Essential Skills - Advanced Life Support

By Rob M AOR The Rite has many members from different backgrounds and life experiences as well as differing forms of employment. This means we have a wealth of knowledge and practical skills that can only enhance our community and faith.…

Essential Skills - Navigation

By Rory OR In our modern world of GPS (global positioning system), satnav in vehicles and all kinds of electronic gadgetry it is easy for basic skills to be overlooked and forgotten. While these electronic devices can and do save lives and even smart phone apps can be useful in an emergency they are, at best, just a back up for a good solid knowledge base and a thorough understanding of the basics.

Navigating the Maelstrom – Part 2: Toddlers and Preschoolers

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By Hyndla OR In the prior article we covered our family’s experiences with infants. Whenever something is written, some things are forgotten, and I wanted to cover a few things before moving on to Toddlers and Preschoolers.

Defining Normal: Parenting children with special needs from a Folkish perspective.

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Finding out that your child is different or special needs can be a very difficult thing to accept. It’s normal to feel frustrated, overwhelmed, sad, and even experience feelings of guilt – that you somehow caused this on them. However it is important to keep focused on your child and what you can personally do help them overcome their obstacles.

Tips for Mastering Foreign Language

Mastering a foreign language is a tough task for even an adult, imagine a child who barely has a grasp of the English language (or any native tongue for our European brothers and sisters). Actually, teaching a child a foreign language is much more successful then an adult!

“Life” as a Teacher

When the Pioneers moved to the Frontier, they had no support system, no infrastructure. They were alone in every sense of the word. Despite having nothing they persevered. The education of the young was no different.

Daily Activities

Everyday we do things that are a type of schooling. When we encounter a problem, we figure it out. That is schooling! There are many activities that fulfill numerous common subjects such as Math, Science, etc… Here are a few.

Thoughts on Socialization

A valid concern for any parent, not just home schooled parents is socialization. The biggest complaint by anti-home schoolers is that home schooled children lack in social skills. In the following I would like to touch on some points to help home schooling parents both new and veteran. Socialization is definitely a concern, but really not the only concern when it comes to raising the next generation.

Traditional Homeschooling vs. Unschooling

A funny thing happened when doing research on unschooling, I found that I had many, many misconceptions of what it really was. I homeschool four children in a “traditional” atmosphere, and I always thought of unschooling as a bit “hippyish”. I feel that I made a mistake in my rash generalization of traditional homeschooling as opposed to unschooling.

Unschooling

Unschooling, also known as organic or child-led learning, is a form of home-schooling that does not utilize a formal, pre-packaged curriculum or rigid lesson plans. Instead, unschooling families choose to draw their educational resources from a multitude of sources, mainly hands-on activities as opposed to texts, and "use the whole world as their child's classroom".

The One Room Schoolhouse

So how does one school several children at different grade levels? Or rather, how does one keep his or her sanity when having to teach several grade levels? Speaking from experience, this writer has a difficult time with it! The following is some tips and tricks when teaching several grade levels at once.

The Classical Method

For generations up to the Industrial Revolution, children were educated according to the Trivium of the Classical method. This method was credited for creating such leaders as George Washington and philosophers such as Aristotle. It is hoped that every family can use this method to enhance their own educational methods!