I keep counting on my fingers, so I must be right: we are beginning our 13th year of homeschooling. Thirteen years! And I have to be honest—I’m not always exuberant about starting back.
It isn’t that I want to send my kids to school or anything like that; I just like having lazy summer days. I am reluctant for all our activities to resume, and I really just want to go to the pool, hang out by the river, or travel across the country.
I recently co-facilitated a session for brand new homeschoolers. They were so eager! They shared ideas, suggested websites, exchanged email addresses, arranged play dates, asked about clubs, brainstormed field trips, and, of course, talked curriculum.
My kids are in middle, high school, and college now. I miss those days of anticipation, of bright construction paper and M&M math. I miss sticky crafts, our giant box of inventing supplies (e.g., toilet paper tubes, shoeboxes, and popsicle sticks), and reading by the sandbox while the kids played.
Great article and wonderful suggestions! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks again for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHi Sarah, I just discovered your blog. I am a writer, learning specialist, dancer, and homeschooling mom to one 14 year old daughter who has homeschooled since grade two. # 1 daughter, 21, is an entrepreneur and married, and #2 son a college freshman. So my "baby" and I are on our own. She is starting high school with a combo of homeschooling and outside classes. As much as I miss having all my chicks together at the same time, homeschooling just one gives you a lot of freedom. And I finally have a lot more time to write fiction.
ReplyDeleteI've just started a blog on my author website and plan to turn to the topic of homeschooling, as that is what I know best. I look forward to taking the "older kid" journey with you.