Homeschooling. It's basically teaching your kids the same academics that they would learn in school, but they would stay at home and learn it and not attend a school in the community. Homeschooling seems to be much more common now than it was when I was in elementary, however it seemed quite foreign to me for awhile because I never personally knew anyone who did it. But before I knew it, I was homeschooling my kids and didn't initially realize it. So this is my version of Homeschooling, and I hope it will encourage You to discover your own personal homeschooling style.

 

So it all started when I took on the role of my kids first teacher. I knew they were going to have academic teachers in school, but I also wanted to take an active Teaching approach with them at home as well. And I kinda knew that I probably wasn't going to be their best teacher, but maybe I could be their favorite teacher. And so I would always try to find ways to integrate some learning aspect to our time together, even if it was for just 5 minutes. For example, when they were young enough to be in their walker, and I needed a few minutes to make them a snack, I would find an age-appropriate video on the internet about shapes. Now I don't know if that will cause her to be an astrophysicist one day, but it only took 5 minutes of time, and I know it will contribute to her math lessons when she is introduced to geometry. Do I think she will get perfect grades in math because of the video? No, but It only took 5 minutes to perhaps create that potential. 

 

In writing this column, I looked back on some of the videos I used to play for them and they consisted of the following topics:

 

- Functions of the brain

- Planets in our solar system

- Shapes

- Alphabet

- Numbers

- Words and sentences    

- Meditation

- Art/ Painting 

- Singing

- Musical Instruments

- Music

- Animals (domestic and exotic)

- Classrooms and Schools

- Sports

- The skeletal system

- Functions of the heart

- How do airplanes fly?

- Germs

- How to become a billionaire in order to spoil your Dad with a lavish life.

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These are only a handful of topics that doesn't include the numerous amount of variations of the topics. Also, these are some of the I original topics when I began using this resource about 8 years ago - when the kids were all much younger. Nowadays the topics vary much more greatly depending on the progression of their minds and what they are comprehend.

 

So the reason I say that I "accidentally" got into Homeschooling is because I was just finding these learning topics on my own, and I saw it as a way to start my own curriculum for my kids simply for benefit of their brain development. I wasn't seeking to replace the common methods of learning in school. But as the kids learned their subjects more in depth in school, I realized that I could create an extension of that learning as well and also to help further study the topic or review more examples for better retention. For me, this was an exciting time because I had created an opportunity for my kids to enjoy the learning process, outside of a classroom.

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During this time, I really fell in love with the art of teaching and see it as something I would like to do more of in the latter part of my life.

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My kids all still attend public schools in our community, but in this technology age of vast information, I am able to be more involved with their learning than I might have ever been without it.

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