This is a sequel to the post, ABC’s of home schooling,which has A-N described.
ABC's for Homeschooling
O
is for Outdoor Activities. Outdoors is where life and learning are happening. A spelling game can be played walking to the mailbox.
Hiking - a great family activity
Hiking and camping trips are not limited to weekends. A sailboat can be a classroom. A bike ride can be a biology field trip. Bird watching can lead to a lifetime of learning.
P
is for Parents who chose to give their children a chance to learn differently: Parents who go against the conventional wisdom of family and friends, parents who make professional sacrifices to spend the short years of childhood with their children, parents who take responsibility for educating their children without the financial support of government institutions. Parents have the right to choose how their children are educated without the interference of the government. Homeschooling parents devote much energy and time to allow their children to learn in freedom from constraints of artificial standards and environments. Being a homeschooling parent is not the easiest path to take, but it can be a very rewarding journey.
Q
is for all the Questions that children ask. Asking questions and searching for the answers is the true art of learning. A simple question from a child like “How do joey kangaroos get into the mother’s pouch?” can lead to a learning adventure of finding books at the library, videos, internet searches, kangaroo craft projects, and more.
R
is for Reading, reading, reading! How can children be successful in life? By reading, reading, reading! How do children learn to read? They have parents that read, read, read to them. They read books, newspapers, magazines, comic strips, dictionaries, encyclopedias, children’s books and more. There is no magic formula to learn how to read, but children who are read to daily for as little as fifteen minutes from the time that they are born will develop reading skills quite naturally.
S
is for Simple Science Experiments that you can do in your kitchen or your garage that can provide more opportunities for young
Science is fun
minds to learn than the most advanced science labs in any school building. Science is about trial and error, making observations, learning from mistakes. Some experiments may be quick and easy, but many require time, and homeschoolers, fortunately, have control over how they choose to spend their time.
T
is for the Time that families can spend living and learning together. Homeschoolers have control over their schedules, and their lives are not dependent on class schedules, school holidays, bells, bus routes, bells, standing in lines, scheduled field trips, bells, snow days, grading periods, bells, standardized testing, or whatever restrictions schools put on your time that should be time spent enjoying learning.
U
is for Umbrella Schools that allow students to “rise out” of school systems and develop the potential that is in every student, but is often forced down by schools. Umbrella schools can help ease the transition from public school life to homeschool life by handling the legal and paperwork for new homeschooling parents.
V
is for Volunteering. Volunteering and learning go together perfectly. If you choose to volunteer to work, you are interested in what you are doing. Volunteering is real experiential learning that cannot be duplicated in a classroom. Volunteering in a job will develop knowledge that will last your entire life, not just until the next test.
W
is for Writing. Write about yourself, your family, things you like to do, your interests. Write a letter to the editor. Write a poem. Write
Write about life
a song. Write in a daily journal. Write an article for a magazine. Write a book. Write, write, write! Do not worry too much about grammar and rules when you are first putting your ideas down on paper, there will be time to come back and edit and correct your mistakes later.
X
is for eXtraordinary people who are really no different from you or me, but they were willing to take a risk, think differently from the crowd, take their children out of the public school system, go against the grain, believe in themselves, and make a difference in the world!
Y
is for Young Minds that are so willing and ready to learn, with guidance from caring adults. They will develop and grow into independent and responsible adults who will pass on the gift of learning to the next generation.
Z
is for Zygodactyl which is a type of bird’s foot that has two toes pointing forward and two toes pointing backwards, like on a parrot or a woodpecker. I would have never discovered this word, but fortunately I am a homeschooling parent, so my learning, like my children’s, is unlimited. And learning new things, such as the meaning of words like zygodactyl, are challenges that homeschoolers thrive on! © 2002 Scott Stevens
Treasure hunt your own home to find fabulous family fun.
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