“COLUMN: Some homeschooling is good for all kids” plus 1 more |
| COLUMN: Some homeschooling is good for all kids Posted: 14 Aug 2010 01:59 AM PDT When I first announced on my blog that my husband and I were planning to homeschool, someone commented that she was going to do a very radical thing and that was to supplement homeschooling with public education. I thought that was great because every parent should take the position that learning first begins in the home. On the opposite spectrum, I know of a parent who once said, "Why bother to teach him that? That's what school is for." Well, of these two examples, guess whose child will most likely succeed in school? Homeschooling will be a journey for us, and we'll have to evaluate its worth for our children as we go along, but I know one thing for sure: we will always foster a love of exploration and learning in our house. I'm not talking about pushing my children, turning them into little geniuses or taking away their playtime. Believe it or not, this one of the main reasons I want to homeschool. I want them to have more unstructured time in which they can play and use their imaginations. But I have noticed that my son gets excited about the things I'm excited about, and if I see that he is interested in something positive, it is easy to reinforce his interest by getting excited about it too. If learning isn't forced, and it's made to be fun, children can pick up information at amazing rates. I'm sure this isn't new information to many parents. My son loves sea animals. Not only does he love the little toys that he has gotten as gifts, we also let him watch some nature shows about ocean life. Occasionally we sit down and watch YouTube videos about whatever animal he likes best. Learning simple facts about sea animals has spurred his interest in learning facts about all animals. Sometimes he'll ask me an arbitrary question like "what does a frog eat?" and we'll go look it up on the computer. Now that my son is old enough for pre-K, I'll be setting aside time specifically for learning, but I hope we can build upon what we're already doing. I want him to have the opportunity to learn about what he loves and find ways of teaching him the basics of reading, writing, math, etc. by using what he loves as a starting point. This is the beauty of homeschooling – that we can go at our own pace in the way that fits us best. Unfortunately, I think public school has no choice but to follow one curriculum at one pace, which leaves many students behind. I don't think this one-size-fits-all approach will ever work perfectly, but I do think any student will get an extra edge if their parents "homeschool" them first and supplement that with public, private or whatever education works best for them. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
| $ave Big on Back-to-School Needs Posted: 14 Aug 2010 04:48 AM PDT (CBS) It's that time of year again, when students head back to the classroom, and parents shell out big bucks for just about everything from school supplies to clothing and electronics. Back-to-school shopping ranks as the second-largest consumer spending event for retailers behind the winter holidays. American families will spend about $600 on back-to-school clothes, supplies and electronics, according to the National Retail Federation. That's a big dent on the family piggy bank, especially in today's economy. But, on "The Early Show on Saturday Morning" Editor in Chief Lisa Lee Freeman shared tips to help you get the things your kids need, without burning a hole in your wallet: TAKE INVENTORY -- -YOU MIGHT ALREADY HAVE WHAT YOU NEED First take inventory: Gather what you can at home. Most families have stashes of things they need hidden away in their home offices. TAKE THE SCHOOL'S LIST WITH YOU AND STICK TO IT Go with a list and stick to it: Separate the wants from the needs. The teacher's supply list is all you will need so don't waste time and money on unlisted items. Extra supplies, while they may be cute, will probably never get used and just leave your pockets empty. And supplies with gimmicks, like a light-up pencil sharpener, can be distractions in class. BUY IN BULK, WITH BUDDIES Buy in bulk: When you do go supply shopping, go big. Notebooks, pencils, pens, and erasers are often sold in bulk. Warehouse clubs are a great place to load up, but so are online stores like DiscountSchoolSupply.com and RaymondGeddes.com. AUTOMATE YOUR SAVINGS Sign up for ShopItToMe.com and get an alert sent to you when there's a sale on those expensive sneakers your son just hat to have or those shoes you need for work. Items seen on the show, from ShopItToMe.com Uniform solid polo from Children's Place, Orig. $12.50, found through Shop It To Me for $6.75 (46 percent off) YugoRun mesh running shoes, orig. $80. Found on sale through Shop It To Me for $48. (40 percent off) at Puma.com Nike Shox Turbo 9, orig. $56. Found on sale through Shop It To Me for $32.90, 41 percent off at Nordstrom.com Boys Logo-Graphic Pullover Hoodies, Reg: $19.50, found through Shop It To Me for $10.00 (49 percent off) at OldNavy.com Boys Regular Fit Jeans, Reg: $19.50, found through Shop It To Me for $10.00 (49 percent off) at OldNavy.com Girls Distressed Super-Skinny Jeans, Reg: $19.50, found through Shop It To Me for $10. (49 percent off) at Old Navy.com Roxy Kids Outfit, Girls Printed Hoodie and Pants, Reg: $38.00, found on sale through Shop It To Me for $21.99 (42 percent off) at Macys.com CONSIDER REFURBS FOR HIGH TECH SAVINGS Consider refurbs: Whether it's a laptop or a fancy graphing calculator, refurbished or opened but unused products can save you hundreds of dollars. Just be sure to stick with retailers you trust, such as Dell.com's Outlet, such as a refurbished Dell Inspiron Mini 10. SWAP BEFORE YOU SHOP Go online before you even head to the store: If the search of your desk drawer turns up things you no longer have use for, swap them for things you need. Call other moms or go to SwapMamas.com. Items on the show from Swapmamas.com: Abbreviations 1.. Unisex Columbia Squall Jacket, size XL -- perfect for teens/college students (EUC) Groups for parents to check out for Back to School items: © MMX, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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