I recently did an interview with Nicola from The World is Their Classroom. She asked me along with many other home educators a few typical home school questions. I will post my interview below, but if you want to check out some of the others you can find them here in the Chia Chat section on her blog.
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Hi! I'm coming over here today from The Slow Paced Life where I blog about simplifying, home schooling, gardening, slowing down and life in general. I'm happy to be a part of this chat and am enjoying learning more about all of you. Just for reference - I'm happily married with two boys ages 8&5. I work from home full time, and my husband works seasonally.
When and why did you decide to Home Educate?
We decided to home school just before my oldest was going to be starting junior kindergarten. I always said, "I could never do it." My husband was the one who decided to take it on at first and now we share the teacher role. In the past, we both worked out of the house full time, and my oldest was in daycare. We hated the busy lifestyle and that we didn't get to see our son as much as we wanted. He didn't seem to be enjoying it either. We realized when I was home on maternity leave with our youngest that life is so much better when one of us can be at home. My husband decided to stay home at that point, and I followed by starting my own business from home a couple years later. One of our main goals was to be able to spend time together as a family. Home school has allowed for that. We feel we were blessed with our boys and trusted to take care of them. We wanted to be able to do that ourselves. There are many other reasons as to why we felt this was the right move for our family, but I'll leave it at that for today.
What kind of approach do you take?
We have an eclectic method and mix a little bit of everything together.
Where do the children do most of their work? and do they distract each other?
They mostly work at the dining room table. Yes, they can distract each other! Lately my oldest has been taking his work to his room so he can focus a little better on his own.
What is your favourite thing about Home Education?
The FREEDOM! That and being able to see their faces light up when something clicks or they discover something new.
What subjects do you teach and do you stick to a timetable?
We teach math, English, grammar, art, science, social studies, history, geography, music, bible, along with everyday life skills. Our main goal is to inspire and encourage a love of learning so they are motivated to discover things themselves. We want them to questions things, come up with their own ideas, and think things through on their own. We don't have a strict timetable, but do try to accomplish a certain amount per year.
What do you find most difficult and why?
Some days it can be frustrating and I don't want to take my frustrations out on my kids.
How do you react to people asking about socialization, do your children easily socialize and work well with others?
My boys are both quiet. Both my husband and I are quiet. I tell people they would be quiet whether or not they were in school - I was.
I also wrote a blog post about this you can find it here. I share a personal story that helps shed some light on the issue.
Have family supported your decision?
Yes, though they had some questions at first.
How do you incorporate Physical Education into your Home Ed days?
I have two boys, they pretty much take care of this themselves! We do go outside every day and they have played on our local soccer, basketball and baseball teams.
Do you plan and how far in advance?
We have a general plan for the whole year, but the specifics aren't really planned out until last minute.
What's a typical Home Ed day like?
Our days do vary, but typically we get up and eat breakfast. Once they are dressed and ready for the day we get started with our work books. Mid way through the morning we go outside for a break & have a snack. We try to finish up the book work before lunch. When they are done the book work, they need to practice their music and read on their own. After that they are free to play. We normally end up outside again for a bit in the afternoon, it's also when I will sometimes read aloud, we do a special project, or cooking / baking together.
Do you spend a lot of money on resources?
No. I love that it doesn't need to be expensive. We get a couple work books per kid that normally cost around $10 each. We use the library, online resources, the dollar store, second hand items, etc.
How do you make time for yourself?
That time is not always easy to find. We do put our kids to bed early so we can have a bit of an evening. I also walk the dog by myself before my husband leaves for work in the mornings. I'm finding as the boys are getting older they are getting better at playing together without me around, so there's hope for those of you with younger kids! I can remember a time not long ago when a nice shower felt luxurious.
What advice would you give to someone just starting their Home Ed journey?
Try to relax. Your kids will naturally learn things (it just may be a different timeline than you are expecting) and just having the one on one attention will go a long way. Don't compare your family with anyone else, just focus on the little accomplishments you and your kids are making.
To follow along or get in touch you can find me at: https://theslowpacedlife.wixsite.com/theslowpacedlife
On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theslowpacedlife/
And on Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.ca/slowpacedlife/
Special Thanks to The World is Their Classroom for hosting a Chia Chat!
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