I never daydreamed about calling myself a homeschool mom, but the path to a more self-reliant life has led me here. Homeschooling is about freedom, flexibility, and allowing our kids to learn through play and adventures. This morning my son came up to me wearing his space suit and said, "I'm going to Mercury today!" My response? "What's the climate like, and what do you need to pack? Should we open up some articles on this planet so that you're more prepared?" Thankfully, he thought that was the best idea and we ended up finding this awesome planet song in the process. Thank you a million times #KLT, who created this video! Our kids have watched this two or three dozen times in the last 24 hours! Link below 👇
This experience, along with many others, has me truly curious about unschooling. Why should kids wait until college to get involved in their educational choices? By the time college comes, they have already been programmed to memorize and regurgitate facts on demand without much thought about why the information is relevant. We wonder why kids change majors six times or drop out. This whole school system has me wondering; what if we allow our children to lead their education by following genuine interests?
What about this? As adults, when we want to learn about something, what's the first thing we do? Go to YouTube? The library? The internet is loaded with valuable connections for those who wish to find them. We might know a friend who is an expert in a specific field, so we call them.
If knowledge is readily available, how do we get our kids to want to access it? Maybe the goal isn't to have our children hammer out worksheets for hours on end but to inspire them to seek knowledge. A curious mind is driven to find answers or how-to videos on making bread or even learn a language. We constanlty hear many kids expressing excitement for the day school is done, but learning is a lifelong process. How do we blur the lines between real life and school so that our children become adults who continue to learn for the pure joy of it?
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