How To Teach Homeschool {Blog Hop}

Welcome to the fourth day of the NOT Back to School Blog Hop hosted by the Homeschool Review Crew. All week, seasoned homeschool moms are sharing their expertise. Today’s topic is on how I teach.

When we made the decision to homeschool, I was unsure of what it was supposed to look like. I found some old school desks and went about creating a classroom in my home. I had attended public school, so it felt familiar to imitate how I grew up. We weren’t far into our first year before I swapped out the desks for a large table we could all sit around. Although we still call it our classroom, it’s more of a craft and activity room.

During the school year, we follow a more structured schedule of school work. Good literature is the foundation of our curriculum, and we’ve found it’s most comfortable shared on a soft couch or overstuffed chair. The table in the classroom is often used for written assignments.

I have learned to consider my children’s learning styles when presenting lessons.

There are three main learning styles:

Visual – Learns by seeing or reading. These kids learn well with textbooks, pictures, diagrams or demonstrations they can observe.

Auditory – Learns well through listening and talking. Auditory learners can often retain large amounts of information when things are explained in detail. They may also enjoy explaining things to others.

Kinesthetic or tactile – Must have movement to learn. These kids learn by touching and doing hands-on activities.

Normally a person is not limited to one learning style, but there is usually one they are especially prone to. None of my three homeschooled kids share a dominant learning style.

When my auditory learner reached an age where state testing was required, I was thankful to find Family Learning Organization. I was able to administer the test at home. Throughout the entire assessment, he read aloud each and every question and answer. Although he’s stopped doing that, he will sometimes read aloud to himself when he is processing a challenging new concept. When it’s an option, he likes to listen to an audio of his textbooks to follow along with a print copy.

My kinesthetic learner absolutely must move. He uses an exercise ball for a chair when doing written work. During his younger years, I had to explain to our concerned neighbors that he liked to run laps in the backyard between assignments. Manipulatives and hands-on activities are necessary for kinesthetic learners to retain what they are being taught.

My visual learner is also strong in the auditory and kinesthetic styles. We look at new lessons, talk about them, and do a lot of hands-on activities. It can be a struggle if there are no pictures to demonstrate challenging concepts. When color pages are available for a book I’m reading aloud, my visual learner colors while listening, and uses the pictures to imagine the scenes being read.

Knowing how my kids learn, by observing how they best process information during instruction, has helped me identify their individual learning styles. This has allowed me to present lessons in a way that will help them more easily understand and learn.

For our family, homeschooling has become a lifestyle. Every moment in life is an opportunity to grow and learn. We plan vacations around the location of science centers and museums. Life skills are practiced daily. With the cancellation of this years local fair, raising 4H lambs has turned into breeding projects and a great deal of research into animal husbandry. Learning is not limited to textbooks. The best way to teach homeschool is to nurture an attitude of life long learning.

Find more ideas on how to teach homeschool through this blog hop.  Click on the banner or the links below to find encouragement from fellow Homeschool Review Crew members.

 

Be sure to read yesterday’s posts where crew members shared about homeschool curriculums.
Chareen @ Every Bed of Roses shares Homeschool High School Curriculum Choices for 2020.

Annette @ A Net in Time shares Grade 10 Curriculum Choices.

Yvie @ Homeschool on the Range shares Curriculum Reveal.

Vickie B @ Tumbleweed News shares Our Favorite Curriculum {Blog Hop}.

Jessica H @ My Homeschool with a View shares Tips for Curriculum Shopping.

Yvonne @ The Life We Build shares Our Kindergarten and 4th Grade Curriculum Choices.

Dawn @ Schoolin’ Swag shares Morning Time.

Teresa B @ Teresa Brouillette shares Homeschool Curriculum .

Kristen @ A Mom’s Quest to Teach shares Top Five Homeschooling Curriculum Choices.

Lori @ At Home: where life happens shares 5 Tips on How To Pick a Curriculum.