Homeschooling: It is a lifestyle

In my early parenting days the thought of homeschooling my children seemed laughable.  Who has the time, patience, or the skill to do it?  Who would want to do it?  I mean, there are institutions out there that you can send your children to for around eight hours each day.  Why in the world would I not want to take advantage of that?  Add to that there is transportation to and from these institutions.  It all spells out freedom, right?

Then I had a child on the verge of kindergarten.

The thought of putting that child on the bus and sending them into a cold stone building where I am not allowed without permission, well it sent me into panic mode.  The idea that someone else would have the main influence over my child for most of their waking hours during the better nine months of the year made my stomach churn.  I did not want my children to be away from me for such long periods of time during the day.  No, I am not a helicopter parent who doesn’t allow their children the freedom of fun.  My children are well rounded, outgoing, super smart kids!  In my humble, unbiased opinion of course!

The last six-ish years has taught me so much about myself and about how homeschooling plays such a huge role in my life.  Homeschooling in our family isn’t just a chunk of our day.  Homeschooling in our family is a lifestyle.  Each day we look for new ways to bring learning into our experiences.  If we are just staying home for the day and don’t have formal lessons planned I may send my children outside to journal what they see in nature.  If we are heading out to spend the day at the park my children are encouraged to bring notebooks and pencils.  They can either draw, journal, or write down questions about what they see.  If we are just going on a grocery run the children help keep the list, help with pricing items, and keeping our budget on track.

Why do we always involve learning?

The reason is simple.  Children are very inquisitive and are sponges.  If we can make homeschooling a lifestyle and not just something that we do, our children will be constantly learning and growing.  It is up to me and my husband to ensure that our children learn everything they need to before leaving the nest.  When we can incorporate learning into every day life it just makes that daunting task a bit easier.

How do you make homeschooling your lifestyle?