Spring Cleaning: Household and Homeschool

It's official: Spring cleaning time has arrived. In our house, that means we dig a little deeper into hidden dirt. We've swept, mopped, vacuumed, and steel wooled areas in our house. (Yes, some areas in our home need hard scrubbing.) We're not known for meticulous housecleaning. Still, our standards are high enough to keep us from condemnation and quarantine.

In homeschool, there is also a time for spring cleaning curriculum. If something hasn't been working, be brutal--when in doubt, throw it out! Yes, that's hard, especially if you have already invested a lot of time, money and effort. Why throw more money and time away?

It helps to remember that most people only learn something after seeing the information three or more times, in many different ways. One of the many benefits of homeschooling is that it allows parents to use different materials, according to their kids' individual learning style. As long as you abide by your local laws, you can custom design your child's education.

You don't need to dumb down your older homeschooler. Find curriculum to help your teen prepare for college, while still in high school. Check out this extensive listing of links to free learning materials in just about every college subject area imaginable (except, unfortunately, Bible): Academic Resource Core LINKS, http://www.geocities.com/arc_links/links_info.htm

Homeschooling contrasts sharply with the Deliberate Dumbing Down, One Size Fits All education system. Read more about the education agenda at http://www.deliberatedumbingdown.com/pages/articles/choice1.html .
So, have you starting spring cleaning, either in your house or homeschool? Post a response--we'd love to hear what you think! Happy cleaning!

Finding Homeschool Support Resources

Everybody needs a little help sometime. Looking for a homeschool network? Find an American, Canadian, or international homeschooling pal by contacting groups listed at Mary Pride's list of support groups, http://www.home-school.com/groups/ . I also list resources in my co-authored book, "Homeschooling on a Shoestring."

What Do You Really Need to Know?

What are your learning goals for each subject in your homeschool? Do you find yourself--or your kids--becoming overwhelmed? Maybe some subjects and lessons are really brambles in the forest. Can you cut out some of the nonessential brambles?

If you feel pressured, maybe you can let something go in favor of what your kids really need to know--right now.

For instance, are your kids still struggling with reading? Teach the most used words first. 1234read.com offers a free list of essential words.

Concentrate on teaching the most important words. Then go on from there, and learn more.

No, no, I still believe in the importance of phonics. However, we can prioritize our phonics instruction to concentrate on the most used words, and how to learn them most efficiently.

I like to cluster similar word sound parts, and teach them together. For instance, if you can read and write "it," then you can learn "bit," "sit," "fit," and many more. Kids will quickly begin to see the patterns in reading and spelling. They will grow closer to the day when they become truly independent readers and learners. Then they will be equipped to learn whatever they need to know.