Save time and simplify
your homeschooling life...
Learn from experienced
homeschoolers how to write your own curriculum.
It really is that easy!
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. As you can appreciate this website is continuously under development... It's our aim to add pages on a regular basis in all curriculum areas: check back frequently. We hope you enjoy the articles and activities and find the links and recommended resources useful. Over the next year we will be working our way through each subject area and writing fresh, new content. |
|
"Thank you so much for your wonderful website! I was getting quiet frustrated with finding appropriate information on homeschooling - thanks to your website we are now on the right track... Using your checklists for reassurance helped me to have the confidence to come up with my own programme that suits our needs." Rachael "I'm a frequent visitor to your website... I gain valuable knowledge from your website, luckily recommended in the very early stages of our homeschooling journey." Geradine "I checked out your website today and was incredibly impressed by it. I can tell it will be a great resource for our family for many years. THANKS for all the hard work that has gone into making homeschooling easier and much less isolating for families like us." Cynthia |
© Beverley Paine June 2007
I grew up believing I couldn't sing even though my heart sang constantly. Mum always complained about 'tone deafness' and my confident singing voice wavered, then faltered and finally disappeared. For years, I often heard myself saying, "I can't carry a tune in a bucket". It's sad that my mother's sharp criticism stopped me from not only an enjoyable pastime but one that has incredible health physical, emotional and spiritual health benefits.
Next to our sense of smell, nothing has the power to evoke human emotion as much as song. Songs are packed with emotional memories of people, places and experiences in our lives: special songs mark milestones and stay with us forever.
Certain kinds of music can calm and soothe the soul. At the end of a tense day gentle uplifting melodies help us to relax and slow down the hectic pace. The act of softly singing lowers blood pressure and decreases our heart rate. Many homeschooling families are familiar with the beneficial effects to learning when baroque music is played quietly in the background. Children exposed to different styles of song and music tend to develop an eclectic taste in music. My children began to notice the connections between many different music styles at an early age.
Have you noticed how little children love to hum or sing nonsense songs? Not only do we work efficiently we enjoy what we're doing more when we're singing or listening to music we like. Singing reduces stress. It can also help to release anger: one of my favourite songs is Pink Floyd's 'Brick in the Wall' .
Singing alters our moods. Humming a happy, popular tune is infectious. We can help others feel better by singing. I especially like folk who don't mind my out-of-tune warbling and who join in to create a cheerful chorus. In no time at all our blues are forgotten.
Songs sell too. As homeschoolers we can take our cue from advertisers: My children learned their multiplication tables through skip-counting songs. Protest songs added an emotional dimension to learning about environmental issues and folk songs enlivened learning about Australian history.
Songs have the power to transform us. Over the years different songs became personal anthems to me: their words became mantras that framed my developing attitudes and beliefs. Particular songs bring me closer to the ones I love, remind me to stay true to myself, to value this wonderful world, and to continue to strive to reach my goals.
The act of singing allows our hearts and minds to soar, to vibrate with energy. It's a beautiful energy every homeschool needs.
on this website is of a general
nature only and is not intended as
personal or professional advice.
BOOK SALE
Beverley's books will be available through her website Homeschool Australia until sold out. It is not anticipated at this stage that further editions or reprints of her books will be made.
Getting Started Manual
Unschooling Books
Educational Games
Natural Learning
Practical HS Booklet Series
Curriculum
Reports/Portfolios
Homeschool Diaries
Conference DVD
More questions?
JOIN a FORUM
Time to spare? Browse our extensive
Looking for Resources?
Home Education Directory
Join the HEA in 2008
and receive 2 FREE Booklets!
until sold out
A percentage of sales
goes to Trees For Life
|
|
Thank you for visiting!
Text & Images on this site Copyright © 1999-2008
Beverley Paine.
All rights reserved
