When I wrote my book, Family Field Trip, started my blog, and this newsletter, I wasn’t a homeschooling parent yet; I was a mom with a BS in Early Childhood Education who had always dreamed of homeschooling but hadn’t made the transition to a full-time educator in the home. I was supplementing a lot of my son’s education, for example, after-school art lessons, forest school, piano lessons, regular trips to the library to find books that he was interested in reading, lots of nature walks, as well as looking for all of the educational experiences we could find when we traveled. And we took a lot of field trips!
As my son finished fourth grade, we decided to take the leap and start preparing for homeschooling the following school year. My son had been asking for this for two years prior; almost daily, he asked if we could homeschool. My job became a bit more flexible, and I had been researching getting started since he had started asking to make the switch. I saw our window to get started and took it. I also realized that his age (11) is a great time to begin. He’s self-motivated (most of the time); I can give him his assignments and then allow him the time to do his work, coming to me when he needs help. We still do a lot together, but he’s so much more self-reliant than if we had started when he was five or six.
I am fully of the camp that homeschooling is not for everyone. Still, a lot of what I like to write about and the direction that I lean towards with our homeschooling are lessons and activities that can be done from anywhere, any age, and whether you are homeschooling or simply looking to add a bit more enrichment into your child’s formal traditional school education. My hope is that you don’t read this newsletter feeling like this is an aspirational experience that can only be achieved if you homeschool. Teaching is not for everyone, and that’s ok. Please don’t let any parent make you feel less than because you have no desire to teach your kids day in and day out. Here’s a great list of questions to ask yourself before getting started.
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