Keeping in Touch

We just said farewell to the Meyer family as they moved a few states away. This left my girls missing three of their best friends terribly. The current plan is to use Skype, Gmail chat, email, and postal mail to keep the girls in touch. All of these are free except the USPS and, even though the price of stamps keeps rising, it is still amazing that you can get a letter across the country for less than the cost of a soft drink.

Of course, as with everything in our lives, this will become another educational experience. As I thought about our options for contact with our friends, I realized that the use of these tools could expand to open a line of communication with many others. My first thought was connecting with other homeschoolers. Then I remembered pen pals from my youth and thought that there might be a way to contact students in other countries. This would enhance our cultural studies significantly.

Here are a few benefits I see...

#1 Skype: It teaches verbal communication skills and saves us money on long distance charges. Using it with a webcam allows more direct contact and interaction between users.

#2 Gmail chat: The first thing I thought of was an increase in typing skills because of the speed of communication. Chatting is something that requires you to think very fast, form a coherent thought and relay it clearly in text. Having immediate feedback is helpful as well.

#3 Email: This is a wonderful way to increase writing skills. You can give the child an event to describe or treat it like a journal of sorts. We have a draft process with Sophie. She writes an email and then we check it before she sends it to make sure it is written well. You could take it a step further and print the draft for revisions. There is also the added element of responsibly checking emails and replying in a timely manner, something we are working on now.

#4 Postal mail: Who doesn't love to get mail? Teaching letter formatting and adding artwork to the letter are two ways to incorporate this into your daily schedule. The Flat Stanley project also comes to mind.

Blogs are another way to update a number of friends at once. The comment section can be a great option for sharing thoughts and the blog can be protected where only authorized viewers can access the content. Sophie is going to have to improve her writing skills before I am ready to unleash her with a blog. However, I am sure it will happen soon.

Homeschooling forums are a great source for finding other children to interact with yours through these methods. You might consider printing cards with your child's contact information on it, so they can easily exchange their email address or skype information with a friend. It might be best if you keep the cards and monitor who receives them.

I strongly advocate monitoring your child's online presence. I have access to every stroke Sophie makes on her computer and, since aquiring our netbook, I often sit with her as she works. With a few precautions, you can protect your children from accessing information and making contacts that are not appropriate. It will be well worth your time.