Our family's life looks NOTHING like it did just a few years ago.
I mean NOTHING.
We've gone from children in traditional school with mom staying home and dad going to an office 40+ hours a week, to children being homeschooled, mom writing curriculum and running a blog, and dad being an IT consultant.
We don't function on a traditional schedule or timetable.
We're living more and more off the grid, and that feels more and more NORMAL.
As my husband and I were talking about this, we came to the conclusion that homeschooling was the catalyst for ALL of this.
Taking that huge leap of faith six years ago has allowed everyone in our family to more fully realize their dreams.
Isn't that just AMAZING?
You see, homeschooling is just not about "school at home". It's about a lifestyle of being together, breaking free from many of society's norms (and schedules!) and NOT being in that hamster wheel that too often defines American families.
This week, all of the benefits of homeschool really became crystal clear to me. As I look back on our week it makes me smile to see the ways homeschooling has blessed our family.
*This post may contain affiliate links.
This month's featured resource is Teaching From Rest by Sarah Mackenzie. I'm reading this book in preparation for next year and it is inspiring and equipping me!
On to #CollageFriday:
Pursuing a Skill With the Goal of Excellence
I remember well the STRUGGLE it was to get my daughter to practice piano when she was in public school.
She loved music, but she was just DONE at the end of a school day. That bus would drop her off at 3:30 and she was worn out. There was little time left for her to pursue what really mattered to her.
Homeschooling eliminated that struggle.
Both of the children now play piano. It is a PRIORITY that practicing happens. We explain to them that we invest time and money in this skill, and if they stick with it, they will have a lifelong knowledge and enjoyment of music. They can use their talents to make others happy and to bring themselves enjoyment, too.
Music is important to us, and I believe we can pursue it deeply and passionately because we have the TIME.
{What is it that interests your kids? Do you see how deeply they can pursue that interest because they are given time and space?}
Mother's Day was such a gift to me because it was the kids' piano recital. I was such a happy mama. I could care less if they are virtuosos, what I care about is the perseverance and commitment they are learning through honing a skill.
(Uploading videos because these #CollageFriday posts serve as my scrapbook - and record of our learning. I look back on several years of these Friday posts and am so glad I've kept track of everything we're up to!)
Standardized Testing Week = NO BIG DEAL!
Another benefit of homeschooling is that we don't have to teach to or emphasize a dumb test.
The longer I'm away from public schools, the more ASININE these tests seem to me.
And, when I hear kids talk about the total fuss that is made over them in schools, it just makes me sad.
Did you eat a good breakfast? (shouldn't we do that EVERY day)
Do you have your #2 pencils and is everything bubbled in completely?
Our children took the Stanford 10 (through Classical Conversations) for two mornings this week. We didn't make a big deal out of it, and they said everything went just fine.
The kids needed scrap paper for the testing, so I packed some fun notebooks from DaySpring for them. (A little encouragement from God on a standardized test could be quite helpful - ha!)
While the kids were testing I worked, ran errands, and even READ FOR PLEASURE.
The comment of the week (from Grant):
"You know, the social sciences portion of that test was weird.
It seemed like only things the government would want you to know."
That's my boy.
We didn't do any other school this week other than testing. Grant enjoyed a fun afternoon with a friend who lives very close to us. Both boys had a taste of freedom because we let them ride bikes to and from each other's houses. They did all by themselves and then enjoyed an afternoon of Minecraft!
I'm pretty sure we could sell most kids on standardized tests if we told them they could have the week off of school and play Minecraft, don't you?
Learning With LEGO® Education
My son has become immersed in all things LEGO over the past several years.
I'm SO thankful we discovered LEGO® Education and can use many of their products in our homeschool.
This week, Grant has been using the StoryStarter curriculum to narrate Treasure Island to me. We listen to a bit of the story together, and then I ask him to build his favorite scene. (In one of the photos below you will see Jim hiding in the apple barrel listening to Long John Silver and his terrible plans!)
The other pictures show a basketball arena Grant created, complete with announcer and a game going on. Using the curriculum, I prompted him to build a sports stadium of any kind, and after he built he used the StoryStarter Story Visualizer software to create a commentary of the game -- which he called "Black Top Basketball".
Click here to see his PDF creation!
A HUGE benefit to homeschooling is that I have learned right alongside my children. When I observed how much Grant loved LEGOS, I wanted to do everything I could to learn more about them, and also blog about that, too.
Little did I know I would eventually be blogging for LEGO® Education and speaking on behalf of them at a homeschool convention.
How FUN is that?
This week I have been busy preparing to be the facilitator of a StoryStarter workshop at FPEA, which is held in Orlando next weekend.
The Beach With a Buddy
It's great to go the beach when most kids are still in school!
Grant's super good friend invited him on a spur of the moment beach trip at the end of the week.
This is the first time Grant has been gone from us (without his sister) for more than one night. I'm so happy he has this time to make memories with his friend!
A HUGE benefit of homeschooling is vacationing during off-peak times and sometimes taking school on the road with you.
Another benefit of homeschooling is the time our children have to cultivate friendships, and having their parents around to help them navigate how to successfully cultivate those friendships, too.
I am most thankful I can guide my children through heart issues with friends, and that they have friends whose parents share our goals and values.
(In the mean time, we get to enjoy a weekend with just Anna, which is very rare. This is her big children's chorus concert weekend - 3 performances in 3 days, which is always very fun, but VERY exhausting! )
I could go on and on about the benefits of homeschooling - but I have a feeling this post has been LONG ENOUGH.
Have you noticed the benefits of homeschooling? What are they?
Join Me For Collage Friday
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