Teaching methods for new homeschoolers

Today, I want to talk about the main homeschool teaching methods that parents choose to teach their children.

If you are looking for a teaching approach that fits with your child's learning style than this should help you. Where it is possible I will be adding links to help you to find more information.

So, let's have a look at our options.

Distance learning 

Many homeschool parents have chosen to use distance learning to home educate their children.

Distance learning is based on the child being educated without regular face to face contact with their teacher in a classroom but, through correspondence either online or through mail instead. You are responsible for ensuring that your child is completing the tasks set for them.

You must enrol your children with a registered distance education provider to begin this method of home education. Some say this form of education is separate from homeschooling because the provider will be set out the work and guidelines for you to follow and will be responsible for regulating the program they design. I see that this is the only difference and essentially your child is educated in the home, supervised and supported by the parent so, to me, although I may stir a few feathers, it is still home education.

Distance education has been around for centuries and has been used by many students who are unable to attend a regular school. Many children were taught through a form of distance education in outback Australia using the radio. The first being school of the air which were sent to Alice Springs in 1951. See this link for more information about the School of the Air.

Eclectic 

The eclectic method of Homeschooling is where the parent takes parts of a range of teaching methods and molds them to fit their children's learning style.

As a homeschool mum I find this method provides me with the freedom to take what I need from many different methods and keep our lessons engaging.

Our mornings are focused more towards the 3 r's, reading, writing and arithmetic. I use textbooks, livingbooks, online education sites, YouTube and hands on materials in our lessons.

Alot of what I use to compliment our mornings are used to compliment our afternoon lessons, where it is applicable. Our afternoon's are aimed more towards the subject goals, theme or topic we are following that term.

Traditional

The Traditional method is a textbook based method.
Many homeschool parents choose this method in the beginning, because it provides a clear map of learning requirements for the child.

Each subject has its own textbook that are created based around the child's grade level and the relevant national curriculum standards for the subject.

As an example: I chose to use textbooks to help me follow a clear map of curriculum in all subjects last year.

This year I feel more confident teaching science along with a couple of other's and I will be using the unit study method in these subjects.

In math and English I feel a big need for support in following a clear map of curriculum expectations. So, I will be sticking with textbooks in these subjects as our base. This will enable me to fill any gaps in knowledge and support Mr 14's future success when he returns to school next year in year 10.

Charlotte Mason

Charlotte Mason was an educator who taught children in the late 1800's through to the early 1900's. She taught school subjects (including personal care and development) through the use of teachers instructions, living books, nature studies, art appreciation, music appreciation, hands on crafts and experiences.

A great Charlotte Mason treasure trove can be found at Homeschooling downunder. This blog is for all new homeschooler's and a goldmine of knowledge and resources for those of you thinking about implementing the Charlotte Mason method into your lessons.

I use certain areas of the Charlotte Mason method to complement my lessons. I especially enjoy using living books and art appreciation in music and visual arts.

Unit studies

A unit study is typically based around  a theme or topic that incorporate a range of subjects and learning styles. It is a very popular method among homeschool families because you are able to adapt the activities and lessons to fit the child's learning style and age. It is a great choice for parents teaching multiple children. For more information about unit studies and how to make your own see Autisticmama.com.

Online education

Online education is a form of education often refered to as e-learning. It is delivered over the internet and is available as short courses from top universities around the world for adults and students interested in learning a specific area of study.

I compliment alot of my lessons using online schooling to help Mr 14 gain a deeper understanding of a subject area and at other times to provide him with more practice in developing a new skill.

My favourite free source of online education are YouTube, Khan academy, Studyladder and Scratch.
You can find links to these sites on a previous post of mine here.

There are online schools like Khan academy covering subjects catering to students of all ages right through to university. A great online education provider I have just begun trying out is www.lynda.com.

More teaching method's

Links to more information about teaching methods that I, myself have yet to dive into but, you may be interested in using in your homeshool are;

• Classical teaching method 
• Montessori teaching method
• Waldorf method/ Steiner education (This is an increasingly popular choice of education method.)

As you can see there are so many choices available for us to choose from. It can be very overwhelming at first too. It was for me and still is at times. But, if you are new believe in yourself, because you really can do this! I believe in you!

For those seasoned veterans who are far more knowledgeable in home education than I ever will be, please feel free to add your wisdom in the comments below.

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10 ways to make money online when you're flat broke

Today, I am sharing some of the most popular and easiest ways for you to make money on the internet even if you're flat broke.

It can be hard for a lot of us financially after Christmas. Not just because of all the extra spending on gifts and festivities but because we have our children returning to school.

You have two waves of extra costs.

First, Christmas. Then, the second wave, with the cost of school uniforms, stationary and school fees. Schooling can be the biggest expenditure of all and the biggest cause for stress in families both big and small.

So, I put a list together of ways you can make money for free. No PC? Don't worry about it, because there are choices that can be done from your smartphone.

Bonus idea: Blog from your phone with Blogger.

Heck! just so you know it is possible. I am writing on my smartphone right now. Yes! I know I haven't earnt a cent from writing for Mumtential. But, other blog writers are making serious money doing what I do.

You can write a great article and even add a few images, links and videos too, all on your phone. (That's what I am doing, right now.)

But, for creating great graphics, optimizing images and creating good pdfs. You do need a computer.

It is up to you as a writer. I prefer doing alot of my writing on my smartphone, because I am free to write anywhere. At the beach. At a park. You get it.

I hope you are ready to make some cash this year Boss mums, because here's your list!

1.) Survey sites

Ditch all those crud paid survey sites you have yet to earn any money from and check out my favourite survey site called Swagbucks.

Swagbucks is a online survey site like no other available in Australia. You get to decide what reward you receive in gift cards from popular stores or cash into your PayPal account.

Swagbucks pays you too:

• Answer polls and surveys.
• Search the internet on their website search bar.
• Discover Swagbuck deals
• Shop online through Swagbucks and get cash back through their swagbuck point rewards.
• Watch videos and read articles to earn points.
• Play online games and earn 10 - 400 swagbuck points.

Swagbucks makes earning cash easy for everyone. I have made over 300 swagbuck points over the past month even though I rarely have had time to enjoy all the earning opportunities on offer. I have been mainly answering survey's and window shopping the online stores here and there.

Here is a link for you to the  Swagbucks website where you can join up and start getting rewarded.

2.) Sell your stuff on eBay 

eBay is arguably the best online selling platform in Australia. It has a great reputation for being a safe buying platform with a huge catalogue of products to choose from.

If you have a look around your home, you are sure to find items that you no longer need or want. Instead of throwing them out, why not make some of your money back?

I decluttered our home and found over 20 items that I can sell on eBay and make a little money from once I post them.

Some thing's to consider first.

It can take a while to sell something if you are new to eBay, because you won't have any buyer feedback or rating's yet.

As the seller, you do have to cover postage too. So, I sell items that are small and don't weigh more than 1.5 kgs to keep costs down.

I charge for postage to keep costs down. This can cause your items to be online  for a longer period at times. It depends on the product you are trying to sell and how much you decide to charge.

3.) Sell your skills or services on Airtasker .

Airtasker is the most popular website in Australia for people looking for work doing tasks that they are skilled in from other people who need help and are willing to pay for it.

For example here are some of the tasks you could do:

• Moving a couch.
• Cleaning their home.
• Painting a room/ whole house.
• Web design.
• Sharing a post on your social media.

It is free to join Airtasker and you can begin earning as soon as you sign up.

Some thing's to consider first.

There are many people using Airtasker which means there are a lot of jobs as well as competition. So the more great feedback you get. The more you will stand out and be able to get more jobs at a higher pay rate.

You will have to pay a small commission to Airtasker for using their service once you begin earning through them.

But, I know a couple of people who have built businesses just through using Airtasker so, the earning potential here is very high.

4.) Sell your art and crafts

For those that are artistic and able to make great clothing, jewellery, teddies and other niche items. You can join other awesome crafters at Etsy.

I have to be honest here and tell you, I lack the creative talent needed for etsy. But, I have heard they are a great platform for those gifted crafters to start selling on and make good money.

5.) Sell designer t-shirts with you as the designer on teespring.com. 

If you are creative and artistic, this is a great option for you.
How it will work is that you choose a product you want to sell and create your design.

Then, you send your product design to Teespring and they make it and ship it to your client directly from Kentucky, USA for a small fee.

You receive the profits without the headache of storing, packaging and posting your products. I like the sound of that.😎

6.) Become a drop shipping business owner and open online store with Shopify.

It costs you nothing to get started with shopify, because they offer a free no obligation trial to get your store up and running as soon as possible.

Here is a video to help you learn more about starting a dropshipping business.

Some thing's to consider first.

This company is going to take a lot of time, research and effort from you to become successful as a dropship store.

7.) Become a YouTuber

There are so many creative vloggers making serious money through YouTube. It is growing in popularity as a great source for users to be informed, entertained and learn on for free.

It costs you nothing to join YouTube  and become a vlogger.

Some thing to consider first.

If you want to build a brand and become a serious YouTuber you do need a few essential things like a good DSLR camera, computer, lighting and good editing software to start you off. But, many Youtuber's start out with their iPhone and laptop.

8.) Become a tutor and teach English online 

Teach from anywhere in the world. You can make $20 - $50 a hour as a English language tutor.

You can apply to be a tutor with italki. To find out about how you can apply with italki, click here.

If you have a degree you can tutor through VIP kid.

9.) Become a writer. 

You can be a freelance writer and write articles for blogs and online magazines.

Here are a couple to get you started.

• Listverse pays $100 for original 10 item listicles.
• moneypantry pay $30 - $150 for 1000 - 2000 word articles.

10.) Write and self publish a great kindle ebook and sell it online.

If you can write and have ever had a good idea for a book than this could be your calling.

Find out how to self publish your book and sell it on Amazon through their KDP publishing program.

Whether you need extra money to pay off some bills or if you want to have more breathing room financially.

I hope you find a side hustle and make some good dough for you and your family this year.


Your Friend

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Car maintenance: how to jump start a flat battery

Source: fugly.com

Today, I am writing a post to show you how to jump start your car if you have a flat battery.

It is really helpful to know basic car maintenance as a lifeskill. I believe the more we can do ourselves, the more independent we become and in my opinion, stronger too.

Damn! The car won't start!

There could be a few reasons for your car not starting, but one of the main reasons is usually because you have a flat battery.

It is never a good time to be caught out with a flat battery. Especially if you are on your own and don't know what to do.

When you have a flat battery the best option to get your car started is to grab your jumper cables and ask a good Samaritan (who is close by) for a hand by letting you use their car to jump yours.

Most of the time you will find a good Samaritan who is more than happy to help. They may even have their own set of jumper cables if you don't have your own.

But, I really recommend that you buy your own set of jumper leads and store them in your car boot (trunk of your car) at all times. This will save you so much time and stress if you do.

I know you've already got this in the bag! So here we go! 😉

To safely jump start your car, here are the steps to follow:

Important safety note: Never let the clips on your jumper cables touch eachother while you are performing this task.

1.) Go to your car boot (or trunk of your car) and take out your jumper cables.

2.) Find a good Samaritan with a car who is willing to help you.

3.) Park both vehicles next to eachother or bonnet to bonnet so the jumper leads can reach both vehicle batteries.

4.) Place both vehicles in Park and shut off the ignition in both cars. Remember to engage both cars parking brakes as well.

You must attach the jumper lead clips in the right order.
So, please follow the order as I have written it here:

5.) Attach one of the red clips to the positive terminal of your car battery.

The positive terminal will have "POS" or "+" symbol on it. In some cases the positive terminal will be thicker than the negative one.

6.) Then, you attach the other red clip to the positive terminal of the other car.

7.) Then, you can attach one of the black clips to the negative terminal on the other car's battery.

8.) Then, you can attach the last black clip to an unpainted metal surface on your car that isn’t near the battery.

Use one of the metal struts that holds the hood open.

I have seen many people attach the last black cable to the flat car batteries negative terminal when jump starting a flat battery. But, it is not recommended.

9.) Then, ask your good Samaritan to start the working vehicle and let the engine run for a few minutes.

10.) Then, try to start your vehicle. Remove cables in reverse.

Here is the steps to remove your jumper cables.

Negative off your vehicle's battery.
Negative off other vehicle's battery.
Positive off other vehicle's battery.
And lastly, positive off your vehicle's battery.

Don't shut off your engine before you have driven around for atleast 15 minutes. This will help by giving your battery the time it needs to recharge itself.

Your vehicle should start straight away if all the steps have been followed in the order they are written.

Yep! You did it and are ready to cruise the streets. Yay!

If you have any trouble or it doesn't start. Then, please check these trouble shooting tips below.

• Make sure that the cables are properly connected and have the good Samaritan run his or her engine for five minutes. 

• Then try to start your car again. If it still won’t start, your battery may be beyond help and you are going to need to get a new car battery.

You may need to get a new car battery: 

• If your car still won't start even after 5 minutes of the good Samaritans car running with your cables connected properly.

• If the car won’t start the next time you use it, It is most likely to be because the battery isn’t holding a charge and needs to be replaced.

There is another way you can jumpstart your car if it is flat.

The Jumpstarter battery pack available both online or at any local autostore.

Source: www.supercheapauto.com.au

I like them because you don't need a good Samaritan to get you back on the road. And even though it is a more expensive option than jumper leads. You are on the road SO much easier and it saves you a lot of time and stress in the process too.

There is a easy step by step tutorial on how to use a jumpstarter available online via the Supercheap Auto website.

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