I've been basing the "how to get started guides" on my state requirements for what subjects must be taught. This post includes some other subjects that students may or may not be required to be taught and that you may want include, including homeschool foreign language options, life skills in your homeschool, and more.
Foreign Language Learning at Home
Foreign language in homeschool can be tricky, since parents may not know a language themselves. Some of the following options may help parents get started in teaching Spanish or other languages at home.
Some homeschool curricula companies offer quite a few differnt langauges following their model.
Spanish is a very common language to learn in the U.S.A., and my children and I have been learning Spanish. So, I find lots of resources for it.
I studied American Sign Language in high school and again in college. I have a friend who married a deaf man and she is a sign language interpreter. I have a great fondness for this visual language! Here are some great resources for teaching ASL in your homeschool.
Life Skills as a Part of School
I remember that my own high school provided a "consumer math" class that taught us how to balance a checkbook, calculate and understand interest rates, and so forth. Learning to cook, learning how to do basic household tasks such as laundry, and learning to maintain a car are also subjects that are seldom required by the states but can be easily incorporated into a homeschool curriculum.
See some of the suggestions, links, and curricula below for some options available for homeschool life skills.
More Extras for Homeschoolers to Learn
Other extracurriculars can include cultural or religious experiences, Scouting, performing arts, training at a paid job, community service hours, or debate or public speech competitions, or training. Students can learn logic skills (or join a chess club), or focus on any new skills through a class or a club.
All of these learning opportunities can count into a child's education because they are important parts of the child's life. As a homeschooler, it stops mattering which things they learn are a part of "school" and which ones are "extra" and outside of school. The important thing is that students are learning.
There are so many things children can learn. Parents have a unique oportunity to teach when they decide to homeschoolTruly
Lots of families, both homeschooling and non-homeschooling, are fully involved with extracurricular sports and activities. Including physical education in a homeschool can include a few organized sports. Homeschool physical education can include organized sports or less formal fitness activities. Homeschool health helps prepare children for life. For those who want to include physical education and
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A fun side of homeschooling can be the introduction of arts and crafts and music into the homeschooling day. This can include art appreciation and music appreciation as well as learning to construct art and play music oneself. In addition to those options readily available in many communities to all children, some homeschooling curricula provide
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So much can be included under the umbrella of social studies. It includes anything that has to do with communities, cultures, and relationships among people. It includes history and government, and it certainly includes map skills general geography. Depending on your state requirements, you can include some or all of these social studies concepts in
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Science is a subject that sometimes scares homeschool parents, but it does not have to! Especially for young children, teaching science is a natural part of discovering how the world works. On the other hand, a science curriculum can help parents direct a child’s interest and help them cover biology, geology, earth and space science,
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When I was in third grade, I wrote a journal entry in a school notebook each school day, and almost every single entry began with “I hate math.” I think journaling time must have come after our math lesson. At any rate, my discomfort with math hasn’t changed since I began homeschooling. Nevertheless teaching homeschool
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Language Arts usually consists of a few subcategories, including handwriting, reading, and writing. Following a Charlotte Mason-style for teaching language arts is a gentle way to approach the subjects required. Even just reading great books and writing thoughts about them is a great start! Handwriting for children consists of either print or cursive practice. I
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