-by Mimi Rothschild
We all know how time consuming the world of homeschooling is. Between setting your daily schedule, making sure all the tasks at hand are accomplished (studying, testing, reading and review), and somehow still maintaining a household, the job of teaching at home can be a daunting one. In fact, the term ‘overwhelming’ could be considered an understatement. It can also get pretty lonely. It’s easy to lose touch with the outside world.
That’s why it’s so critical to network with other homeschoolers. Schedule field trips with other homeschool families from your church or neighborhood. It provides the opportunity to socialize the children, while you get the chance to enjoy some much needed (and probably much missed) adult conversation. Use the opportunity to share ideas and suggestions with each other. Don’t be afraid to form friendships so you have someone to reach out to when you need advice or support. There’s nobody better for that than a fellow homeschooler, who no doubt knows exactly what you’re going through. After all, you both face the same challenges and struggles. Similarly, you can also join with each other to celebrate victories together. Maybe you’ve discovered a great way to motivate your reluctant middle child, or have come across a wonderful homeschool support website that you want to share. Building these relationships, based on common ground and teamwork, can be invaluable to the homeschool mom.
God also encourages us to fellowship with others. In fact, the Bible says “Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” Ecclesiastes 4:12 (New International Version) God doesn’t want you to ever feel alone!
Don’t know any homeschoolers in your church or neighborhood? The internet is a wonderful tool that has opened the door to expanding your network and support system. There are numerous forums, message boards, blogs (such as this one) and other online communities full of members who are seeking the companionship of other homeschoolers, just like you. For example, homeschoolcentral.com lets you search for state specific support groups, but there are also many web-based support groups composed of homeschoolers all across the country. So what are you waiting for? Reach out today.
-by Mimi Rothschild
Multisensory Learning
One of the great things about homeschooling is that we can teach each of our children in the very best way for that particular child. One of the learning differences that matters most is the child’s preferred sensory modality. That’s a long phrase that means that some children learn better through seeing (visual learners), some through hearing (auditory learners), and some through touching (kinesthetic learners). God has given us our senses, and we all use them in the ways that are best for our uniquely created selves.
How Can I Tell My Child’s Preferred Sensory Modality?
When you get out a map, your visual learners might look closely and study it. Your auditory learners might look at it briefly and then look back at you, listening for an explanation, or start reading the names of the countries out loud. Your kinesthetic learners might touch the map, tracing out a route with their fingers.
Some people are more balanced than others, and might seem to use information from different sensory channels equally. Usually, even more balanced learners show their preferred modality when they’re feeling a little stressed. Your auditory learner might talk to herself when she is working hard on a math test. Your kinesthetic learner might count on his fingers or doodle numbers in the margins. Your visual learner might write in the margins, too, but he’ll be doing it so he can look at the figures to see whether they look right.
Fortunately, all children learn best when they use all their senses, so you don’t have to be sure about their preferred modalities. Just include a range of different activities in your lessons.
It is so easy for us to think of activities that fit our own preferred modality! Sometimes we need to be reminded of the best activities for the other learning modalities.
Activities for Visual Learners
• Looking at charts and diagrams.
• Color-coding information
• Using graphic organizers to show information
• Practicing with flashcards and worksheets
• Using videos
Activities for Auditory Learners
• Listening to lectures
• Discussing information and ideas
• Reading aloud
• Using learning songs and chants
• Reciting information and doing oral practice
Activities for Kinesthetic Learners
• Using manipulatives
• Doing hands-on practice
• Creating models
• Playing games with information
• Using role play and drama
A perfect lesson would include activities for all the senses. We know that practicing new learning in different ways helps children learn better than practicing for the same amount of time using the same approach. Research also shows that multisensory lessons are learned more easily and remembered longer.
Combine different activities to get the most out of each of them and the best for each learner. Learning videos let visual learners watch and auditory learners listen. Let kinesthetic learners follow along with drawings or manipulatives, or try out what they see on their own. Have kinesthetic learners make graphic organizers with their visual learner siblings, and the auditory learners will join in discussing how to sort the information in the organizers. You can even include cooking, gardening, and nature study to bring in the senses of smell and taste. As far as we know, children don’t use these senses as their preferred learning modality, but we have all seen how cooking a dish from a country being studied can bring that lesson to life.
Soon multisensory lessons will be second nature!