5 Things I Love About Homeschooling
I've been reflecting on how our family life has changed in the short time we've been homeschooling. So far, the things I love most about homeschooling are not strictly "academic" and could really be done whether we were homeschooling or not.
1. Hymn studies
My kids love to sing, and they are much more likely to remember something put to song than they are to remember a spoken message. The hymns we sing are full of powerful, biblical, theological messages They are beautiful and Gospel-centered:
Hymn studies is super simple - we just sing the hymn together. It's that easy. We have three hymns per term, and we sing one almost every day. Right now we're singing "Crown Him With Many Crowns" - all nine verses - and each week we're talking about what a different verse means. We don't always do this, but when the vocabulary is difficult, it's nice to talk about the verse and look at it more closely. Hymn singing has brought so much joy into our homeschool routine! We often have the songs in our heads afterwards, so we find ourselves humming or singing the verses and reminding ourselves of the Gospel.
2. Cleaning together
I know this sounds crazy, and I promise I am NOT one of those people who just loves to clean, but we have genuinely enjoyed* cleaning together. I set a timer for 15 minutes every morning after breakfast and scripture memory review, then we work together to clean the main areas of the house as quickly as we can! We usually sing our hymns or folk songs while we clean. I love starting the day with everything at least somewhat neat, and I love that the kids can feel like they are doing important jobs that help the family. They are learning new things like laundry and vacuuming, and I'm finding that as long as I'm involving them in meaningful work and giving them patient guidance, they are actually enjoying getting to try these new "grown-up" jobs. They are becoming more independent, and I'm feeling less like everyone else's maid.
Granted, their room is pretty much always a pit.
*at least somewhat enjoyed.... maybe more like tolerated? Not loathed? Anyway, it has been better than it was before!
3. Time to be bored
When we first started homeschooling, I felt like I needed to keep everyone constantly entertained. Then I realized that it is NOT my job to entertain my children. I want them to be able to entertain themselves. And I want them to be bored sometimes! In fact, I want them to have time where they are "bored" every day.
Thanks in part to smartphones, I had forgotten the importance of being bored. In waiting rooms, on long car trips, and just during downtime at home I used to day dream, problem solve, ponder, and wonder. I want that for my kids! They don't need constant entertainment; they need time to observe, think, imagine, etc. They have come up with some awesome ideas and games since I've backed off and stopped worrying about whether they are bored.
4. Time to pursue passions
This really goes with the whole "being bored" thing, but it deserves it's own category. When SG finds something she wants to do, she has the time and means to work out how to accomplish it. Recently she wanted to fly a kite, but we didn't have one handy. We looked up how to make a kite, made one together, and then she spent an hour or so running around in the back yard "flying" it. She's also learned to do many things on her own, like baking and creating toys and doll furniture out of cardboard. Sometimes she just reads for hours at a time. I love that she gets time to spend on things that matter to her.
5. Slowing down
It took me about a month to get out of the habit of prefacing every instruction with "hurry" or "quickly." I didn't realize how often we were rushing from one thing to the other until we just didn't have to do so anymore. We still have appointments to make and schedules to keep some days, but our time is a lot more flexible than it used to be. I have time to sit in the car and patiently wait for my 4 year old to buckle himself without taking over. I have time for everyone to pick out and put on their own clothes and shoes. I have time to stop and watch a squirrel climb up a tree or to look closely at a patch of wildflowers. Best of all, I'm not losing my temper nearly as much, I'm not yelling as much, and I'm not stressing as much.
5 Things I Love About Homeschooling
(that aren't "academic")
1. Hymn studies
My kids love to sing, and they are much more likely to remember something put to song than they are to remember a spoken message. The hymns we sing are full of powerful, biblical, theological messages They are beautiful and Gospel-centered:
"Crown Him the Lord of life, Who triumphed over the grave,
And rose victorious in the strife for those He came to save;
His glories now we sing, Who died and rose on high,
Who died eternal life to bring, and lives that death may die!"
Hymn studies is super simple - we just sing the hymn together. It's that easy. We have three hymns per term, and we sing one almost every day. Right now we're singing "Crown Him With Many Crowns" - all nine verses - and each week we're talking about what a different verse means. We don't always do this, but when the vocabulary is difficult, it's nice to talk about the verse and look at it more closely. Hymn singing has brought so much joy into our homeschool routine! We often have the songs in our heads afterwards, so we find ourselves humming or singing the verses and reminding ourselves of the Gospel.
2. Cleaning together
I know this sounds crazy, and I promise I am NOT one of those people who just loves to clean, but we have genuinely enjoyed* cleaning together. I set a timer for 15 minutes every morning after breakfast and scripture memory review, then we work together to clean the main areas of the house as quickly as we can! We usually sing our hymns or folk songs while we clean. I love starting the day with everything at least somewhat neat, and I love that the kids can feel like they are doing important jobs that help the family. They are learning new things like laundry and vacuuming, and I'm finding that as long as I'm involving them in meaningful work and giving them patient guidance, they are actually enjoying getting to try these new "grown-up" jobs. They are becoming more independent, and I'm feeling less like everyone else's maid.
Granted, their room is pretty much always a pit.
*at least somewhat enjoyed.... maybe more like tolerated? Not loathed? Anyway, it has been better than it was before!
3. Time to be bored
 |
| "I'm sooooo booooored!" |
When we first started homeschooling, I felt like I needed to keep everyone constantly entertained. Then I realized that it is NOT my job to entertain my children. I want them to be able to entertain themselves. And I want them to be bored sometimes! In fact, I want them to have time where they are "bored" every day.
Thanks in part to smartphones, I had forgotten the importance of being bored. In waiting rooms, on long car trips, and just during downtime at home I used to day dream, problem solve, ponder, and wonder. I want that for my kids! They don't need constant entertainment; they need time to observe, think, imagine, etc. They have come up with some awesome ideas and games since I've backed off and stopped worrying about whether they are bored.
4. Time to pursue passions
This really goes with the whole "being bored" thing, but it deserves it's own category. When SG finds something she wants to do, she has the time and means to work out how to accomplish it. Recently she wanted to fly a kite, but we didn't have one handy. We looked up how to make a kite, made one together, and then she spent an hour or so running around in the back yard "flying" it. She's also learned to do many things on her own, like baking and creating toys and doll furniture out of cardboard. Sometimes she just reads for hours at a time. I love that she gets time to spend on things that matter to her.
5. Slowing down
It took me about a month to get out of the habit of prefacing every instruction with "hurry" or "quickly." I didn't realize how often we were rushing from one thing to the other until we just didn't have to do so anymore. We still have appointments to make and schedules to keep some days, but our time is a lot more flexible than it used to be. I have time to sit in the car and patiently wait for my 4 year old to buckle himself without taking over. I have time for everyone to pick out and put on their own clothes and shoes. I have time to stop and watch a squirrel climb up a tree or to look closely at a patch of wildflowers. Best of all, I'm not losing my temper nearly as much, I'm not yelling as much, and I'm not stressing as much.
I love this, thanks for sharing. I'm snagging a few ideas from this post. ❤
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