homeschooling

We practice relaxed homeschooling which is somewhere between traditional schooling and unschooling. What drives our educational philosophy is simply the fact that the goal of education is to learn (not to take a test or get a job), learning happens all the time, from the time we are born until we die, and a well-rounded education prepares anyone for anything they want to do. We also school year round for this reason.

The freedom that comes from grasping how natural learning is, is, well, freeing. And that is good news for homeschooling!

We are constantly changing things, tweaking and trying new approaches, and I thought I’d share a few ideas we’re adding in this summer:

1. Youtube for Science

On these long summer days, take advantage of the Internet and add some videos to your curriculum. There are some really fun, interesting videos (requires a little searching/reviewing) that especially capture the attention of your visual/auditory learners. Don’t underestimate the power of it. My kids are constantly asking me, “Did you know?” from things they watch. This summer, I’m focusing on the systems of the human body and first aid. I’m working it into our schedule, 1 day a week.

2. Composer Study

This is actually simpler than it even sounds, Charlotte Mason style. Ready for how to do it? Listen to great works from great musicians. Studying their lives is optional. We’re reading one book on each composer, and we may make some lapbooks with pictures, facts, etc. To help them retain what they’ve learned, your children could do a presentation to grandparents at the end. But the goal is simply to familiarize them with different works until they can distinguish between composers. We’re adding the composer study in 1 day a week.

3. Writing thank you notes

We’ve done this on and off for years, but I think it’s a really important practice, both in the honing of writing skills and the deliberate habit of expressing gratitude. Also once a week. It could replace language for a season, especially if you want to edit them and work on problem areas.

4. Teaching each other

This one is harder for me to implement, but in theory, there is no better way to learn than to teach. So, one child teaching another child a math concept, or telling him about something he learned can help solidify the information in his own mind. Narration is a similar concept.

5. Make history a family affair

Choose a living history book like Story of the World or The Light & the Glory and make it a nightly family reading. That frees up more time in the day without forfeiting an important subject, plus it gives Dad the chance to learn alongside and share in the discussion. It could be a dinner table reading or a before-bed read.

6. Memorize what needs to be

Personally, I think we spent way too much time in school memorizing dates and events that I couldn’t recall now if I had to. The instant access to the Internet makes storing information largely unnecessary. But there are some things. So I’m keeping a running list and setting aside one day a week to work on them. (This doesn’t include Scripture memory, which we try to work on every day. Oh, and have you checked out our Scripture Songs CD?)

For example, this summer we are learning/reviewing states and capitals, reviewing continents and oceans, and doing a general overview of geography. Also, I’m doing an informal study with my younger ones about the basic classification of animals, which will be as simple as reading books and discussing what makes an animal belong to a certain class.

And finally, this short message from Michael Farris helps me keep the proper perspective. In a nutshell, he encourages us to remember that having a good grasp of language and math is the foundation for learning anything else. No one can master everything. Nor should they try.

But mastering the basics lays the foundation for everything else. (As a side note, we are created to master language and problem-solving (the essence of math) and begin to do it quite early, in a natural setting. We continue to master language when we read good literature, copy good writers and practice, and we master problem-solving by living life, and being allowed to create and figure things out on our own. Essentially, mastering comes more naturally than we think.)

So, what are your ideas for simplifying school life? I would love to hear them, and I’m sure others would too.

Homeschooling has had to fight some pretty deep-seated myths because the machine that runs the government system of education plants those myths deeply to keep it running.

Every homeschooling parent has heard at some point:

“What if you’re not qualified to teach your children?”

“Self-education is, I firmly believe, the only kind of education there is.”

― Isaac Asimov

Many people even lobby to have home-educating parents required to pass a certification.

That unconstitutional quest is driven by the myth that a child can only learn when there is a teacher (expert) to teach him.

Nature proves that to be false, as does history and experience.

A child begins learning when he is born, about the world around him, his language, psychology of human behavior, physics and everything else needful to him. He would have to be locked in a dark closet to be prevented from learning, so strong is his innate compulsion to learn.

“I don’t believe in colleges and universities. I believe in libraries because most students don’t have any money. When I graduated from high school, it was during the Depression and we had no money. I couldn’t go to college, so I went to the library three days a week for 10 years.”
― Ray Bradbury

As he gets older, he doesn’t loose that amazing ability and curiosity to gain needful information, process experiences, and learn about the world around him.

A child needs little more than real life experiences, a person willing to converse with him about the world, and some good books to give him a well-rounded education. Many of our most brilliant ancestors were educated this way.

“All I have learned, I learned from books.”
― Abraham Lincoln

Self-education is our aim (should be our aim), not the crippling assumption that a child can’t learn without being fed information.

Most of our own school experiences remind us that “forced-learning” as John Taylor Gatto calls it, doesn’t stick for very long. Our aim should be to open up the world of possibilities, show our children how very easy it is to learn and that they don’t have to wait for a teacher, but have the power in their own hands.

“Education is the power to think clearly, the power to act well in the world’s work, and the power to appreciate life.”
― Brigham Young

As homeschoolers, understanding the science of learning should free us up tremendously and help us relax as we help our children grow in knowledge, wisdom and truth.

More than a teacher, our children need someone to lead them to a world full of new things to learn.

Want to learn more about a relaxed method of homeschooling? Less stressful to parent and child? Check out Think Outside the Classroom.

Guest post by Jenny Ervin

“What would you do if I died?” This was the question that I had to put to my husband last summer as we considered our schooling plans for the next year.

Having been home educated myself during the “pioneer days” and always taught our own children ages 17 down to 2, this was a question I never thought I would hear myself ask.

But, the Lord had brought my health crashing down that spring…the culmination of years worth of adrenal fatigue which had just gotten worse and worse. I was on a forced six week sabbatical and had been told that without lifestyle changes I would not get better. We did not know what to do, the Lord was taking us out of our comfort zone and stripping away the expectations that we had of what our homeschooling and our very lives would look like. We had to think beyond the normal scope and see what the Lord would have for us, forgetting the expectations of man.

My dear husband decided that he would rearrange his work schedule to take over the schooling of the children. A dear friend down the road offered her upstairs room for my middle children to study during the day to give me the quiet I needed in the mornings. Steven then came home early in the afternoon to oversee and teach, and then he finished out his workday from home at night. The Lord provided for us in amazing ways. Our parents and church family rose up to bless us practically and as they prayed for us in our extremity.

Through my illness the Lord has shown us that homeschooling doesn’t have to look one way or another. He has different ways for each of our homes. I would encourage you as you finish up this year and look towards the next that you remember to keep your hearts open to the way Christ would have your family go about the educating of your children.

Through these trials my children have had precious education they could not have experiences if their mama was always well. They have learned compassion and how to serve. Through these trials the Lord has humbled us and given us a different perspective than we had during our strong, capable years. Many times it’s when we are at the end that the Lord brings His great deliverance.

And the addendum to this story (which of course is still being written)? The Lord after many years of searching, through a friend of mine brought Plexus into my life. After much skepticism and cautiousness I decided to try their health products for the 90 day money back guarantee. I cannot tell you how amazed I was. The brain fog lifted, the mental depression and life sucking fatigue began to melt away. My family has their mama back! Will I still have difficult days? Of course. Healing takes time. But, through Plexus I am on the right track. To God be the Glory!

Read Jenny’s full health testimony HERE.