Homeschooling

Homeschooling. Was such a scary word to me a few months even years back. Due to unforeseen circumstances we recently had to start homeschooling 3 of our children. Currently in Day 2 and we are all absolutely loving it. The sense of freedom we have suddenly felt is phenomenal. Why on earth did we not do this sooner?

I'm sure a month down the line the novelty will wear off and we know there will be ups and downs but so far so good and every day faces different challenges, but all this builds up character. We are learning to get along much better, less fighting and arguments during the day (which seems odd due to spending more time together) we are learning to understand and deal with each others differences, possibly because we are all in the same boat now and going through this journey together.

We need to find the balance between education, work and household chores, but its early days and I'm sure we will find a routine that works for us. The children have come up with some super ideas of things they want to try and do. No time restraints on day trips out, no rushing home in time for school runs, all day spent at the library, shops, day trips, museums etc. The core subjects Maths, English and Science are covered daily and I think I'm learning more than the children are about focus, dedication and patience.

There are certain things I want to leave out teaching them that the school system spends  a long time on. For instance, The Mayans, Chinese New Year, Greek Gods and Mythology and focus more on the Solar System, Geography, plants & trees, Wildlife & Nature, History (Victorians, the Monarchy, WW1 & WW2 etc.) There are going to be certain things they carry through to adulthood and a lot of things that can be left behind and not relevant. When your children's education is in your hands you suddenly realise the responsibility of what they NEED to know to get somewhere in this life. There is an urgency to teach them the right things and what's actually important and I really wished I had done this sooner, it was only fear stopping me. If you are a mum scared of homeschooling but have been thinking about it for a long time I suggest you go for it. It really is not as bad as the government system want you to believe it is. Even if you have a basic education yourself there is so much support out there and hundreds if not thousands of other families and we all help each other out. It's a community of parents who want their children to achieve great things and learn to the best of their ability.