I used to say that homeschooling was our lifestyle but now I say our lifestyle is our homeschool!
Lifestyle Homeschool is about discipling our children; about character training, about everyday life giving learning opportunities, about Bible study and practical skills. Your lifestyle will provide the experiences that will give your children a rich education.
Do you know what your child should be spending their time on?
Do you know their weaknesses that need strengthening?
Do you know their strengths that need further opportunities?
In our family we have some core things that are important for our children to learn and become competent in -
We desire for each child to love God
to be able to defend their faith
to be responsible people, to have dominion in the spheres of their life
to read, to think and to love learning
to have an interest in the world around them and the people who live there
to be competent in the uniqueness God made them – to express their passions and talents
These things are for all our children regardless of their strengths and weaknesses.How we address these things may vary from child to child.So how do we create this individual plan?
This week I did some brainstorming with Jessica to find out what was important to her and what was important to me in terms of how she filled her days. (Remembering Jessica is all but 15, and therefore has some input into this process.This isn’t so much the case with the younger children.)It is easy to get swamped, or distracted with projects, good projects, and yet they aren’t the best.What is going to be the best for Jess for the next season of her life – (this season could range from 6 weeks to 12 months).
As we talked I wrote up a chart with three columns – first column was the area of our life, 2nd was for Jessica’s thoughts, 3rd was for my thoughts.I then asked one question – the same question for each aspect of our life.What is it that you need to learn, or want to learn in this area of your life?My website, lifestyle-homeschool, is written in this sequence so it was as simple as opening up each page to see the different aspects of each area of life.
What do you want to work on, what is important to you in the areas of
Relationships – with God and man
Responsibilities
Developing your self (Intrapersonal skills)
Talents and Giftings
Academic studies
We filled in two pages of ideas – some of these ideas we realised are already happening, some we realised need to happen and others are for another season.It was truly a time where we had to separate the good from the best.We cannot do everything and yet we can do the things we set out to purposefully do.
Well done, Belinda and Jessica! I find this kind of process to be the "big reward" part of homeschooling at this stage. As Diana Waring says, it's the "Reaping the Harvest" part! (Or at least the beginning of the reaping!) We do need to be helping our young adults to search their hearts, and to hear God's voice and to see His hand active in His call on their lives. Wonderful!
May God Bless you and your family this week!
Lori (aka Plans4You)
A place to share the things that happen in my family. The longer I homeschool the quicker I realise that these are not just everyday family happenings - they are the experiences that are educating my children.
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