6 Simple, Awesome Ideas for Whole-Schooling (Relaxed 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.