S/O: Things your kids ONLY know because they're homeschooled!

[NittanyJen]

I have been reading the thread about things kids don't know because they are homeschooled, and I decided to start a thread about things kids ONLY know because they are homeschooled!

 

I know my kids have made a lot more trips with me to the doc, and to the vet to help care for our pets, because they are homeschooled. They are becoming much more hands-on knowledgable about animals.

 

My kids are around when I have to fix things around the house and help more with chores, so they know far more than they would have about running a house and personal finance.

 

And this weekend, I am quite certain I would never have received a hand-painted box at the end of Sunday School labeled, "Ego amo te." The Sunday School teacher threw up his hands and said, "He had to tell ME what it meant, because *I* certainly had no idea. But he insisted!" I had to laugh.

 

I'm sure there are more examples we could provide, but I'd love to hear what everyone else has to say instead.

[elegantlion]

How to sleep in on a Monday morning, or a Tuesday morning. :lol:

 

Construction - ds has been to work with dh in the past.

 

going to lunch in a restaurant when you're the only child in there

 

how to drop everything for peoples' needs. I'm sure that happens in schools too, but with attendance policies I'm sure many parents don't pluck school out all the time. For instance two weeks ago my dad was in the hospital, we were willing to drop everything to go visit if needed. Last week dh was in the hospital, we dropped everything for two days to be with him. Homeschooling makes the urgent needs of life less chaotic.

[Keniki]

When my dd (now 14) was in 3rd grade, she explained to her Sunday School class why African people have dark skin. Her SS teacher took her word for it, because he had no idea.

 

 

Same dd just asked me a few minutes ago if it was bad that she's chewing her breakfast to the rhythm of Beethoven's Turkish March. :001_huh: I told her it might be hard on her teeth. (Yes, recital is this weekend.)

 

 

Older ds (23) is farming full-time because he got to start in high school. Could have happened if he had been in ps, but not as likely.

 

Younger ds (13) is designing and building a welding project for older ds today. He'd be stuck in a classroom yet if he was in ps. We are done for this school year.

Edited May 15, 2012 by Keniki

[MrsBear]

What it's like to wake without alarm clocks, just on your own when you've had enough sleep.

 

That learning happens all day long, in lots of interesting ways, not just in your seat with worksheets and tests.

 

That vacation/travel = learning and counts toward school hours because we are doing school related stuff (see above).....and that we don't need permission to go away, need to do extra work before or after to catch-up, or get in trouble for missing school since we just keep doing school even when we're away. For example, while on a road trip, learning state geography as we're driving through states is easier - map out, route being marked as we go, stops along the way to see sites and discuss history, etc., creating a travel journal along the way, meeting people along the way, etc. - all learning opportunities, just not conventional.

[Ruby Rose]

That you can have fun with people of all ages. I think my kids BFFs are my 70 and 80 year old neighbors. They teach them all about different plants, birds and their calls, and the olden days. I learn a lot from them too!

 

They get hands on experience with the day to day runnings of the house and "farm." It's not really a farm, but we have a garden and lots of animals (1 dog, 3 cats, 6 chickens, and a fish).

 

They know how to follow their interest and learn more about it and that if they ever have a question we can look up the answer.

[Riverland]

What my dd doesn't know: What sleep deprivation feels like.


She doesn't need a teacher to learn. That's probably the most important lesson.

[swellmomma]

That books are fun. Yes it could happen if they were in ps but I have seen more kids think of books as torturre devices made just for LA teachers.

 

Along the same lines that learning is fun.

 

Girls can do math. Could happen in ps but less likely.

 

That you do not need the coolest clothes, most expensive binders, $300 sneakers etc to make friends.

 

That you can be who you are no matter what. DS13 often tells me he likes homeschooling because his interests would be teased in ps. ALong with being a video game and comic book nerd he like little pet shops, webkinz and bella sara. Not a single thing in that list that would not get him beat up in ps.

 

They have learned that museums, art galleries, fairs etc all make excellent vacation avenues. In fact no vacation/trip is complete without visiting the museums and thrift shops of an area

 

Many things they know now they would have eventually learned even if they were in ps but they got to start them younger than their ps peers because they are home.

[Lily_Grace]

How wheat gets less nutritional the longer it sits around after grinding.

What the inside of a non-active volcano looks like.

How many civilian casualties there have been in the current war (he helped set up wooden tombstones for a protest on the National Mall)

Latin

What an alligator feels like.

That Omaha is home to a real Degas Little Dancer statuette.

ASL

 

I can honestly say these would have all been missed opportunities in school. The rest of the stuff, well, we could probably have done most of it around school time. These and many other experiences he would have missed out on completely.

[AK_Mom4]

That you can get your school work done in half the time at the library.

 

That the best position to read about history is flopped on the couch with a cat on your lap (this has been scientifically proven!)

[Tap]

They have learned that many things in life are negotiable. From school options, to fighting for something you want to see in the world around you. Each voice does matter.

[Mamachick2]

We worked the food pantry at church during the week. My kids learned a different kind of compassion by doing this. They (unfortunately) learned that sometimes people take advantage of these programs, but we love them anyway.

 

They watched as a pre-fab home was delivered, unloaded, roof unfolded (very cool), set up, connected to electric, the well put in, sold and moved into!

 

They've learned to get along with and play with children of ANY age and they can carry on an intelligent conversation with an adult.

 

They've learned that asking questions is a GOOD thing!

 

My DH teaches a trade in PS. Many of his high school students can't read a ruler or tell you how many 16ths are in an inch. They don't know how to convert decimals to fractions in simple measurements. Example: .25" = 1/4" He actually had to explain this one to a POST GRADUATE student! Very sad.

[LaxMom]

Cursive, evidently. :glare:

 

Otherwise, I think they'd probably learn all the same things (academic and non) just by virtue of living in our house with us.

[Night Elf]

I'm not sure about now, but when they were in 1st and 3rd grades, we started doing History ala WTM. They loved the stories. They created names for some of the people such as Chad for Nebuchadnezzar, Ash for Ashibanipal, and Hattie for Hatshepsut. They wrote out some of Hammurabi's laws onto a poster board and hung it in the dining room.

 

They learned all the states and capitals around that age too.

 

In the elementary grades somewhere, they created a numberline that hung on the hall wall that showed negative numbers as well as positive ones, so understood the basics of why 0 is not the lowest number possible.