TEN Inexpensive Ways To Teach Children Art Appreciation!

Living under the median doesn't mean that our children will never have the pleasure of seeing and experiencing great art.  There are plenty of opportunities to expose your children to famous artists and allow them to try their hand at creating artwork for little or no money.  

"Soul Warrior" - by: Daniel - age 13

 

Reflect on these quotes about the importance of art:

• Ralph Waldo Emerson. “Every artist was first an amateur”

• Henri Matisse. “Creativity takes courage”

• Pablo Picasso. “Every child is an artist."

• Ansel Adams. “You don't take a photograph, you make it”

• Hope Ware. "Great art touches your soul and changes you."  

Okay, that last person on the list is maybe not quite as famous as the others.  But, my point is, even though our personal tastes may differ, we all have a connection with art.  Art can be stunning, disturbing, inspiring, and thought-provoking all at the same time.

Let's take a look at how you can give your child an appreciation for good art without breaking the bank.  I'll give you a list of some of my recommendations at the end of this post.

(Posts on my blog may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through my link, I will receive a small commission at no additional charge to you. Thank you.) 

1.  The Public Library 

Let's begin with what you all know by now is my favorite "go to" place for nearly everything - your local library. 

My nephew, Josh, learning shading

Stop by your local library and pick up their monthly activity guide or check on-line to download a copy.  You can find plenty of chances for arts and crafts.  My nephew enrolled in a series of art classes geared toward middle school students at absolutely no cost.  Supplies were included too!

2. Books, Games, and DVDs

Games are the perfect tool for teaching children about great art!

 For years my older boys and I toted home large tomes of famous artwork from the local library every week.  You can also borrow DVDs, which discuss the life and work of famous artists.

We have also bought inexpensive art books, supplies, and games at second-hand bookstores and garage sales over the years.  We spent hours playing the board game "Masterpiece". It featured high-quality postcards of famous works of art. But, one was a forgery. You had to buy, sell, and trade art in order to find out which of your opponents was holding the dreaded forgery! Great fun!


We have a bookshelf dedicated to art books. There are books on drawing, art history, specific artists, and crafts.

Dover is a great source for inexpensive art books and postcards.

some of the books from my art shelf

*A NOTE ON NUDITY.  

Every family has their own opinions and standards on nude artwork.  For the sake of modesty, I always previewed art books before my sons saw them.  I found that simple, inexpensive paper clips sufficed to stick questionable pages together so that young eyes did not see what I did not wish them to see.  There were plenty of other photos to look at together.  I also previewed websites before we visited them and bookmarked the appropriate pages for them.  However, in my opinion, there is an age at which nudity in famous art and sculpture can and should be studied in a mature and sober-minded manner. 

   

   3.  On-Line Resources 

ΙΧΘΥΣ (ichthys) - by Philip - age 11

My son, Philip, drew this symbol of the early Christian church using an on-line tutorial as his guide.

Google beginning art lessons and you'll find a plethra of information.  There are videos, tutorials, and websites, which will vary in quality, but your kids can learn introductory concepts and techniques quite well for absolutely nothing.

You'll find information on the lives, work, and methods of famous artists.  You can show your children everything from a simple color wheel to world famous masterpieces.

Most of the art tutorial sites are going to offer you the chance to sign up for a more extensive paid version. But, there is plenty that you can learn without opening your wallet.

This was harder than it looks! We all drew a ziggurat - following the on-line tutorial.

4.  Art and Sculpture Walks

There are two sculpture walks in our area, both with unique and interesting artwork.  Generally you can either download a walking "tour guide" on your phone or there are printed guides available.  Every year new pieces are brought in by new artists.  So, this can be a FREE yearly event for your family.  

5.  Architectural Tours

Architecture is a part of art!  Our town has a self-guided tour through our historical district, filled with grand, old Victorians.  As you walk, you can read the history of the homeowners, the construction, and details about the homes. 

I see education as being very multi-faceted and very cross-curricular.  So, really art can include math, architecture, history, and more!  That's the beauty of encouraging a love of learning in children! 

6.  Free Museum Days

 

 We have taken advantage of free days at both local and regional museums.  Check websites for dates and times. 

 


 Yearly Museum Family Passes:  When my children were young, we bought one premium family membership per year.  One year it was the zoo, another a local wildlife park, and a couple of years it was a museum.  At that time it was about $50 for a yearly family pass.  It's at least twice that amount now.  But, if you have a large family, it's worth it.  You may consider asking Aunts, Uncles, or Grandparents for a membership as a Christmas gift.  That way, the children can enjoy it all year long!

A NOTE ON CHILDREN AND MUSEUMS:  

When my children were young, we took them to museums and artist open houses.  We dressed them nicely, talked to them about manners in social settings, and kept our visits brief.  We did not tax them beyond their ability to behave well.

One of the first times I took my two older boys to a museum my oldest son, James, reached over and touched a 200 year old quilt hanging on the wall!  I leaned down on eye level with James and said, "When we touch things in a museum we leave the natural oils from our fingers on them.  It can damage fabric items over time.  You could also accidentally knock something over or put a hole in it.  That guard is here to make sure that  everyone can enjoy seeing these items for a long time to come.  You don't want to make him nervous and anxious that you may touch something."  After James told me that he understood and I had him apologize to the guard for touching the quilt, we left.  I wasn't angry. I told James that we would go back another day ... and we did!  Each time we went, we were able to stay a little longer.  But, for a long time, our visits were short and sweet, but frequent.

7. Virtual Museum Tours

My oldest son introduced himself to our local historical society staff when he was 15 years old. He procured himself a year long internship, cataloguing and entering information on artifacts on their on-line data base. Basically, he was creating links for anyone in the world to be able to see what our historical society had to offer. 

Thanks to the internet, you don't need to leave your home in order to experience the thrill of visiting some of the most famous museums in the world! Art appreciation is available at the flip of a switch and the stroke of a keyboard. Just Google, "Virtual Museum Tours" and you will find a whole host of possibilities right before your eyes! 

Need help getting started? Here are a couple of links: 

https://www.virtualiteach.com/single-post/2017/08/20/10-amazing-virtual-museum-tours

http://mentalfloss.com/article/75809/12-world-class-museums-you-can-visit-online

My oldest son's favorite for quite a while was the British History Museum's on-line suppository. 

8.  Artist Open Houses 

Yep!  Take your children to actually meet the people who do the work that they admire.  My children have love the opportunity to interact with enthusiastic, creative, and genuinely nice artists in our community.  

    9.  Art Festivals

 These events are often less formal than an artist open house.  Often outdoors, they have an almost "fair-like atmosphere" and often offer art booths for children to make something to take home with them.  There is a huge art festival in our town on the riverfront every year.  Admission is generally very reasonable to these family friendly events. 

 

10.  Low Cost Classes 

  

Check the following places for art classes.  You can find drawing, painting, and sculpture classes for all ages.  These are great fun and often you can take the classes as a family, so everyone goes home with a momento of your time together!   

• Local Park Districts

• Local Art Guild 

• Local Pottery Shops

• Local Art Studios

• Art and Craft Stores

As you can see, there are many ways to create, experience, and enjoy good art with your children and you can do it even while living .... under the median!

Other posts in this "Love Learning" series: 

This is the third in a series of posts on how to help your children fall in love with learning. 

Be sure to also read: 

Learn to Love History for Little or No Money

Music Appreciation for Little or No Money 

My Recommendations: 

*NOTE: I take great care in making recommendations to you that are good value, high quality products. I have personally used each of these art products and my children have enjoyed them. 

 

I LOVE the Draw and Write Through History books! They are so well done! These photos are of my personal copy of the Middle Ages book. 

There are several books in the series. So, no matter what time period of history you are delving into, you can find a Draw and Write Through History book to supplement that study. The illustrations and steps are super easy to follow - even I can do it.  (Ages 7-13)

The Art Book for Children is a great introduction to famous artists and their works! It encourages children to look for details in paintings. 

I own The Art Book for Children - Book Two.  (Ages 4-12)

Art Masterpieces to Color. Dover is a wonderful company! Their coloring books are absolutely top notch for a very reasonable price. Here's an example of their art masterpieces coloring book. What a great way to give your children a primer on artists and artwork!

We own the first book in this series, "Art Fraud Detective". Sadly, it is no longer available new. However, there are a lot of copies available used and it's such a great book that I wanted to be sure that you were aware of it. You can find copies on the used market.

 *Keep reading! The second volume in this series IS available new and I have a link for you below!*

We loved, loved, loved this great mystery book. We spent hours pouring over the pages. Here's the set up. One of the paintings in the art museum is a fraud. As you go through the book, you must look very closely at the original artwork, comparing it to the exhibits in the museum to figure out which painting is a fraud. Along the way, you learn about the artists, their techniques, and their most famous works.

Here's the second book in the series, The Great Art Scandal, which is available new and is priced at under $10.00!

Sister Wendy's The Story of Painting. Published by DK press, this book is on the expensive side, but you could easily use it for junior high school high school. I love the way it is laid out and it contains a LOT of information. You'll refer to it again and again.

*You can easily find a copy of this book used for a more economical price.

Your turn!

I'd love to hear your ideas about how to introduce children to great art and artists. Leave your thoughts in the comments section.

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Do all to the glory of God, 

Hope

Learn and Love History for Little or No Money!

 

History is one of the easiest and most interesting subjects to explore with your kids and you can do it for next to nothing! 

Our family is absolutely, positively, and passionately in love with history!  I can assure you that:  

• You do not have to travel far to enjoy history.
• Every single one of these events and places was within a one day drive of our home.  
• Nearly all of them were free!  
• The most we spent on any of these ideas was $2.00 each!  
• You do not have to homeschool to do these things!    

Borrow books from the library!  

Let's begin with one of the most obvious choices for free material on history.  In the past two decades we have read countless books related to history.  Weekly, we borrowed a huge stack of books from the local library.  We alternated between fiction and non-fiction until we made our way through the entire stack.

While we read, we filled three ring binders with:

• fact pages
• coloring sheets
•  drawings
•  notes
• written papers
• diagrams

 

 

 

 

 We worked on:

James' 8th grade project on Stonehenge

 

•  posters 
• designed timelines
•  made food from various time periods and geographical locations.
•  created huge maps
• dioramas and models
• Presentations

In short, we had a blast!  

But, wait!  There's more!!

Here's a look at some additional ways in which we have discovered and experienced history together.

  Free museum days!

Keep your eyes open!  Most museums offer free days throughout the year.  If it's not a free day and you homeschool, often you can ask for and receive field trip rates for your visit.  Do call ahead and ask.  Sometimes you need to make reservations to receive the special rates or go during certain times. Before you visit, always look for on-line discount coupons on tickets!   

Route 66 Museum in Pontiac, IL

Bishop Hill State Historic Site

Peoria Riverfront Museum

 

Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago

New Salem State Park

  Community events.

• 
  

  

   Christmas open house Flanagan House, Peoria, IL

•  Communities often open up their historic buildings or museums for free or low cost tours during festivals and holidays. Even if adults are changed, often children are free.  

• Look for self-guided tours!  Our city has a lovely historical district with permanent signs, which allow you to stroll, read, and learn all about the history of the homes.

Springdale Cemetery, Peoria, IL

• Walk through cemeteries.  It's not creepy!  Our family often heads to a local historic cemetery to walk on weekends.  You can learn a lot about local history just by reading the tombstone inscriptions.  For instance, we noticed that a lot of the stones in the section for children were labelled with 1917 or 1918.  Siblings were often buried within weeks of each other.  It was then that we realized that the national flu epidemic about which we read in books had brought grief to a number of Peoria families.  

About 200 Stearman planes participate every year!

 The National Stearman Fly In (Galesburg, IL) We had a blast and got to see the planes up close!  Free admission.

Our dear friend, Don Jackson

 

 Black to the Future, a local production about the African American experience in Peoria.  It was just $2.00 per ticket!!

 

 

 

 

  Reenactments!

Not only have we attended them, our family has participated in several!  It's a blast to get involved!

Daniel and Philip as members of the Wide Awakes - circa 1840. 

James and his friend, Sophie as Abe and Mary Todd Lincoln

 

  Antique Malls

I know!  This may seem unusual.  You can learn a LOT about history through visiting antique malls.  Our kids call them, "Museums with price tags."  Interestingly, our children have also developed a taste over the years for collecting vintage items - maybe because they hung out at places like this so often.  

When you find a coat identical to yours at an antique mall!

When the items for sale like you a little too much!

 

Tips:

I seriously could not show you all the photos of places we have been or the nooks and crannies we have explored for absolutely free or nearly free!  It would take up way too much space and you would tire of seeing me and my family in goofy poses.  So, let's end with some tips on how you can do what I have done.  There are treasures in literally every single locale.  It doesn't matter where you live, you can fill your life and that of your child with a love of history. 

1.  Ask your friends.  There have been so many fairs, festivals, and events about which I was just unaware.  But, your friends have probably unearthed quite a few.  So, ask them.  You'll be amazed what you'll find out about. 

2. Join a local Facebook Group.  Most communities have a presence on social media.  Follow them and you'll be sure to find out about upcoming events well in advance!

3. Sign up for mailing lists and e-mail lists.  When you are looking on line and find a page dedicated to a place or event which you find intriguing, them give them your info.  I know!  It's a drag to get a huge amount of e-mails.  That's why I recommend creating a separate e-mail account specifically dedicated for e-mails of this sort.  When my oldest was looking for colleges we created an account called Jamescollege2014 (or something like that).  So, get a Gmail account (you can have several) and set up one for educational opportunities, vacations, and events.  How about welovehistory@gmail.com? 

4.  When you go, ask questions!  Guides and docents particularly love it when eager young people ask great questions, take the time to listen to their answer, and then converse.  You'll find fantastic opportunities to see relics up close and talk to those who love them!  

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My Teen Took Over Our Budget!

  

Six years ago we allowed our teen to take over our family budget! Today, I want to share with you, my readers, how this experiment worked out for us. Did I raise fiscally responsible young adults? Do they understand that "cash is king"? Do they quote Dave Ramsey to their friends? Read on! You'll learn why our children are not allowed to graduate from high school until they have handled our family finances for six months and what they learned from the whole experience.  At the end I'll tell you how this impacted the lives of our oldest children. 

My husband and I have been using (and sticking to) a written budget for our entire married life - 30 years! We have experienced the peace that comes from living debt-free — including our home — since 1998! In 2012 we decided it was time to make finances and budgeting “real” for our oldest son. He was 16 at the time. We put him in charge of our family finances for six months! That’s right. He took it over “lock, stock, and barrel and I think it was an experience that he will never forget. 

If you’d like to get your teens more involved and aware of real-life finances, here are a few tips that helped us.

Give Them Credit

I admit, this has a dual meaning. We homeschool. So, it was natural for us to offer our son high school credit for his foray into the world of finances. But, I also mean, that we need to give our children credit for being mature enough to learn real world, life-long lessons by taking an in-depth look at our family’s money.

I was actually afraid that the whole experience would take away some of my son’s innocence. He would learn just how hard it can be to “make it” on one income. I wanted to be sure that he retained his feeling of security. We don’t want our children to worry that “Mom and Dad won’t have enough money”.  

Give Them Advice

Within the first week he was looking at me wide-eyed. "Mom, it looks to me like every penny is accounted for in this budget. Is there any money left over at the end of the month?" Three weeks later he was emoting about the grocery budget, "Mom, is this correct?! We have just $35 left for groceries??!!" I answered his initial inquiry. "No, there is generally no extra money."  His second question resulted in him being directed to the row of cookbooks in the basement, where he was instructed to match up recipes with ingredients already available in the house.  

To my surprise, rather than becoming overly concerned about money (or the lack thereof), quite the opposite occurred. As the weeks went by he began to give praise to God each time he saw a need being met. He became aware of how much money it took to raise a houseful of boys. We had many conversations about how to save money on every single budget category. He had a blast! He clipped coupons, scoured the ads, and found bargains. He planned the grocery shopping and the menus. He totaled up those numbers and adopted my victory shout. "Yes!!!!! Mom!  We made it through the month and there is money to spare!" 

Give Them Tools

We began this process by enrolling our son in a six-week money management course, which we attended with him. This gave him a lot of Biblically-based knowledge about money principles in a logical and sequential manner.  

We then set out to show him practical examples of how to make your money work for you.  On the Crown.org website, I showed our son that if  he saved $450 a month, at 5% interest annually, he could purchase a $120,000 home for cash at the end of 15 years. If you multiply $450 by 15 years you get $81,000. That's right!  Your total investment: just $81,000.  The rest of that $120,000 is earned interest! 

Then, we used the tools to see how much interest you would pay on a $120,000 mortgage.  The interest on a 15-year, $120, 000 mortgage at 5 percent is about $50,000. Add the principle and you would pay about $170,00 for that same home. For a 30 year mortgage, the interest is nearly $112,000. (or $232,000 total loan repayment!)  

Boom! He could immediately see that there is a HUGE difference between paying cash for purchases and taking out a loan! I LOVE on-line calculators to show kids real examples about money. Let them put in their own savings goals and amounts. They’ll begin to understand the importance of delayed gratification and long-term goals. Here's the tool we used to calculate this monetary magic.  http://www.crown.org/FindHelp/Personal/Calculators/savingsgoal.aspx. 

Give Them the Reins

Let them do it! After the money management class, I opened up our finance books to our son. When a bill came in,  he told me how to fill in the check (or make the transaction on-line) and entered the amount in the proper part of our household ledger.

He entered all of our expenses into the ledger, kept track of each category, made a spread sheet at the end of each month showing what we spent in each category and what we averaged thus far for the year. He also made recommendations on what changes we needed to make in each category – if any.    

When we began this project, I knew I wanted our son to take on our finances for at least six months so he could see seasonal fluctuations. I also was fairly confident that something unexpected would happen within that time frame — so he would get to see the emergency fund at work. It did! He accidentally hit the garage door while I was teaching him to park in the driveway.  😁 This would be why my husband has taught the lad to drive and not me. 

Give Them a Goal

Our son’s final task was to look at the yearly totals in each category and set up the family budget for the following year. A sense of completion is important and the end of the year always seems like a time to take a deep breath and say “thank you” to God for helping us and blessing us. 

For his final exam, he produced our “end-of-the-year log”. This document details our net worth, savings for the year, what percentage of our income went to each category, a list of our current short, medium, and long-term goals, and the 2013 Ware Family budget!   

Whew! It was a lot of work!  He received an "A"  in “Consumer Economics”. He learned how to budget and make short, medium, and long-term goals. He discovered the importance of an emergency fund. He is genuinely grateful any time we are able to give him something extra — not a needed item — but just something to bless him because he is our son and we love him.  
                                                 Money has become a reality to him!

Did our money managing experiment work?  

Our oldest son has won several scholarships, has a nearly perfect 4.0 GPA, and is paying his own way through college.  He was awarded a full tuition scholarship to a fantastic Christian university!  He is a major money saver, lives on a budget, and plans for future goals.  

Our second son also had his chance to manage the family budget. This tech-wizard, wonderboy computerized the entire system for me!  I love it! He had a blast investigating all the computerized budgeting programs and picking the best of the best. We now use https://www.everydollar.com/ , a FREE monthly budgeting app from Dave Ramsey.  My son attended Financial Peace University with us and is known to quote Dave Ramsey to all his friends. Since graduation from high school, he has worked full-time and is highly sought after for his outstanding work ethic and amazing troubleshooting abilities. When credit card offers arrive in the mail he laughs, rips them up, and goes back to plotting his debt-free future. 

Go to http://www.daveramsey.com/fpu/home/ictid/classpage/ for a list of classes near you. For Biblically-based money advice, check out http://www.crown.org/  or http://www.daveramsey.com/home/.   You’ll find a lot of wonderful budgeting advice there along with charts, articles, and interactive tools.  

Your Turn!

Over the years, I've encountered a variety of responses to our experiment in teaching our children how to handle money. Some have said that they really don't want their children to know about the family finances for fear that they will broadcast this knowledge to all of their friends. Admittedly, this is something that I really didn't think about when we had our sons take over our budget. But, then again, being a prolific writer and public speaker, who openly shares about money and budgeting sort of meant that most people already knew the general state of our bank account. So, have you ever allowed your children to see your finances? Would you allow them to take over your budget? Why or why not? I'd truly love to know what you think about this concept. Leave your thoughts in the comments section. 

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Do all to the glory of God, 

Hope

Hey! There's an App for That!

 

I am a bibliophile.  There!  I admitted it publicly. I am passionate about reading books for facts, information, and fun. However, throughout 15 years of homeschooling I have found that sometimes a game or interactive device can be used to help kids understand subjects.  It was hard for me to admit.  But, once I decided that I did not need to be the “fountain of all wisdom” for my children, I actually became sort of excited about exploring the possibilities and wisdom of using computers.  I set out to  find the best apps on the internet. 

So, today I’d like to introduce you to my very favorite internet site for educational games, apps, and research in nearly every subject area: www.mrnussbaum.com.  Mr. Nussbaum is a genius at making educational concepts fun for students from Pre-k through middle school. But, this site is SO much more than just a “games portal”.  Mr. Nussbaum has worksheets, art projects, printables, research, and much more! It is subdivided in an easy-to-navigate and intuitive fashion.  The website is divided by both subject matter (math, language arts, social studies, geography, and science) as well as grade level. 

You’ll find links to 167 educational games. I am very particular about the content of games.  I don’t like “twaddle” or time-wasters.  Mr. Nussbaum’s games are both fun AND educational.  Not only that, you can use the games in what I call a “ladder” fashion.  For instance, your kindergartner can learn the foundation of the alphabet, then add some phonics, then blending sounds, some reading of simple words and finally, stories.  You can do it all with games on Mr. Nussbaum’s website.  It’s so easy (and inspiring) to envision adding these games to your curriculum to insure that your students are sequentially grasping important concepts. 

Here is the description on games from the website.  “MrNussbaum.com features 167 original, challenging, and exciting educational games for kids ages 4 – 14 that allow students to learn and practice topics through role-play, problem solving, critical thinking, calculation, and trial and error.” 

Tablets are ubiquitous in today’s society.  Most 4 year olds understand them better than I do.  So, if you have a tablet, the website has a special link that lists all 110 FREE games for your tablet.  “110 html5 FREE, Original Educational Games that can be Played Directly from Your iPad or Android Tablet Browser. No Need to Download! Each Game Comes with an Instructional Video.”  Here’s a link in case you want to go directly to the list: www.mrnussbaum.com/html5.  If you want an ad-free games with no in-app purchases for your students, then Mr. Nussbaum makes it easy for you to download his 44 game super app at the Apple store or Google Play: www.mrnussbaum.com/mr-nussbaums-super-app.  The super app is a super buy at just  $3.99! 

I have just one caution with the website.  It’s heavy on ads.  There IS a subscription rate for an ad free experience, but they are not taking any further subscriptions until 2018, when they are rolling out new, updated, and expanded options for Mr. Nussbaum’s no ads option.  As a result of the ads, which look an awful lot like buttons for more games, I truly would not recommend allowing younger students to use the site without supervision.  I always show my kids how to work the game and say, “Don’t click on any other buttons!”  However, I still feel very comfortable giving Mr. Nussbaum a hearty and well-deserved “two thumbs up!” 

Graduating Keyboard Geeks

Why You Should Use Computers in Homeschooling:
How This Computer Illiterate Mom Graduated Keyboard Geeks

1.     Teach your children to view technology as a tool, not a toy.   When my boys were younger, we had a “no game” policy.  Instead, we bought two older model Apple computers, set up two small desks in the basement, and allowed them to use their free time to learn to use computer programs.  Subsequently, they became proficient in the use of programs like, Word, Photoshop, and Power Point by middle school. 

2.     Employers are looking for students who can skillfully use computer programs.   Every job application that my boys have filled out has asked questions about their knowledge and use of computer programs.  Excel, PowerPoint, and Word were most frequently listed.  My son, John, has spent countless hours researching apps, programs, and tech products.  This passion spawned his desire to become an IT Specialist. 

3.    Computer programs can encourage your children to think outside-of-the-box.  My boys figured out how to combine their interest in photography and action figures to create stop-action “movies” using iMovie by 6^th grade.  

4.     You can use their interest in computers to create high school level classes.  During his junior year my son, James, created a graphic novel of Pilgrim’s Progress with action figures and small-scale props.  He edited the final product on his Apple computer and added speech bubbles.  We had the book comb bound and gave him credit for graphic arts. 

5.     Computers are the perfect fit for tactile learners!  The interaction between the keyboard and monitor can create the perfect combination to keep the interest of your “active” child, give them a feeling of satisfaction, and increase their understanding and comprehension. 

6.    Science and History can come alive through interactive websites!   I personally recommend: kids.nationalgeographic.com and www.history.com. Google can be your friend when your student needs help understanding anything from long division to rocket science!  An adult should do the searching unless you have an internet filter installed. 

7.     Computer literacy should be an integral part of your homeschool planning.  Computers are used DAILY in college.  Instructors communicate with students solely through digital means.  Assignments are given and submitted though the college website.  Research and writing are conducted using the internet.   Every student should also have a good understanding of how to effectively use search engines and databases.