5 Tips from my own relaxed homeschool

This year we have had an incredibly large jump in “enrollments” in home education. Even public school parents have had to adapt by using methods usually thought of as homeschool methods. Now, while I believe homeschool is homeschool, and not really the same as virtual school, or especially public school’s emergency version of virtual school I do realize there are similarities, and those who are “emergency schooling” could definitely do with some guidance. The beauty of home education is that there are countless ways to approach it. Options that have descriptions from school at home to unschooling are all legitimate choices. The most difficult ones to take part in are often cited to be the virtual schools that take place in real time.

My personal approach is a relaxed one with structure to a certain degree. These are some tips for those things that I have found helpful over the last 7 years while homeschooling Middle Girl from 5^th grade up. Youngest joined us a year later.

1. Stop, or slow down and observe

First and foremost, observe your kids and how they learn best. Do they do best with a workbook, or hands on? The next part of this, though is slowing down and letting them observe the world around them. For us this happens most often when we spend time outside, which leads to many of our biology studies. Several years we’ve homeschooled a large portion of their portfolio has come from nature journals- Seriously, simple notebooks where they write something about what they observed daily, or weekly. We’ve also learned strange things that it would not have occurred to me to teach, such as how to say thankyou in several languages. This went slightly smoother since, though I only speak 1 language I recognize a couple phrases from several. I took the picture so we could continue exploring at home.

2. Look for something hands on, fun and interesting

There are countless books for simple at home projects. You or your child may have your own ideas for this. Honestly with the background I have not a whole lot scares me, but with the books full of ideas there’s no shortage of simple ones available. Obviously we now have the internet too- More on my thoughts on this later. My daughters have explored things from siphoning lemonade to burning alcohol. There are countless others. Way too many to write about here, and I’ve agreed not to use photos that show their faces! Money always helps solidify math/number concepts. We leaned on that heavily as Youngest was terrified of math when she came home for school. Oh, and I fully intend to include them in every aspect of building on our property! Youngest is currently “playing” with a 100’ measuring tape.

3. Get them out to see the world!

Ok, this year this one is a bit different, but if you do go out and about look for the opportunities for your kids to learn (without making it feel too much like school). This one changes according to their ages too. Let them interact with the person at the deli. Let them navigate. On our first big trip out Middle girl had shown she does well with maps. She navigated (using Google maps) for me from Washington DC to W.Virginia! Let them take part in planning too! Reading the arrivals board is interesting, and keeps their attention where you need it too. Not to mention the things you see while traveling!

4. Don’t be afraid of “T.v.” or the internet.

Seriously, I’m not really a fan of young children having too much screen time, but There are some seriously awesome learning opportunities there. I would be remiss to exclude them, and honestly, my daughters were the ones that found most of them! Here are three of my favorites, that I enjoy watching with them and offer legitimate learning.

1. The King of Random. There are some MythBusters vibes, but it’s on a smaller scale, and more… accessible. It’s also far more random than that. Like, can you make cotton candy from honey? What do various things do in a freeze dryer? Does gas burn in liquid nitrogen? Making a hoverboard. Burning stuff. Putting things in liquid nitrogen, dry ice. They choose the questions from those asked in the comment section! (Sadly the founder is no longer with us, but built a channel worthy and capable of continuing) Spoiler alert: there’s a new guy who was introduced on the last video. He used to work at NASA. I’m anticipating good things!
2. Mark Rober. A NASA scientist who worked on the Mars rover. His experiments and projects tend to be longer term and more scientific background is included. They are fascinating though, and easily approachable. He actually did a few science lessons (Focusing on Physics) starting around March 2020. I’ll leave it to your imagination as to the timing… The science is solid, and he makes it fun to watch. His desire to be the worlds best uncle comes in to play often- and I suspect his nieces and nephews would nominate him for it. Yes, he made the glitter bomb video to get revenge on porch thieves. Sadly after posting that video he discovered that a couple of the people who had placed glitter bombs for him in other locations had faked their footage. This however led to both a sincere apology from him and now a new version of the video, and an update to the glitter bomb. I think his response to the event showed solid ethics too!
3. Safari Live I know I’ve mentioned this event before when discussing favorite things to use for homeschool. This is an African Safari they livestream twice daily. There are “passengers” from around the world and anyone can interact with the hosts by sending questions. There is also a chat option with everyone else watching as well if you choose to use it. (Clearly this is a parental discretion thing when you have kids viewing) They also have a more “kid friendly” portion in the beginning of the one that plays in the morning in the Eastern Time Zone. During that time they try to steer clear of animals mating or things like a leopard stalking and catching prey. They also focus on answering kids questions at this time. I personally allow (and in fact encourage) my daughters to watch at the “regular times.” My daughters have also each written in a shared journal about the safari’s we have joined. I hope to keep and enjoy this one as a keepsake for many years. While Youngest was younger especially I allowed much of her entries to be drawings. One portion of it is dedicated to the various leopards we have gotten to know, and their “families.” Genealogical information if you will. That portion was started to emphasize how professionals can tell them apart.

5. Have fun!

Listen to their ideas. When you see an opportunity your kids would benefit from, grab it! Don’t over schedule. Leave room for the unexpected. Dance in the kitchen. Bake cookies. See someone doing something your child is interested in? Ask questions, or better yet, allow your child to! I remember beginning this journey was overwhelming, and a bit scary. It is also full of opportunity, and potential! Embrace it. Especially in the beginning Keep it simple and find your rhythm. Obviously, this year is a bit different. My advice stays pretty much the same though. Embrace the adventure of it and don’t over think it. Actually, I think that advice may be even more suitable now than it was last year. Leave enough room in any schedule you make to allow you to go with the flow when change becomes the better route.