Tuesday, October 28, 2008

What Home Schooling Really Looks Like

The other night I had coffee with a friend who recently decided to home school. Her three children are young, preschool and under. She was wondering how it all works with toddlers and babies in the house.

The short answer for me was: this year is easier than last year because the boys can entertain each other. Those are the good days. But there are plenty of days when that doesn't happen. Days when Toddzilla insists on building a conveyor belt with our math linking cubes right in the middle of the school room. Who can resist that? So we all end up working on his conveyor belt for a while, and then I try to cajole them back to their studies.

Then there are days when Crockett finds Bobo's reading about the French and Indian War so interesting that he just can't resist plopping down right on top of her.  


It's certainly a challenge, but it also warms this heart of mine when a baby straddled on another child's back doesn't even phase the older student. She keeps right on reading.  Or when the new reader in the family sits down with a Dr. Seuss book again and again to satisfy that same young boy.  

To me this is socialization at it's best. And I wouldn't trade it for anything.  

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a blessing!

Lindsey,Alyssa and Carly said...

Amen, sister! Hi! Been lurking around your site for awhile, keep coming back to catch on your sweet little family. Met you once at a homeschool caroling event in Fargo... then saw your blog through the newspaper. Our children have alot in common I think and close in ages- the girls. Appreciate this post.. I wouldn't trade it for anything either!

Becky said...

This post came at just the right time! It's so easy for me to feel like every day is controlled chaos, and that so little is getting accomplished. But it's in those off kilter, "this-is-not-going-as-planned" moments that greater lessons are learned. Thanks for the reminder!