Ever since my son came out of the hospital, I've been re-evaluating my methods of homeschooling.  I realized that even when he was in the hospital, learning was happening.  We had many great educational conversations about many different things.   We also read books that the wonderful people at the hospital would bring into us.  And some great and heartfelt conversations about God happened.  So why, after we got home, was I still feeling so guilty about not keeping those textbooks up?  I knew at this point there'd be no way I could catch up by the end of the year.  And once again, that would mean I wouldn't be able to "finish" what we "needed" to.  This would be the third year in a row I've laid claim to that defeat!

As I said in a previous entry, going through life-changing experiences like we did, really helps put things into perspective.  I've always been a critical and "out-of-the-box" thinker, so why was I letting this textbook thing control me?  Well, I feel step-by-step since being home, I'm starting to come out from under that gray cloud.  I'm realizing that while there has to be "some" texbook stuff, why have I been discounting all the wonderful life living and learning things that happen throughout our days.  If fact, I'm starting to think those learning experiences are the ones that make a more solid impact on our children's present and future lives.

I'm noticing that once I take my undivided attention off keeping a strict academic schedule, my children are more free to ask, think and say things, and I can use those moments for teaching.  Before, I could be so driven by keeping the boxes check marked and being sure we could get to the end of the book by the end of our school year, that I feel for sure I've missed loads of opportunities for natural learning.  Just a handful of  examples would be that we've had more time to bake, more time to teach household responsibilities, more time for discipline training, more time for games, more time for reading books, more time for laughter, and more time for deep conversations in front of the fireplace.  I'm loving it!

While I'm still figuring out the balance of things, I feel I'm really onto a revolution in our homeschooling philosophies.  Throughout the day, I've been keeping a learning journal of all the things the kids are doing that is natural learning.  This has been eye-opening to see what wonderful things can happen when I'm listening for opportunities to direct them into natural learning.  Notice I say direct them...I know that if I let my kids run wild while I go and do whatever I want, I'll end up with a disaster on my hands!  I have to be involved in directing them into something, and then be willing to take time to chase the "rabbit trails" of learning as they present themselves.  So there still has to be a basic routine or outline to the day, just not something that's set in concrete and bolted down to the completion of checking boxes and keeping textbook schedules.

Here's a great example of this from our day today:

A good friend of mine and I came up with a great plan to get some library time with our older kids!  We both have toddlers and have a terrible time going to the library with them and the older kids.  Taking a toddler just by themselves I'm sure wouldn't be so bad, but if you have to take older siblings with the intent to do some learning, well that, doesn't work.

So we came up with a plan to switch off babysistting our toddlers each week so that we could take our older children to the library and have some school time.  We worked it out where each of us could go every other week.  Today was my day, and it went great!

Here is what each of my kids did just during those three hours:

Alex

• Picked book out to read to me
• Asked questions about his surgery, we found a book on the Human Body and looked it up and read about the Appendix and had a great discussion about what happened to him (more detailed that we'd had before)
• Found a dictionary and looked up the word "appendix" and had him to copywork of the definition
• Did computer math games on the internet
• Gathered lots of loose change from my wallet and had him count up different amounts and write those down
• He wanted a book on weather, so we found one and he observed detailed pictures of snowflakes and we had a great conversation about God's beautiful one of a kind design

Hannah

• Picked out and read in a chapter book
• Read One Grain of Rice and did math activity
• Pick out poetry book and read poems
• Did copywork of poem for notebook

After our library venture, we went out for a quick but special lunch and had some more time for conversations.