HowToDoThings.com Recent Home & Private Schooling Articles

How To Help Your Child Practice Their Handwriting

3100 Caldera Blvd — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 12:49:37 -0500

How To Teach Your Child Good Handwriting

3100 Caldera Blvd — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 14:29:58 -0500

How To Create a Home School Classroom

3100 Caldera Blvd — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 19:53:07 -0500

How To Garden Indoors with Children

Marilisa560 — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 20:55:29 -0500

Do you love to garden? Do you want to begin a garden in your home or classroom? Are you unable to garden because you live in a temperate zone with long winters? Well here is some good news for gardeners and teachers who want to bring some life science and gardening into the classroom, especially in the winter months. You can easily and inexpensively begin a good-sized garden right in your classroom. Here's how:

How To Deal with Home Schooling Misconceptions

3100 Caldera Blvd — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 13:18:18 -0500

How To Help a Home School Student Develop Social Skills

3100 Caldera Blvd — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 13:37:50 -0500

How To Easily Read Shakespeare

Marilisa560 — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 14:03:25 -0600

I think that if a poll was taken of high school students asking, 'Who would you most wish to see tortured?', William Shakespeare would top the list. English teachers love the Bard in all his wonderful, bawdy 16th century dialogue and prose; English students hate him for the same reason. If you need or want to read a comedy, tragedy or sonnet of Shakespeare's and don't know how to begin, here are some tips to get you started.

How To Plan a Garden for Kids

bronwyn — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 12:02:24 -0600

Gardening is a wonderful introduction to science and nature. If you are looking for a special way to spend time with a child in your life, think about planning a garden for kids. The garden can be big or small; the point is to have fun, spend time outdoors, and introduce children to gardening!

How To Incorporate Gardening into Kindergarten and First Grade Curriculum

Marilisa560 — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 15:16:22 -0600

Gardening with children is a perfect hands-on multi-sensory activity. Gardening and plant care can be a stand alone curriculum if you incorporate it into each content area. Here is a guideline to incorporate a gardening unit or project into every aspect of your kindergarten or first grade curriculum.

How To Garden Safely with Children at Home or in School

Marilisa560 — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 13:56:26 -0600

Gardening is in my list of top five learning activities. It's natural, therapeutic, hands-on, interactive and a great learning tool. Whether you teach plant care, botany lessons or gardening at home with your children or in school as a teacher, there are several areas to consider and steps to follow to ensure safety.

How To Start Your Own Homeschool Group

Marilisa560 — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 14:34:29 -0600

The education of children within the home setting, or homeschooling, is becoming increasingly more popular. When my husband and I made the decision to home-school our children back in 1993, there were probably only one tenth the number of homeschooling families. In fact when I was hospitalized with the birth of our fourth child, the nurses kept peeking into my room, saying that they had to see what a home-schooling mom looked like.

When we decided to home-school, we also felt we needed a support network. We weren't so much looking for like-minded people as much as we wanted healthy group dynamics for our children to explore social relationships and for myself to receive and later provide some mentoring and companionship. If you wish to begin a homeschooling community, there are some basic considerations and steps to take.

How To Get Grant Money for a School Gardening Project

Marilisa560 — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 13:52:31 -0600

Science in our school curriculum has often focused too much on paperwork and too little on real applications. Life science and biology in particular are subjects that have so much potential for hands-on activities and experiments. Gardening and plant care is an ideal venue to explore your biology or life science classes or curriculum. If you'd like to begin a gardening project in your classroom, there is grant money available to support your endeavors. Here are some areas to explore for grant funding.

How To Keep Your Children's Piano Lessons on a Good Note!

ellen66 — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 19:12:50 -0600

My piano students range in age from five to eleven. They're all unique and very enjoyable to teach. However, if I don't keep things fun while they're learning, I might as well be talking to a wall. As a children's piano teacher, I hope these tips on how I keep my students interested in learning how to play the piano will help parents keep the music playing once their child leaves my teaching room!

How To Write a Paragraph

simondixie — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 14:38:13 -0600

Remember when you first learned to ride a bike or drive a car? Your first attempts were rather awkward, weren't they? Those activities are skills; the more you practiced, the more accomplished you became. Right? Writing is also a skill, and practice in writing improves our writing, just as driving a car makes us better drivers. We're going to practice writing a paragraph, but remember, this endeavor must be practiced many times. Let's take the first step now.

How To Start a Private School

Susie254 — Fri, 09 Mar 2007 14:45:00 -0600

The benefits of a private school are many. A private school is often able to offer smaller classes, a more individualized curriculum, and frequent parent/teacher interaction. Starting a private school can seem a daunting task, but those who endeavor to take on the challenge will find many advantages of private school along the way.

How To Enroll in Early Childhood Special Education

Kaye305 — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 20:27:00 -0600

For many children, special education begins with early childhood. It is strongly recommended that a child as young as preschool age or even younger, who exhibits behaviors or developmental delays, begin an early intervention process within special education if possible. Ensuring this is done is the key to success for the child!

How To Set Up Special Education Accommodations

Kaye305 — Sat, 17 Feb 2007 14:41:00 -0600

Any student who is staffed into special education will need accommodations set up for him. Setting up these accommodations isn't a very difficult process, but it is a very important one!

How To Understand the Benefits of All Girls Schools

Susie254 — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 11:53:00 -0600

For those considering attending an all-girls school, the evidence is clear. According to a twenty-year study conducted on 270,000 students in Australia, the results indicated that students in same sex schools performed anywhere from fifteen to twenty-two points higher on standardized tests than those students who attended co-ed schools. A similar study conducted in England in 2001 agreed that girls who attended an all-girls school excelled in the classroom and in other areas of their lives.

How To Transition Into and Out of Special Education

Kaye305 — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 13:48:00 -0600

Transitioning into and out of special education can be a challenge for any student. Students can feel anxious, scared and fearful during these transition times, but there are ways to make the transition to and from special education much smoother.

How To Teach Life Skills in Special Education

Kaye305 — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 15:28:00 -0600

Teaching life skills to a group of special education students can be a very fun and rewarding experience. The majority of special education students to whom life skills are taught are those with developmental disabilities, those with learning disabilities so severe that they may affect day-to-day living, those with high functioning Autism or Autistic tendencies, or those with Asperger's. Life skills are generally those skills that the students will need to survive in everyday life (skills such as money management, hygiene, and shopping for groceries). These skills are essential for special education students to learn because they enable the transition from school to life in the "real world."

How To Take Advantage of a Private School Education

Susie254 — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 13:59:00 -0600

Many parents turn to private schools when it comes to the business of educating their children. While private schools may offer several advantages, often many positive aspects of a private school are not taken advantage of by parents and students. If you are planning on enrolling or have recently enrolled in a private school, consider the following points.

How To Plan Fundraisers For Private Schools

Susie254 — Sun, 14 Jan 2007 19:41:00 -0600

For many schools, especially private ones, fundraising is the key to obtaining extra money for schools. This money may be used to purchase recreation and technology equipment, to fund field trips, and to purchase extra books and other school-related supplies. In order to run a successful fundraiser for your private school, consider the following tips.

How To Enroll Troubled Teens in Private Schools

Susie254 — Sun, 14 Jan 2007 19:10:00 -0600

Enrolling your troubled teen in a private school can be a difficult time for everyone involved. The issues that your teen has been struggling with may at times seem to envelop everyone's days and nights, so finding a private school that can help him cope and eventually heal is very important. As you begin searching for a place where your troubled teen can enjoy the advantages of private school, keep the following points in mind.

How To Transition from Public to Private School

Susie254 — Sun, 14 Jan 2007 18:24:00 -0600

Transitioning from public to private school can be a bit of an adjustment. However, with planning and preparation, you can make the transition a bit smoother and find success in a different yet challenging environment.

How To Compare Special Education and Mainstream Students

Marilisa560 — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 21:40:00 -0600

Comparison is a dangerous word to use with students. We must be cautious because we must not measure students with disabilities with the same stick that we use to measure unimpaired students. It is the old 'apples to oranges' scenario. What we can do is to examine all students and decide whether a disability exists and if so, how we can remediate.

I have outlined some hallmarks of the student with special needs. I have tried to provide a checklist or timeline that we can hold a student up to so that we can understand whether a disparity exists and how we can assist.

I have designed the checklist in the form of a series of questions. If the answer is yes to one or two, it is probably not indicative of a problem, but if there are quite a few concerns from the list, further testing and consideration of special education may be necessary.

How To Assess Special Education Programs

Marilisa560 — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 21:06:00 -0600

Special Education programs are like mainstream education in many ways. In terms of assessment, the criteria is similar. But there are some areas essential to special education that need separate attention. We will consider both the similarities and the differences in this look at assessment of special education programs.

Staff As in any education program, people make the difference. The most important area to assess is the quality of staff. And they should be assessed in several areas:

Education and training: Special educators must undergo rigorous training in the methodology and materials needed for a good program.
Knowledge of student needs: Educators must be specially trained in the different areas of student need and disability. They should be trained to understand the characteristics of different conditions and disabilities.

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How To Nurture Learning Disabled Students

Marilisa560 — Tue, 26 Dec 2006 17:59:00 -0600

Nurturing a learning disabled student is essentially the same as nurturing a mainstream child. Natural caregiving practices apply. However, there are some extra concerns to be aware of as well. I've grouped the suggestions according to basic care topics.

How To Choose Between Special Education Schools

Marilisa560 — Tue, 26 Dec 2006 17:23:00 -0600

There are many excellent programs available for special needs students. We have access to equipment and materials now that that were not an option 10 years ago. The advent of computer technology and Internet assistance has opened doors for special needs students.

It is important to research the options for special needs students. School districts receive additional funding for students with special needs. If your state offers you your school of choice, take advantage and shop around for the facility with the best options. Here are some guidelines for selecting a program for your student.

How To Find Christian Boarding Schools

Susie254 — Wed, 20 Dec 2006 14:18:00 -0600

A Christian boarding school can offer your child a safe and structured environment, while at the same time providing an education and religious instruction. Keep in mind that not all Christian boarding schools are the same.

How To Handle Academic Challenges in a Private School

Susie254 — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 05:47:00 -0600

Attending a private school doesn't have to be stressful. While the curriculum can be challenging and the expectations may be high, handling the academic challenges certainly is possible.

How To Plan Special Education Activities

Marilisa560 — Fri, 15 Dec 2006 19:52:00 -0600

How do we plan activities for a special education or resource room students? As with any consideration in special needs education, it is crucial to understand what the special needs are. Do the students have physical or emotional difficulties? Are there developmentally disabled students? Do we have students with learning disabilities? Vision or hearing impairment? We can then base our activities around the needs. Here are some general considerations followed by some specific ones later.

How To Find Special Education Resources

Marilisa560 — Fri, 15 Dec 2006 15:30:00 -0600

When selecting resources for special needs students, it is important to follow the objectives outlined in the child's IEP (Individualized Education Plan). If clear, manageable objectives have been chosen for the student, you will have the beginning of a useful shopping list for materials.

Since students have often met with failure in traditional classrooms, the special needs environment needs to be supplied for success. A good, basic classroom will include these basic elements.

How To Develop Innovative Special Education Programs

Marilisa560 — Sun, 10 Dec 2006 18:34:00 -0600

Innovation in special needs learning has never been easier and more crucial! Educators and administrators have a wealth of resources at their disposal via the internet. We are learning more about what works with those who rely upon us for assistance. And best of all, many of the components of a quality program can be implemented inexpensively, a real relief in these days of 'lots of show and little go' from government programs.

Get good at grant writing. Money is available for special needs resources, so look and ask and research. It is money well spent to train in grant-writing.

read more

How To Choose a Good Private School

Susie254 — Wed, 06 Dec 2006 06:37:00 -0600

The debate continues over the pros and cons of public versus private schools. Once you've determined that you want a private school for your child, however, how do you go about choosing a good private school? Consider the following points before you make your decision.

How To Choose a Good Boarding School

Susie254 — Wed, 06 Dec 2006 06:11:00 -0600

Boarding schools can provide a secure educational environment for your child, and many boarding schools cater to the individual talents of its students. In regards to choosing a boarding school, though, one size definitely doesn't fit all. Consider the following points as you begin searching for the perfect boarding school.

How To Get Private School Scholarships

Susie254 — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 11:38:00 -0600

Many families often believe that they must be wealthy in order for their child to enjoy the advantages of private school. While a private school education can be expensive, there are scholarships available which can ease the burden of expensive school tuitions and supplies.

How To Get Grants for a Private School

Susie254 — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 08:00:00 -0600

An educational grant for a private school can be difficult to obtain. In most cases, grants are limited and depend upon private benefactors who support a particular academic institution. In some cases, however, there are organizations and companies who provide monetary assistance to private schools, and these monies are often set aside for grant purposes. Private religious schools may also be supported by area churches as well, and these churches may contribute enough money to fund a minimum number of grants.

How To Apply to Private Boarding Schools

Susie254 — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 06:41:00 -0600

Applying to private boarding schools takes planning and organization. You should become familiar with the requirements of all the private boarding schools to which you apply.

How To Understand Special Education Inclusion

Andy185 — Tue, 17 Oct 2006 14:55:00 -0500

If you have a child with special needs, one word you are going to hear regarding education is "inclusion." This article deals with inclusion specifically as it applies to the US educational system, as mandated by the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. However the concepts explained here are not unique to US schools as inclusion is an education concept that is growing in practice around the world.

So what is inclusion and how does it affect your child's education? The subject is surrounded by misunderstanding and controversy and it is important for both educators and parents to understand the concept.

How To Meet the Goals of Special Education

Darcy480 — Wed, 04 Oct 2006 10:11:00 -0500

Meeting special education goals is not difficult if the goals are written well. Here is a step-by-step plan on how to develop goals that are likely to be met.

Before you can write any goal, you must identify the child's area of weakness and/or need. This can be done through observation, testing, or interviewing teachers and the child. This will tell you what area you need to focus on.
Now, it is time to develop a goal. A good goal should be:
- Specific
- Objective
- Measurable
- Obtainable
Once you have a goal in mind, it is time to determine the objectives. Break the goal down into steps and determine how long it should take the child to reach each individual step. Some other things you should consider are:

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How To Follow Special Education Laws

Darcy480 — Wed, 04 Oct 2006 09:41:00 -0500

The main law that regulates special education is the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This law has been amended several times, most recently in 1997. Although the Section 504 of The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) are often referred to in regards to special education; however, these laws do more to prohibit discrimination against people with disabilities than deal with special education itself.

Here is an overview over what IDEA states:

Children and youth (aged 3-21) are determined eligible for special education services through an individualized evaluation and a multidisciplinary team (m-team) which will include the parent.

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How To Discipline Students in Special Education

Darcy480 — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 11:13:00 -0500

Students who receive special education services receive certain protections under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA). Certain procedures and rules must be followed when dealing with children who receive special education services.

The concept behind these protections is that they ensure that all students receive a free and public education and that school officials cannot use discipline as a means to limit or prohibit students from receiving an education.

The laws are not designed to protect disabled students from being disciplined. If a behavior is not related to their disability, they can receive the same discipline that any other student would receive. However, if a behavior is related to their disability, procedures must be followed to ensure that the problem is being addressed.

How To Find an Online Tutor

Stacy451 — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 08:08:00 -0500

Whether you need a tutor for your child or for yourself, finding one can be a daunting process. If you live in a rural location, it can be particularly difficult to locate a quality tutor in your vicinity for the subjects that you need. Hiring an online tutor can help eliminate this problem. An online tutor often works from her home and will communicate with you via the computer or sometimes the telephone. This opens the door to a wider range of tutors, therefore making it easier for you to locate the right tutor for you or your child.

How To Learn About Home Schooling

Michelle432 — Tue, 25 Jul 2006 11:16:00 -0500

One of the main goals most of us have in parenting our children is to provide them with an excellent education. For some, that may mean buying a home in the best public school district or applying to the most prestigious private school, but others will choose an entirely different path. Interest in home schooling has skyrocketed in the last decade, and you may be interested in learning about this often-overlooked option. Here are some steps you can take to help you learn about home education:

How To Find Home School Forms and Worksheets

Andrea143 — Thu, 15 Jun 2006 20:19:00 -0500

To home school effectively and legally, several home school forms are necessary. Forms are generally required by the state and local school district, in addition to being useful in getting your home school organized. Home school worksheets are a valuable asset to any curriculum; worksheets allow you to reinforce lessons. These steps will help you find all the home school forms and worksheets you will need.

To get the home school forms required by the local government to make your homeschooling practices legal, acquire them from the local public school district, the local home school association or on the Internet. Home School Legal Defense Association can point you to the home school forms you will need for your state.

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How To Find a Christian Home School Curriculum

Andrea143 — Thu, 18 May 2006 20:39:00 -0500

Finding a home school curriculum that meets the unique needs of your child can be challenging enough. When you need that curriculum to be Christian-based, you can find yourself fighting an uphill battle.

The following steps will help you find a Christian Home School Curriculum:

How To Find the Best Home Schooling Books

Ashtyn198 — Sat, 06 May 2006 12:11:00 -0500

Finding books for home schooling can be simple or hard depending on what you are looking for. Many books can be used in home schooling, but depending on your state's curriculum requirements, you may spend a large amount of time searching for just the right book.

As more families begin to home school, you have a better chance of finding more books that are going to be excellent to use with your children. Companies offer books that are as good or better than you would find in a traditional school and they are offered at somewhat competitive rates.

Determine what you are looking for. Do you want traditional school books, classic works of literature, workbooks that can be thrown away after you pull the pages out, or religious based books? The books you are looking for will determine where you look and what the best books are for your child.

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How To Meet Teacher Expectations in Private Schools

Heather166 — Sat, 29 Apr 2006 07:48:00 -0500

All teachers, whether at a private or public school, have high expectations for all students. Studies have shown that teachers who set high expectations for their students will have a higher achieving class as a result. Here are some suggestions to meet expectations of teachers at private schools.

How To Administer Home School Tests

Andrea143 — Sun, 23 Apr 2006 20:09:00 -0500

Each State or locality has different laws when it comes to administering tests to home school students. These requirements dictate who can test the children, what kind of tests the children must take, and reporting of test scores. Your options for test administrator include standards for hiring test administrators for children. Certification may be required for the tester, or the tester may be the parent himself or herself. Based on these restrictions, local support groups have banded together for group testing, or parents may swap and test each other's children. If you are a parent testing your own child:

The test should be purchased from and returned to a testing service for impartial grading.

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How To Evaluate Pros and Cons of Homeschooling

Ashtyn198 — Thu, 20 Apr 2006 09:21:00 -0500

Homeschooling is becoming a popular alternative to traditional education. Once upon a time, this was something that was done strictly for religious reasons. However, these days, parents are making the choice to homeschool based on the best educational option for their child. Today, over 2 million families educate their children at home, and the number continues to grow steadily each year.

Making the decision to homeschool can be a difficult one. There is so much information on homeschooling that often people are not sure where to begin. Consider the following pros and cons that are common to most families to determine why some may choose to homeschool and others might not. After you evaluate the list of pros and cons that are specific to you and your child's needs, the decision of whether or not homeschooling is right for you will become much more clear.

The Pros to Homeschooling