Never let your schooling interrupt your education.
Did you know that at least 100,000 kids in the US are considered “unschooled?” And after Good Morning America’s segment on unschooling last week, outraged educators and concerned grandparents are linking arms.
But what’s the truth? What’s it like to be unschooled? What are those parents thinking?!
As a mom of three unschooled kids, including one who became a National Merit Scholar, allow me to explain.
One of the beauties of homeschooling is the ability of the parent-teacher to weave together life and lessons. For some, creating that integration and balance comes naturally. For others, like myself, it is a constant work in progress.
But many of us, at one time or another, face huge waves of life that overwhelm our lessons.
Maybe it is a cross-country move, extended out-of-town visitors, caring for an elderly parent, home remodeling, early pregnancy nausea and fatigue, the birth of a baby, or an illness in the family.
We can use these waves as opportunities to embrace life (and all of its challenges) as a family and show our children that learning can happen anywhere and under any circumstances.
Don’t be afraid to let your children see and experience the waves of change within the context of a supportive family. I believe this will help develop their coping and problem-solving skills, give them a healthy understanding that life is not one long stretch of straight highway, and build strong family relationships.
There are several ways of shifting the balance to reflect our educational priorities, even when life seems to be up to our chins.
Anyone who has been homeschooling long knows the secret for “getting it all done.”
The secret is–that there is no secret. And it is virtually impossible, especially with many little ones underfoot, to get it “all done.” When you focus on the house, the schoolwork slides. When you focus on the schoolwork, the house slides.
What’s the answer to this homeschooling versus house cleaning dilemma? How can you juggle all these plates and keep them successfully in the air?
While there’s no magic formula, here are four tips to help you win the home management battle.
[Read more…]
The following is a guest post from Mandi of Organizing Your Way.
After deciding to homeschool and choosing a curriculum, one of the biggest questions that homeschoolers deal with on a regular basis is where to homeschool and how to set up a school room.
However, like pretty much every other aspect of homeschooling, the answer to this question is as varied as the families who homeschool, and there is no step-by-step guide for setting up the perfect school room.
What’s important is that you make the most of your unique space to devise a useful school area. Use these four questions to help you get you started:
When you don’t have a traditional homeschool, when everyone is following their passions–how do you keep track of everything?
What if you have to provide “proof of learning” at the end of the year?
I have a couple of ideas. [Read more…]
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