It’s been a little over a week since the incident in Minneapolis occurred. I also wanted to show my support for the Black Lives Matter Movement and express my feelings about George Floyd’s death and the aftermath of protests earlier but I stopped myself from doing so.

I feared that my emotions will get the better of me and it’s not the kind of energy I’d want to share with the world in these testing times.

The organization I represent believes in providing solutions, that’s how Homeschool Panda has trained me and that’s the kind of message I wanted to share with the world.

As I witnessed the chaos in the aftermath of the tragedy, I asked myself; Are the George Floyd protests the solution to the problem of racism? Is this how we support the Black Lives Matter movement? Does it need a revolution? Where does my organization (HSP) stand on this issue?

It definitely requires a revolution but not one that’s bloody. It calls for a revolution within ourselves and one that HSP is a strong advocate of. At Homeschool Panda, we believe in the notion of INCLUSIVITY.

We stand by the #BlackLivesMatter movement by including people of all gender, race, and religion to our platform.

The feeling of acceptance towards each other is a trait that’s common among all our members and we work hard to keep Homeschool Panda an anti-racist organization.

The fight against racism is a challenging one and this problem is not going to vanish overnight. We believe in questioning and changing the system that facilitates racism. We hope that persistently practicing and promoting this notion will save many lives because All Lives Matter #alllivesmatter.

“Inclusion is NOT Tolerance, it is unquestioned ACCEPTANCE.” @jw_teach

Are the George Floyd Protests a Solution to Racism? #blacklivesmatter was originally published in The Homeschool Panda Blog on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Some homeschooling parents adore the planning process. They make sure that they cover each and every detail of the academic year and also have plans B and C intact in case the first one doesn’t work out. Others have a relatively less enjoyable experience when it comes to planning ahead for their children. There’s nothing wrong with the latter, we understand that the planning process can get overwhelming, may take a lot of time and might add tension.

But the question is, what does parents who have it all mapped and planned out do?

Well, we’ll let you on a secret: many of them use digital planners to automatically plan their homeschooling routine for them. These online lesson planners recognize the unique homeschooling pattern in each household and organize the users’ homeschool lives.

One of the best, FREE lesson planners on the market is undoubtedly Homeschool Panda. It has a competitive edge because it offers multiple features and functionalities in one place that no other planner does. Here’s how you can save time, cost and frustration and be a super homeschool mom with Panda’s help:

· Create lessons for each course and chapter.

· Assign the lessons to multiple, specific or all students.

· Customize the assignments, tests, lessons, and activities by adding notes, uploading files and giving instructions.

· Plan the lessons by setting start and end dates and start and end times

· Set credits and grades against each activity created

· View the student’s availability and choose the days for different lessons

· Import lessons uploaded by other homeschoolers

· Reschedule a specific lesson or all lessons according to your needs

· Automatically shift assignments to different days

· View overdue assignments and change their status

· Mark Days Off so the planner automatically shifts the lesson plans or bypasses scheduling any assignments on those days

Create, organize and update plans in a few clicks. The panda helps automate the process of lesson planning, hence eliminating the everyday hustle and saving you time. It allows you to customize assignments, tests, and notes to your liking, based on the student of your choice and helps you generate multiple lessons on the go. Import lesson plans shared by other homeschoolers and assign them to students. Multitasking has never been easier. With lessons planned through HSP, you are bound to feel more organized, less stressed and at ease throughout the day!

Saving Time, Cost and Frustration in Homeschooling was originally published in The Homeschool Panda Blog on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Millions of families homeschool their children every year, but many feel they maybe not be homeschooling in an efficient and effective manner. Homeschooling is a tremendously rewarding journey which is unique for every family and offers great advantages in the present time. With one’s time, effort and cost involved, it is only fair to exercise the homeschooling potential to the fullest.

Effective and efficient homeschooling can be achieved in five easy steps:

1) Know why you started homeschooling in the first place

Create a list of reasons because of which you started homeschooling, a sheet with your favorite aspects of homeschooling and a list of short-term and long-term goals. These lists will keep you focused, determined and will motivate you. At the end of a week, a month, six months or even a year, use the Homeschool Panda application to generate a portfolio. The Panda enables all its users to keep records and download portfolios. The printable portfolios will include images attached with each assignment and event on the calendar. The portfolio will help you assess your child’s achievements, track progress and be proud of yourself and your homeschooling family seeing how far you’ve come!

2) Take responsibility and find solutions

Take initiative in your homeschooling process. Know that every problem has a solution. Know how your family functions and structure your learning process accordingly. The first step is to accept that homeschooling can become overwhelming and you can minimize it through Homeschool Panda — planning and collaboration solution which allows homeschooling families to maintain their daily life happenings whilst planning lessons for their child. Homeschool Panda has a digital to-do list with categories, a budget planner to help manage your finances, a calendar for you to color code and assign, mark and complete tasks for each student. Most importantly, Homeschool Panda acts as a social media tool for you to track, connect, interact with other homeschoolers across the globe and follow their homeschooling journey. Identifying problems and finding solutions has never been easier.

3) Prioritize

There are two things to keep in mind whilst planning; prioritizing tasks and knowing that it is always quality over quantity. The Panda displays the user’s daily agenda, tasks, chores, and budget on his/her dashboard. It allows the user to structure and plan based on his/her daily routine, rather than making the user go through the hassle of organizing, writing and managing different chores by him/herself. With the Panda, your entire day is automatically assembled in one place for you to focus on accomplishing the task rather than stressing about it.

4) Understand your child and your child will understand you

No doubt homeschooling allows you to develop a strong bond with your children. But there are also days when an average homeschooling family gets frustrated with trying to decipher each other. The key is to communicate and understand your child. The moment you know what your child responds to best and the fact that what works for others might not work for your child, you’ve made your homeschooling journey much simpler! Homeschool Panda allows you to create multiple accounts for your children for them to play a bigger and more valuable role in the homeschooling experience. In the present era of technological advancements and fast-paced learning, HSP Kids allows parents to monitor their children’s progress, track their lessons, assignments, and tests and enables children to organize and implement their everyday education in an efficient manner. By using HSP Kids, the children learn the importance of punctuality by finishing assigned tasks in the given deadlines, they acquire self-management skills and become responsible by creating lessons, managing events, adding, reading and rating books and most importantly, they start to evaluate themselves as individuals and get self-disciplined. With the help of the panda, children independently thrive towards accomplishing goals, and the overall homeschooling experience becomes much more fun!

5) Never stop learning

Homeschooling is a lifestyle and it is a process of lifelong learning. The entire homeschooling experience becomes more effective when the homeschooling family realizes that in this era, there are many tools out there to assist and help with the homeschool voyage. The best tool for beginners and a recommended application by homeschoolers for homeschooling families across the globe, the FREE Homeschool Panda app and website helps its 15,000 users across 70+ countries get the best out of homeschool life. The panda grows and learns with you!

Efficient and Effective Homeschooling was originally published in The Homeschool Panda Blog on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Should homeschooling families attend homeschool conventions or not?

Is it worth the cost, time and effort?

Should the children tag along?

These are questions which have popped up in many minds. Whether you’re new to homeschooling or you’ve been homeschooling for years, you must have thought about going to a homeschool convention at one time or another. To make your decision easier for you, I have weighed the pros and cons of attending homeschool conventions:

Pros:

1. You get to learn a lot

Homeschool conventions bring together a diverse group of people from different backgrounds, with different opinions and homeschooling experiences. During the convention, you get to learn about new curriculums, about tried and tested teaching methods, about like-minded people’s take on homeschooling solutions and most importantly, you get to listen to speakers. Homeschool conventions host speakers that shed light on various homeschooling concerns, they address issues and talk about homeschooling trends and fads. Most homeschooling mothers usually do their homework and research on the speakers present at the conventions.

2. Conventions renew your excitement

Conventions remind you of why you chose to homeschool in the first place and that you’re not alone in this journey. You see thousands of families and just being surrounded by homeschoolers strengthens your homeschooling muscles for the remaining year. Bringing children along is always a good idea. Usually, at conventions, there are lots of activities lined up for children of all ages and this lets the children socialize and understand that there is a whole world of homeschooling children like them out there. Not only does one get inspiration, one can act as a source of inspiration to new homeschooling families.

3. You interact with the homeschooling community

You get to see the bigger homeschooling picture. You get a feeling of belonging and you get to connect and make friends. If you’re a social homeschooling mom like I am, you can download the Homeschool Panda application and search for nearby homeschoolers. The application allows you to hunt down homeschooling families in your area and connect with them. You might just end up going to a homeschooling convention together!

4. You can shop till you drop!

A major advantage of attending a homeschool convention is that you get to see a massive variety of curriculum options for the children. Not just that, the convention acts as a shopping mall for homeschoolers. Imagine that- all the homeschool essentials and appliances in one place! You get to meet vendors and talk to them. To me, that’s the best part because vendors have the knowledge and they help you choose better options. I give my children a limited budget to purchase goodies with. This teaches them the importance of money and they hold the stuff they themselves buy very close to their hearts.

5. Traveling

Traveling acts as both; a pro and a con. The advantage is, that you get to plan a refreshing, educative trip and it allows you to boost your homeschool morale, meet people, buy homeschool equipment and enjoy some time off from the regular homeschooling schedule. The children enjoy the hotel stay, the pool, the activities and the difference of atmosphere.

Cons:

1. Traveling

One has to keep in mind the cost associated with traveling, the schedule of the spouse and the family and one has to know if the children get homesick, car sick or get other types of sicknesses. Sometimes the children get cranky and their young ages do not allow the parents to travel and explore in peace. If traveling for hours is not an option, you can attend local homeschool conventions nearby.

2. You have to weigh the price

In the end, one has to see their own budget and preferences. Sometimes if the finances are tight, the trip can meddle with the costs needed in the future. If the advantages exceed the disadvantages and if going to the convention is easy on the pocket, you shouldn’t miss having the experience!

3. You can get overwhelmed

The only major downside of attending homeschool conventions is that the amount of information can get overwhelming and instead of getting motivated. One might get doubts about whether he/she is not doing enough or if his/her kids haven’t accomplished as much. Comparisons should never be an option. Just like every child, each homeschooling experience is unique. Each human is born with a talent and all homeschooling moms are super moms. The best way to not get overwhelmed is to do your research beforehand, engage yourself in happy thoughts, allow yourself to shop and if possible, travel with friends.

At the end of the day, you should attend at least one homeschool convention to decide if it suits you or not, for yourself. It is certainly worth the time and effort!

The Pros and Cons of attending Homeschool Conventions was originally published in The Homeschool Panda Blog on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

In the present era of technological advancements and fast-paced learning, HSP Kids allows parents to monitor their children’s progress while enabling children to organize and implement their everyday education in an efficient manner. By using HSP Kids, students will learn time management while completing assignments and projects within deadlines. They acquire self-discipline skills and become responsible by managing their lessons, events, reading and more. Children learn independence while still having their parent nearby via the Panda Messenger tool. Via Panda Messenger children can communicate with their parent and/or siblings securely. With the help of the panda, children independently thrive towards accomplishing goals, and the overall homeschooling experience becomes much more fun!

HSP Kids has been rolled out as a soft release and we welcome any and all feedback. Please send all feedback to Contact@homeschoolpanda.com with the Subject: HSP Kids Feedback. We thank you in advance for your assistance and feedback.

So, how does HSP Kids work?

• Login to Homeschool Panda
• Click on Student Information from the left-hand pane and select your student
• Turn the “Toggle Switch” to “Green” to Enable Student Login and enter your student’s email and password.

• Once you click on the Save button, you’ll get a message on the top of the screen signifying that your child’s account is ready!
• The student can now login to Homeschool Panda Website and very soon they will be able to access it on a mobile app. Once the student logs in, they will see the following:
• Dashboard: a place to easily find the day’s assignments and events and their To-Do/Task list
• Calendar: student will see their assigned assignments and events and change the status of assignments. Once the student completes an assignment, the parent will receive a notification. The student will also be able to add assignments and events and it will sync with the parent’s account.
• My Books: Students will be able to search and add books & rate and review the books. Any books a student adds synchs with the parent’s account.
• Panda Messenger: The student, parent, and their siblings can communicate via instant messaging securely. Homeschool Panda’s chat messages are encrypted hence it is the safest method of virtual communication. A student will be able to send messages, files, and pictures. This is a great way to encourage independence while being available to your student.

Introducing HSP Kids… was originally published in The Homeschool Panda Blog on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Do you know how many countries there are in the world? According to World O Meters, there are 195 countries in the world today. That is an average of nearly 27 countries on each of the 7 continents! Traveling across the world can be expensive and for many of us, budgets can be pretty limited over the summer, especially if you’ve already taken a trip… or two. So we wanted to share with you some of our favorite ways to help your children to explore and grow as global citizens without breaking the bank.

One of our favorite ideas is taking your kids on a virtual field trip, having the ability to explore the world at your fingertips… literally! There are a variety of websites that offer virtual tours as well as live webcams so that your children can view and experience some of the world’s most famous sights from the comfort of your home. We’ve compiled our top three virtual field trip sights below.

Google Art Project- Virtual Museums Trips to Art Museums Around the World-

Step inside world-class museums with Google, through their virtual museum collection! From 360-degree videos to street views of famous sites and landmarks, you can experience art and culture without moving a foot. With over 150 collections, this is the perfect website for an afternoon of cultural exploration and artistic discovery.

Discovery Education- Virtual Field Trips-

Discovery Education showcases some of the world’s most iconic locations for your children to have rich and immersive learning experiences. From the National Archives to hearing from the President of the United States, enjoy fun, educational, and free virtual field trips! They even offer an events calendar for special virtual field trips, check it out online today!

Eternal Egypt-

Egyptian history has always fascinated me; the great pyramids and hieroglyphics are so interesting for even the youngest children. Although thousands of miles away from my family and I, we love how up close Eternal Egypt takes us to explore a living record of a land rich in art and history, people and places, myths and religions. The website includes interactive technology, remote cameras and more.

Whether your child loves art museums or the world wonders, there is a virtual field trip website for almost everything! So grab your tablet or computer and try one out today, there is nothing to loose and a whole world to see.

There you have it! Our top three virtual field trip websites that help inspire your child’s curiosity and grow as global citizens. Keep up to date with the latest blog articles and updates by liking the Homeschool Panda Facebook page and following us on Instagram today!

Still looking for more ways to play and learn on your iPad? Check out this list of apps for virtual field trips brought to you by Educators Technology.

Happy Homeschooling!

Virtual Field Trips- Exploring and growing from home! was originally published in The Homeschool Panda Blog on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Do you know where LEGO made its first debut? We were surprised to learn that the tiny bricks that have spread across the United States and cover our playroom floors were invented in Denmark! Learning that these bricks travel nearly 5,000 miles to make it to the store nearest us, we thought why not share our 5 most favorite hands-on, motivating ways to learn with LEGO!

Whether you are teaching a future engineer or a child who loves hands-on activities, there is a LEGO activity for everyone! So grab your LEGO bucket and check out our must-try activities below to see how you can practice literacy and math, learn to problem solve and have fun while doing it!

LEGO Science/Engineering-

-Lego Volcano- Imagine putting your STEM skills to work by designing and building your own erupting Lego volcano. Young builders of all ages will love this one! Brought to you by the STEM Laboratory.

-Lego Balloon Cars- Check out this perfect example of how you can combine simple science and engineering to make an engaging STEM activity to fill your day with fun and laughs. Brought to you by Little Bins for Little Hands.

LEGO Literacy-

-Teach the Alphabet with Legos- Make learning the alphabet fun and engaging with this colorful hands on Lego activity. Children will absolutely love learning their ABC’s! Brought to you by Joy in the Home.

LEGO History-

-Making Lego Landmarks- With beautiful historic landmarks across the world, what better way to memorize the names and locations than to build it yourself! Grab your landmark flashcards and Lego bucket to make these famous landmarks come to life in your own home. Brought to you by Homegrown Learners.

LEGO Math-

-Lego Math and Symmetry- Take your symmetry skills to the test and create your own Lego masterpiece with this fun, hands-on activity! Brought to you by Love 2 Learn 2Day.

There you have it! Our top 5 Lego activities that help inspire your child’s imagination and creation. Keep up to date with the latest blog articles and updates by liking the Homeschool Panda Facebook page and following us on Instagram today!

Still looking for more ways to play and learn with Lego? Check out this free printable Lego Challenge Calendar, filled with 31 Lego challenge ideas brought to you by Little Bins for Little Hands.

Happy Homeschooling!

Top 5 Ways to Learn with LEGOS! was originally published in The Homeschool Panda Blog on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

As homeschoolers, we are fortunate to have so many curriclum options available to us these days. On the other hand, it also makes it difficult to pick a perfect curriculum that fits every family‘s needs. After going through, what feels like gazzilion curriculum, I realized that even a perfect curriculum won’t fit every family or child. I will share with you about BookShark and why it fit our family this year.

BookShark is a complete out of the box Charlotte Mason inspired homeschool curriculum. Being an eclectic homeschooler, I have always been a bit hesitant of boxed curriculums because I prefer flexibility that meets unique learning styles of my girls. However, when I saw the countless homeschoolers using BookShark as their core last year and its focus on family reading, I knew I had to give it a try. Previous years, I struggled to find the perfect books that were engaging for my then 6 year old and interactive enough for my then 5 year old…so I knew needed all the help I could get.

1. BookShark is Charlotte Mason inspired curriculum and that means it is heavy on read aloud and readers. There have been countless days that my mouth was left dry but my heart very happy. It is perfect fit for my family because we enjoyed sitting on the couch or while having snacks or breakfast and reading amazing literature. Reading is very special to me and I made sure it was a big part of our family life and ofcouse our homeschool.
2. BookShark is an open and go curriclum. Basically, they provide a complete lesson plan with reading assignment, worksheets and activities. The lesson plan is easy to follow and compiled based on 36 weeks plan. Now if you like to plan your own activities, pick and choose topics and select your own books then you may not reap the most lucrative reasons to use this curriculum but it is still achievable. For us this was a life saver because I was very busy as a working homeschool mom so I needed an open and go curriculum. The binder included with BookShark is pretty large and a bit overwhelming at first, however it is neatly planned out. I preferred to use an online planner to keep log/record. I also coil bound the lesson plans for each subject so it is easier to flag and for every day use.
3. Yes, it comes with lesson plan but you know what’s amazing, BookShark allows you flexibility. For the science we used an “Waldorf Inspired” approach this year so I was able to pick and choose which topics to do and when and it did not affect our lessons. We took the questions from the worksheets and drew and narrated/copy work to make it more fun. The worksheets are very short and it is to ensure the comprehension and understanding is absorbed by the student. Although it is planned out for 36 weeks we were able to take more time on certain topics but still not feel overwhelmed. It took us more then 40 weeks to complete the curriculum. I would advise to follow the schedule and plan for history because it is chronological and one concept leads to the other. It is flexible enough to allow you to skip a day and pick it right back up with a handy little flag to use as a mark on the plans.
4. We all want our children to be exposed to great literature. Love of reading is the greatest gift we can provide to our children. It can be a daunting task to find literature that appeal to their age, knowledge and of substance. BookShark curates great selection of books and allows you to customize the selection based on your child. In our case my 7 year old is an advanced reader so her selection of books were in higher level then the traditional Level 2 books. We enjoyed all of our read aloud however there were few readers that seemed well above 4th grade level. There were few books, which had materials that I might not have selected but I am thankful to BookShark because my daughter understood the difficult concept and it enhanced her perspective on life.
5. Cost plays a critical role in our homeschool curriculum selection because hey most of us pay out of pocket. In my days of homeschooling I have seen little amounts here and there adding up to a large number. BookShark offers a comprehensive curriculum with lots of quality books and most of the spines are hard cover. I have always gone over budget when I had to accumulate all on my own and was time consuming and time has a value as well.
6. My knowledge on this is very limited but I did want to touch upon it because I see it mentioned in various places. BookShark is neutral on their approach as far secular versus religious. We used Level 2 and we did not find anything that contradicted it. The spine for history was A Child’s History of the World and we were very happy with it versus Story of the World. I cannot speak for other grades.

Disclaimer: BookShark provided us with the curriculum in return to show an unboxing video on my Youtube Channel. This post along with all the thoughts are mine.

• _

6 reasons BookShark has been perfect for my family… was originally published in The Homeschool Panda Blog on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Another school year is over and summer has arrived. June I love to spend mornings at the park, bike rides in the afternoons and evenings at the pool. But then comes July. The heat. Oh, the heat! We retreat inside come July. Books, crafts, movies and, yes, iPad time. We use both Android and iOS devices in our home, so all the apps I chose are available for both systems. I also chose apps that are fun — not just fun for the kiddos to play but fun for me to play or fun for me to watch them play. Screen time is often interactive & family time, so I want to enjoy the apps as well.

DragonBox {Ages 4 and up}

When I first saw DragonBox, I was confused. It made no sense to me. I trusted the friends recommending it to me, so I decided to take the plunge anyway. I opened the Algebra 5+ app and started playing. I was hooked. By the end of the game, I was blown away. The method of teaching…it made so much sense but it was totally outside of the box thinking. We have since gone through Algebra 12+ and Elements (geometry) and we have enjoyed them all. As my daughter went through pre-algebra & algebra, we often went back to the ideas in DragonBox when she was stuck on a concept. My daughter is taking geometry in the fall, so we’ll see if we use ideas from Elements during it. The price is high compared to most apps we purchase…but they are worth the price! {Bonus: They have a great blog! They write well-researched & supported posts on the topic of math.}

Tower Math {Elementary}

From the creator of the popular Stack the States, Monster Physics, and Presidents v. Aliens, Tower Math is the most-asked-for game on our iPad. It’s also the only game we have that just does not make sense to me! Kids, as they often do, understand apps more intuitively than adults and this game is no exception. Kids can practice the four basic areas of math while they defend the castle towers. While most apps with multiple levels of play make you choose one level for the entire round of play, Tower Math lets you choose different levels within the game. So kids that are strong in addition but weak in subtraction can choose appropriate levels. My kids love to play this one together.

Endless Apps {Toddler — 9yo}

For the younger crowd, the Endless app series is one of my favorites. We grabbed Endless Alphabet when it first came out about five years ago. It was an immediate hit with my young preschool-aged boys. Through beautiful illustrations and animation, Endless’s interactive apps will leave memorable visuals that aid recall. From the youngest levels of Endless Alphabet & Endless Numbers up through Endless Wordplay and Math Tango for elementary students, these apps are a delight. While I don’t enjoy playing them as a parent, the colors and sounds are pleasing to see/hear, unlike many apps! That’s a win in my book. {Prices vary and there are in-app purchases to get the full versions. Check out the bundle offers if you are using iOS in order to save $$.}

Inventioneers {Ages 4–12yo}

As I was putting the final touches on a physics unit, I popped into the app store to look for fun apps for the kids to practice the concepts from our unit. Inventioneers was the first app I chose…and the only app from that unit that they still play! While the game is really about…you guessed it, inventions, there is a certain amount of physics involved with angles, Newtonian laws, magnetism, etc. My boys have competitions to see who can come up with the tallest/longest/curviest/whatever invention and then dissolve into giggles as they watch their inventions come to life. {There is a free version as well as a paid version.}

CDC Outbreak {Teens}

App stores are overrun with learning games for the preschool & elementary age. Come the teen years, though, they can be much harder to find. Solve the Outbreak, a FREE app from the CDC, is perfect for this age. Teens play the role of an Epidemic Intelligence Service agent in charge of evaluating an outbreak and determining how best to contain and solve it. With outbreaks of various sizes and across the world, your teen will learn about epidemiology while practicing with logic and detective skills. The player will also learn a bit about medicine & geography. While this game doesn’t capture our attention for long periods at a time, it’s perfect for 10–20 minute spurts. {There is also a web-based version of the game.}

Favorite Learning Apps was originally published in The Homeschool Panda Blog on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

A traditional school system can be a “one size fits all” environment, which can prove to be challenging for parents as it does not cater to the individual needs of a child. In recent years, more and more parents are opting to homeschool around the world to fill in gaps that exist in the traditional education system.

Whether the reasons are individualized education, safety, flexibility or preservation of cultural and family values; it is undeniable that homeschooling is on the rise. Today, there are over 2 million homeschooling students in the United States alone, a 75% increase since 1999.

There are numerous benefits of homeschooling which are specifically designed to cater to each child’s learning ability while empowering our future generation. Here are some of the common reasons why you should consider homeschooling:

• Individualized Attention & Learning — Ability to focus on individualized assessments and determine the most effective learning styles. This approach helps to leverage a child’s strengths and natural disposition while allowing the child to progress at their own pace and making for a better learning experience. Children with learning disabilities, special needs, advance learning abilities or comprehensive techniques may require one-on-one attention and a customized academic plan. Unfortunately, learning disabilities, behavioral disorders and other challenges go unnoticed in children due to the lack on individualized attention in a traditional classroom environment. This is not meant as a criticism of the classroom teacher’s ability but highlights the limitation of time which teachers can spend with each pupil’s assessment and learning habits.
• Safety — One of the utmost concerns for parents is their children’s safety and well-being. Unfortunately, we are seeing a rise in deviate behaviors such as bullying, negative peer pressure, cyber-crimes, kidnapping and pedophilia. These threats serve as significant concerns for the entire family. These situations can result in severe adverse effects on children throughout their development into adulthood. Homeschooling allows parents the opportunity to have better visibility and oversight on the interactions their children have with others. Providing a safe and comfortable environment with trusted family, friends and educators can significantly reduce unnecessary stress and the chances of negatively affecting a child’s self-esteem and safety.
• Healthier Lifestyle — The initial years of a child’s development are the most critical as their minds are constantly absorbing their surroundings, processing and retaining new information, forming new experiences and training their cognitive functions. Having people involved, who genuinely desire a child’s best interest and health, can lead to children having healthier habits when it comes to nutrition, physical education and other factors in leading a healthy lifestyle.
• Flexibility — Homeschooling allows parents/educators to have the freedom and flexibility to plan a schedule that works best for the children and their families. There are open and endless ways to teach and learn. Homeschooling doesn’t suggest that learning only takes place at home, but through life experiences and exploring the world. Field trips to places such as museums, arts and science centers, farms, airports and historical sites promote learning through a child’s experiences which are proven to achieve higher interaction and retention levels. Family trips and vacation time can also create learning opportunities for homeschoolers. There can be more time spent on learning, which will aid in covering course material and educational enrichment in children. The key is to master the art of time management and organization by taking advantage of the flexibility homeschooling offers and by leveraging newer technologies, tools and
• Peace of Mind — The certainty of knowing that your child is in a safe environment while being able to cater to their learning requirements can bring a true peace of Who can understand children better than their own parents or care takers? Knowing the child’s needs and being able to fulfill them serves as a blessing in itself.

We would love to hear from you; whether you are thinking about homeschooling or a veteran homeschooler. Let’s talk and share and buid a community of suport.

Rise in Homeschooling was originally published in The Homeschool Panda Blog on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.