Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Science For Your Budding Doctor

  As we homeschool our children they will make big decisions about what they want to do in their adult lives. My daughter always wanted to be a veterinarian. So she found a veterinarian she could volunteer for and spent several years working with them. The hired her and helped support her throughout her college education as she studied. Today she is a practicing veterinarian in the same practice and loves her job. She made those decisons at a very young age. We helped provide her with opportunities to learn and she has excelled.

  If your child wants to work in the human medical field getting experience is a little harder. They can become candy stripers at the local hospital and this will introduce them to what being around sick people is like. Or work in a nursing home as a volunteer. But a good foundation in human science will help them in  their future studies. I found this course on Human Anatomy and Physiology. It is very short and will give them a good basis to start from.

  Yes, your child may very well change directions many times in their younger years and explore many different options. This is a healthy approach. I have changed types of work several times in my adult life and have found each new experience rewarding and fun. Help them to explore and learn. Guide them to experience many different fields as their desires become known and the will grow up to be awesome!

Monday, January 21, 2013

Learn a New Language

 We live in a multi-cultural world. In the past you could get by with just knowing the language that your parents knew. However, that has changed and it is important that we prepare our children for the world that they will enter as adults.
  There are a multitude of reasons to broaden your children's language base. Some colleges require a foreign language. Travel to foreign lands are enriching if they can understand what the people are saying. Future employment can hinge on knowing more languages. People who know more than one language earn more money. Stretching their brains to learn something new is enriching and fun!
  If you have access to someone who speaks a different language this is a great way to start the learning process! Who do you have contact with who would be proud to share their knowledge? My children were fortunate enough to know a woman who taught them the basis of sign language. She was a wonderful resource and they formed a life long friendship with her that continues to this day. My daughter is even teaching her little girl the rudiments of the language and  started communicating with her long before she started talking! If you do not know someone who signs then this is an excellent resource. Sign Language is used world wide!
  The most commonly used foreign language in the western part of the United States of America is Spanish. I have worked in many different environments where knowing it would havve been very benificial. It is also one of the most used languages world wide. Having a working knowledge of this language can have multiple benefits for your child as a future worker. An easy place to learn it and begin using it is located here. Spanish is easily learned on the internet.
  Be creative! Write the words on paper and then post them around the  house on the corresponding places. Getting your child to recognize the words on a subcouncious level will improve their learning speed. We have the ability as homeschooling advicates to increase their knowledge in ways that are not available through the public school. Have fun and enjoy the journey!