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5 Essential Ingredients to Homeschooling Success

By Terri Johnson co-author of Homeschooling ABCs an online class starting this month for brand new homeschoolers

We've all seen it or, at least, heard about it the homeschooled child who wins the geography bee, or the one who graduates at the age of 15, or the one who excels in musical accomplishments?

Now,obviously, a student does not have to be homeschooled in order to accomplish one of the feats above, nor does every homeschooled child excel in such notable ways. However, every homeschooling parent desires for success in teaching their children at home and launching them intothe world to become all that God has intended for them to be.

The flipside to this statement is that no one wants to fail when it comesto teaching their children at home. So, what are the five necessary ingredients to homeschooling success?

The first one is the desire to foster a closer relationship with each of your children and your kids with one another. If you don't want to spend more time together and deepen these relationships (or, at least, want to want to spend more time together), then homeschooling may not be the best choice for you. However, I am sure that you have heard it said before that at the end of the day, no one is going to say, I wish that I had spent more time at work or by myself or with my canary? No,the universal regret that aging and dying people declare is their sadness over not spending enough time with their loved ones. Teaching your children at home is an amazing opportunity to spend more time withyour dearest loved ones and have no regrets.

The second ingredient to homeschooling success is a teachable spirit on the part of the parent. This is essential because, like it or not, you will learn so much more teaching your own children than you ever did inschool the first time around. So, you might as well like to learn.

On that same note, the third essential ingredient to successful homeschooling is creating a home environment that is conducive to learning. This may show itself differently in each of our homes, but the result is the same, a place where kids can learn and enjoy it.

A home that is conducive to learning may have quiet and cozy reading nooks, bookshelves crammed with great books, a listening corner complete with headphones and a beanbag chair, uncluttered smooth surfaces for writing, stacks of coloring/activity books and colored pencils, a place to gather together and talk about the day's events.You get the idea? Create centers in your home that make learning fun and accessible.

The fourth ingredient for a successful homeschool is 2 hours of your time to devote to your children's studies. Truly, when the one-on-oneteaching method is employed in your home, you do not need all day inorder to get things done. In fact, a child in K-2 grades might be finished with her schoolwork in as few as 45 minutes (of course, that probably does not include the time that you spend reading together because who can get enough of that!).

At the other end of the spectrum, you might not need that much time with your middle schooler or high schooler either, because they become such independent learners by this age. The kids that will need the majority of that time that you have designated for school, those full 2 hours would be your students in 3-6 grades as math and grammar assignments might get a little more involved.

The final ingredient for homeschooling success is a library card. That's right! With access to a huge roomful of books, a world of learning opportunities is at your doorstep. Let's say that your child is interested in insects or flowers, electricity or magnetism,transportation or inventions check out as many books as he can devour on the subject and then some more. Watch your child light up with the delight of learning.

With these 5 essential ingredients incorporated into your homeschool, you will experience successful learning in the lives of your children,because this is the measure of success, children that love to learn!

Enjoy those learning moments?

Terri Johnson

Co-author of Homeschooling ABCs an online class starting this month for brand new homeschoolers.Don't let self-doubt, or lack of experience, rob you of the best first year possible! Sign up for class at Homeschooling ABCs

Ok here's the deal. My family is orginally from IL. We moved here when I was 12, I am now 33 so it has been a long time. I consider myself a North Carolinian.

My dad moved back to IL last year to be with his brothers that were having some health problems. Ever since then my husband has contemplated moving there. This from a guy that told me I would never get him above the Mason Dixen line when we first got married, and that was just for a vacation. He still has never been there. I have have been in the unfortunate event of a death in the family.

So my husband wants to move there, to be honest I think I would like to move back as well. Here are my reasons not to,

* my Mom, she has a lot of health issues.I have two brothers here in NC but they both work and one is also going back to school. So I am the one that takes her shopping, her drs. appointments and errand running and so on. I also know she would miss my kids terribly.

* Next are my friends. I have 2 friends that are like sisters to me. One is going to be marrying my brother and she is currently pregnant with my niece. She also has 2 kids from a previous marriage that I love dearly. My other friend and I are so close it is crazy. We both homeschool and have get togethers for that. She also has 5 kids that I am crazy about.

* My in laws are here also. I attend my father in laws church and love it there. I also know they would miss the kids dearly.

Here are my reasons to go,

* I still have a large amount of family in IL that my children has never met. Unfortunately my kids never got the chance to meet their great grandparents before they passed.

* I would love to show them where I grew up and went to school.

* I know they would love the winters with all of the snow.

* Things are so much more affordable in IL. We cannot believe the difference in the property prices. It is a tremendous difference. * No hurricanes, lol.

* The homeschool laws there are a lot more laid back. As matter of fact from what I have found there are practically none.

* I think it would be a good change for our family.

So I am just torn, dh is ready to go within the next 6 months to a year. I am an emotional wreck over it. How do you make a big decision like this? I am not sure how my parents did it. I am not sure how dh is able to just up and go like this, maybe he is just not showing it. Any advice on this one??

Today I added a plug board to the Fun Stuff page. Feel free to plug away just keep it family friendly!