Home Schooling and Learning History

Marion Jones

Do you consider that spending time in traditional classrooms is a waste of time? For many people, that is probably true. For instance, an exam is due and the pupils are told to memorize a lot of dates and names. However, after taking the exam, they will probably 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 probably interest you more far more.

Just simple memorization is not enough to realize the significance of historical, famous people and fateful events. 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 understand what is happening in the world.

But, if you consider that home schooling is the best option for your child's education, you should also be prepared to undertake certain responsibilities. Since there will be no teacher physically present, you will have to oversee your child's educational development by yourself.

Let's just suppose that your child is interested in a particular sport. Through combining history and home schooling, you can start by simply putting a map on the wall of your child's schoolroom and mark the location of his/her favourite sports team. Make sure that you track all the team's activities and schedules. Then, you could go back to history lessons by reading biographies of the different athletes, who had been famous in the particular sport that your child likes. Aside from that, you could also look into the history of that particular sport and discover where it started, its inventor, and the other things happening in that particular time in history.

For instance, if your child likes baseball, you could teach your child about the history of Negro Leagues, government hearings on the use of drugs, and other favourite sports at that time. But remember that you can apply this concept to any interest such as dancing, traveling and inventions. You can also have conversations with your child concerning current affairs or read interesting historical works and other books.

Aside from that, you can 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, videos, books, a globe, an atlas, and encyclopedias.

Because of the exciting adventures that you and your child will read about and see on film, your child will find it easier to remember the names and dates of the history lessons. After all, education is better when it is done in an enjoyable way.

These methods are recommended if the child is still young, however once your child gets older, you should choose a home schooling program that is suited for his/her age group. These programs are available at the elementary, high school, and even college levels. You just have to search the Internet for these various programs. One good thing about these programs is that you can adapt them to fit the requirements of your child. However, you must make sure that all the home schooling modules are studied by your child.

After you and your child decide to give home schooling a shot, you will have to be ready to make some changes in your lifestyle. The home schooling education will now take place in your home not at a remote school and through the various resources that you want to use, which should include a computer and the Internet.