The Apologia science curriculum is designed to help homeschooling parents who wish to teach their children science in an organized manner. It also takes care of Christian parents who want their beliefs to be in tune with the science that is taught. Apologia science curriculum is available in Books, and CDs. The companion CDs are often rich in other multi media material which can help reinforce the subject. There are even Audio CDs which read out the whole course content to the students. As a home schooling parent you will know just how much time that can save you. You can also discuss the lessons with the children after they have finished listening to the CD to solve any particular problems that they might have.

The one thing that Apologia lacks, however, is hands-on experiments to bring the scientific principles to life.  We’ve designed our science programs to dovetail with popular curriculum such as Apologia to help families with the experiment side of things. The online eScience learning program is a hands-on approach for K-12 students that covers Physics and Chemistry.

Earth Science is covered between the Apologia science curriculum for general science and physical science. General Science course covers geology, mineralogy, sedimentology, stratigraphy and paleontology. While the Physical Science course covers atmospheric science, hydrology, plate tectonics, meteorology and climatology topics. The elementary and secondary levels focus on different aspects of Earth Science.

Apologia science curriculum helps give a well grounded explanation of the science curriculum to home schooling children. The ease with which you can use household items as lab equipment is demonstrated really well by this home school science curriculum. There is even the option of buying s set of lab equipment that you will need per course or set of books with the Apologia science curriculum. That way you do not need to go running around at the last moment to set up the equipment.

While the course is so designed that there is no real need for conducting lab experiments for the children to understand the concepts, it does help to reinforce them. You already have all that you might need readily available and at home. In fact a lot of our science experiments are based on their curriculum. All you need to do is get a little organized before you begin the day’s science lesson.

With the internet having enhanced its reach to so many places there are innumerable free homeschooling resources that you can tap into online. This does make teaching your children at home far easier than when you had to go down to the local library and do your research manually. Now the online search engines like Google, Yahoo or Bing do your job for you. And in a matter of minutes you have loads of useful information and tips and tricks on how to teach that information to your children on your fingertips.

You don’t have to sit and design worksheets for each subject and every grade. That does take time, believe me! However with the amazing choice that you have available online, you no longer need to make your own customized worksheets for your children from scratch. You can just download them off the internet and print them out at home. Or you can make small changes in the sheets before you print them out to incorporate what ever you had taught the child. A bit of personalization goes a long way with these worksheets.

The free homeschooling resources available online can make home schooling your children a piece of cake. In such a scenario as what exists today, where many parents are truly worried about sending their kids to public schools more and more parents are opting for the home schooling option. The choice of this alternative education stream is becoming more popular than ever before thanks to the free homeschooling options now widely available. There will always be some material available to you online and of course you have your own home school curriculum to follow.

While free homeschooling may be a popular option today, there will always be a debate on about how children who are home schooled may not be developing enough social skills at home to interact with others. However more and more home schooling parents are now trying to remedy that situation by joining forces with other like minded home schooling parents to give their children the opportunity to interact with others their age. The homeschooling support groups are growing fast now. So perhaps it is time that we rethought about homeschooling our children.

So you have decided to home school your child. That is great, but do you find that you may not be able to complete all that you had set out in a stipulated time frame? This is a common problem. So what’s the solution?

Technology to the rescue

When you find yourself struggling to finish subject material in the time allotted you may ask yourself, is it easier to do online homeschooling for your children? That way you let the latest technology help make education available to your children in a easy to grasp manner. The kids love online homeschooling because it combines games with lessons. Some sites offer comprehensive programs for whatever grade you choose. That means that from preschool to elementary school and onward to middle and high school your child gets the same quality of online attention. Plus all kids love to work on the computer.

What you will need to in order to do online homeschooling

Of course if you go in for online homeschooling you will need to get the computer and the internet service provider connection in order. Plus you will need to get the mike and speakers going as well, not to mention the UPS gadget. Once you are hooked up you can use the internet as a partner who helps you teach your kids at home. In fact some online homeschooling educational programs make it easier for you to track the progress that your child is making in a very effective manner. This makes it easier for you to see what skills they have mastered and what needs to be worked on some more. It is much easier than giving out test papers and watching your child getting bored with them.

Online homeschooling is not just for home schooling kids

Even if you are not home schooling your child you can use the online homeschooling programs in the summer holidays after school. It is a great way to get them to supplement their in school learning in a fun and interactive manner. They can be taught what has already been covered in school to reinforce the knowledge or they can be introduced to new concepts that they will encounter in the new session. Instead of getting them supplementary work books which they will find dull, it is easier to get them to play games in an online homeschooling website which helps teach them the subject matter in an interesting manner.

While teaching your toddler at home may have you amused and happy with his progress, you may find the higher levels a bit tougher to teach. Specially the homeschool science subjects for those in the seventh or eighth grade. Most parents find it difficult to impart practical knowledge of the science subjects without the formal set up of a science laboratory. There is no need to panic, because there is a whole lot that you can do right in your back yard to make homeschool science your child’s favorite subject.

Turn the backyard into a weather station

Concepts of temperature, atmospheric pressure, humidity, wind direction and wind speed can be difficult to grasp as mere theories in books. So why not get out a few gadgets like a thermometer, wind vane, barometer, anemometer and hygrometer and set up your own back yard weather station? It really is not too much trouble to set up.

Get your child to keep a journal and record all readings and data for a period of a week. Then start explaining the homeschool science concepts in the book. This way the practical approach will have the child picking up the theory in no time. Plus it will be a fun way to learn how to organize data that you record. A skill that will come in very handy in the not too distant future.

Still in the backyard, but now at night

Stars have a whole lot of homeschool science in them waiting to be tapped into. With elementary kids you can talk about the different constellations. Show them pictures and tell them the names. Now head out into the backyard with a rug at night. Lie on your back and spot the constellations you spoke about earlier. Let your child have the pleasure of spotting the right stars.

Explain the fact that the constellations also rise and set in the sky in the same way the sun and the moon do. Explain the rotation and revolution of the earth to clarify the concept. The Sun is our Star, and now ask them to think about why the other stars are not as bright? Explain the phenomenal distances between galaxies by using daily objects.

Here you go, so much homeschool science explained in fun ways and that too without leaving the backyard! Just imagine what all you can teach once you enter the home!

It is difficult to imagine home schooling without the support that an online homeschool curriculum can provide. There are so many online homeschool websites which may not be officially part of the curriculum that you have chosen to follow, but still can provide invaluable help. Some websites are subject specific like those dealing with science or mathematics while others may contribute to a specific age group or class such as for kindergarten or high school.

The Online Support

After using the multitude of supporting and educative websites, a home schooling parent no longer feels alone or overwhelmed. There is no problem that you can’t solve with a little help from the internet. Don’t know a specific theory? Do a search in the “world wide web” and find a number of sites where you can learn it, before you teach it to your kid. There is no need to panic about subjects that you were weak in at school. There is enough help at hand to make the process a simple online homeschool experience.

The Fun Element

A number of the online homeschool websites have educational games on them. This means that the children get to play a video game and pick up an educational concept at the same time. The dual advantage of developing motor skills with subject reinforcement can come from a simple game. And it has been proved time and again that kids learn best when they are having fun! Of course you will have to monitor the games that they play are truly educational before you let them have their own way on the website.
The Effortless Assistance

Online homeschool websites offer homeschooling parents help 24/7. There is always information available on how to deal with a particular lesson, or topic online. You don’t have to look for help elsewhere. Homeschool no longer means isolation as the effortless assistance of these websites can be tapped into at will. Perhaps that is why today home schooling is such a popular option amongst so many parents. Combined with the mindless violence which we hear about in some shocking school shooting instances it is no wonder that home schooling has become more and more part of our way of life.

The home school curriculum is not set in stone. While there are some basic facts and principles that your child is expected to know and learn, the home school curriculum allows you great flexibility in how to go about achieving this task. There is no fixed or standard method of teaching these things to your child. There are only some guidelines which you may or may not use.

Remember children in school tend to learn skills like relating to peers, socially acceptable behavior and their own self esteem development. While with a child being home schooled this may not be so simple. So it may be easier for a parent who is starting out with home schooling to get a full curriculum package. That way the parent and child have a set structure that they can follow.

The home school curriculum packages tend to mimic the school room scenario and you will need to move from subject to subject as one would in a regular school day. The disadvantage with this system is that you lose out the very flexibility that home schooling your child should afford you. You will not be giving your child the leeway to indulge his own imagination or learn at his own pace. As you will be rushing from one subject to the next, just as you were taught as a child in school.

Probably the huge amount of freedom that you get as a home schooling parent makes you feel uneasy about how to handle the situation. Plus you may get burned out trying to be the parent and teacher both rolled into one. If the work load of the home school curriculum package is causing you anxiety just chuck it. Learn to trust your own instincts. You know what your child needs to learn and you will figure out how best to teach it. Believe me you will, just give yourself a chance.

So set yourself some broad deadlines for each subject. Think up of innovative ways to teach the topics in each subject to your child. You can get a whole lot of help in this online. There are a number of websites that can help you come up with a bunch of interesting ideas to use. If you need help with the science subjects you can check out this site to start with.

We’ve been getting a flurry of emails and phone calls from families asking WHEN and WHERE we’ll be this year! We’ve got a lot of private events going on this year in 2010, and we’re still trying to fit everything together.

Last year, we had camps and workshops all over the country, including Virginia, Florida, California, Alaska (in six different locations), and lots more! And the year before that, we were in 13 different locations at conventions and conferences (CHAP, GHEA, FPEA, WHO, CHEA, HEAV, MACHE, etc…) in addition to our camps and workshops right here in California. Sooo… long story short – we’re still working on it, and we’ll post the info as we know more.

Thanks so much for your interest!

Finding the right homeschool curriculum can be a daunting task for those of us who were bred on a regular school. What if the homeschool curriculum you choose is too tough for the child? Or worse if it does not challenge the child enough? The right balance needs to be met between the ability of the child to learn and the amount you expose him to.

A home schooling child can need more attention, affection and praise than a child who is being taught along with twenty other classmates. He takes his cue from the person who is teaching him. If you have taken on the task of homeschooling your child you need to teach yourself before you can teach him.

This is where the homeschool curriculum can help you. If you have chosen a good system to follow you will be guided well along the way. However there may be times when you have to teach a subject that you are not too comfortable with yourself. Maybe teaching science will seem tough to a humanities graduate.

Thanks to the internet this is no longer a problem. Nowadays any number of classes can be completed on websites. Take a look at our online science program. There are special sites which cater to specific homeschool curriculum, and others which may act as supplements to your personal efforts at home. A quick research will show you what you can use for your child.

It is also a good idea to tie up with other home schooling parents when doing specific activities as children do get competitive in the presence of another child. The learning gets reinforced far better than what you may be able to accomplish at home with your child. You may be able to finish the homeschool curriculum faster than before.

Many home schooling parents have formed groups on social sites like Facebook. Why not check out the one in your city? You may make new friends and meet likeminded people. You will also be able to share your experiences while teaching the homeschool curriculum.

New ideas may come to your from their experiences for teaching your child at home. Home schooling is a constant learning process, not only for the child but also for the parent. It is a big responsibility, but not a tough one. Especially if you have the right tools!

Did you know we have free science classes over the phone? They are called “teleclasses” and they are like a giant party-line where kids from across the country (well, world really) call in, and we talk about and DO real science! It’s a great way to get a live feel to your science lessons, as I stay on the phone as long as there are questions to answer.

Here’s how it works:

There’s a 10 minute discussion at the start, and then we’re off and running doing experiments and answering questions. The next one is all about electricity, and is on March 22nd. You can sign up here to get on the ‘reminder email’ list – I’ll send you a note a day ahead of time so you don’t forget.

See you in class!

Aurora

P.S. I usually give away a few freebies at the end of the call, so keep an eye (ear?) out for those! Last time it was an hour-long DVD full of science experiment videos (like how to build remote controls from soap boxes, beam splitters from toilet paper tubes, etc.) that I created last year.