I haven't done a website review in a while, so I wanted to blog about one I've discovered recently. The website is called Spelling City. This website is fairly helpful in terms of helping students learn a list of spelling words. Even without paying for the subscription, there's still plenty you can do for free on the site. For example, you can create your own spelling list and then create a test for it. There are games and flash cards as well. The subscription (which I was able to play with via one of the schools I work in) allows you to save lists for all your kids, and of course the range of games and activities is broader.
I know that there is a...can we call it a movement?...toward just letting kids write without worrying about spelling. Although kindergarten through perhaps grade two might be early for some kids to worry about spelling, this would be a good program for the older primary child or middle school child. In my opinion, there's a difference between insisting the child spells a word properly and introducing it and encouraging them to use it properly....slowly decreasing the allowance for the word to be spelled improperly.
You could approach the editing by making a game out of finding any of your selected words and checking to see if they are spelled properly.
I recently heard of a reward system using popcicle sticks. When the child displays the desired behavior/skill, they earn a stick (it can go into a jar). The sticks can then be cashed in for the rward you and your child work out together. The system could also be woven into a "punishment" system, whereby if the child is disrespectful (or whatever behavior you deem unacceptable), you could take away sticks. If they haven't earned any sticks to take away, perhaps you could color some sticks red and put those into the jar to denote that you've taken time away from a treasured activity that week.
Of course, some parents do not believe in punishing their children for inappropriate behavior, and I guess I'd have to say they can then disregard the ideas. I happen to believe that as parents, part of our role is to help our children learn how to behave in the outside world in ways that will help them to avoid negative consequences. For example, disrespectful behavior at the workplace could easily get you fired. Not completing all of the tasks set before them could also result in losing a job. I believe that we do not do our children any favors when we do not prepare them for what the Real World (tm) is going to throw at them.
I believe that it is all well and good to cater your homechooling more toward their interests, but we cannot be so lax with them that they do not have any boundaries whatsoever to learn to live within. They will have boundaries in many areas of their lives, and it is a mercy to help them to learn how to behave and act in the world in ways that will avoid them having negative employment references (for example), negative landlord references, lack of meaningful friendships with people who respect them as being decent and reliable people, etc.
We can set boundaries for them in loving ways. It does not need to equate screaming, physical punishments and/or overly-harsh tones. We can help guide our children and help them recognize good choices vs. poor choices in very positive ways, focusing more on encouragement and praise for good choices...and inviting them to reflect (and correct) poor ones.
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