Time is one of the greatest gifts you can give your child. Time with you. Time with other people who love them. And even time alone.
In this series on How to Homeschool Preschool, we’ve already talked about the importance of playing (in Part 1) and character training (in Part 2). But, to do both of those things, you need time and you need to be intentional with it!
If you’re just tuning in to this How to Homeschool Preschool series, first check out Part 1 here.
In Part 1, I shared how important playing is in your at-home preschool. In fact, some would say preschool should be all play since kids can learn so much so easily while they’re playing.
But just because they’re playing and having a fun time learning doesn’t mean we allow them to act like crazy hooligans. A balanced homeschool needs to focus on character building, too.
Question: What do the following things have in common?
According to the internet (so it must be true, right?), ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus is the one we credit for the saying…
“The only constant is change.”
– Heraclitus
Looking back on 2022, it’s tempting for me to agree and lament the unexpected, difficult, and life-altering changes that my family has experienced this year.
But, while change is often a regular occurrence, it is NOT the only constant.
The other day my six year old asked me what we’d be doing for school that day.
“No school today,” I reminded her. “It’s Saturday.”
With a delighted sigh of relief, she found a comfy corner of the couch and started reading Life of Fred: Butterflies.
Side Note: If you’re not familiar with the Life of Fred series, it’s a quirky but effective math curricula adored by many homeschooling families. We’ve used it as a math supplement over the years and all three of my kids love it.
When her brothers picked up other books in the Life of Fred series and proceeded to read math books for over two hours… on a Saturday… for fun… the inspiration for this post was born.
Years ago, I started writing about our plans for summer breaks. I shared the educational and homeschool-y things we did over the summer each year. If you read those posts, you might remember that each year I seemed to bounce back and forth between too academic and too relaxed.
By our 5th homeschooling summer I’d found a good balance. (Yes, it really did take me five summers to figure it out…)
But just when I was getting the hang of things… the pandemic reared its ugly head.
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Have you ever questioned your ability to educate your own kids? Are you scared to teach math or science (or any other subject) because you barely made it through those subjects yourself?
Or, have you wondered how homeschooling parents can teach their own kids when they aren’t certified teachers?
The “parents-can’t-homeschool-since-they-aren’t-certified-teachers” criticism is (unfortunately) still a common homeschool myth. I debunk it pretty thoroughly in my book, Think About Homeschooling: What It Is, What It Isn’t, & Why It Works, so you can check that out and put that myth to rest in your mind.
But, for now, I’d like to address those of you who are genuinely concerned that you won’t be able to teach your kids _______ (fill in the blank with your weakest subject).
Today, my 7th grader did his math lesson on a laptop in my parents’ dining room, his spelling on the living room floor, and his history on the couch.
Yesterday, we planned a last-minute field trip to a children’s museum since grandma was available to join us.
Last week, when all the public schools were in session, we took our Spring break because it worked better for our family’s schedule.
A month ago, my 4th grader and I decided to switch to a different math curriculum. We transitioned mid-year to a program that worked better for him.
We’ve got no school desks, no bulletin boards, no interactive smart whiteboard, and no lockers. Some days we start school at 7am and other days at 10am. Our homeschool is a far cry from a public school classroom.
But it wasn’t always so.
Kid: “Mommy… I’m bored!”
Mom: “Good!”
I think this is how I’ll respond to my kids from now on when they complain to me that they’re bored.
No, it probably won’t go over very well with them. But boredom – free, unscheduled, unfettered time – is a GIFT in our culture today. Too much free time can become an issue, of course. But, for many of us, time to think and dream and putter around is often lacking.
Our science experiments have usually been one of the highlights of our homeschool weeks. But recently, on one already disagreeable day, our physics lesson was the last straw.
