Homeschooling has become a parenting buzz word, with more and more families opting to educate their kids at home rather than in a traditional classroom setting. Are you curious about homeschooling but don’t know if it’s for you? We’ve put together a primer for parents to get you schooled on homeschooling.

Routine exams and screenings help you and your kids prevent, identify, and treat health problems when they arise. Vaccines greatly reduce your child's risk of serious illness (particularly when more and more people use them) and give diseases fewer chances to take hold in a population. Unfortunately, misinformation about vaccines could make some parents decide not to immunize their children, putting them and others at a greater risk for illness.

"You'll poke your eye out!" Remember that saying just when the fun was about to begin?

Well, it turns out that's pretty good advice. Preventable trauma is the leading cause of blindness in teenagers and older children. Dr. Richard Akers of Atlantic Ophthalmology in Beaufort offers some rules of the road:

Never fear! Lowcountry Child is here to help with your school efforts. From bus locations to lunches, we have you covered!

A love of reading and an appreciation for books are two of the greatest things you can cultivate in your children. There are lots of Lowcountry children’s book authors who have captured the spirit, the wildlife and the people of the region in their colorful tales for kids. Through their books, you and your child can get to know delightful characters like Legare the Lizard, Charlie the Alligator and Hermy the Hermit Crab. You can discover some of the secrets of South Carolina’s past, and embrace the beauty of everyday life in the Lowcountry. Here is a list of authors who are either based in the Lowcountry or have written children’s books with a Lowcountry focus.

A critical stage of verbal development happens before children turn 2, when they have several words in their vocabulary but they can't quite form the right words to communicate. This is why more parents are teaching their children American Sign Language, said Caroline Taylor, a sign language instructor at The Sandbox.

Finding ways to beat the heat and keep your kids entertained can be tough. Lowcountry Child staffers compiled this list of story times, reading and other educational programs to help!

The South Carolina arts community is breathing a sigh of relief and sending big thanks to their local elected officials following a vote to override various budget vetoes from Gov. Mark Sanford that would have affected the cultural future of the state. Art enthusiasts pleaded with their delegates this June to “Save the Arts,” and the government listened. One of those key votes from the state Legislature saved the funding of the S.C. Arts Commission and, in turn, several arts programs, educational opportunities and jobs.

Summer, to a kid, means no homework, no tests and no teachers. But that doesn’t mean those hot lazy months mean no learning. There are plenty of fun ways to keep those brains active, without them even realizing they’ve donned their thinking caps. Here are Lowcountry Child’s Top Five Ways to Keep Your Kids’ Brains Buzzing this summer!

Walk into The Storybook Shoppe and walk into a different world. It's a world with talking bears looking for their honey, a pesky rabbit with a penchant for getting into trouble, a pair of hippopotami best friends and a brave, little French girl — to name a few colorful characters.

It's a world Nancy Beaupre, owner of The Storybook Shoppe, carefully created for moms, dads and children. The brightly colored book nook is neatly tucked into Old Bluffton's historic Calhoun Street, across from The Cottage restaurant. Children can be seen meandering her store, thumbing through hundreds of books, where every page awaits an adventure.