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Save time and simplify your homeschooling life... |
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Use this website with Beverley Paine's Getting Started with Home Schooling - Practical Considerations to help you develop your own educational curriculum to suit your family situation, beliefs and lifestyle.
The checklists can help you identify your children's current educational skill level in each subject area, as well as find any 'gaps' in their learning, plan what they need to cover or keep track of what has been learned. |
"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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© reviewed by Beverley Paine
I've never used FIAR but everything I've heard and read looks promising. Because it's widely used and favoured by Christian homeschooling families it was reassuring to find out that Although the content isn't specifically Christian because it is widely used and favoured by Christian homeschooling families is a good indication that the literature selected would be suitable for children of all ages and I imagine of excellent literary quality.
From the FIAR website: "Five in a Row is more than just a set of lesson plans. It's an approach to learning that will forever change how both you, and your children view education, books and teaching."
Five in a Row was created by Jane Claire Lambert, a successful home-school teacher with more than 17 years experience. Five in a Row provides students with a unit-study approach to early education based on outstanding children's literature.
Intended to be easily usable, even for new homeschool mothers, each days activities are carefully laid out. Just bring home one of the 55 books used in Five in a Row from the library and then locate the corresponding lesson plan in your teacher's guide. Read the story aloud each day during the week and use Jane's suggestions and lesson plans to lead your children on a wonderful learning adventure.
You'll teach a different subject each day beginning with social studies on Monday. You'll find history lessons, geography lessons, discussions on foreign culture taken directly from the story you've just read. On Tuesday you'll examine the author's use of language, learning about punctuation, vocabulary, literary devices, creative writing and more. Wednesday you'll discover a comprehensive art curriculum as you explore the illustrator's techniques, style and use of materials with lots of hands-on art lessons for early learners. Thursday your children will explore applied mathematics as they learn about counting, grouping, measurements, simple geometric shapes, etc. Finally, on Friday you'll explore science together with activities to learn more about weather, astronomy, biology, physics, chemistry and more.
It sounds like a brilliant way to begin homeschooling - a really gentle way to ease into learning how to plan and program lessons and learning activities with a rich literature base.
The FIAR website has lesson samples to give an idea of what to expect. The fact that it has been developed by a homeschooling mother gives it extra credence - this means that it's not set out to enable a teacher teach 30 children, but is aimed at small group learning with mixed abilities and developmental levels. Knowing how much work and how long it takes to develop quality learning resources this would be a program I'd seriously consider buying direct from the creator.
For many of us teaching in this way comes naturally, and for those of us that tend to lean towards a learning naturally approach we see the kinds of activities Jane describes and offers spontaneously arising from our children's interests and from what they read and view. What I've found though in my two decades of homeschool networking experience is that many parents don't have much of an idea of how to help their children learn and lean heavily on their own vaguely remembered school experiences from long ago. This usually results in a lot of 'fill-in-the-blank' bookwork sessions. Jane's FIAR lesson plans are full of activities that engage the whole child and will help cover all learning styles.
The essential element of Jane's approach is the unit study. You can find out more about how to plan and implement a unit study approach by doing a search on the internet (google 'homeschool unit studies) or read my Practical Homeschooling Series Booklet Write Your Own Unit Studies. In the booklet I detail how to approach planning unit studies and give some examples, including a literature based unit study (high school level) for my novel.
You can use anything as a basis for unit studies. They simply take the subject further and deeper than might normally occur in natural learning. Your son might be interested in aeroplanes - this could be an ongoing passion of his or a passing interest. My booklet shows how to brainstorm activities in different subject areas or to investigate a variety of related questions. Using subject areas as headings might look something like this:
Borrow Biggles books and read aloud to the children.
English: Plot, characterisation, setting - talk about how the author develops the story, is it realistic, believable, etc. Various literature based activities - eg write alternative endings, act out and extend different scenes from the story (mime or with toys), etc;
Maths and Technology: create a plane and hangar using different media (measurement);
Science: Aerodynamics, paper aeroplanes, how propellors work, borrow book showing 'cut away drawings' of aeroplanes
Social Studies: excursion to airport, flight museums, find out how much it costs and what is involved to become a pilot, WW2, etc
Health: how fit does a pilot have to be, what kind of routines do they need, what safety measures are taken for flight, what has aviation done to improve general ideas about safety, comparison deaths in the air/road, etc
We used unit studies a lot in our homeschooling life. Most of the time they were relatively impromptu unit studies that required very little planning, but sometimes they would stretch over a whole term (eg one we did on South Australian history that was based on weekly excursions with prepatory and follow up activities). Sometimes an interest can develop into a continuing unit study: our daughter's interest in breeding guinea pigs was one such unit study and spanned several years.
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
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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