Homeschooling becomes what you value most
Welcome! I’m Krystal & this is my first ever blog post! As someone who often changes her mind - I am so very proud, that as a family, we have continued to homeschool after seven years. I’m starting it off by sharing three values that have stuck with us throughout the years.
Decide what your core values are and life will become just that
“If we want to raise wild + free children we need to be wild + free mamas. They don’t worry about what others think, they are passionate in what they believe, embrace who they are, defy expectations & raise children to their natural bent.”
The Call of the Wild + Free by Ainsley Arment
At Lavender Hill Farm - Learning to weave on a loom
The value of time
If I’m valuing time, then I am also valuing what we decide to do with our time. Somedays we go for a hike or curl up together with hot chocolate and read stories. Then there are days when we are caught up in our own play or projects, and met in the kitchen to eat and catch up. When I provide this type of time to my family, we always end up running on inspiration. It gives our mind time to settle down for ideas + inspiration to jump through!
I hear this statement often, “But I can’t possibly be with my kids 24/7!” Yes I get that - 100%! Is it healthy at any point to be spending time with someone, ALL THE TIME? Probably not. Everyone needs space to figure out who they are, grow relationships with other adults + kids and to feel freedom.
Every new homeschooling family goes through the same thing. The answer is to find your tribe - or build one! I made it through some dark post postpartum times, when the only thing I looked forward to - was seeing my mom group on Thursdays. Then you will start to make deep lasting friendships. Friendships that might turn into a weekly get together, or even a homeschool co-op. If this is holding you back from homeschooling, I suggest you find local groups through FB, museums & libraries. Homeschooling is definitely growing rapidly in numbers and there is bound to be at least one family close to you - but more then likely, many.
The value of stepping back
When I decided to homeschool I discovered the Waldorf philosophy and Montessori. I loved the idea of setting the child up for success. Like having food they can cut and prepare for themselves. This took so much pressure off thinking I needed to do everything for my kids. No, actually that might be doing them a disservice in the long run.
I call myself a guide and less of a teacher these days. I set an example, we do it together, then I give them freedom to figure it out. Just last night I witnessed my five year old daughter set her own reading lesson up and practiced reading her bob books! This is the magic I live for in our homeschooling journey. I didn’t need to prompt her to make an official time to do a lesson. I was doing some handy work in the living room and she was doing her own reading lesson, right next to me. Yes please!
The value of real life experience
Above all else, I saw what homeschoolng could be -Preparation for real life! To know that I can prepare them for the ease into adulthood, sold me. Here is where childhood & adulthood blue together. My daughter at six started a hiking group & a crystal selling business- all her own ideas. She put the plan together for both, and I helped by sharing it with our local groups. Real life experience! She gathered some friends together to do something she was passionate about - hiking! She even sold almost all of her crystals that her and her sister found on their own, and cracked them together.
Now on the other hand they do go with me almost everywhere. They have learned about budgeting their own money by watching us, how to take care of their clothes & the grit needed to take care of our chickens & ducks in freezing weather. When I step back & think about what they are most interested in, again it’s all about having real life experiences. Sure we spend time learning math and how to read but that’s not what the highlight is for them. The highlight is seeing daddy head into the garage, to fix our snowblower and them grabbing their shoes and heading right out there with him. They want to know how to fix, how to build & how to be apart of our family. I started using the term, lifeschool. That is what we are doing! All of us are students of life. We want the hands on experience, to learn anything and everything, and who’s to say age as any thing to do with it? This is our foundation that I believe will set them up for success, in whatever they decide do, at anytime.
& it starts at home.
For our wedding, we had the girls wrap our handfasting silks over our hands, which symbolized many different things but most importantly - us as a family unit.
photo by Vivien Stembridge Photographer
On that note - homeschooling can be anything and everything you want it to be. Every family has a different style + set values and it will take some time to discover them.
If there is one piece of advice I would share it would be to get to know your kids, & even yourself for that matter. They change all the time just like we do. If today was a struggle, plan to do something fun tomorrow, or just take a slow day to relax and spend quality time together.
& If you’re pulling them out of school to start your homeschooling journey… give them time. Seriously, time is key here. Which will also set them up to discover their gifts and passions, all while being right there next to them - cheering them on. That’s all we ever want. Am I right? A personal cheerleader keeping us going? Yasssss!
