The last few months have rocked the world! We have all had to adapt our daily life to combat Covid-19 and normal doesn’t appear to be around the corner just yet. Many of you have brought your child’s education from schools into your own homes under teacher direction. What a learning curve! Now you are faced with the tough decision of either sending your children back into the education system not knowing how that will look or jump into the world of homeschool.
Nobody can make that decision for your family except you. You must do what you think is best for your family and each individual. You can do it!! I believe in you.
As a homeschool mama, I want you to know that if you choose to homeschool you can do it!
You are already your child’s teacher
Homeschooling is an extension of mothering, you just didn’t know that. If you think back you will see the times that you have taught your kids various skills and conquered mountains you thought were unattainable. Table manners, tying shoes, how to cook or even using the toilet. You did that. In fact you helped a lot with their formal education by doing homework at night. If you can do that imagine what you can accomplish with the teaching resources right at your finger tips.
Homeschool is a lifestyle
Over the last few years I have learned that our families does not fit our education into certain hours of the day. Somedays we are on fire in the mornings and some times we learn a lot during the evenings. We do use curriculum but not all of our learning is determined by the next lesson in our book. We have slowly learned how to get passed the mindset of studying individual subjects and can cover multiple subjects while diving into a life skill.
Recently we have started a garden which has included botany, math, language, science, teamwork and a variety of other skills. In the fall, once we harvest, the subjects we can cover will again increase as we prepare our fruits and vegetables to preserve them and create delicious food to enjoy later on. This is just one example of the way that learning can encompass your lifestyle.
You are not alone
Living in a Covid world can make it seem like we are all on our own. That you have to figure out how to homeschool while keeping up with your household duties all by yourself. We are so blessed to have the internet, where we can communicate with people all around the world, near and far. Homeschooling usually has many social opportunities to connect with families on the same path but at the moment, these interactions are found online. Join a few homeschooling family groups to connect with like minded people, bounce ideas off of and get ideas that might help you on your journey. Instagram also has a ton of wonderful families that share their daily life, resources and helpful tips. I am happy to connect and answer questions that you have too! Instagram or Facebook is the best place to get ahold of me.
Reach out to people in your community that you know homeschool. You might not currently be able to gather, go on field trips together or create a co-op but you can chat. It might just take some effort to find someone that you connect with but it will be worth it.
Be Flexible
As with any big change, there is a season of ups and down where you are finding what works for you and your family. Maybe a technique or curriculum is working wonderfully for one of your children but its frustrating another. That doesn’t mean anything is wrong, it means that you might need to adapt your strategy. Don’t be afraid of changing things up. Learning is what matters, it doesn’t matter so much how they get there. If you find that spelling is done best while jumping on a trampoline then get outside! You don’t have to be tied to writing lists if that’s not working. Adapt, change, be flexible and have fun!
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