Homeschooling

This blog is about our homeschooling adventures and how we have integrated learning into our lives.  That means our learning isn’t just during school hours, and isn’t limited to a “school room” (though we do have a school room).

The What of Homeschooling

What is homeschooling?  I’m sure that’s some people’s first question, it’s the parent or primary caregiver being primarily responsible for their child’s education.  They may use tutors or classes outside of the home, but their child does not primarily go to school somewhere else.

Homeschooling in each family is going to look different as homeschoolers have different philosophies.

Here at Adventures in in a Messy Life we use a hands-on eclectic philosophy of teaching. If you want to know more about hands-on learning, I would suggest reading our series “How I teach using hands on learning.”

As a homeschooler, I’m responsible for my kids’ learning, and making sure they learn everything they need to be successful adults.  As I homeschool I’ve discovered there are skills I take for granted that I know, and my kids will of course know, as I teach them these skills I will add them onto this page.

I figured out that needed to be an entires series called Homeschool How To.

The Why of Homeschooling

Everyone homeschools for different reasons.  My reason to homeschool will change depending on when you ask me.  If you ask me in the morning I will say “so I don’t have to wake up early and get to school on time,” but most of the time my answer is a bit more serious.

I love the freedom homeschooling gives us.  We are building a strong family and great friendships between my kids because they are together so often.  We are free to take a vacation when it is convenient for us because we do not have to worry about missing too much school.  That means we can go to Disney World in February.

I homeschool because I want my kids to have more.  I want my kids to have more history.  I love history and they teach almost nothing for most of their time in school.  I want them to know and understand history.  I want my kids to understand science reflexively.  I want them to be able to explain how the world interacts and how their brain works.

I homeschool because my kids are not cogs to be put into the system.  Today’s schools are not designed to create free thinkers who understand our world.  Today’s schools are designed to test and organize our children into a system.  I want my children to change the system and see the flaws.

The How of Homeschooling

Homeschooling has many different how questions.  How do I pick curriculum?  How do I schedule my day?  How do I organize all this stuff?  How do I keep my house clean and homeschool (if you find that answer, let me know it)?

Nested under this tab you will find more information on how we homeschool, and suggestions for some great homeschooling materials or units.  Here’s my plans to add under here (links will go live as I get each page written, I am after all a homeschooling Mom, with time that goes with that).

Homeschooling and the Holidays

There are so many great topics and ideas you can cover during the holidays, not to mention figuring out how to homeschool for some holidays (cough, Christmas, cough cough)

Homeschool Curriculum

Through the years we’ve tried and used many different homeschool curriculum.  I’ve tried to write reviews of every piece of curriculum I’ve used over the years.  I haven’t quite succeeded, but I’ve gotten quite a few written.