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Save time and simplify your homeschooling life... |
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"Thank you... The information you supply is real and generous - fantastic reading. I am so inspired... Your honesty is rare. Most books do not really explain 'how' as well as you do." Tracy "I cannot seem to get enough of your writings on the whole home ed subject! You portray a lot of wisdom, knowledge and experience..." Marie
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"Every time I read your writing it feels like a pat on the shoulder, and that feels really good...Thanks!" Maaike
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© Beverley Paine
There are many things to consider when thinking about educating your children at home. The following list of questions may help prepare you and your family for an enjoyable adventure in education.
- Are you prepared to spend a lot of time with the children, perhaps all day? Do you enjoy their company, doing what they want to, talking to them, listening to their ideas? Do you respect and understand them and their needs?
- Which role do you see yourself best at - educational facilitator, mentor, resource person, co-learner and participant, adviser, friend, parent, teacher? Are you comfortable with the other roles? Can you develop them more? Do you know where, and are you prepared, to get help and advice?
- Are you prepared to take up and make the most of learning opportunities when presented, at any time of day? The advantage of the home learning environment is being able to continuously evaluate and plan the learning process for each child, based on his or her interests and current knowledge and abilities. Continual access to the child allows for increased opportunity to 'catch' and extend the learning moment.
- Can you learn to be intuitive to your children's learning needs, to 'back off' when necessary, put your 'teaching' needs on hold sometimes? This involves recognising and understanding your child's learning needs and also your own perceptions about learning.
- What is your own attitude to learning? Do you find it easy, challenging, exciting, enjoyable, interesting, an adventure? Children learn first by example.
- Are you prepared to be flexible, willing to try different approaches, constantly evaluate the educational process, not only of the children, but your own too?
- Do you have confidence in yourself and the children? Can you let them go at their own pace, gently prodding them with positive strokes? You need to develop strategies for building and maintaining confidence and support, both for them and yourself. Rigid timetables, deadlines and grading systems seldom work well with the ebb and flow of a busy family life, and are generally tailored not to the needs of individuals, but to external demands. Do you need them?
- Can you give yourself some time to be yourself, not parent, teacher, or slave to the house-hold chores? Will you be able to satisfy your own interests and needs?
- Are you prepared to spend a long time home educating, perhaps even ten years or more - or as long as you need to? What about careers, finances, babies, illness, family responsibilities, etc?
- Can you cope with being different; with opposition from your family, relatives, community; or from the authorities? We all need the approval of our peers, and unless you are able to secure a supportive network of friends who applaud your efforts, life may be an uphill battle of wavering confidence in your decision to home educate.
- Do the children want to learn at home? This may sound obvious, but if they don't, home education will not work.
- All children need reassurance they are okay or normal, and access to other children in all kinds of situations and environments. Can you provide this for them?
- Children leaving school need time to adapt, to find the independence and self-motivation needed for successful home learning. They may require time off from formal academic study with lots of informal and experiential based learning. Often children need reassurance that they are keeping up with their peers. They need to be reminded frequently that they are learning, but perhaps different things, in different ways, and at different times to their friends. Helping your children understand these matters will make life easier in the homeschool during the beginning stages.
- It is important to provide a network of caring, supportive and trusted adults outside of the home your child can access at any time when needed. Are you able to do this?
- The learning program needs to be tailored to the needs and interests of the children, and based on their personal learning styles. You may have to borrow or buy some educational titles or attend homeschooling seminars or workshops to find out more about learning and education to help you keep abreast of chidlren's growing educational needs. This is always well worth the effort and rewards you with increased confidence.
- Homeschooling doesn't have to be forever! Not all families homeschool their children from birth to eighteen! Many children take a much needed break from the pressures of school life, and some are prepared at home for high school or college education. Children educated at home for short periods of time are not damaged by the experience, rather their social skills and general maturity tends to increase, giving them better coping and motivational skills when they return to the classroom.
When a family decides to home school, there is a shift in the focus of family life, as parents become more involved in their children's day to day lives, interests, curiosities and activities. What begins as an adventure in alternative education becomes a deeper and more meaningful adventure in parenting.
Please join Beverley's friendly Homeschool Australia Frequently Asked Questions Yahoo Group. No question is to trivial and we have hundreds of members willing to share their homeschooling experiences. We've all been there, done that and know exactly what you are going through. You don't have to homeschool alone!
Beverley Paine is a mother of three young adults and a prolific writer of homeschooling articles and has published several titles. More articles and essays can be found in her books, available from the Always Learning Books online bookstore.
Scroll down for a complete list of available books. We accept Personal Cheques and Money Orders (Aust only) or PayPal for credit card orders.
HOW TO ORDER
ALB Newsletter
Getting Started
Learning Without School
Language Series
Practical HS Series
Ebooks
Educational Games Series
Natural Learning Series
Sample Learning Programs
Unschooling Books
Diaries
Portfolios/Report Cards
Homeschool DVDs
Interested in homeschooling, but still not sure? Read
'All You Need Is...'
Looking for educational resources?
Home Education Directory
Questions about homeschooling?
Browse the Homeschool Australia Article Library,
or join our Frequently Asked Questions
online support group.
Wondering what to teach? See
Australian Homeschool Curriciulum
What's new on
Homeschool Australia? Subscribe to our mailing list.
Children Learning Naturally
Online Support Group
Travelling and homeschooling? Keep in touch with Aussie Homeschool Campers!
Home education is a legal alternative
to school education in Australia.
State governments are responsible
for regulating home education.
Different states have different
requirements, however
homeschooling families are able
to develop curriculum and learning
programs to suit the individual
needs of their children.
For more information:
Home Education Association
Text & Images on this site
Copyright © 1999-2008
Beverley Paine.
All rights reserved
Email
Thank you
for visiting!
Please note:
The information on this website is of a general nature only and is not intended as personal or professional advice.
Pioneering members of the home education movement in Australia, Beverley and Robin Paine are passionate advocates of true educational choice for families. They began homeschooling their children in 1986 and three years later started the South Australian Home Based Learners network.Beverley wrote several books and booklets on home education through her self-publishing business, Always Learning Books. Beverley balances spending time helping home educators with working in her garden and renovating her home, as well as continuing to build her collection of ebooks on a variety of homeschooling subjects. retired from actively supporting home education in July 2008 to allow her to spend time on her garden and writing projects. She maintains an extensive collection of websites as well as several Yahoo groups supporting families teaching their children at home. Beverley continues to support the Home Education Association of Australia as a committee member and helps to produce the HEA Newsletter, publications and annaul Resource Directory. If you'd like to keep in touch with what Beverley is up to her in her life, sign up for either the Always Learning Books mailing list or the Homeschool Australia Newsletter.
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How to Order ~ Orders from Outside Australia
Click on each title to read reviews and brief descriptions of each book. |
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Getting Started With Homeschooling: Practical Considerations ISBN 1876651008, Paperback, 132 pages, AUS$25.00
Home Education Student Portfolio Reports Early Childhood Student Report Middle Childhood Student Report Early Adolescence Student Report
covers approximately year/grade level 7 to 10 (ages 12 - 15) A4, Spiral bound, 130g $6.00 (free postage)
Weekly Homeschooling Diary Naturally Learning Diary
Learning in the Absence of Education
The Homeschooling Trail:
Unschool~Kidz! Visit the Unschool~Kidz web site
also by Beverley Paine Aquadome, an underwater research station in the year 2024, is shrouded in mystery, hiding controversial genetic experiments and treacherous secrets. Psychic links draw teenagers, Katya and Coen, into an international conspiracy which threatens their very existence. 2002 Book store price...
Learning to Let Go
ISBN 1876651288 A5, stapled, 60g, 30 pages.
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PRACTICAL HOMESCHOOLING BOOKLET SERIES
Practical Homeschooling Exploring Approaches This booklet combines the notes of seven speakers at the Adelaide 2008 Homeschooling Seminar and Curriculum Fair.
Chapters in this booklet cover Charlotte Mason, Natural Learning, Unschooling, Discipleship Based, Relational homeschooling, Steiner influence, Unit Studies, and more! $4.50 (free postage)
The first in a series of booklets sharing Beverley's reflections, experience, tips and suggestions to help you become a more effective home educator.
Take the frustration out of everyday homeschooling.
Motivation in the Homeschool "If I knew twenty years ago what I know I know now about motivation home educating my children would have been a breeze! What I can say is that it is never too late to make adjustments... Despite all the 'mistakes' we made in the early years we couldn't ask for a better outcome. Our now adult children make us proud every day." Beverley packs in a lifetime of learning about how to overcome motivation obstacles into this 36 page booklet.
Answering Objections to Homeschooling
by Beverley Paine How do you answer all the questions people ask you about home education? These could be friends, family or total strangers. Beverley offers a selection of well-worn answers to over a dozen of the most popularly voiced objections to homeschooling you are likely to encounter. Includes a section on dealing with unsupportive relatives.
Write Your Own Unit Studies
Learning Maths Naturally
Frequently Asked Questions
by Beverley Paine Over 60 fundamental questions asked by families new to homeschooling are answered by Beverley in this 36 page booklet. 2004
The Spelling Process
The Writing Process
Learning to Love Reading
Developing Handwriting
Language Games You Can Play
A Sample ‘Approved' Learning Naturally Homeschooling Program & Review
Natural Learning
Learning Materials for the Homeschool
Translating Every Day Life
into Educational Jargon
by Beverley Paine . 2008
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2007 National Home Education This 4 DVD pack includes over 8 hours of conference speeches by John Taylor Gatto, Alan Thomas and Eleanor Sparks as well as the Brisbane Conference Question and Answer session. Includes Conference Notes from many of the Workshop Presenters. NHED Conference DVD $50 for International Orders [Please ensure that your TV and DVD player will handle DVD-R disc in the PAL format before purchase.]
Let's Play Together Traditional Children's Games Kathi Wyldeck's very practical Educational Games Booklets draw on her extensive educational experience with children and will help supplement your children's learning across the curriculum. Fast Games and Quiet Games
Physical and Mental Games for Families Book One Kathi Wyldeck ISBN 1876651385, 70g $4.50 (free postage) Outdoor, Campfire, Water and Theme Games
Physical and Mental Games for Families Book Two Kathi Wyldeck ISBN 1876651369, 70g $4.50 (free postage) Maths, English, Music and Art
Educational Games for Families Book One Kathi Wyldeck ISBN 1876651350, 70g $4.50 (free postage)  ScienceEducational Games for Families Book Two Kathi Wyldeck ISBN 1876651342, 70g $4.50 (free postage) History Geography, French, German and Latin Estimation, First Aid, Health, Tracking, Safety, Knotting and Navigation
Life Skill Games for Families Book One Kathi Wyldeck ISBN 1876651377, 70g $4.50 (free postage) Character Building, Handcraft, Aussie Flags and Emblems, Discovery, Nature and Conservation, Cooking, Self Expression, Tools and Construction
Life Skill Games for Families Book Two Kathi Wyldeck ISBN 1876651393, 70g $4.50 (free postage)
STOCK TO CLEAR EDUCATION CHOICES MAGAZINE Take advantage of this opportunity to fill in any blanks in your collection of this great homeschooling magazine no longer in production.Education Choices featured columns by well-known, experienced home educators in various practical departments, such as:
$4.45 (plus postage) Issues available:
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More than 60 essays covering a wide range of homeschooling concerns and issues, such as late readers, value of play, socialisation, learning maths, part time school, and thoughts on testing. Follows the Paine family's progress from homeschooling to unschooling. An intimate and honest look at the day-to-day life spanning several years. Illustrated with clear black and white photographs and children's drawings. 
Designed to take the worry out of education and to reassure parents, these booklets are a valuable aid in the homeschool. Written by experienced home educators and teachers, each booklet offers ideas, activities or tips on how to help your children learn at home in the different subject areas. All prices include postage.
by Beverley Paine