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High school Home Schooling

Keep Learning Real: Build a profitable web business

There is more to high school home schooling than building a web site, but it is not a bad focus to have, an opportunity in which the students can present their learning in a great culmination project! It doesn't mean you stop all your subjects, but as their interests naturally develop and are stream-lined, their learning can have a purposeful goal. In fact, the subjects are the content and the food for thought. As our children are exposed to the world in which we live, to history, to literature, science and so on, their interests will be aroused, and their special, God given talents and interests will become evident.

Moving from a knowledge base to understanding, and then organizing the information and expressing it, requires a development of all the skills they have been learning through their homeschooling.

Free E-Course: How to Build a Profitable Web Business

Major Work / The Fruit of their Labours

A Culmination Project / Major Work / The Fruit of Their Labours (16-18+) can take many forms and a great deal of time, but it is a worthwhile expression of the homeschooler's real life learning. The advantage of working towards presenting a Major Work is that it keeps learning real, and study can be more purposeful. For some high school home schooling students, it can in the form of a book; a business; an art work; a musical work - recorded music on CD; Video presentation; Textile work: quilt, design outfit; Invention; Written Thesis; or a Web Site!

A web site is a written document; Written to a specific audience for a specific reason.

Sometimes it is to inform - here one can write about what they have learned or are learning and researching.
It can be a website to support a family business;
It can be a website to sell e-goods;
It can be a family/hobby website;
It can be a travel log website - with business opportunities;
Find Your Niche Here

Why build a web site?

Is building a web site an essential computer skill we need to pass on to our children?

Well, I suppose I am coming from a biased point of view. I love writing this website and I have seen huge possibilities for my children to build a website of their own and for anyone to build their own website.

We don't need to know the ins and outs of building a web site in order to use the internet effectively. However, understanding how a website or web business works and getting involved in writing a website gives us an overview, an understanding and experience in the world of business without leaving our homes. Did you know that a Harris Poll showed that 72% of households are thinking about starting a work-from-home business? Perhaps this is an avenue for your family or your children?

What you will read on this page:

Teaching Business Skills

Have you ever thought of a part-time job for your children?

Cottage Industry?
Mowing lawns?
Pamphlet run?
Card making?
Jewellery making?
Pet minding?

Our eldest son has always been entrepreneurial and When he was about seven, he began his first business selling fudge. He learned to search for the cheapest price when buying the ingredients, make the chocolate fudge,clean up, package it and sell it. He earned a good sum of money this way and was able to buy his first bike.

He then grew veggies in the backyard - researched when and what to plant, bought the seeds or seedlings, planted, weeded, watered and picked. He then sold his veggies to me and we all ate and enjoyed. After a while, he decided just to grow the veggies and provide them for the family without charge.

After that, he mowed lawns.

The next iniative was training birds. This job was well paid. He was given a baby bird from a pet shop and he would train it, and give it back to the owner. The owner then had the possibility of selling this bird at a higher price.

At one time, the three boys set up a stand at the park across the road during netball season. They cooked sausages and sold cold cans of drink. The business wasn't that great and they only did this once!

Then he became involved in a pamphlet run and would take on heaps of extra rounds which were paid $20.00 more just because no-one wanted to do that round. He did this for many years before he took on a part-time job working at a supermarket.

Now, he continues to work part-time at the Supermarket and has set up two businesses. They are in the infancy stage, but he has had some business. With the use of expensive software, he has become very apt in transferring video tapes into DVDs. He has done all our videos and we are extremely grateful to him for that. We've have noticed that our own videos were wearing out and it is good to know that our information is safely stored now on DVD.The second business he has set up with a friend is a Computer Business. He buys computer components and makes computers according to certain specifications determined by the need of the customer and what the computer will be used for.His most recent project which he is working on presently, is building his own website. Check it out here: Computer-Hardware-Explained.com

Whenever a new idea has budded in his head, he has researched ways to go about it, learned enormous amounts of information and put it into practice. (For those classically minded homeschoolers, - it is the Trivium in a nutshell: Knowledge - Logic - Finishing off.)

Now, I am not listing all this to just tell of Nathanael's achievements, but to show a natural progression of any child who thinks of a contribution they can make to their family and society in which they live. Home schooling gives our children more flexibility to explore these opportunities.

All of these initiatives are "business".
All of these initiatives are learning experiences.
All of these initiatives are building knowledge on knowledge.
All of these initiatives teach responsibility.
All of these initiatives put money in its proper place - not to be treasured too highly, but also, not to be spent so easily. You need to work hard in order to earn it, but there is a way. Find out more in the Free E-Course: How to Build a Profitable Web Business

Why not build a web site or web business?

My seven year old likes to make cards and sells them to the family when we need cards.

My ten year old bakes muffins to sell in order to earn some money for a mission.

My thirteen year old does a pamphlet run. He includes his younger siblings in the job by giving them the folding part of the job and delivering it himself. He pays them for each pamphlet they fold.

My thirteen year old makes all sorts of games - board games, card games and so on and is wondering if this could be a market for him some time.

My sixteen year old also has a pamphlet run, which he has had for many years.

Every age has some business idea which is suitable for their level of skills, interest and motivation. I wouldn't ask my seven year old to create a website, even though she does have her own mini-site!

But....What about the older teen?

Perfect time to create a web site!!

It can either be a hobby - learning the skills of writing, uploading images, some html, and seeing the site in the world wide web. Giving time to write about their interest and tell others, just for the fun of it - and to inform others!

...OR...

It can be a web business! A way to earn an income without leaving the comforts of your home! Depending on your goals and time, it can provide the teen with an income while they continue to study or work at another job. Building a web business is extremely flexible. Did you know that a Harris Poll showed that 72% of households are thinking about starting a work-from-home business. What an opportunity for our high school home schooling teens! For example, Computer-Hardware-Explained.com is a site which is being built by our teenage son.

Skills taught when building a web site or web business.

Writing skills- spelling, correct use grammar
Writing to a specific audience - using your personal style of writing;
Proof-reading
Writing focussed content - well developed pages (essays)
Writing catchy titles and phrases
Reading instructions and putting it into practice
Researching (keywords, brainstorming)
Making judgements and decisions based on facts and knowledge
Computer skills
Some HTML codes
Business sense - marketing, supply and demand
Understanding profitability
Learning about search engines, spidering (not the eight legged ones), and traffic
Uploading photos and images
Composition of page layouts
Perseverance when it is hard
Learning that hard work pays off when approaching it with a proven method.
Patience to wait for the results which will come

Benefits of building a web business:

The benefits you receive from writing a website can be varied from person to person, especially when everyone has a slightly different goal in mind when writing their website.For some people the benefit will be the

Joy of seeing their family page on the web;
Excitement of the on-line journal to share with others;
Knowledge that their site will be of use to someone else who enjoys the same hobby or shares the same concern or need. If your goal is to help someone find an answer to a certain question, then the first "Thankyou" email will be your reward and give you immense satisfaction.
Ability to share life with your family all over the world;

For others, the benefit will be the

Supplementing of an income;
Ability to earn a complete wage from home;
Ability to stay at home with the children;
Independence of being your own boss;
No-More-Traffic!! and long hours away from the family;
Enjoyment of life;
Results of a profitable web business;
Finding and pursuing their dream;

"You see the results. Your business builds. You realize that your life is changing in significant ways."

How to build a website or web business.

When I was faced with this question, I searched the web for an answer. Read more about how my questions were answered in thisFree E-Course: How to Build a Profitable Web Business.

Soon, I was feeling overwhelmed with everything I didn't know and not knowing how or where to begin. I couldn't create a plan of what to do next, because this was all totally foreign to me!

Yes, I could work out a little of what I needed - or so I thought:

a web host ($$$ per month - depending on what you want in the 'package.')
Domain Registration ($$)
Tools to help you search, build, find a niche ...
Information on how to write the website - learning HTML, codes, uploading pages, working with graphics, tables etc, etc,
Marketing tools - to research
Covering yourself against spam
Learning about Search Engines - submitting your site
Keeping your information secure and organized
Having an overall plan
Creating an E-zine or newsletter
Creating forms
Making your site into a RSS Feed
Linking with others -
Submitting to directories
......
......
......

Wow! I'm tired just writing it all down. And, when I started, I really didn't know that I needed to know what is written up above!

So, how did I envision I would go about it? Buy some books - read and re-read them. Search for hours for tools, help, support for my problems which would come and no doubt stump me.

Well, I did not go down that path! Knowing what I do now, after using Site Build It!, I am so very, very thankful that I did not try it on my own - finding a whole host of tools from here and there and trying to put it together. I know, that I would be lost if I did that!

Now, one year on with Site Build It!, my site is being seen by others; Even according to the Alexa Traffic Rating, I am scoring well and it is not because I've been so clever!!! I am amazed again and again at what SBI! has been able to do for me!

Here are some statistics about SBI! sites:

* 35% of SBI! sites ranked in the top 1% of all sites (i.e., higher than 99% of all sites on the Web).

* 53% were in the top 2%

* 62% scored in the top 3%.

of all the 100 million websites around the world!

Read more in my month by month Site Build It! Diary.

So, How do you build a web site or a web business?

Brain - your idea, your knowledge, your interest;
Motivation - your passion and desire and perseverance drives you!
Using a guide - Action Guide of SBI! - follow it closely - one step at a time!
Using the SBI! tools;
Using the SBI! Forum to answer your questions when stuck or looking for advice.
It's that simple!

That's it!

Subscribe to a Free 4 Week E-Course delivered to your email box. Each week has a different focus.

What sort of Business? Find your passion.
Comparing "Site-Building/Hosting/Marketing" Courses/packages. Which course proves success?
The Proven Way to Build a Business On-line - Free Action Guide.
Even More Tools... for free!

Study the steps in your own time. Put the plan into action.

How to Build a Profitable Web Business - 4 Week E-Course
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