HSSN Monthly News Vol. 1-Issue 13-5/25/23

Hello!

Memorial Day on Monday is the start of summer and fun with the family! I would like to welcome all of my new subscribers to my monthly newsletter and also thank those subscribers that have been with me since the very beginning. I hope this month’s newsletter is packed full of all that you are looking forward to and more. So, without further ado, let’s get started.

~M.

7 Places to Go for Homeschooling Needs

Homeschooling is slowly becoming a trend nowadays and most parents are having fun with the interaction they are having with their child or children. There are also some parents who are having second thoughts about homeschooling altogether. The main concern is finding resources that will help them with their homeschooling journey and where to go for those resources, whether online or offline, the choice is yours.

Bookstores

assorted books — Photo by Tuur Tisseghem on Pexels.com

The first stop is a ride to your nearest bookstores. Armed with a list of possible books to buy from a curriculum of a school, you can buy the books at any convenient bookstore. This will save you a lot of time and give you flexibility with regards to your child’s studies as bookstores have more choices and references for your child to use.

Magazine Stand

newspapers on the metal rack — Photo by Yelena Odintsova on Pexels.com

An alternative stop would be a trip to your closest magazine stores. Magazines provide you a lot of catalogs where you can choose from a lot of advertisers listed in it. This will help you from spending lots of time searching through bookstores and will give you a sense of what your child’s going to get.

Of course, with all the technology available on the internet, you should not be really surprised that you can find websites offering help in your child’s studies. Some of them can be easily found when searching at Google and some of them can be given to you by other people who are also having their child homeschooled.

Library

The simplest place to look for resources is by going to a public library. Public libraries have books and references for your child to take home and use. To help with that, libraries have different instructional materials such as videos (like those from National Geographic) and cassette tapes (like tapes that will help you learn another language). These instructional materials not only help with the books in teaching, but they also help in easing out the boring quality and the monotony of books given out to children.

Libraries also offer a lot of computer software which will not only help with your child’s learning but will also help him in understanding different computer technologies and how they work. Often computer software is easy and fun to use, therefore attracting a lot of young people to use it.

Libraries also give book discussions. Book discussions not only train your child to read but also to think and criticize everything that he/she reads. This will not only develop reading comprehension, but it will also help your child in critical thinking.

Another Homeschooler

yellow concrete house — Photo by Thgusstavo Santana on Pexels.com

Another place to look at is at the house of another parent who decided to homeschool their children. You might find it interesting that they are willing to share both their experiences and their used materials (books, references and other activity materials). You could save a lot of money and at the same time learn from these people who have already experienced the joys and the pains of homeschooling a child.

Museum

The most neglected place and probably one of the most informational, next only to a library, is the museum. A trip to a museum will not only help your child appreciate art and history but your child will also learn a lot from observing and listening to the history of all the museum displays. The best way to conduct this is by joining a group museum tour where there will be an instructor to guide and give you bits of information that will help your child.

Home Sweet Home

The last place, but definitely not the least in this list, is inside your home. Search your cupboard and teach your child some simple baking lessons. This will not only help your relationship with your child, but it will also promote your child to learn patience and of course will teach your child how to bake.

The Great Outdoors

baby wearing purple onesie photo — Photo by Emma Bauso on Pexels.com

You could also do outdoor activities such as planting seeds. This will help your child be interested in plant life but if coupled with other activities (such as mathematics), this has a potential to be both fun and instructional. You basically just have to find out where your child’s attention is focused. Upon learning this, you can try to join your child’s playtime and turn it into something educational.

The Role of Having an Autism Support Group

Having an autistic child or dependent adult is very draining on both caregivers and relatives. Knowing how to advocate and care for you and your loved ones, while increasing general awareness, and caring for yourself are essential day to day necessities that require your immediate attention. The best resource to help you cope with an autistic child or dependent adult is an autism support group. These groups bring together professionals that are experts in the field of autism and those who interact with autism on a day-to-day basis. Together they use this forum to swap ideas, and encourage, and educate each other. An autism support group to be effective must play five critical roles on a day-to-day basis.

Partnership and Comprehensive Support

An autism support group must help bring people together and aid in the formation of partnerships to encourage interaction and growth between all involved. This support will provide a foundation upon which the groups members will grow and participate in the educational opportunities that are available and help match the needs of the autistic dependents with the needs of their families and caregivers. The support group should also provide Comprehensive support that is directed towards the objective that all autistic dependents receive a complete or traditional education designed specifically to the needs of the autistic.

Positive and Educational Support

Another major function of an autism support group is to offer positive support to the autistic child, and their caregivers by providing an atmosphere of encouragement and a safe environment to vent and express one’s emotions without fear of reprisal or judgment. This positive support will help break down barriers, and allow positive accomplishments to flourish and be recognized.

All the positive support in the world will accomplish nothing without building a solid foundation for education and the support group must promote educational programs to increase the knowledge of its members and prepare them with the information needed to be able to care for and support their loved ones. As an educational resource the support group becomes tasked with the responsibility for disseminating information about the disability, its symptoms, and treatments, and to provide support for the families with autistic dependents.

Advocacy

The final and most critical function of an autism support group is their role as an advocate to protect and educate those that do not understand autism and often neglect the needs of the autistic patients as a result. An autism support group must represent the autistic community and push for the needs of the autistic community at large.