Home Schooling and the Study of History

By Marion Jones

Do you think that spending time in traditional classrooms is not worth it? For some people, that is true. For instance, a test is due and the students are asked to memorize a list of dates and names. However, after taking the test, they will definitely forget 90% of those dates and names. That's what the majority of students do every time they have exams. If you are one of these people, you will find traditional history lessons boring, so home schooling, which focuses more on the history of the world will surely catch your fancy.

Simple memorization by rote is just not enough to realize the importance of historically famous people and fateful events. However, through home schooling in history, you can study the different cultures of the past in a different, but interesting way - that is your own way! By the study of history, you will also realize what is happening in the world today.

However, if you consider that home schooling is the best option for your child's learning, you should also be prepared to take on some responsibilities. Since there will be no teacher present 'on site', you will have to supervise your child's educational progress by yourself.

Let's say your kid is interested in a particular sport. You could combine history and home schooling by just putting a map on the wall of your child's bedroom and mark the location of his favourite sports team. Make sure that you track all the team's games, scores, activities and schedules. Then, you could return to history lessons by reading biographies of the different athletes, who had been popular in the particular sport that your child likes. Apart from that, you could also study the history of that particular sport and discover where it originated, its inventor, and the other things happening at that particular time in history.

For instance, if your child loves baseball, you can teach your child about the history of Negro Leagues, government hearings on the use of steroids, and other favourite pastimes at that time. But remember that you can apply this concept to any interest like dances and inventions. You can also have conversations with your child concerning current events or read interesting historical works and other books. Aside from that, you could also watch documentaries together with the rest of the family. There are various resources that your child can use in home schooling, such as TV, maps, books, a globe, an atlas, and encyclopedias. Due of the exciting adventures that you and your child will read about and see on film, he/she will find it easier to remember the names and dates of the history lessons. After all, learning is better when it is done in an interesting way.

These methods are advisable for when the child is still young, however once your child is older, you should select a home schooling program that is suited to his/her age group. The programs are available at the elementary, high school, and even college levels. You simply have to search online for these various programs. One good thing about these programs is that you can tailor them to fit the needs of your child. However, you have to make sure that all the modules are studied by your child.

Once you and your child decide to go for home schooling, you must be prepared for some changes to take place in your life. The learning environment will now be your home not a school and through the various resources that you can use including the computer and Internet.

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