Schooling At Home--inspired changes
I mentioned a few weeks ago how we did a big change in our schooling. I knew it was coming, as the little men get older and I get to know them more and more - I try to best fit my teaching methods with how they learn best. That is truly the beauty of homeschooling. You make it fit you and your child. It does not have to look like "normal" school because our intention in the beginning was never to model after school outside the home.
I have followed Wild + Free for quite a few years and it's given me the extra wings I need to teach and to be taught as well as a homeschool mama. I've learned about learning personalities, ways to incorporate nature into our schooling, ideas for handcrafts, how to keep pressing on when the going gets tough, interviews of fellow homeschool mamas also trekking along and more. It's been a wonderful thing!
Mid October I began to notice what we were currently doing felt very repetitive but in the wrong ways. So I dug in, prayed and then went to look up the way I wanted to school and how to begin. That's when I stumbled upon a homeschool mama I have followed for quite awhile and her journey was what I was looking for.
I bought her ebooks, printed them out, read them. The following day I grabbed a notebook and began loosely mapping out what I was wanting for school, what I wanted Benjamin and Ian to learn, what I needed and I took it to Josh.
He could tell this was something I was really passionate about and he loved it too, so I did a test trial for a few days - the boys were in love with school again! I didn't feel like repetition was happening in the wrong places!
This is how I see it -- Learning should be something you are constantly doing. As a child and as an adult. It should be something you love, it should be natural, it should be simple. I don't want my kiddos to stop learning when they graduate, I want it to carry on always. So why not model that now?
I want them to enjoy reading, so that when they are older- they will grab a book at their leisure and read it happily.
If we feel called to homeschool, if we have brought our kids home to learn...why are we always trying to model it after school outside the home? I want learning to be a true feast for my kiddos, something they come to with open arms and eyes wide and excited for the adventures ahead.
So we are doing unschooling. We do math each day as a daily discipline and rhythm- that is a constant. But all the curriculum books are dumped (except math).
We use The Good and The Beautiful loosely as our language arts and literature. It is not an every day occurrence though. And this might go too because they do copywork a few times a week, they constantly are writing stories or letters and it is not a need right now at their age.
We do notebooking, which you can read more about here. This has become their favorite part of school too! Plus what they remember from lessons is amazing and actually sticking now.
I are still finding a bit of our rhythm with our days now but I can tell you this... it is less chaotic, more simple, less tantrums/moans, more pleading for learning. I will share more too on our morning collective and books we are digging into and their current interests, but for now just know-- this way of schooling is going to stick and we are enjoying every minute!
I have followed Wild + Free for quite a few years and it's given me the extra wings I need to teach and to be taught as well as a homeschool mama. I've learned about learning personalities, ways to incorporate nature into our schooling, ideas for handcrafts, how to keep pressing on when the going gets tough, interviews of fellow homeschool mamas also trekking along and more. It's been a wonderful thing!
Mid October I began to notice what we were currently doing felt very repetitive but in the wrong ways. So I dug in, prayed and then went to look up the way I wanted to school and how to begin. That's when I stumbled upon a homeschool mama I have followed for quite awhile and her journey was what I was looking for.
I bought her ebooks, printed them out, read them. The following day I grabbed a notebook and began loosely mapping out what I was wanting for school, what I wanted Benjamin and Ian to learn, what I needed and I took it to Josh.
He could tell this was something I was really passionate about and he loved it too, so I did a test trial for a few days - the boys were in love with school again! I didn't feel like repetition was happening in the wrong places!
This is how I see it -- Learning should be something you are constantly doing. As a child and as an adult. It should be something you love, it should be natural, it should be simple. I don't want my kiddos to stop learning when they graduate, I want it to carry on always. So why not model that now?
I want them to enjoy reading, so that when they are older- they will grab a book at their leisure and read it happily.
If we feel called to homeschool, if we have brought our kids home to learn...why are we always trying to model it after school outside the home? I want learning to be a true feast for my kiddos, something they come to with open arms and eyes wide and excited for the adventures ahead.
So we are doing unschooling. We do math each day as a daily discipline and rhythm- that is a constant. But all the curriculum books are dumped (except math).
We use The Good and The Beautiful loosely as our language arts and literature. It is not an every day occurrence though. And this might go too because they do copywork a few times a week, they constantly are writing stories or letters and it is not a need right now at their age.
We do notebooking, which you can read more about here. This has become their favorite part of school too! Plus what they remember from lessons is amazing and actually sticking now.
I are still finding a bit of our rhythm with our days now but I can tell you this... it is less chaotic, more simple, less tantrums/moans, more pleading for learning. I will share more too on our morning collective and books we are digging into and their current interests, but for now just know-- this way of schooling is going to stick and we are enjoying every minute!
