You Call That Homeschooling? Yes. Yes I Do
For the nearly 10 years that my children were homeschooled, family and friends were skeptical about our practice of ditching the formal books (except math) from Spaghetti Wednesday (night before Thanksgiving) through the new year.
If you’re new to homeschooling, that idea might also horrify you, especially if you recently withdrew your child from traditional school and are in the “school at home” mindset.
Holiday preparations and traditions present limitless opportunities to learn organically in a way that’s effective, relatable, efficient and memorable. There are endless lists, Christmas around the world displays, excellent books, music, traditions, creative writing and art, storytelling, baking, cooking, shopping, budgeting, planning, service and charitable opportunities, you name it. I call it 3-D learning and it beats a textbook any day.
One of the most obvious “schoolish” activities is preparing and sending holiday cards. Actually, had I enlisted the help of the children in this annual chore, I might not have abandoned it when they became reluctant to pose for the Christmas photo. I admit, their rebellion, coincided with my desire to simplify the holidays. As a result, I haven’t sent cards for a couple of years. I miss it and still love receiving greetings for the people who haven’t put me on the naughty list.
Most children are more computer-savvy than adults and my children would have been more than capable of managing the entire operation had I thought of it.
Does it “Count”
Sure it does! Whether you count days or hours (props to those folks), you have full discretion as the supervisor of your home education program to decide what “counts” toward the homeschool law’s time requirement.
Don’t let skeptical family members or your own bias of what school should look like prevent you from including organic, and probably more meaningful activities in your days.
But I Need the Structure
I get it. Things tend to get completely out of hand if you step away from the books for a while, so why not just change the books you normally read or anchor some days around a holiday-centric activity?
Find age-appropriate versions of classics like “A Christmas Carol“, holiday themed stories or plan narration, writing, art and research opportunities around your favorite childhood holiday movies.
My children (who range in age from 15-20) still ask me to break out the Tomie DePaola holiday themed books. Some of their favorites are “The Legend of the Poinsettia“, “The Night of Las Posadas” and “Merry Christmas, Strega Nona“(Strega Nona is one of DePaola’s most endearing characters.)
Take Advantage of the Flexibility Built into The Homeschool Law
I can’t think of a better time than the holidays (with the exception of a family crisis) to take advantage of the complete discretion given to the supervisor under the homeschool law to structure your days toward real learning through creating traditions and family connections.
I know it’s hard to believe now but trust me when I tell you that you won’t regret it.
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