Home schooling made easy

Modern technology has made my job as a home-schooling working parent much easier. Especially when you take into account my son's learning disability.

My son's dyslexia made using traditional books and worksheets a horrible experience for both of us. They caused him headaches, frustration and low self-esteem when he wondered why they were so easy for everyone else.

They caused me frustration because it was hard to find a different way to teach him, especially when I was at work. My goal was to have him do his homework while I was at work and then work with him one-on-one when I got home. Not being able to use books and worksheets easily made this goal next to impossible to attain.

When I first started my home-schooling quest, there were computer software programs like Reader Rabbit that I could use to provide my son with an entertaining, multi-sensory education. But as he got older the software was no longer useful. He told me it was too childish.

Then came the iPod Nano. I could download Discover Channel, The History Channel and National Geographic Channel shows onto it and he could watch and learn. I could locate all kinds of programs and TV shows on iTunes that pertained to what we were studying in art, history, science and more.

I also did a lot of Internet research to find software, online games, audiobooks and more to help with other subjects. As a bonus, he's learning the all-important lesson of memorizing user names and passwords.

Recently I've rediscovered podcasts. I never paid much attention to them before because I only thought of them as newsy things that didn't have much educational value for my son. However, there a lot of truly worthy ones out now with very valuable lessons. Many people I've spoken to recently about them didn't realize there are video podcasts out there now. Those are very helpful with cooking lessons. I found podcasts that teach foreign languages, math, grammar, science and more. Just go to iTunes, click on the Podcasts tab at the top and browse around to see what's available. I also found a lot of podcasts I wanted just for me (like getting a virtual tour of Europe).

Are there any different methods you use to teach your kids? Please share them with me.