Review of "ClickNKids" Spelling & Phonics Electronic Learning for Kids
by Judy Peterson
Recently I found a terrific teaching website for kid’s phonics and spelling. It is called www.ClickNKids.com. My kids are a little advanced for most of the phonics program, but they really would have loved this program as young children. It is very thorough and kid friendly. The spelling program, on the other hand, is really right on target for my kids.
I am a homeschool mom with an 11 year old and a 9 year old. Both enjoy the graphics and love to do spelling and other work on the computer whenever possible. Spelling was a big challenge for me as a child, and this program makes it fun as well as reinforcing the words by repetition. The program even emails you the scores for each child at the end of each lesson.
I recommend both the ClickNRead Phonics and the ClickNSpell programs for any parents looking for great educational programs for their kids. This teaches the reading, spelling and even the keyboard skills that your kids will need in a fun, interactive and memorable way. The program is easy to use for parents – it even has a separate password for parent management and user guides as well as worksheets you can print out for your kids.
These guidelines will help you to have a successful, rewarding experience learning an instrument. These are practical tips that I have discovered from years of experience and teaching.
1. How Young is too Young & Starting at the Right Age - Adults can start learning an instrument at any time. A students success is based on how willing they are committed to practicing. We have beginner students in their 60s and 70s...it's never too late. For children, starting at the right age is a key element to the success of their lessons. Some people will tell you “the sooner the better” but this attitude can actually backfire and be a negative. If a child is enrolled in lessons too soon they may feel overwhelmed or frustrated and want to stop lessons. The last thing you want to do is turn a child off to music because of an unpleasant experience that could have been prevented. Sometimes if the lessons are put off for a year the children progress at a faster rate. We start children on guitar and piano at age 7. The minimum age for bass guitar is 10 using a "Short Scale Fretboard" bass .
The minimum age for Drum instruction is 10 years of age. A lot of the success depends on the child's maturity, attention span, height, and hand size.
As experienced teachers we can help you determine if your child is ready to start lessons or not.
2. Insist on Private Lessons When Learning an Instrument - Group classes work well for preschool music programs, camps and theory lessons. However, when learning an instrument, private lessons are superior since each student can learn at his or her own pace and ask questions. That means the teacher doesn’t have to teach a generalized course that trys to accommodate everyone's level of skill, but can focus on the individuals strengths and weaknesses.
3. Take Lessons in a Professional Environment - Learning music is not just a matter of having a qualified teacher, but also having an environment that is conducive to learning. In a professional music school or Teaching Studio, a student can't be distracted by pets, siblings, TVs, ect.
In a music school, the lessons are not a sideline or hobby for the teacher, but a responsible profession which is taken very seriously.
4. Making Practicing Easier - As with anything, improving your playing takes practice. One of the main problems with children’s lessons is the drudgery of practicing and the fight with parents to practice every day. Here are some time tested, proven ways to help your child.
a) Time - A set time every day is a plus as it becomes a part of the daily routine. This works particularly well for children. We recommend that our students practice a minimum of 5 days a week for 30 minutes. We recommend young students breaking up the 30 minute practice to rest the fingers. 15 minute practice take a short break and finish the other 15 minutes.
b) Repetition - With young beginners, a technique that works well is to use repetition instead of a rigid time frame. For example, practice new songs 2 or 3 times each, scales or note reading 2 times each, review each song 1 time, and so on. This way the child doesn’t pay attention to how much time they are practicing, but knows how many more times they have to play something.
c) Rewards - This works well with children as well as adults. In some school they use stars and stickers for a successful performance. We encourage the student at every milestone - Praise tends to be the most coveted reward - there is no substitute for a pat on the back for a job well done.
5. Use Recognized Teaching Materials - We use excellent learning materials available for students of varying levels and styles. Our students learn to read standard notation as well as alternative methods depending on the instrument and type of music that they play. These materials have been researched and are continually upgraded and improved to make learning easier.
6. Choosing the Right Instructor - There are many things to consider when choosing an instructor.
a) Many people choose a teacher based on price, but there are far more serious considerations. While a college student or a part time teacher may charge less, it's a good idea to determine whether or not he or she is an experienced qualified instructor or someone just trying to make a little extra part time income. Asking for references of current or former students and finding out how long the teacher has been giving lessons are worthwhile matters to consider.
b) There are "Traveling Teachers" who will come to your home and the convenience of not having to drive to lessons can be tempting. The down side to this is whether or not you want a total stranger coming into your house while you have no knowledge of his/her background or teaching reputation. Again, references are a valuable aid in deciding whether this is the right teacher for you or your child.
c) Appearance. While you may have found a good teacher, if the person you choose has tattoos, piercings on their noses and eyebrows, or other similar features, is this the person you want yourself or your child exposed to? While the teacher may be in a band where that type of appearance is welcomed or even a necessity, and he or she may be the nicest person
you've ever met, it's got the possibility of having a negative effect on a child.
d) Professionalism. The main deciding factor should be the degree of professionalism the potential teacher has. Is he going to be available, or does his band travel causing him to repeatedly miss lessons? Is the teaching material geared toward the student and are the
lessons flexible so that the student can make steady progress while still having fun?.
7. Choosing the Right Instrument - Finding the right instrument for yourself or your child can
be a major task. They come in three sizes: Full size,1/2 , & 3/4 size acoustics.
Strings will either be Steel or plastic Nylon.
Children age 5 to 7 use Half size guitars. The First Act acoustic guitars sold at Toys R Us and at Walmart do fine.Children age 7 and 12 use 3/4 size Electric or Acoustic Guitars. Teens & Adults use Full size guitars.The choice of an electric or acoustic instrument is strictly up to ones budget.
Also with an Electric guitar you will have to spend more money in buying an Amplifier. This article is Provided by Musicians Academy Visit us online for further Information. www.MusiciansAcademy.com (361)993-3428
Why bother? Well, if you are thinking it is a bother, you might re-think your decision right there. To educate your child at home is not a bother, but a wonderful, richly rewarding experience that benefits you and your child. So, take the "bother" word from your vocabulary if you really would like that opportunity. Yes, this is your opportunity and your child's opportunity.
If you are a stay-at-home mom or dad, then you have the opportunity to have wonderful learning experiences by home-schooling your child. In most states, home-schooling is legal, a legal option. There are some guidelines and rules and regulations that you need to follow, but after that everything rocks! (In some states, there are a certain amount of days that you have to notify the Board of Education that you intend to home-school your child).
You cannot simply keep your child from school and decide to home school. You must, almost always notify the School Board or the Board of Education. You can find out the rules and regulations through your government officials or through some wonderful home-schooling magazines and literature. Once you find out the rules and regulations, you are set to go.
Are there benefits to home-schooling?
Time, Balance, Growth & Togetherness
When home-schooling is done in the proper way, your child will have a fully-balanced education and will become a well-rounded good student. The rewards are unmeasurable. First, one of the benefits is that you both spend more time together and give each other more attention. The average student sees their parent for probably a few minutes a day during the week, or at most an hour or two. However, the average home-schooling parent or guardian sees their child on a regular basis for a few hours a day (when that parent or guardian is teaching). You will learn together! Now that's one of the biggest and best benefits of home-schooling. The teacher and the student learn from each other. You grow together. And you can look back on this experience in years to come and both of you will be happy about your choices and decisions. Children get to spend more time with their siblings, and the younger ones will learn while the older ones are learning also.
You will have more time for each other. You can make practically any life-lesson an education lesson. Going to the supermarket or going to a department store is a lesson in buying, purchasing, finances and product comparison. Going to a fast food place is a lesson in food, health, and in purchasing and even a lesson in customer service. The fast food process shows the children very valuable marketing lessons. So things in every day life add to your home schooling experience.
Good Education
Another benefit is a great education. You see first hand what your child is learning without the need for PTA meetings and without the need for a strangers' report on your child's progress. You choose your child's education. If you want to teach your child spiritual lessons, you can do that. You can teach religion as history and history as religious lessons. (Look at all the Christians in history and look at the impact they made in our land). You can teach fun science lessons and math lessons. A trip to the bank and to the ATM will be a great business math lesson.
You can even take a trip to the Treasury Building and other related places. Your child will benefit first hand so much more in seeing and doing rather than relying on mostly book-based education. (Yes, you need books and you use books, but you do not depend on them solely as your only education tool). Socialization happens just as easily with home-schooled children as it does for children who attend school in school buildings. Many times when we do television shows, we invite the home-school children, parents and guardians to come into our studio, take a tour and be on the show. So, your options are wide open and your world is your education. Another benefit is a focused education. You are the teacher; you are in charge. That gives you lots of options and lots of opportunities.
What are the problems related to home-schooling?
There are few problems to home-schooling, and these are some:
Your child might miss the classmates if your child started out with regular education and now switched to home-schooling.
How do you solve those problems?
The way to overcome this is to have your child interact as much as possible with the children from the other schools. Invite the children (with parents' permission) to come on some day trips with you . Or invite them over after school. Have your child enroll in a hobby that he or she likes . (Children take up piano or bowling, or art , and in these hobbies the children make new friends and have interaction with children their own age). Use your own imagination and you will find ways to have your child interact with other children and still be home-schooled.
Testing
Most school districts require specific tests for home-schoolers. But the tests are no harder than those given to regular school children. So, prepare for the tests. They also usually require that a licensed teacher observe or give the tests. This can all be arranged. If you are determined to home-school, there is nothing that should stop you from at least trying this option of education.
Stigma
Years ago, there used to be a stigma attached to home-schooling. Years ago, most times farmers and poor people and migrant workers home-schooled. Sometimes children and even adults made fun of home-schoolers. But today, that is all changed around remarkably. And this was especially noted when one year, the home-schooled child won the National Spelling Bee on national tv, proving that she was the best speller in the nation. Even after that so many came forward on television stating they had been home-schooled and were now attending college or had graduated from conventional colleges.
What if you change your mind? If you change your mind about home-schooling, you have a right to have your child attend public school. Check with your school district. Most times in most cities, every child is entitled to a free public education, and most likely you live in a city or town like that. So don't worry about changing your mind -if you find that home-schooling is impossible for you to do.
Where can I get supplies or books if I educate my child/children at home?
Look online! Do a search for everything related to home-schooling. There are entire companies who focus on nothing but home-school supplies, books and videos. There are plenty of companies out there for you to become educated about home-schooling. You can become an expert in home-schooling if you want to be.
For art lessons, contact the Pearl Paint Store in New York City. They have a mail-order company also and you will find every single item you need for any arts or arts and crafts lessons that you choose to give. For math and business and finances, write to the Treasury Department, the consumer department, you will be amazed at what is available for free. Write away to Pueblo and ask for the government information catalog. This catalog is a hub of wonderful ideas, books, booklets and pamphlets, many that you can use in your school.
Should I home-school my child?
This is the hardest question that you ask. The answer is obvious. Only you and your child know if you should home-school your child. Know that this is hard work, mixed with lots of fun and great together times. So you must be ready for hours of hard work if you choose home-schooling. If you are ready for that and if you have the time for that , then you know what to do.
Our Experience
In the past I have home-schooled my three children (before they became of school age), and every one of them went into school way ahead of the class. By the time one child was in second grade, that child was tested and found to be able to read college journals. So home-schooling works, even when it is 'unofficial" home-schooling. The tools that I used were everything that was around. . For example, before my children learned to read, we both would be walking down the street and come to the stoplight. The light was marked with the word, "STOP", and that , to me, was and is a reading lesson. We would read all the words that we passed as we walked down the street. I was doing the home-schooling thing as my child and I walked along the sidewalk. That was "Reading 101".
Simple and fun as this was - this game of reading, this was the game that enabled my children to enter school reading years before their classmates learned to read. So home-schooling, even basic home-schooling works wonders in children's lives.
You have probably read about home-schooling and you might have talked to other parents or guardians who have home-schooled their children. But no matter what you have heard, there is more to home-schooling than just reading. When you check with your local school boards you will have the details about government regulations (and there are many) regarding home-schooling. When I first thought about home-schooling, my
second child was in the older grades. I thought about it lots because the school was polluted and it had to be shut down temporarily. We went back to conventional schooling after the building was almost re-built. My child and I learned so much from just observing nature and from visiting parks.
Your Experience
Only you know what your own experience will be like. You know yourself and you know your child better than anyone else knows them. So decide according to your needs, wants and lifestyles and your time schedule. Only you know the answer to whether you should home-school or not. Some home-school through a temporary need; perhaps a child has a broken leg and cannot attend the local school. They begin home-schooling and find that both the parent and guardian and the child like the experience, so they apply to home-school on a regular basis and everyone is happy.
One thing for sure, do not let anyone make this decision for you, and do not let anyone make you have negative feelings about home-schooling. If this is what you want, this is what you should do. Try it, you'll like it. And if you do not like it, or if you feel it is too much of a responsibility, then it is your decision to change your mind. You will never know unless you try. You might want to try it during summer vacation or during the holidays. This offers you the opportunity to educate your child and yet neither of you miss any regular schooling or regular work
You should try home-schooling if you have the time to do it. And you? So, what are you waiting for? Now is the time to investigate, prepare for and begin to home-school for your child if that is what you both want to do.
Here is one website you can begin with - check this out, many lessons are here , lessons in nature, lessons in history, lessons in art. You name it and it's here. Click this website for your very first lesson in home schooling, http://www.nps.gov and here is the Home Education Magazine link. Almost everything you need to know is here: http://www.homeedmag.com
If you have an interest in being on television and showing the benefits of home-schooling, please write and let me know what you feel about the subject of home-schooling and conventional schooling. Write to me at towriteus@yahoo.com
The author is a creative, individual artists living in the United States of America. I have home-schooled children before they went to conventional school. I find that a mix between home-schooling and conventional schooling is best for all students. Presently I am working on a nationwide creative works project. Anyone interested in joining should email me.
We have a great opportunity this year to start up a
competitive high school volley ball team. My husband and I joined the
ranks of home schooling with our two daughters three years ago. For the
past three years our youngest daughter played sports with First
Baptist. It was such a fun experience for all of us, we started praying
for God to provide an opportunity for a high school sports program, and
He has! Our volley ball coach will be Sarah Hill. Sarah played volley
ball for A&M and has coached for the last seven years. She currently
helps coach one of the top club teams here in Corpus Christi. Above all
she loves the Lord and has a heart to minister to our girls.
There is also, in the works, a Jr. High school girls volleyball team.
Grades 6th-8th.
If you are interested in either of these teams please email me at noreen@cccorpus.org or call me at
(361) 991-2772 or (361) 739-7627.
Do you homeschool in South Texas?
Here are some helpful local resources:
www.hostcc.org - The Homeschool Organization of South Texas is a non-profit Christian support group for homeschoolers covering Corpus Christi and surrounding areas.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BeachCo-op/ - B.E.A.C.H. "Bringing Educational Activities to Corpus Homeschoolers"... Creating social and group learning experiences for our children.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/portlandhomeschoolsupport/ - We are a group of homeschoolers in the Portland TX area (surrounding area homeschoolers are welcome). The purpose of our group is to support each other and offer our children and ourselves an opportunity to get together and make new friends and have fun experiences! We are predominately Christian, all are welcome!
Moms In Action (MIA), an outreach of the Children’s Ministry at Padre Island Baptist Church, is hosting Co-Op Classes for ages 3 years through middle school. Parent-led classes have included physical education, age-appropriate cooking, science lab, story time and introduction to drafting. Registration for MIA Co-Op will be held at Padre Island Baptist Church, 14253 S. Padre Island Dr. (Enter doors facing Whataburger.) Classes will be held at the church on Fridays from 8:30 to 11:45 am, starting again in the New Year. All stay-at-home Moms with preschoolers and home schooling families are invited to participate. Fees for classes are dependent on supplies required. For more information, contact MIA at momsinactioncc@gmail.com.
Please email if you have more info that should be on this page.