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Homeschooling and the Internet – many consider the two to be a match made in heaven. In fact, those who homeschool would be hard pressed to do so without the Internet. The following seven ways explain how to use the Internet with homeschooling, but there are many more.
- Find state laws concerning homeschooling and special needs. One of the first ways the Internet can help with homeschooling a special needs child is by giving parents access to homeschool laws for their state. Knowing the laws will prepare special needs homeschool families to meet their state’s requirements so they can comply with them.
2. If you’re new to homeschooling, especially if your child has some type of disability, you’ll most likely need to have support during the year. Depending on what type of homeschool you are creating for your child, you will more likely find lots of support within your local school district and this is usually FREE of charge. Also, the Internet is a great place to find support as well. Not only can you find online homeschooling groups, but your local group will probably use the Internet to communicate, especially if the members are spread out over a large area.
3. Purchasing curriculum is a major undertaking every year. Use the Internet first to research curriculum and compare prices before buying. Besides going to the curriculum manufacturer’s websites, look for used curriculum on places such as eBay, Amazon, Goodwill, and garage Sales. If you happen to be a part of a homeschooling Co-Op group, you can find some resources there as well. If you purchase materials online, it will be delivered right to your door instead of having to drive around trying to find it.
4. Once you have your curriculum, you may want to supplement it with handouts, worksheets, and puzzles. These are easily accessible on the Internet. And most of the materials you find on the Internet are either free, or very inexpensive. Use common search engines like Google to find the items you need.
5. Some children, especially those with special needs are interested in music and/or may have a natural gift of music. So, seek out those types of services that cater to their natural talent, so that it can be cultivated and grow. Resources found online would be great for this child. Not only can you find free sheet music online for nearly any instrument, but you can also learn about the composers who wrote that music.
6. If your child is looking for specific information about their favorite subject? You can run to the library, or if you have Internet access, your child should be able to find anything they could ever hope to learn online. A couple of good research sites would include Discovery.com, HistoryChannel.com, and PBS.com.
Does your autistic teen/child need to learn something that you don’t feel comfortable teaching? You could either find out if there are private tutors for that subject in your area, or you may be able to find an online tutorial.
As you can see, the Internet can be extremely useful if you homeschool. These seven ideas for using the Internet are not exhaustive. All it takes is a little bit of imagination and you’ll be able to find other ways that you can use it, as well. Take some time, do some searching, and you’ll see that homeschooling and the Internet are indeed a match made in heaven.
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Mandu Usoro is a lifestyle blogger, freelance writer, experienced homeschooler and US Army Veteran with a BS Degree in Social Work and AA Degrees in Psychology as well as Health Care Administration. She enjoys spending time with her family, advocating for her special needs son and writing for fun and inspiration. You can get in touch with her on Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn and at https://www.homeschoolspecneedstidbits.com/contact-us
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