Every family has their own reasons for choosing to homeschool their children. For a lot of families, they choose homeschooling so that their children can have a more personalized education. Kids, like Logan Laplante, have removed themselves from public school in order to create curricula tailored to the things that interest them. Of course, there are other reasons why parents decide to take on the sometimes difficult task of educating their kids.
Importance of Implementation
Regardless of the reasons behind homeschooling, one thing remains important: the type of education that homeschooled children receive. More often than not, homeschool parents are up to date in the world of education, finding the best ways to prepare their kids for standardized testing. The best thing about STEM education is that is takes the tools and concepts of all four learning silos and combines them in accessible lessons and activities. Where are we going with this? It’s important that, within a nontraditional school setting, students get the most out of the time spent in their studies. As STEM works to not only incorporate everything into a nice bundle, it uses various learning objectives to help reinforce other ones.
Modern Technological Family
While some people decry the growing reliance on technology as distracting and mind-numbing, the Internet and technology also provide a lot of resources for students. Even over the last few years, our dependence and use of technology has increased, and many students can’t imagine doing research without the Internet. Don’t fear this. Sure, students can use supposed shortcuts to find answers, but the Internet makes it incredibly easy for students to access a wealth of knowledge, unattainable by previous generations. Using technology in an intelligent and responsible manner is key here, especially when it comes to finding credible sources.
The Internet isn’t going anywhere any time soon, so teach your children how to best use the Internet and accompanying technology. Show them how to find the best resources, and also take them to the local library to look up research materials in the online card catalog and on the microfilm machine (if your library still has one). Chances are, your kids will be interested in the various methods of research. But in the end, the Internet will likely be the biggest draw. As Online Mom proves in her blog “11 Ways Your Kids Learn Using Technology,” passing over the iPad isn’t such a bad thing as long as it’s being used for good.
Does your family homeschool? What are some cool STEM lessons and activities that have been successful with your homeschoolers? Share your thoughts with StratoStar!
