When other Moms find out we homeschool, I always get mixed reactions. There's the... "Oh, how fun." and the... "Don't you have to have a degree to do that?! and then there's my favorite... "Oh, no! I could never do that! I don't have the patience." When I hear that, I usually just grin and nod my head and then secretly laugh (to myself) when I think of how much fun we have.
Homeschooling doesn't have to be a tedious, boring, "want to pull your own hair out" kind of thing. For me, homeschooling is one of the best, most rewarding adventures I have ever pursued. Mind you, I am only homeschooling a Kindergartener, so I may have a different opinion, in a few years, but for now, we are having a blast.
I was once told, "All you need, to homeschool your child, is a library card." and for us, that has proven to be very true. Our local library, which happens to be in our back yard, has been such an amazing resource in our learning adventure.
Not only do they have every book you could ever want, they also have DVDs, audio books, free internet access, full curriculum sets, weekly and monthly programs for the kids, a fun foam block play area thingy, (where all the weary Moms go to congregate) and of course, my favorite, good old Story Time.
Involving the kids in their own learning path is extremely important, in my opinion, especially at this stage of the game. If they are learning about what they love, I feel it keeps the "spark" alive. We are all born with our own spark, but somehow, through the years, it dulls and often, burns out. I am trying to not let that happen to Micah.
One of my main goals, with this whole "homeschooling thing", is to come out, on the other side, with a well rounded, well educated young man. A young man who still loves to learn, who still gets excited about things. One who has not been hardened by the cruel machine, that is our current public school system. One who knows that the entire world is his classroom, all day, every day. A young man who survives childhood and adolescence with his spark fully intact.
A very common misconception is that homeschooling has to be done at home... WRONG! Some of our best lessons are not learned at home. For example: when we go to story time, we learn to sit still and listen. At the play area, we learn to take turns & share and often, we learn about conflict resolution and when to know it's time for a break.
Real learning does not strictly occur, in a classroom setting. While I feel there is definitely a need for structure, for us, right now, we are using the entire world as our classroom. Why limit yourself to four walls, if you don't have to? Our adventures in homeschooling have lead us to some pretty far flung places. We have explored fairy holes and ran from mean tree stumps. We have run through fields of buttercups, we have gone on nature hikes, we have learned about pond safety (only after falling in), we have learned about the life cycle of tadpoles aka pollywogs and we have had an awful lot of fun.
In the first part of this post, I told you the only thing you need to homeschool your child is a library card, while I feel that is true, there are also a few essentials you will need, along the way, to make things a little easier on yourself...
This thing has been such an amazing find! I found it at Target, in the Dollar Spot, about three weeks ago and I love it. I divide the week's "work" into several very do-able piles and put it in the slots. Simple and stress free.
Second, which probably should have been first, but whatever. A huge, comfy backpack type bag, to take everywhere. Think of it as an upgraded, cute diaper bag. Remember when your kids were little and you could fit all your goodies into their diaper bag and it was cool, because you had little kids. This is the same concept. You have plenty of room to pack all your necessities and it is totally OK, because you're a "homeschool Mom".
What does a "Homeschool Mom" keep in her bag, you ask? Mostly just the "important stuff"....
Our life is anything but boring. We are always on the go, from one adventure to the next. Be it the nature center or the library, these new Drops from Dasani, are right there with me. Small enough to fit in any bag (not just a huge backpack), they are perfect for when you need to hydrate, on the go.
Both flavors are light and refreshing, not all yucky sweet, like soft drinks and they are available NOW at your local Target store. You can also check out the cartwheel app, for a money saving coupon. With these two new "spa inspired" flavors, you can choose your favorite, crack open a bottle of water and drift off to a place where children aren't allowed and dirty dishes don't exist, but don't drift too far, you still have kids, remember?!
3 Comments
Julia Spurlock Robertson
4/12/2015 02:40:47 pm
I agree home schooling can be fun and rewarding. Granted I only got to home school Katelen her senior year. Wished I would have known more about it so I could have started sooner..
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4/13/2015 01:20:40 am
I just started homeschooling this year after three years of traditional programs (preschool, state funded pre-k and kindergarten at our local public school). We realized that the "system" was just not a good fit for our family and we have loved the flexibility homeschooling has afforded us. I also agree that children should have a say in their learning and my #1 priority is to give them a life-long love of learning!
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Niki (Midlife Mommy)
4/13/2015 01:34:24 am
I really feel each child learns in their own way, at their own pace. My older kids both went to public school and for my daughter, she thrived and is graduating this year. My oldest son had a really hard time in school, because he wasn't as social as the other kids and got picked on a lot. With Micah, my youngest, I want to avoid the BS that can come with "schooling" and just skip right to the good stuff, learning.
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