by Lyn Lomasi, Staff Writer

When you made the choice to homeschool, I bet the first thing on your mind was not the stress. You probably imagined some fairy tale where all the children sat still and listened to you lecture or followed along with everything you said and did. Then, once you got started, you were snapped back into reality. I can't promise you a fairy tale, but I can help you get things running much smoother. When you're fully organized and prepared, each day will be easier. Exact organization layouts will be different for each family, but by reading the following, you should be able to get your schoolwork and homeschool organized easily and effectively.

Handy Hints:

1. Tear out and laminate workbook pages and put them in binders for each subject. Arrange the page order according to level. If you make a big one that contains all levels and areas of math, you won't have to purchase any more math workbooks the following years and you have work for all your kids. Just pull out the pages one at a time and give them to your child with a write & wipe marker or crayon. Then, when your child is finished and the work has been gone over, you can easily put it back in. You may want to take a Sharpie and number the pages in the order you want them. That way if more than one child has a worksheet, you can easily remember where they belong.

2. Take some relaxing time for yourself each day. If your kids nap, instead of cleaning during their nap, you could take a soak in the tub, curl up with a book, or do something else you enjoy. Your relaxing time may come after the kids are asleep, but be sure to take it. Even five minutes of locking yourself in the bathroom and praying can go a long way.

3. Plan ahead. If you try to do the assignments as they come, this can stress you out. I recommend taking a weekend to plan a month or so of assignments. That way you can easily give the assignments to your child/ren when it's time.

4. Organize each subject for each child. Each child should have a folder for each subject. The assignments should be placed in those folders in order of when they are to be completed. Even though some assignments won't have a worksheet, there should be instructions for each assignment (even if it's just reading). All assignments should have a date on them. You can even stick the write&wipe sheets in the folders, too. This makes the day run much smoother.

5. Never ignore a question your child asks. If you don't know the answer, don't stress. Just look it up.

6. Use different methods for teaching (chalkboard and lecture, books, games, worksheets, drawing, writing...). That way your child/ren won't get bored and they will also learn many different methods for solving problems.

7. Have Fun!

*I originally published this via Yahoo Contributor Network

Gym is a subject many people struggle with during homeschooling. It is often assumed that gym cannot be done without having many students, so some people choose to just let their children play outside for gym. Playing outside is great exercise, but children should learn other active movements as well. Here is a list of good physical activities for homeschool. Families who are homeschooling will benefit from these, but they are also great ideas for playing outside with the kids in general, especially on the weekends.

Hold a neighborhood sports day

Pick a flexible day of the week where people in the neighborhood can get together all the time and play the sport of the month together. Find a large park in your area to do this. Hand out and post fliers at local schools, churches, and libraries (wherever permitted). Start going to the location at that time every week. Keep handing out the fliers if not too many people show up the first week. Before you know it, there will be a large amount of kids participating. The people in this group will also become friends, so you have just found a group of people you can organize other fun events with for social activities.

Make Your Own Tetherball

Do you have a pole in your backyard that was originally used for something else? If it's wooden, stick a strong hook in it, attach a chain to the hook, then attach a tetherball (check sports stores or chain discount retailers). If you can't find a tetherball, volleyballs also work great for it. Just make sure you are able to attach a hook to whatever ball you use without deflating it. If your pole is metal and does not have a hook at the top, you will either have to drill a hole for a hook or weld a hook onto it. To make the game from scratch, just insert your own pole into the ground and then follow the same instructions.

Simple activities can be rotated often for variety

Bike riding - Find a bike trail or large park in your area where everyone in the family can participate. Look for anything with paths that kids can ride on easily. Paved paths are easiest, but not necessary.

Sporting practice - Practicing the rules and techniques of sports can be done without a large group of people. Most sports games can also be changed a bit, in order to play with only a small amount of people. For instance, with basketball, you can simply shoot hoops.

Homeschool group activities - Join a homeschool group and participate in the active get-togethers. This could range from playing at the park, to organized competitive sports, co-op physical ed classes, and more.

Sports Leagues - Put your kids on a sports league or team of their choice. This could include soccer, football, softball, dance, gymnastics, basketball, and more.

Join a kid-friendly gym - Sign your kids up for classes like kids yoga, swimming, or kids kickboxing. Research the gyms in your area for specific types of classes that your kids will enjoy.

Swim for fun - If you have access to a pool, take the kids swimming every other day. This could be an indoor or outdoor pool. For outdoor pools, make sure the weather is appropriate and everyone wears sunscreen and protective clothing.

Good old-fashioned games - Red Rover, Tag, Simon Says, Mother May I, and other such games can be fun and physically challenging. The kids may not even realize they are getting a workout.

Four-Square - All you need for this is a piece of chalk, rules for playing four-square, and a rubber ball. Draw a square with a plus sign in the middle to split it into four squares. Unused driveways or garages are good for this. If you have neither, but have a yard, cement a section off for this. The cemented section can also be used for basketball and tetherball.

Exercise DVDs - Have a daily workout session via your home DVD player.

Weekly field day events - Invite all the neighborhood kids and do the same thing as the neighborhood sports day, but instead, do field day. You can choose one or both.

Simply stay active

The actual activity is less important than the fact that you are doing something active as a family every single day. Make sure that whatever you choose, your children are active every day, based on the doctor's orders. Also, don't forget the health & nutrition part of physical education. Always check with your child's pediatrician before stopping or starting any physical regimen.

This content was originally published on Yahoo! Contributor Network by Lyn Lomasi.

by Lyn Lomasi, Write W.A.V.E. Media Staff

In the early days of schooling, children would often pile into a one-room school house. These kids were not sorted into different classrooms based on age or grade level. Everyone learned together and kids excelled based on their individual abilities. But then, things changed for many schools and the most common model involved sorting classrooms into grade levels. Should all schools go back to mixing age groups?

What is mixed age grouping?

Mixed-age grouping (also called multi-age learning) is the act of placing children at different age and grade levels in the same classroom together. Think back to the days of the one-room schoolhouse. While kids were in various grade levels, they all were in the classroom with the same teacher or set of teachers. Anytime children of multiple skill levels are in the classroom together, it is referred to as mixed-age grouping.

Benefits to mixing age groups in school

Studies have shown that mixed-age grouping teaches kids independence as well as teamwork. When kids of varying levels are placed in the same space, many will naturally work harder to achieve the next level. They also learn to work together with all people, not just their peers. In our homeschool, the kids all learn together, even though each of them is at a different level. That experience combines with research has convinced me that all schools should go back to mixed-age grouping.

Who uses mixed-age methods?

Most schools use it on a smaller scale. But Montessori schools, open schools, private schools, homeschoolers, and many others implement multi-aged learning for the full school day. Some schools have older students read to younger students during a small portion of the day.

Other schools may have the children work together all day long, regardless of the difference in skill levels. In a homeschool, if there is more than one child, mixed-age grouping often comes naturally. Some homeschoolers teach the kids as a group, while others separate the learning.

Should all schools go back to multi-age learning?

Based on my family's experience, as well as extensive research I've done over the years, I would fully support implementation of multi-age learning in all schools. In my experience, there really haven't been disadvantages where the kids are concerned. It can sometimes be more challenging for the educator to teach kids of various levels.

But with practice and the correct planning, for me it eventually evened out with teaching kids who were on the same level. The main issue that would come with converting all schools to this method is the change in the way the curriculum is handled. That in itself may be a hurdle for some schools. But in my opinion, it would be well worth the change.

What do you think? Should all schools go back to mixed-age grouping?

by Lyn Lomasi, Write W.A.V.E. Media Staff

If you're thinking about or have decided to homeschool, you likely are wondering about homeschool laws. What are the legalities and where can information be found? Each state in the US has a different set of rules. The following information should help guide you toward the most current information.

One place to learn about homeschool laws is through your state's education department. When people think of the Department of Education, they may not necessarily be thinking about homeschool. But this agency should have access to the most current information regarding homeschool.

The Homeschool Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) also can be extremely helpful when it comes to learning about homeschool laws. They even have a state by state breakdown of the legal options. In addition, they also can be very supportive to homeschool families who have been legally wronged.

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