Hi there! I can’t believe we are already into May, and our first year of homeschooling is winding down. Tom and I decided he would still do some schoolwork this summer, like his morning work. This work consists of reading, writing in a daily journal, studying French, and then he gets a daily choice of drawing, extra reading, extra music, or working on writing a story. I will expand these choices next school year to include things like sewing, bird watching, reading Honest History, and playing a board game together.
I feel like I’ve learned so much this first year of homeschooling. I’ve learned what I can feel ok with letting slide and where we need to work a bit harder; I’ve learned what works for us and how to be better at planning. I’ve learned I can’t do everything yet still do a lot. I’m gaining the confidence to be at peace with homeschooling a child while still working full-time.
I am working now to figure out what math to teach next year and looking ahead to what books I want him to read. I started having him do a book report after each book, but honestly, I believe that just reading and talking to me about it is even better. We scrapped the reports after book three, and our conversations around literature are more real than anything he’d write in a book report. I loved writing book reports as a child, but now, having homeschooled, I see why my teachers assigned them and why that doesn’t apply to one homeschooled student.
My thoughts and philosophy on homeschooling are much like this: I want to offer Tom all the most fun electives and add in science, math, and language arts. I want him to learn how to cook a meal independently, as I want him to know how to divide improper fractions. I want him to learn straightforward history as he would in school and People’s History. I want him to learn about great artists of the past and those still living. I want him to study jazz and moths and know bird calls when he hears them. I want him to start a yoga practice that will carry with him into adulthood. It’s like the punk rock version of education: not part of the norm, full of wonder, learning how to be a more compassionate person within the world around him, etc.
I don’t see education as a straight line. I see it in learned experiences and letting yourself explore past what’s on the page. I see it as having time to make mistakes and really understand how to get the correct answer; that might be working for a week on a math lesson or a few problems to understand how to find the answer. It means slowing down and taking our time within the work.
Here are a few books to add to your own homeschool lessons:
(Arts and Crafts) Making Things, Quilt Alchemy, Print Workshop
(Nature and Science) Hello Nature, Wild Life, The Outdoor Scientist, The Lost Art of Reading Nature’s Signs
(Geography) Atlas Obscura Explorer’s Guide for the World’s Most Adventurous Kid, Only in America
(Math) The School of Numbers
(History) Native Roots, True West, Forgotten Founders
(Civics) What Can a Citizen Do?
(Philosophy) Big Ideas for Curious Minds
*This is not a paid list. I’m not making anything from these links. These are just books that we have and love.
I’ll leave you with a few things you can try this spring with your children:
As always, thank you for being here, where we explore art, design, nature, culture, music, and more with our children. Or just for ourselves as adults who want to be more curious. - Erin
I always enjoy your posts, Erin, but as fellow homeschoolers with an only child, I really appreciate your thoughts of homeschooling. You’re able to put into words many of the reasons why we have chosen to homeschool. I love that you call your schooling the punk rock version of education! We too have chosen the “different” path, and I truly believe it is creating a lifelong learner out of my son and out of me! I believe it has already made all the difference in how we see the wider world. Thank you for being a voice for all of us!