You asked for it – and here it is!

Welcome to our weekly series on educating your children.  Whether you are homeschooling, or trying to foster a positive educational environment in your home – we want to help you in that role!  A parent is a child’s first and most important educator – so join us each week for encouragement and help along the way.

The first thing that most moms ask about educating their children is, “Where do I start?”  I say, “Start where you are!” It is great to have long term goals, as long as trying to achieve those goals isn’t getting in the way of what your child’s more immediate educational needs are.  (If you would like to train your child to be the next great rock star of our time, let’s start with learning what a music note is!) What are your goals for your family and your child?  Are you just beginning to homeschool, trying to help with homework assignments, or trying to prepare your toddler or preschooler for what is next?

There are many resources to help you decide, educationally, where your child is as well as where they should be.  One resource that I have found helpful is WorldBook.com.  They have a “Course of Study” section of their website that is very useful in determining what your child should be learning at what stage in their education.  This type of list can be used if you are trying to prepare your Preschooler for Kindergarten, if you are trying to find the right curricula for homeschooling, and to figure out if your traditional schooled child is learning the things they ought.

Other great on-line resources that can guide you in determining what your child’s educational needs are can be found in curricula guides.  Even if you do not plan on using a particular curriculum for your child, their “scope and sequence” guides can be helpful.  A “scope” is the breadth and depth of content, or the range of study whereas the “sequence” is the order in which the content is presented.  Most curricula have a scope and sequence listed on their websites.

Here are some other great resources that I have found helpful:

• “Home Learning Year by Year: How to Design a Homeschool Curriculum from Preschool Through High School” by Rebecca Rupp

• “What Your Kindergartner Needs to Know: Preparing Your Child for a Lifetime of Learning” (Core Knowledge Series) by E.D. Hirsch  (There is a book for each year!)

• 100 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum: Choosing the Right Curriculum and Approach for Your Child’s Learning Style by Cathy Duffy

Whatever educational path you have chosen for your child, you can have a positive impact on their education!

I hope to share MORE things that will aid you and your family in getting the resources you need to successfully educate your children.

Time2Educate is written by resident homeschool expert Mandi Johnson.  She’s a blogger here, for Time2Save Workshops, as well as a wife, mommy, and educator.  She homeschools her children and is a Tutor and a regional Director for Classical Conversations, a Classical Christian Homeschool program.

Thoughful Thursdays are a series of posts focused on ideas for being frugal in other areas of life (i.e. Not just groceries!)  Tonight’s segnent focuses on…

HomeSchooling Resources

Written By: Mandi Johnson

The first thing that I learned about Homeschooling is that every parent is ultimately a “Home Educator.”  Whether you are personally teaching your children their formal lessons, assisting in a child’s classroom, helping with homework, or simply teaching your little one how to tie his shoes, you are educating your child.

Hi, I am Mandi Johnson.  I am a blogger here, for Time2Save Workshops and I am a wife, mommy, and educator.  I homeschool my children and I am a Tutor and a regional Director for Classical Conversations, a Classical Christian Homeschool program.

Education can be very expensive but it doesn’t have to be!  There are so many free and inexpensive resources for parents and Home Educators.  Here is one of my favorite online resources:

Zoodles is a child-friendly browser that allows your child to browse thousands of on-line educational and fun resources without worry.  All of the hand-picked content is age appropriate and can even be tailored to your child’s educational needs.  The browser takes up the entire screen so your child can not get to your files!  To exit the program you have to type the word “quit.”

The free version is great and even sends you an email each week with a breakdown of what each of your children has done including what areas of study they have practiced.  (Homeschoolers tip: Print these emails out for your portfolio and they count toward your education time!)

Family members can even send video messages and record stories to be shared with your child!

The FREE version includes:

• Child-friendly browser interface
• Age appropriate content based on the parents settings
• History shown for up to the past 7 days
• Ability to personalize for each child in your family

The PAID version includes all of the above AND:

• Full History
• Parent is able to promote subjects
• Parent is able to block content or characters
• Block ads shown on individual websites (the free version shows the ads but the child is still not allowed to go to the ad site.  If a child does click on the ad, they are directed back to the game browser!)
• Set time limits on usage
• Add content to the site for your child

For more details about the differences between the FREE and PAID versions go HERE.
For a list of the games and content offered to each age group go HERE.
The browser is available for Mac, PC, iPad, Android, iPhone, and iPod.

I hope to share MORE things that will aid you and your family in getting the resources you need to successfully educate your children.  We are thinking of doing a weekly, education-based post with reviews and free and cheap education resources!  Let us know if you are interested!