Ever wondered what homeschooling is like from the child’s perspective? My daughter and I sat down for a Saturday morning discussion about homeschooling, travelling the world and her personal recommendations.
We talked about why we chose to homeschool. What she loves about homeschooling. Current projects she is working on and her book recommendations.
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Why We Homeschool
We started a life of travel. You can read more about our start here. Homeschool gave us the flexibility to travel and live on our own schedule. I know that many parents that are new to homeschooling quickly see that the greatest reward is not academic achievement. The relationship that you build with your child is another reason why we decided to homeschool. As a former busy working mom I was loving the time to be with my kids.
What She Loves About Homeschooling
“It’s funner than school.”
“I get to play a lot.”
“I get to spend a lot of time with you (mom)”
“I get to spend a lot of time with my brother.”
“We get to have parties during the week.”
“Spending time with other family.”
My daughter loves the freedom and time that homeschool offers.
- She can focus on a skill that she is learning or on a concept she wants to master.
- She can spend days on a certain topic or subject.
- She can take the time to seek help from others.
- She loves the relationships she has with her family.
When you listen to this episode you’ll also hear that she is busy with cousins, friends, and other classes like gymnastics and singing. I think that throws the un-socialized homeschooler myth out the window!
Projects and Self Directed Learning
Sewing
Zahra recently received a sewing machine as a gift from grandma. She is learning to use that. She has made me a pillow and she is working on mending holes in her dad’s jeans. This is a wonderful example of self-directed learning. She takes her own initiative to sew and she chooses her projects. The means she takes the responsibility for them. She make work on it for hours at a time, or she may take 10 minutes here or there.
Math
She loves math. Yes, you read that correctly. She loves math. We have tried to make math fun, approachable and practical. With homeschooling we are able to work to our children’s individual differences. My daughter enjoys problems, and workbooks. She likes setting the goal of completing a book within her own timeframe. This year her goal is to build her math skills and she’s chosen to use workbooks to help her with this. She also loves asking her grandparents for help which means that much more time spent with her.
Country Yolks
My children currently run their own business. They raise chickens for eggs which they sell locally. They have owned the business, Country Yolks, for over one year. They work on their business daily. My daughter divides her profits into savings, spending and investing. Her saving goal is to fund a trip to Paris with her dad when she is 13 and then a later trip to Brazil with me.
Reading
Homeschooling allows a lot of time to read. We love to read! Because we read so much we use our public library regularly. This is Zahra’s current recommended reading list. She recommends the list for ages 8 and older. (Although she started reading the Thea Stilton series earlier than 8)
Amy Hodgepodge– This series is her new favourite. The lead character is a girl that homeschooled that decides to try out school for fourth grade. She is mixed race with Japanese, Korean, African American and White heritage. Hmmm homeschooler, mixed race…sounds a lot like our family!
Dork Diaries– Written in diary and comic strip format it follows the daily life of 14 year old Nikki Maxwell.
Thea Stilton– The Younger sister of the character from the Geronimo Stilton Series. It is mystery, travel, history and facts all wrapped into one.
The Land of Stories– A modern day fairy tale.
