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Is Your Homeschool Burning Brightly...
or Fizzling Out?

Passion...

Commitment...

Creativity...

The 3 ingredients you need to keep homeschooling. It’s easy to maintain your passion ~ just soak in the feeling you get when you’re playing a game with your kids, or you’re watching them sleep ;-)...

It’s a bit harder sometimes, but not impossible, to keep the commitment ~ just take a look at the news when they post recent test scores, or listen to the latest "school tragedy"....

But creativity...yup, that’s the tough one to maintain for many of us.

Ever had one (?) of those days when even you didn’t want to wake up for school? It’s tough to expect our kids to get their head in the game on those days either. Yet, we all need to in order to "make it work".

This is where "help-4-your-homeschool" steps in!

There are plenty of sites out there to help you with the "benefits of homeschooling", the "how to homeschool", the curriculum reviews, etc. Truth-be-told, you’ll find a bit of that here, too.

But definitely bookmark this site for those tough days (we all have them!), when you don’t think you have anything in your sleeve to engage your children and ignite in them the burning desire to learn.

Another way to stay informed...the RSS feed brings news from this site right to your inbox when updates are posted here. And if you've never used RSS, it's not a problem ~ start by clicking on the RSS button to your left, and we'll walk you through the process. It's simple!

Sign up for Sparks for the Flame, our free monthly newsletter. It's packed with resources, tips, articles, etc. to help keep homeschooling engaging and fun for you and your kids!

Inside these pages you’ll find articles to inspire and motivate and educate the teacher ~ and activities, resources and ideas to make learning the exciting life-long journey that it truly is. If it never has been an exciting journey for you...let it become one today!

And if you ever have a question, or would like to see more information on a specific topic, please feel free to send it on by clicking on the "Contact Pat" button on your left.

Our site is proud to be listed in Sites for Parents, a directory of the best parenting websites on the 'net. You can be confident that a search using the red button below will deliver you quality information and family-friendly content.

sitesforparents.com

"Education is not filling a bucket, but lighting a fire."

~ William Butler Yeats


Interested in more information? Looking for more creative ideas to keep school interesting and engaging ~ for you and your kids? You can have "Sparks for the Flame" delivered right to your in-box each month! Get new ideas to keep the fires burning brightly in your homeschool ~ sign up below and receive a FREE report "just for you": 10 tips-4-Mom to refresh and restore!

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Homeschool Sparks Build a Fire for Learning
If you're trying to decide whether or not to start homeschooling, are new to home education or looking for some new ideas for your homeschool ~ try out some of these sparks to build a flame!!

Creative Homeschooling - Video reviewing, Volunteering
Here are some more creative homeschooling ideas. at home and in the community, to educate your children at home!

Creative sparks - LEGO Education
Creative juices flow with LEGOs; have you discovered Lego Educational for your homeschool?

Sample Unit Study - Christmas
If you're a homeschool parent and have never tried a Unit Study, Christmas is a great theme to use to try it out!

Teaching Fine Arts in the Homeschool
Fine Arts is often overlooked in homeschooling,but the benefits are tremendous! Here are some resources to teach music, art and drama to benefit your kids!

Teaching Writing Skills
Teaching Writing...is it one of those areas that "hangs you up"? If you feel uncomfortable or unhappy with your own skills, or just plain don’t know how to teach it...read on ~ help is on the way!

Science Resources to Evaporate (boredom) and Energize (interest)
Science resources sure ain't what they used to be - thanks to the 'net, here's some really fun ways to teach science...

Standardized testing: When, How, Why?
Standardized testing assesses how your children are doing in comparison with others in the same grade level. There are many tools available, and some factors that homeschoolers should keep in mind.

Teenagers - Homeschool - and You!
Living with teenagers can be tricky - continuing to homeschool during those high school years requires, at times, help from above! Check here for online and "offline" support and resources.

Homeschooling Your High School Aged Student
Many people are daunted by the thought of teaching high school! Here's how to teach your high school student successfully!

More Home School High School Encouragement
Ever wonder what happens to homeschoolers after graduation? Some of them have answered that question for you here!

Paying for College - Creativity is Key!
Creativity is essential when it comes time to paying for college! Just because you hadn't put enough money (what is

Product Review: 9-Week Entrepreneur Course
Product Review: 9-Week Homeschool Entrepreneur Course can be used with your highschooler to teach them

Dads Who Dare to Homeschool
Oftentimes, dads in a homeschool family want to be involved, but don't quite know how. Here's some encouragement for both of you!

Free Homeschooling?
Free homeschooling materials are indeed "out there" - but beware! Do you "get what you pay for"?

The Socialization Question Part 1: Living Outside "the cave"
Socialization (or lack thereof) always seems to be a new homeschoolers worry. Here's 5 ways to get plenty of time with peers!

The Socialization Question Part 2: More Living Outside "the cave"
Socialization involves interacting with people outside of one's peer group. Here are some inter-generational ideas...

The Socialization Question Part 3: Stop and Smell the Roses!
Too-much socialization can also become something for homeschoolers to watch out for. Here's how to bring your homeschool...back home!

Are you a Single Parent Homeschooler?
Death or divorce can put some homeschoolers in the "single parent homeschooler" category. Read on for support and help...

HSLDA - Are You a Member?
HSLDA - the Home School Legal Defense Association - is the #1 legal homeschool advocate in the US. They have been tireless defenders of every family's constitutional right to home educate since 1983.

Homeschool curriculum and curriculum fairs
Finding homeschool curriculum and support are just 2 reasons to find - and attend - a curriculum fair near you!

Homeschooling Articles
Articles to educate, entertain and encourage you on your journey!

Links to Homeschool Sites
Look here for some links to other creative homeschooling sites!

More Homeschool Sparks - The Blog
The Homeschooling Blog is a way to get instant updates to any changes made at help-4-your-homeschool.com. Keep the fire burning: subscribe here!

Back issues for Sparks for the Flame newsletter
Find back issues of Sparks for the Flame here!

Large-scale projects as a homeschool teaching resource
Homeschool teaching resources can take many forms. Large-scale projects teach many valuable skills to older kids...

SBI and A Letter to Santa
Thinking about SBI!? Read what Santa has to say about it...

Who is Pat Fenner?
Who is Pat Fenner: the name behind "Help-4-Your-Homeschool"?

Why We Homeschool
Read why we homeschool ~ a journey of love and growth for our family.

Contact Pat
Feel free to contact Pat if you have any questions or want more information on homeschooling or anything you've seen on our site.

Educational Quote of the Day
Looking for an educational quote to light your homeschool fire today? The quote changes daily - a great tool to motivate the teacher ;-)

Testimony of a Christian homeschooler
The testimony of a Christian homeschooler - homeschooling won't get you into heaven!

Facing a job loss? You can Make Money Online with a website!
A job loss, while devastating to a family, can provide you with the motivation to investigate making money through building a website.

homeschool books from Amazon
Homeschool books and supplies from Amazon keep mom encouraged and the ideas flowing.

Time Management tip - establishing priorities
Basic to time management is setting your priorities and streamlining just what you have to manage.

529 plans - How to Save Money for College
529 plans are a great way to start planning for paying for your children's college education. Read on to learn how they work and the types of 529 plans.

Coverdell Education Savings Account Explained
The Coverdell Education Savings Account helps you pay for any level of your child's education without penalty, and besides tuition, can be used for books, fees and supplies as well.

The FAFSA application...explained!
The FAFSA application allows your child to be considered for federal financial aid programs. You can complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid on-line or on paper. This page explains the p

Student loans: What to Consider
Student loans, scholarships and federal student aid are all avenues to consider in order to help your student pay for their college education. A little creativity and hard work will pay off

Sponsors who Keep Help-4-Your-Homeschool Growing!!
Sponsors who carry reputable products and services keep Help-4-Your-Homeschool growing and serving YOU!

Search Results
Here are the Search Results for your homeschooling query...

Test Preparation Resources
In the later years, test preparation tools can be crucial for your college-bound student.

Letter from a homeschool graduate
This letter from a homeschool graduate describes her opinions of the pros of homeschooling.

Summer school on vacation!
Summer school can happen "even" on vacation - making the most of both fun AND learning!

The Creative Learning Style
In "The Creative Learning Style" Vivian Doublestein discusses how the fine arts can make learning "click" for your child!

The need for strategic planning in your homeschool
Mrs. Doublestein graciously shares some of what she has learned about the importance of strategic planning for a successful homeschool experience.


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