of a child’s day in the public school is spent trying to fit in, and that interferes with the learning process. Children who don’t have to take the time to develop and use survival mechanisms to keep from being made fun of or bullied, develop strong, confident self-concepts. Moms and Dads are thrilled at their children’s creativity, and at home no one is criticized for having a unique idea.

This relaxed atmosphere allows learning to catapult to heights that just aren’t possible when you have to create ways to survive, and plan ways to belong.

One of the most profound benefits of homeschooling is the strong family relationships that are forged. Respect and manners can be not only taught, but modeled again and again. Service to others just becomes a part of life. Strong families work through their problems together. The companionship and gift of time with our children takes precedence over the frantic pace of the treadmill.

Mae Shell, a homeschooled young lady, is quoted in The Homeschooling Book of Answers (by Linda Dobson). Her words say it better than I ever could. When asked what she’d most remember about being homeschooled, Mae replied, “The first thing that comes to mind is the importance of my family life. And I mean this in every sense you can imagine, not simply loving, but being friends with my family, enjoying their company, supporting them and knowing they support me no matter what happens…

More than being just parents, they are my friends, mentors, teachers, and counselors. I also cherish the friendship of my three younger sisters and older half-brother and sister. I know I will always have these rich, wonderful relationships with my siblings.” Mae goes on to speak of what her family means to her. “I value being a part of this intricate living quilt above everything else.” (pg.222)

Can you put a price tag on this type of family strength and love? It’s worth everything!

Well, that’s a mouthful and a half.  I have descended my soap box and  promise to have shorter posts on this blog as well!

Take care,

Lisa

Simply sign up at the right hand side of this page, and it will be sent to you. I want to get this message to as many parents as possible so that more folks can experience the benefits of homeschooling.

Again, it’s a pleasure to have you visiting this site, and I sincerely hope it’s a help to you!

Lisa