This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Homeschool Blogging Carnival hosted by Lisa at The Squishable Baby and Keisha at Unschooling Momma. This month our participants are talking about their favorite homeschool project or experience.
One of the best things about homeschooling is being able to turn everything into a lesson. You can make sure that your children have all of those classes you wished they offered at your school, when you were a kid. You can also expose them to places, and opportunities that children in regular school may never experience.
Over the past couple of years, as a homeschooler my daughter has been exposed to everything from a press conference on Capital Hill, to Buckingham Palace in London. She has seen television production up close and person, and she has worked hands on with business owners and learned how to run a business. She has been in lectures with world changing leaders, and she has also learned from the wisdom of seniors.
As part of our daughter’s homeschooling experience, we have made sure that she has as many unique opportunities, as possible. Every time a door opens for my daughter to travel some place new, we turn it into a lesson, and we encourage her to learn from it, in someway way, shape or form.
She will research topics around history, and the significance of the places she is visiting. If she goes to a town, state or country, we have her learn everything from the facts that interest her, to the cultural, political, and social significance of the experience that she has had, or place where she is visiting.
As a homeschooler, learning can be especially fun because you have the freedom to try new things and you have the ability to take advantage of programs and experiences that others may miss. You have the ability to explore your interest and find unique ways to learn and expose yourself to new things. Everything from cooking, to listening to a top financier talk about how a company spends their money, or how they make business decisions is an invaluable learning experience. With the right questions you cab give your child a chance to think and reason about the options available when real life happens, and the choices they would make if they were in the same situations. Having an opportunity for that kind of hands on learning, makes lessons come off the page. Not only is it a great opportunity for growth, It also makes new concepts and ideas, easier to understand because it is not something that they are just reading about, it is something that they are actually experiencing.
As the teacher, it has been great to give my daughter a homeschooling experience that not only allows her to grow and develop as a person, but it also gives her an opportunity experience learning in a new way, both inside and outside of the classroom.
Visit The Squishable Baby to see how you can participate in the next Homeschool Blogging Carnival where we will be talking about online gaming and curriculum.
Please take the time to read the submissions by other Carnival participants:
- Keisha at Unschooling Momma will talk about a few of the writing projects she has done with her children, including a son who absolutely despises to write anything.
- Lisa at The Squishable Baby Will talk about homeschooling is more than math and science – it’s about learning how to be a better person.
- Tani at Normal Education shares how her Children learned about the election process – and got insight into its corrupt nature.
- Tati at AllMoms4Jesus shares how she takes her homeschool project well beyond pencil/paper and out into the community.
- Aida at Girlfriends With Goals will share how she brings her lessons alive with real life experiences.
- Markell Corpus will talk about the Dos and don’ts about homeschooling during the preschool years.
- Cecy Fencer will be discussing the homeschool projects that she enjoys the most.
[…] Aida at Girlfriends With Goals will share how she brings her lessons alive with real life experiences. […]