Getting homeschool students to write can be quite a chore, but it doesn’t have to be. Usually getting started is the hardest part. Here are some ideas that can spark your child to write and maybe even enjoy writing:

1. Make an album – Find some old or new pictures and have your child paste them on a page and write a caption or description for each picture so they don’t forget who the person is or what they did when they look at it years later. Sometimes baby or toddler pictures can spark your child even more to want to write about what they did.

2. Write letters – Your children can draw pictures and/or write letters to friends or relatives. If they are very reluctant you can write a letter and let the child add a sentence or two or a drawing. These letters can also be to imaginary figures like Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy.

3. Retell a popular story – Use your child’s favorite fairy tale and have the retell the story from a different perspective. If they like little red riding hood, have them tell the story from the point of the wolf.

4. Make Lists (lots of them!) – When you’re in the car, ask a child to write down your grocery list as you dictate it to them. When you are going on vacation, have your child make lists of what they need to bring. Make Birthday lists, Christmas lists, favorite book lists, what they want to do this summer lists, and many more.

5. Take Turns Telling a Story – Have each person in the group write a paragraph of a story. One person can start and then pass it on to the next person to add another paragraph until you have gone around the group a couple of times or until you think your story is done. This could provide some hilarious entertainment.

6. Take Turns Writing a Poem – Along the same line, you can adapt the previous example for writing poetry. Each person writes a line of a poem and you keep passing it around until you feel your poem is complete.

Homeschool students can enjoy writing. You might need to be a little more creative with some students than others. Learning to express their ideas can aid them tremendously, especially as they become a teen and then an adult.

Do you want to know more about homeschool Writing? Download the free homeschool eBooks How to Find the Best Homeschool Resources or How to Get Started with Homeschooling at http://www.homeschool-how-to.com/free-homeschool-ebooks.html

Heidi Johnson enjoys helping people find resources to simplify and improve their lives.

When you are faced with difficult times in your homeschooling experience, here are several tips and suggestions to help you survive:

Think about why you and your family decided to start a Christian homeschool in the first place. For example, perhaps one of the most prominent reasons is so that your family could have more time together. By reflecting on these reasons for homeschooling, it helps put the current frustrations into better perspective.

When difficulties arise in your Christian homeschool, and sooner or later they will, call the family together for a special family meeting. Discuss the issues, pray about them together, and then make some decisions as to how the problems will be corrected.

Establish family traditions so that your children can count on them as a regular event in their lives. Practice daily reading aloud as the most important component of your family traditions; it’s the best method for teaching any subject.

One way to create fun and excitement in your homeschool is to celebrate unusual holidays as part of your curriculum. Are you reading any of the books by Laura Ingalls Wilder? Did you know that her birthday is on February 7th? Celebrate it with a party and cake! If you’re studying the history of the Roman Empire, consider looking into March 15 — it’s the day that Julius Caesar was assassinated – “Beware the Ides of March!” (from Shakespeare’s play).

Have you ever took the time to ask your children what they would be interested in studying? Maybe what you’re currently teaching holds absolutely no interest to your child at this stage of his education. So, who says you have to continue? You’re in charge, so go ahead and change it if you need to. The more your kids are interested in learning what you are teaching, the less conflict you will encounter. So go ahead and ask them!

Give yourself permission to free the children of a curriculum or program if it isn’t working. A plan that has everyone stressed out, crying, and fighting is not a good plan at all.

Don’t plan on having the Utopian Christian homeschool [http://www.christianhomeschool.myreviewsandtips.com/how-to-start-a-christian-homeschool.html]. It’s not going to happen. Just as you’ll have some days where you seem to floating on cloud nine, and everything’s going perfect, so you’ll also have days that are just the opposite. Come to think of it, your homeschool experience is just like real life outside the school environment, isn’t it?

Determine your child’s learning style so that you are sure you are teaching the weakest subjects using their strongest style of learning.

Don’t fall into the trap of comparing your children to those in the public school system. Yes, there are pros and cons to each kind of schooling, but don’t forget the reasons you started to homeschool in the first place. Cherish the freedom and the liberty you have to teach your children in the ways that you feel is best for you family.

There will be times when you will feel like throwing in the towel. Don’t give in to those temptations. Perhaps all you need is a short break. Maybe your children need a break for the day. No one’s stopping you; it’s your school to do as you like.

Have a play day! There are going to be days when it seems like all hell is breaking loose in your homeschool. What do you do? Certainly spend some time in quietness and prayer, but perhaps you just need to cancel school for the day too. Go for a walk. Getting away from the situation will help you think more clearly.

Always remember that if you’re continually stressed out, your children will be too. You can’t give your children peace of mind if you don’t have it yourself. So go ahead and pamper yourself once in a while. Go to a movie, have a special date with your spouse, go the spa! You get the idea. Get your life spiritually and emotionally re-filled, so you have something of value to give to your children.

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Brian Lehr has been a homeschooling parent for nine years. To discover some great tips, curriculum reviews, and fun advice on Christian homeschooling, be sure to visit his Christian homeschooling blog [http://www.christianhomeschool.myreviewsandtips.com].

Many homeschooling parents become intimidated when it comes to teaching upper level science courses. I have used several different highschool science programs and both my children and I have found Apologia, by Dr. James Wile, to be excellent.

The Apologia science line has grown over the last several years to include:

General Science (7th grade)

Physical Science (8th grade)

Biology (9th grade)

Chemistry (10th grade)

Physics (11th grade)

Advanced courses:

The Human Body (advanced biology)

Marine Biology (written by Sherri Seligson in the Apologia format)

Advanced Chemistry

Advanced Physics

My children and I have personally used Physical Science, Biology and The Human Body, advanced biology. The books are decidedly Christian, very interesting and well-written in a conversational tone.

Experiments are presented throughout the book to help reinforce understanding of the concepts taught. The general and physical science courses include experiments that are done with easy-to-find materials, though it is a good idea to check and make sure that you have all needed items ahead of time, so you won’t be running to the store for a missing item.

The biology course is written so that it is easy to skip the experiments requiring a microscope if you cannot afford one, as there are plenty of experiments that don’t require a microscope.

I highly recommend getting all of the suggested experiment supplies for the advanced courses, as they become a more integral part of the course. My 11th grade daughter thoroughly enjoyed going through her advanced biology course. She typed her own blood, dissected a cow heart and a fetal pig!

Last, but certainly not least, Apologia Educational Ministries offers ongoing support. They have a contact number and contact e-mail address at the front of the book. My children found the concepts in the book well-explained and never did contact Apologia, but the offered curriculum support could become important with more math-heavy science subjects, such as chemistry and physics.

In summary, Apologia’s educational materials are excellent. They have withstood the test of this very picky homeschooling mom and received a thumbs-up from all of my children, which is really saying something!

Jeanette Steiner is a single homeschooling mom who has been teaching her (7) children for 12 years. To read more informative articles with tips and advice like the ones in this article, please click here: http://www.homeschoolbiology.com

Christmas is the perfect time to dig out the glue and scissors and get crafty. There are so many things that you could make over the festive season that you will never run out of inspiration. Christmas crafts are great for the whole family and provide a great opportunity of spending quality time together whilst doing something fun. Here are a few ideas for Christmas craft projects.

Homemade greetings cards

Why not break away from generic shop bought cards and make your own this year. Make the cards that you make extra special by personalising them with names and special messages. Buy a pack of rub on alphabet letters in a colour that matches your designs. This way you can spell out each name really professionally on each card. Your friends and family will love receiving cards like this and they are sure to treasure them long after the festive season has passed. There are lots of great Christmas paper craft supplies available such as tree shaped punches, packs of Christmas themed papers, stickers and ribbon.

Paper wreath

Wreaths are very traditional and are usually found hanging on doors and in windows during the Christmas period. You can buy traditional wreath bases from craft and floristry shops if you want to have a go at making an outdoor wreath. If you don’t feel brave enough to try your hand at that then you should consider making a paper wreath for one of your internal doors. All you need to do is cut a ring from a large piece of red or green card. Use large flower punches to cut out flower shapes and then layer them together to create beautiful 3D flowers. Mount these flowers on to the ring base. Finish the middle of the flower off with a button or sticky gem for extra embellishment.

Hanging tree decorations

There are so many possibilities when it comes to hanging tree decorations. You can buy the pre shaped polystyrene balls and either paint them or cover them with fabric. Pin a length or ribbon in the top in order to hang them from the branches. For something a little bit different try making decorations from lolly sticks. Decorate each stick as a Christmas character, such as Santa, using paper or paint and again attach some ribbon. You could also try bending jewellery wire into stars and threading beads down the wire.

For lots of crafty card making ideas click the link.

It’s really very easy to create beautiful homemade Christmas cards using supplies you already have in your home. You can make cards using just about anything on hand if you’re creative.

What Supplies Will I Need?

It’s a pretty simple list, so feel free to add to it depending on what you find in your craft drawer or scrapbooking tote. The look and feel of the card is all up to you, so have fun with it! Personalize the card to the person it’s going to and it they’ll think it’s perfect.

• Cardstock or construction paper
• Scissors
• Stickers
• Glue or adhesive of your choice
• Colored or patterned paper
• Ribbon
• Photographs, die cuts, or fun images from magazines
• Markers, crayons, or colored pencils

You can also use old wallpaper samples, fabric, bric-a-brac, beads, raffia, yarn, brass fasteners, images from magazines, or anything else that interests you. Gather all of your supplies together and get started with some of these great theme ideas for making homemade Christmas cards.

Go all out with your cards or keep them simple. Either way, you’ll quickly discover a theme or style that you really like and that will seem to jump out at you. The nice thing about making your own cards is that you can tailor each card to each person if you like. Or, choose one pattern or style for most everyone on the list so the card making goes a bit quicker and customize only those few to close family members.

Fun Ideas for Homemade Christmas Cards

1. Cut out shapes that look like Christmas tree ornaments making sure that you leave the fold of your paper at the left hand side of the ornament or cut out two identical ornaments, hole punch the top edges and run a ribbon through the 2 holes. Embellish with a bow or ribbon and some glitter.
2. Pop-up card – experiment with cutting and folding ornament shapes, pictures from magazines that have been glued to a file folder and cut out for strength or your favorite Holiday scene cut from construction paper. A really cute “pop up” would be a photo of your children, a reindeer, or Santa.
3. Photo cards – this is an easy one, but one that people who haven’t seen you and yours for a while will truly enjoy. Use photo corners and place a family photo on the front of the card with a written greeting. On the inside, you could write a few words, or print out a message on separate paper from the computer and then attach it inside the card. Following the holidays, the photo can easily slip out of the photo corners and be placed in an album.
4. Scenic cards – create a scene using photos from an online source or create your own with stencils, stickers, or die cuts.
5. Abstract – this style is perfect for younger children. Give your child a pile of abstract shapes cut from Christmas themed paper. Allow her to simply glue or adhere the shapes on the front of the card in any design she likes. Grandparents, aunts, and uncles will especially like these sweet cards!
6. Family Hands – have everyone in the family put their hand print in paint and press their handprints onto the front of the card. Add your family name and the date and a personalized message inside the card – not only will the card be a greeting, it will become a family keepsake.

Homemade Christmas cards are fun to do as a family. Set aside a day in your normally busy schedule to just get creative and make cards together. Get started early so there’s no stress about getting the cards out in time. That way, you’re guaranteed to have a great time!

Shellie Gardner is the owner of Christmas Light source, a great place to find Christmas Lights. Christmas Light Source is a one stop shopping website for all your Christmas lighting needs. From traditional to LED lights to hardware and every thing in between, they have everything for holiday lighting decor as well as tips, tricks, videos and do it yourself projects. (And she likes to write about anything related to the Holidays.)