Mental Health Benefits Associated With Homeschooling

Schoolio Addresses Mental Health Benefits Associated with Homeschooling

Toronto, ON, May 18, 2021. May is mental health month. Students and parents across Ontario are struggling with virtual learning and continued lockdowns. Schoolio, a Canadian education startup. Addresses the importance of both parent and student mental health struggles through a holistic approach to education. Today we are highlighting the mental health benefits associated with homeschooling.

Mental health is extremely important to the developmental growth of a child. Unfortunately, students often associate stress, anxiety, and other mental health concerns with a traditional schooling system. Additionally, parents across the province of Ontario are reporting increased mental health issues in themselves and their children. Mainly associated with virtual learning. Moreover studies show that students in school settings experience stress and distress 21% more than homeschooling students.

Additional Mental Health Benefits Associated with Homeschooling.

Additional mental health benefits of homeschooling include a better teacher-student ratio. Along with inclusivity for special needs students. And also positive social and emotional learning. There are primary factors causing stress and mental health issues in students who are a part of institutionalized learning. These factors include bullying, negative social interactions. As well as coursework that is inappropriately levelled and irrelevant to students, and a cookie-cutter approach to instruction. Homeschooling addresses these concerns by providing a less stressful learning environment. While also eliminating many of the negatives of traditional schoolings. These negatives include pressure to conform, grade-based goals, and bullying.

Allowing Children to Learn and Grow at Their Own Pace.

Homeschooling offers schedule flexibility that focuses on individualized learning styles. Allowing children to learn and grow at their own pace. While also enabling more time for physical activities such as field trips, time outdoors, hands-on exploration, and socializing. All of which are proven to be essential for mental health. “Homeschooling as a concept is not new.” Says Sathish Bala, Founder of Schoolio. “We’ve been talking about home-learning to parents who have been doing this for a long time. Along with those who are attempting it for the first time this year. Alternatively those that are currently enrolled in virtual learning. We’ve been listening to their concerns and want to address their struggles.” He adds.

Taking the Academic Planning Pressure Off Parents’ Shoulders.

Schoolio’s programs take the academic planning pressure off parents’ shoulders. While also giving them the freedom to focus on the holistic education of their child in the ways they, as parents, know best. “We know homeschooling reduces mental health issues for children, but it can add stress to parents when it comes to planning what, when, and how to teach their children. That’s where Schoolio can help.”Says Sathish Bala.

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About Schoolio:

Schoolio is a Canadian education startup that provides parents with a range of customizable in-home learning solutions. With an aim to empower parents to be teachers for their students. Additionally, Schoolio has created easy-to-follow curriculum modules for Kindergarten through Grade 8. We are engaging millions of students with the best academic foundation materials available. Schoolio sparks love for education and empowers kids to be fully prepared for their future.

Contact Writer:

Nirmala Jadoonanan

nirmala@schoolio.io

At Schoolio, we provide the academic foundations of an elite program. Along with help and support for parents. And a growing library of unit titles that will include attention to wellness, personal development, and career-building skills. As much as on reading, writing, and math. Our goal is simple: We aim to reduce stress and worry of parents who are making the transition to homeschooling. Equally important is that we also support existing homeschooling families by providing them with the tools and support they need. While still allowing them the customization and flexibility that is a key pillar of the benefits of homeschooling.”

Schoolio Empowers Homeschooling

Schoolio Empowers Homeschooling in Canada.

Toronto, ON, May 03, 2021 – It’s common knowledge that every child learns in their own, unique way. Which makes homeschooling such an obvious choice for many families. Being that with homeschooling, a child has the ability to learn hands-on. And also at their own pace. Schoolio is a Canadian homeschooling education startup. Working hard to empower homeschooling families. They are doing so with excellent resources and curriculum. These are important tools that families need to make their homeschool journey positive, encouraging, and effective for the whole family.

Impact of the pandemic on homeschooling.

Homeschooling allows flexibility and customization for families. Since the beginning of the pandemic, homeschooling parents have grown by 24.5%. The number one reason being that homeschooling provides many wholesome benefits. Including that children are provided with stress-free, personalized, and flexible learning options. As a result, children can also absorb important life lessons. Like how to do laundry or cook. Along with many other life skills that are usually overlooked with traditional schooling.

“Schoolio was founded by parents. What we do best is enable current and future parents with the right tools and techniques to homeschool successfully.” Says Lindsey Casselman – Lead Writer at Schoolio and founder of Linden Tree learning. “Our curriculum comprises completely of Canadian content. From core math, language, science, and social studies fundamentals. To newly introduced concepts including financial literacy and coding. Schoolio empowers homeschooling.”

Alternative learning method.

Furthermore, homeschooling has seen a rapid rise in 2021. Clearly this increase was a direct result of the pandemic. Evidently, more and more parents are turning towards homeschooling as an added layer of education. And in some cases even as an alternative to their child’s current learning methods. Schoolio works hard to help Canadian parents transition their environment into a wholesome, homeschooling atmosphere. They are doing so by providing carefully structured lessons, practice work, assessment tools, sample schedules, and more.

Finally, homeschooling also allows personal care to a child’s physical, intellectual, emotional, and developmental needs. Schoolio’s unique programs are designed for accessibility, regardless of parental education level. Facts like fluency with English language, or household income are not important with Schoolio curriculum. As Schoolio provides a thorough, and complete education for students at every grade level and learning ability.

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About Schoolio:

Schoolio is a Canadian education startup. That provides parents with a range of customizable in-home learning solutions. With a mission to empower parents to be teachers for their students. Schoolio has created easy to follow curriculum modules for Kindergarten through to Grade 8. Schoolio enables millions of students with the best academic foundation materials. While also sparking a love for education. And empowering kids to be fully prepared for their future.

Click Here to learn more about our in-home curriculum options.

Schoolio Offers Holistic Education

Schoolio Offers Holistic Education.

Toronto, ON, April 16, 2021– The pandemic has posed multiple challenges to education. The clear reason being that schools are oscillating between virtual and in-person learning. Schoolio, a Canadian homeschooling resource platform. Has a goal to empower homeschooling families through holistic curriculum. Created for children from Kindergarten to grade 8.

The pandemic posed a question for parents.

Schoolio was originally geared towards homeschooling families. However, we here at Schoolio have seen a rapid rise in interest from parents with school-going children. The pandemic posed a question in parent’s minds. Obviously that question being: ‘Are their children learning and benefitting from the virtual classes?’ Without a doubt this question was asked while teachers, parents, and students all struggled to adjust. As the transition to the new normal for technology-based teaching mediums continued. Without a doubt, our Schoolio team works hard to put parents’ minds at ease. Doing so by offering flexibility to choose from specific curriculum units. These units being based on provincial topics in Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba.

Customizable in-home learning solutions.

Clearly, with the option of purchasing customizable in-home learning solutions. Parents have been taking the lead to boost their kids’ learning abilities. Indeed they are doing so at a flexible pace with Schoolio. Apart from this, Schoolio now offers modules that fill the gaps created by virtual and in-person learning. Through our learning modules, you can now add an extra layer of educational support. Whether that be for math, language, and social concepts. As well as coding and financial literacy.

A recent study shows that parents are more likely to enrol their child in homeschooling.

It should be noted that according to a recent poll conducted by Schoolio. 41% of parents said they were more likely to enrol their child in homeschooling. Additionally, 43% of parents who were not homeschooling before the pandemic. Took the time to indicate that they are “very likely” to consider homeschooling now. Without a doubt, we support parents with the tools and resources that they need to make homeschooling virtually stress-free. By engaging with them through a unique, customer-only Facebook community that includes parents, teachers, resources and special events. Parents are also provided with resources and support such as assessment tools, listening sessions, ideas to keep children engaged and motivated and more.

How Schoolio offers holistic education.

“We are living in unprecedented times. There’s a constant confusion between virtual and in-person learning.” Says Sathish Bala, founder of Schoolio. “What’s different about Schoolio is that our programs are designed specifically for independent learning. Our aim is to remove stress and worry from the parents who are homeschooling for the first time. Doing so by providing them with the right assessment tools, listening sessions, ideas to keep children engaged and motivated.”

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About Schoolio:

Schoolio is a Canadian education system that provides parents with a range of customizable in-home learning solutions. With a mission to empower parents to be teachers for their students. Schoolio has created easy-to-follow curriculum modules for Kindergarten to Grade 8. While enabling millions of students with the best academic foundation materials. Schoolio aims to spark a love for education. While also empowering kids to be fully prepared for their future.

Shop Schoolio Grades – Click Here

Don’t Be a Ping-Pong Ball: Turning Your Schoolio Units into Unit Studies

Did you know you can turn your Schoolio units into unit studies?

More than one age/grade level child can participate in a Schoolio unit; even if they are outside the grade range, we recommend the unit. This is how I’ve always done it with my kids, and it works great to minimize how much you need to go back and forth between kids who are learning different concepts.

Let’s use my kids as an example; they’re roughly in grades 4 and 6 this year. Now let’s use Science for our example: there are four recommended units for each grade for Science here in Ontario, where I live if I’m following the government expectations, so I have 8 Science units total for the whole year for my two kiddos. All you need to do to make it a unit study is to teach all 8 units to both kids together, one at a time!

Either I will pick the unit order (sometimes it matters what time of year we study something, like studying Plants and Soils in the spring so we can grow things in the garden simultaneously), or I let the kids vote for which units we do and when. It’s all planned out at the beginning of the year in my long-range planning templates, which you can find in the Schoolio Families Facebook group.

Let’s say we are doing Rocks and Minerals, which is levelled at grades 3-5. I put all the other Schoolio units on the shelf for now, and everyone learns Rocks and Minerals. My sixth grader has done this topic before, but that was two years ago when he was in grade 4, and it never hurts to review things. My fourth grader was introduced to this topic when we did it two years ago, and she was in grade 2, but she’s much more capable now of understanding it more completely and on a deeper level.

Our lesson period looks like this: I read the lesson aloud to everyone, we discuss our thoughts as a group, we ask questions, we look up answers, we watch any included media, we fall rabbit holes online, we do any included activities, etc. When it’s time to hit the books for practice work, the child in Grade 4 does the assigned work in the Schoolio unit because she’s perfectly within the recommended grade range. My grade 6 child is either going to do a second copy of the same work (it’s a grade 3-5 unit, and he’s in grade 6, so it’s not a big stretch), or I will give him an extension activity if I feel like he needs more of a challenge.

What are good extension activity options? It depends on the age(s) of the other kid(s).

Here are some options:

1) Have the kids work together on the assigned work (kids work in pairs and small groups at school all the time). This works best if the other children are younger than the grade the unit is designed for because then the older kid takes the lead and figures out most answers while the younger ones are contributing thoughts and learning through listening and watching the older one. If the other children are older, you want to watch this method that the older kid is not just giving the younger ones all the answers.

2) Photocopy the assigned work and work on the same practice work but their own with their own copies. This is a great option if your kids are both in the grade range of the unit (or close) or if your kids don’t work well together; as we all know, siblings have a tendency to not on occasion…

3) Have some different work for the other grade children. This is the most work on your part, but it’s still much easier than teaching multiple subjects to multiple kids all at once!

a) For younger kids, I would go with simple things like colouring pages or even read a levelled reader to you while the older kid works.
b) You can also ask younger kids to draw or write a few sentences (depending on their age) about what they learned in the lesson.
c) For older kids, writing a summary of what they just learned and discussed in the lesson or doing further research or reading on the topic for more depth of knowledge are great options.
c) Older kids can also act as “teacher’s helper” with the younger kids- they can read the questions aloud to them, scribe their answers, and other helpful things like that. Many older kids love the opportunity to act as a tutor to their younger siblings!Creating unit studies is all about each child’s work expectations and making those little accommodations to turn the single unit into a group study. The closer the children are in age, the easier it is, but it is not difficult with children who have wide age gaps either!

Group studies are a fun way for everyone to learn more and for you as a teacher to get that ping-pong ball feeling from bouncing back and forth between children who are doing different work. I hope this helps you make the most of your Schoolio homeschooling journey!

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Why Are Online Classes More Draining?

Online classes and learning schedules have redefined the landscape of school, and clearly, the roadmap to success is still a work in progress. This begs the question, what do we do if kids are already tired of their assigned remote learning? How do you prevent online school burnout? As parents, virtual learning fatigue is a real concern! Teach our children how to balance, knowing how to learn at home using technology and understanding the difference between playtime and study time is important.

Read full post

Setting Up Your Homeschool Space

One of the challenges with homeschooling is thinking about the space that the child needs while studying. Some parents opt to use kitchen or living room space, with some minor enhancement. We also have parents who create a dedicated space that separates the ‘home’ from the class.’

Home education is a growing market, and parents who jumped into homeschooling due to COVID now see its benefits and choose to continue.

Is there an optimal way to set up your home for your child’s homeschooling needs?

Read full post

Black History Month Resources

Black History Month

Every February Canadians are invited to participate in Black History Month. It is a time when we recognize the struggles and celebrate the achievements of Black people throughout history. It is a time to really appreciate the diversity we are so fortunate to have in our country.

Homeschooling allows us the privilege and opportunity to incorporate a variety of subjects into our children’s education to any depth we choose. This February, and throughout the year, we hope these resources help you to educate your young ones about Black History.

Resources

The links below are some options for interactive lessons or crafts.

How did Black History Month come to be? By CBC Kids

Black History in Canada | The Canadian Encyclopedia

29 Days Of Crafts For Black History Month

Parents for Diversity’s Resources for Teaching Black History in Canada

Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario’s Building a Just Society, Black History Resource

Books

Below are a few options for books that are fun for children to read and learn about some of the trailblazers in our history.

CBC’s 8 Must-Read Canadian Books for Children and Young Adults During Black History Month

Trailblazers: The Black Pioneers Who Have Shaped Canada

Little Legends: Exceptional Men in Black History

Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History

The Kids Book of Black Canadian History

Watch Videos about Black History

These links include some short videos you can watch or a list of 91 movies or TV shows that can help educate your family about black history.

Civil Rights Act of 1964 | Montgomery Bus Boycott for Kids | Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King

Proud of our History – Black History Month

Black History Month – Black Scientists and Inventors Part 1

The breathtaking courage of Harriet Tubman – Janell Hobson

91 Movies and TV Shows so stream for Black History Month

Apple Camp – Free DOWNLOAD

Apple normally conducts Apple Camp for kids at its retail stores, but the COVID-19 pandemic has forced the company to go virtual. No matter, families will appreciate its creative activities which are accompanied by a free-to-download Activity Book this year.

The 38-page resource features three projects, each estimated to keep families occupied for an hour, that parents and children can delve into together. It also includes coloring pages and completion certificates.

Click to download

A wonderful tool to help reduce eye strain caused by long exposure to digital screen

With virtual school, kids are staring at their screen for 5 to 7 hours for school and then a few hours for entertainment. The strain can be damaging over time. Flux is a tool that can help to reduce the mental and physical strain induced by long exposure to digital devices. Flux can help to regulate the colors of the display of your computer so that the display “adapts to the time of the day”.

Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff

Contrary to popular belief, homeschooling is a job in itself. You are no longer sending your kids to school to be taught by someone else, you are the teacher. With that comes large amounts of stress because you now must fill multiple roles in your home life. Homeschooling, taking care of the house, chef, referee, maintenance, therapist, maid, taxi driver etc. Many of you are also working a job from home or going to school to better your career path. That’s a lot of additional stress, and I have no doubt that you are probably feeling it.

You want to do the best at each and every job that you have, but unfortunately when you have too much on your plate, sometimes things begin to slip and you begin to feel overwhelmed and frustrated that you aren’t accomplishing all the things. First of all, you aren’t meant to accomplish all the things. You are one person. Yes, you are a champion but you shouldn’t mentally beat yourself up for not being able to get everything done in one day.

Prioritize what is important, and let go of the things that are driving you crazy. What does that look like? In Episode 13 of The Schoolio Podcast, Sathish shares with us what that looks like for his family. He says “My wife hates to cook”, anyone else feeling that? Raise your hand! They decided years ago to be a ‘take-out’ family. He said that they cut spending in certain areas, like groceries and then apply that extra money to their take-out plan. This way, his wife doesn’t become stressed and they still eat healthy food.

Maybe you’re thinking ‘Well, I cannot afford take-out every night, how am I supposed to do that?’ Try this: Pick a day of the week that you know your workload is the lesson. Maybe Saturday or Sunday. On that day, prep at least 4 meals for your family. Now put them in the freezer! On the nights that you just don’t have the energy to cook, pull out one of those frozen meals that you have previously made and warm it up! Now you have dinner without all the stress.

There are many ways to cut down on stress when it comes to homeschooling and working from home. Maybe your curriculum choice isn’t the greatest, and you’re feeling lost with the right direction to go to keep your kids on the right educational track. Try Schoolio! Parents love us because our curriculum is straight forward, easy to teach and understand and follows Canadian Curriculum Guidelines! Review our grades here: https://schoolio.io/shop-grades/

For even more tips on how to manage homeschool to work from home and just life in general, listen to Episode 13 of The Schoolio Podcast! In this episode, we give you our best 5 tips to help you best stress and find peace.

Listen here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4H9HD03aqzs0UgdZVmb7hP

Explore Tips for How to Home School in Ontario

Let’s Talk About: Getting Started

Beginning Homeschooling is easy in Ontario! So you’ve made the decision to homeschool- welcome to our wonderful world!! Now you’re wondering what your next steps are.

What Do I Have to Do for the Government?

In Ontario, we have a very easy system. You are asked to send a Letter of Intent to provide Home Education to the school board in which your child has been registered, and that is all.
You can find a template to print and fill out of the Letter of Intent here: The Ontario Federation of Teaching Parents » The Ontario Federation of Teaching Parents » Letter of Intent to Homeschool (ontariohomeschool.org)
You do not need to fill out any other forms, submit a learning plan, or anything else. If you are asked to do anything more, please contact the Ontario Federation of Teaching Parents for advice before proceeding.
Most of us also send a copy or CC the principal of the school the child has been attending. This is a courtesy that gives the school earlier notice, so they know your child won’t be joining them when they plan classes, etc. There can be a delay in the school board processing the Letter of Intent and notifying the school, so if you don’t notify the principal yourself, you could hear from the administration team about absenteeism in the first couple of weeks.

What Am I Required to Teach?

You are not required to teach anything specific in Ontario.
You do not need to use a premade curriculum unless you want to.
If you think your child may be returning to public school in the future, you may choose to follow a curriculum that is Canadian and similar to the Canadian public school structure, but that is your choice.
If you want a Canadian curriculum that aligns with the Ontario government standards, you can shop Schoolio here: Schoolio.io | Homeschooling Canadian Curriculum Support for Parents

What Records Am I Required to Keep?

You do not have to keep any records!
You don’t have to prove to anyone what you taught, or they learned this year in order to re-enroll next year.
You are not required to do any formal planning in advance or to work on any set schedule. If you’re interested in using planning and scheduling in your homeschool for your own personal organization, you can find a lot of tips and free templates here: Welcome: Schoolio Planning Freebies – Schoolio.io | Ontario Curriculum Homeschooling Home Learning
You do not need to provide any sort of Report Card to the school or school board. If you want to give your kids a Report Card just for fun and personal feedback, check out this alternative Report Card for Homeschoolers here: Homeschooling is about more than the “3Rs – Schoolio.io | Ontario Curriculum Homeschooling Home Learning

Is There Funding for Homeschoolers?

There is no funding for homeschoolers in Ontario.
You cannot write off any of your homeschooling expenses on your taxes.
Homeschooling does not exempt you from paying school taxes.
Homeschooling does not have to be expensive. Read more about the costs of homeschooling here: Let’s Talk About: Finances – Schoolio.io | Ontario Curriculum Homeschooling Home Learning

Where Can I Get More Help and Advice?

There are several great resources available for new homeschooling parents in Ontario!
The Schoolio page has information in the Blogs section from planning to finances to socializing to Kindergarten: Blog – Schoolio.io | Ontario Curriculum Homeschooling Home Learning
Covid Homeschooling- Canada is a facebook community dedicated to helping new homeschoolers in Canada: Covid Homeschooling- Canada | Facebook
The Canadian Homeschooler has a wealth of resources for the new to veteran homeschooler: Home – The Canadian Homeschooler
The Ontario Federation of Teaching Parents can offer any advice you need, including legal advice, whether or not you are a member: The Ontario Federation of Teaching Parents » You CAN educate your child at home! (ontariohomeschool.org)

Homeschooling In Ontario – How To Get Started Guide

Let’s Talk About: Getting Started

Beginning Homeschooling is easy in Ontario! So you’ve made the decision to homeschool- welcome to our wonderful world!! Now you’re wondering what your next steps are.

What Do I Have to Do for the Government?

In Ontario, we have a very easy system. You are asked to send a Letter of Intent to provide Home Education to the school board in which your child has been registered, and that is all.
You can find a template to print and fill out of the Letter of Intent here: The Ontario Federation of Teaching Parents » The Ontario Federation of Teaching Parents » Letter of Intent to Homeschool (ontariohomeschool.org)
You do not need to fill out any other forms, submit a learning plan, or anything else. If you are asked to do anything more, please contact the Ontario Federation of Teaching Parents for advice before proceeding.
Most of us also send a copy or CC the principal of the school the child has been attending. This is a courtesy that gives the school earlier notice, so they know your child won’t be joining them when they plan classes, etc. There can be a delay in the school board processing the Letter of Intent and notifying the school, so if you don’t notify the principal yourself, you could hear from the administration team about absenteeism in the first couple of weeks.

What Am I Required to Teach?

You are not required to teach anything specific in Ontario.
You do not need to use a premade curriculum unless you want to.
If you think your child may be returning to public school in the future, you may choose to follow a curriculum that is Canadian and similar to the Canadian public school structure, but that is your choice.
If you want a Canadian curriculum that aligns with the Ontario government standards, you can shop Schoolio here: Schoolio.io | Homeschooling Canadian Curriculum Support for Parents

What Records Am I Required to Keep?

You do not have to keep any records!
You don’t have to prove to anyone what you taught, or they learned this year in order to re-enroll next year.
You are not required to do any formal planning in advance or to work on any set schedule. If you’re interested in using planning and scheduling in your homeschool for your own personal organization, you can find a lot of tips and free templates here: Welcome: Schoolio Planning Freebies – Schoolio.io | Ontario Curriculum Homeschooling Home Learning
You do not need to provide any sort of Report Card to the school or school board. If you want to give your kids a Report Card just for fun and personal feedback, check out this alternative Report Card for Homeschoolers here: Homeschooling is about more than the “3Rs – Schoolio.io | Ontario Curriculum Homeschooling Home Learning

Is There Funding for Homeschoolers?

There is no funding for homeschoolers in Ontario.
You cannot write off any of your homeschooling expenses on your taxes.
Homeschooling does not exempt you from paying school taxes.
Homeschooling does not have to be expensive. Read more about the costs of homeschooling here: Let’s Talk About: Finances – Schoolio.io | Ontario Curriculum Homeschooling Home Learning

Where Can I Get More Help and Advice?

There are several great resources available for new homeschooling parents in Ontario!
The Schoolio page has information in the Blogs section from planning to finances to socializing to Kindergarten: Blog – Schoolio.io | Ontario Curriculum Homeschooling Home Learning
Covid Homeschooling- Canada is a facebook community dedicated to helping new homeschoolers in Canada: Covid Homeschooling- Canada | Facebook
The Canadian Homeschooler has a wealth of resources for the new to veteran homeschooler: Home – The Canadian Homeschooler
The Ontario Federation of Teaching Parents can offer any advice you need, including legal advice, whether or not you are a member: The Ontario Federation of Teaching Parents » You CAN educate your child at home! (ontariohomeschool.org)