How useful is the location where you tend to do your study program? Would it be possible to make it better? Complete this quiz to rate your study environment. Add up the score for each answer that applies to your study environment (there may be more than one answer for each question!)

1. Is your study environment distraction free?

     I leave my study to take telephone calls (5 points)
     I study next to a TV and have it switched on (5 points)
     I have music (not classical music) playing (4 points)
     I am with others when I study (3 points)
     I live in a very noisy neighbourhood (3 points)
     I study in complete quiet (1 point)
     I have classical music playing in the background (0 points)

2. Is my study environment restful?

     I often feel cozy and sleepy when I study (5 points)
     I often feel cold when I study (5 points)
     I study in bed (5 points)
     I study on an arm chair or sofa (4 points)
     My study area is stuffy with no ventilation (4 points)
     My seat is too hard or uncomfortable (3 points)
     My study area is well ventilated with fresh air (0 points)
     I study at a table. My chair supports my back (0 points)

3. Is my study location well set up?

     I often waste time searching for the things I need for study (5 points)
     My study environment is filled with clutter and untidy (5 points)
     I do not have a filing system or shelves (4 points)
     I do not have a pin-up board (2 points)
     I have to pack away the projects I am working on at the conclusion of each
          study session (2 points)
     I can leave a project out to continue working on it during my next study session (0 points)
     I have a filing system and tidy shelves (0 points)
     I can find whatever I need instantly (0 points)
     I have all books and equipment at hand (0 points)
     I have timetables, deadlines, goals, and motivational
          quotes displayed on a pin-up board (0 points)

0 – 10 points: Your study place is set up to maximize your
                       results! Can you improve it even more in
                        any of the areas listed above?

11 – 20 points: There are some definite things you can do
                           to improve your studylocation. Look
                           overTake a look at the zero point answers to get some
                           ideas.

> 20 points:  Your study place is in urgent need
                       of improvement! You are unable to study efficiently
                       in an area that is uncomfortable (or
                       too comfortable!), disorganised or filled with
                       distraction. What changes can you make to
                       make your study space better?

The place where you choose to study is an important element of a successful study plan. Get it right, and you could be on the way to significantly improving your grades.

Tags: better ways to study, get better grades, how to get better grades in school, how to make a good study space, making a good study space, score better grades

History is one of those subjects like math that intimidate moms. Some moms spend countless hours scouring the homeschool reviews looking for that one history program that is not going to be dry, boring, too easy, intense and loaded with workbooks and what not.

You can stop the insanity! Stop frustrating yourself. The first thing is to realize that you homeschool and you have the advantage, and the opportunity to teach not only what will be needed, but you get to choose what, when. You see, being home schooled means we get to be independent learners. We are privileged to choose what curriculum our children use, even if it has no workbooks at all.

You see, curriculum does not always have to be limited to what’s in a box. Curriculum can be inventive, fun, hands on and is in-depth as your children will go. The fun part of homeschooling is you get to choose how much or how little to teach, depending on how well your child is learning, interacting and enjoying history.

Make sure that history is fun and exciting and you will find a kid who has a thirst for more. Here are a few tips to help make history fun and interactive, even if you are working from a boxed curriculum.

If you are using a boxed curriculum, go over the different things the program will be teaching. Let the child choose what they want to study first out of the choices. That is right, you do not have to start in chronological order or in the order of the pages. Learn history and you hit the mark, plain and simple.

If you plan to use the free style approach, then you will want to
start the process by getting your child involved. Have a bit of a discussion about history and ask your child what kind of history they would like to study.

Music
War
Art
Cowboys
Knights
Queens
What sparks their interest?

After you decide what you are going to study, you decide if you need to break things down a bit. Say your child chose war. Now together, you get to decide what war. Revolution, Civil War, WWI what ever.

Now comes the fun part.
Start Googling things. Google stuff that you would like to learn about within your subject and you will be amazed at what you will find. Many moms, like myself, have been there before and we have oodles of information to share. Many moms, like myself, have links to their favorite resources on their websites just waiting to share.

Some sites are easily overlooked by the new homeschool family. The history channel always has something of interest for your wee ones. I enjoy the PBS for documentary and what not. The point is, if you are struggling to find a curriculum, stop the struggle. The fact that you do homeschool allows you to do things a little differently and not as rigid as institutionalized formats of learning.

Nothing teaches a hands on learner better than hands on. Museums and cultural centers offer an awesome way to learn history. Join a reenactment group and you will really be teaching your children something. Look for events like reenactments in your local area. Many State Parks or museums offer living history classes or special events. Those are great ways for a child to learn hands on.

Don’t be mislead by the whole you need a work book lie. Yep, that is a lie. Here is how you can reinforce what your child has learned. For younger children, it is easy for them to draw a picture of what they have learned. Tell them to think of the favorite part of the lesson and draw that. Not only are you covering history, but now you just did some art. Again, there are many resources that have activity pages you can download and print for free.

Depending on the Childs grade and skill level, you can implement the following: write a sentence, write a short summary or write a research paper of what they learned. For some of your older students you could have them make up test questions and then have them answer. That is a fun exercise for them to really use their reasoning skills. Let them know that they need to think of good and challenging questions as part of the assignment. And have them write sentence answers. Challenge them to see if they can stump you with a question. That will get them digging deep into what they have learned. Have them make up flash cards with key points or make a bulletin board showing what they have learned in art and labeling with key points. There are all sorts of great memory exercise you can do besides paperwork and tests.

If you really feel like you need a curriculum to teach that is fine too. Take the best choice of the bunch and add to it. If the curriculum is studying the civil war, you could supplement it with some of the suggestions I just offered. Then, they are getting textbook familiarity along with the hands on fun.

To sum things up. Whether you like curriculum or free style learning, there are options. Don’t feel like you need to fit into a box. If you are uncomfortable and don’t like it yourself, chances are your children will not like it either or they will play off or your frustrations.

Tags: encouragement, family fun, home school, homeschool, homeshcool, kids, parents looking for help, school help, school tips, teaching, teaching methods, training

When getting ready for your SAT, you will have plenty of inquiries, but do not worry, you aren’t alone.    I’ve put together a list on the most typical questions about  the SAT Test and SAT Prep Courses with the answers that you are searching for.

1 with the ideal techniques to get a train test is to take an SAT Prep Course.  The Whitefish  Examine Center provides SAT Prep Classes in Whitefish Montana for large  school  students in Northwest Montana.  Searching with your region for SAT Prep or for tutoring will  lead you to a center inside your region.  Whitefish Analyze center  also features  College Counseling and Tutoring in Whitefish Montana.

Question:  Do I have to review?

Answer:  Completely, you really should.  That said, not everyone needs to  examine for your SAT as you would for a midterm or a high school final exam.  The standard SAT  test  quizzes your knowledge with the English language and of mathematics.  Most students already know this really well, in case you had fine teachers.  Should you paid attention in high school math and English classes, a review of your notes and a few training SAT tests may be all that you may need.

Question:  When should I start out studying?

Solution:  Your must begin studying for your SAT test the moment you register for that SAT test.  Why wait until the last minute to study and prepare for your SAT?   This just results in late night cram sessions the night before.  Be smart, and avoid this at all costs.  You may retain information far better by reviewing your notes  and taking practice tests at a slow and steady pace.   Simply start out earlier.  In addition, you should know that a late night cram session  will do much more harm than great.   What you may need the  night before is sleep, not much more studying.

Query:  How do I uncover training SAT Tests?

Solution:  Exercise tests are effortless to locate  on-line.  The Official SAT internet site, managed by the College Board, makes 1 free of charge exercise test readily available.  With  this test,  merely print the instructions  and enter your answers online, and you  may get your score.  Also, by registering through the College Board with the  Official SAT  Course, you can access extra tests.  An internet search will discover additional.  Training SAT tests are also found in several printed research guides.

Tags: how to prep for the SAT, SAT, SAT prep, SAT prep courses, SAT preparation courses