RoundAbout Posted December 15, 2015 Share Posted December 15, 2015 That the best thing about homeschooling is giving my child the gift of time.We just had the loveliest day today! DS did math in the morning and then spent 2 hours drawing with a Mark Kistler lesson and some new art supplies he got for his birthday. We ran a few errands right before lunch and came back from the library with a boat load of new books. It's cold out and a box of premium Christmas cookies arrived from a friend so we just decided to scrap the rest of school and nestle into comfy chairs with our books and goodies for the afternoon. DS has been reading for 2 hours straight, just stopping to share a bit here and there. Some days I just love the fact that we can spend a WHOLE day reading and drawing and enjoying a plate of treats. Sure we can't do this every day, but I have a few friends whose kids are so over scheduled that I can't imagine they *ever* get this kind of leisure, and I often wonder if every book is read in 10 minute snatches on the bus. And here we are able to do this pretty much whenever we want. Sorry, but sometimes I just marvel at it sometimes. Days like these are part of what I love about homeschooling. 25 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MariaT Posted December 15, 2015 Share Posted December 15, 2015 Yes, ABSOLUTELY!!! I have many lovely memories of days like that. Today, DD worked on an essay that compared Hamilton and Jefferson's views on government. As she analyzed excerpts from their speeches and writings, she would comment to me on the different documents. "That "inherent powers" thing was really important--it really made today's government really different from what Jefferson wanted," she said. She snickered over the Rhode Island legislature's response to Jefferson's "Kentucky Resolution" which discussed the concept of 'nullification." You could almost hear neurons snapping. I wish I could say all our days are like that, but in reality, we also discovered that she still has many assignments to do for 2 of her classes. Homeschooling gives her the time to work on those. It gives her the freedom to make mistakes in time management (BIG MISTAKES) but also the flexibility to recover from those mistakes, which really are quite normal for 13 yos. Yup, homeschooling is THE BEST! Maria 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
73349 Posted December 15, 2015 Share Posted December 15, 2015 Yes. :) Today was beautiful. We went to a nature preserve (after school & lunch). On the way home, we saw school buses. DS wanted to know whether he would be coming home on one of them if he went to school. Nope, not for two more hours, kiddo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeAgain Posted December 16, 2015 Share Posted December 16, 2015 :) I was feeling the same way today. A long trip to the library followed by a few hours at the park. It is not often that it happens, and less often that we get such magnificent weather that it would feel like a sin to hunker down over work instead. I love that we can take this day, or this week even (yesterday was much the same), and slow down to enjoy what is around us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abba12 Posted December 16, 2015 Share Posted December 16, 2015 Yep. My kids are younger but waking up to find them in an involved pretend game and being able to just let them play it instead of rushing off to school. And it continues into high school. In fact that is one of our big reasons for home schooling, the freedom to follow interests and pursuits and take advantage of daytime opportunities many teens can't. As a homeschooled kid I am so grateful for the time I had for hobbies and to study unusual subjects and for just plain downtime to deal with the drama and chaos that is becoming a young adult Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted December 16, 2015 Share Posted December 16, 2015 That the best thing about homeschooling is giving my child the gift of time. We just had the loveliest day today! DS did math in the morning and then spent 2 hours drawing with a Mark Kistler lesson and some new art supplies he got for his birthday. We ran a few errands right before lunch and came back from the library with a boat load of new books. It's cold out and a box of premium Christmas cookies arrived from a friend so we just decided to scrap the rest of school and nestle into comfy chairs with our books and goodies for the afternoon. DS has been reading for 2 hours straight, just stopping to share a bit here and there. Some days I just love the fact that we can spend a WHOLE day reading and drawing and enjoying a plate of treats. Sure we can't do this every day, but I have a few friends whose kids are so over scheduled that I can't imagine they *ever* get this kind of leisure, and I often wonder if every book is read in 10 minute snatches on the bus. And here we are able to do this pretty much whenever we want. Sorry, but sometimes I just marvel at it sometimes. Days like these are part of what I love about homeschooling. Exactly the reason I taught my dc at home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tsuga Posted December 16, 2015 Share Posted December 16, 2015 Although my kids certainly have more time to read than 10 minutes on the bus, I am definitely envious. :) I don't think you can beat setting your own schedule, I really don't. I am happy you got to enjoy it this day! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted December 16, 2015 Share Posted December 16, 2015 yes... It is a bummer they don't always realize it though. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Porridge Posted December 16, 2015 Share Posted December 16, 2015 YES! Had a crazy weekend at work and was totally exhausted today. We did the bare minimum in academics, then spent the whole day making a gigantic, elaborate paper city. The kids got really into it and it was so fun to see the wheels turning in their brains. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garga Posted December 16, 2015 Share Posted December 16, 2015 I was going to say that we school for so long that we don't have free time, but I was just being negative and cynical. Sure, we school for 6.5 hours a day, but we take a nice long lunch break to chill. The kids can play for about 3 hours in the morning before school starts. They eat breakfast at a leisurely pace in those three hours. We don't schedule lots of activities, so when school is done they just hang out at home or go in the yard or bake cookies for the homeless people. (It's what my oldest does all on his own--every week he bakes 4-5 batches.) We have a few tv shows that we like to watch as a family and we sit around and watch them for about an hour while we eat dinner. So yes. It's lovely. We do have plenty of free time! Tomorrow we are going to see a play in the middle of the day together. There will be public school kids there, too, but they won't be doing it as a family the way we will. I love spending all this time with them. Thank you for this thread. I was so focused on how we do school for 6 hours a day that I forgot our leisurely mornings and evenings and lunchtime. And I've taken them on about 12 field trips already this year. In public school I'd have never been able to go on 12 field trips with them. I do love this about homeschooling. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamiof5 Posted December 16, 2015 Share Posted December 16, 2015 Me, me, me! Even if it's not always peachy, and I have to admit there are days I feel like throwing the towel...but I know I won't. Yes, some activities are more fun than others... won't even attempt to believe that cuddling on the couch and reading is nearly as fun as math lesson... but, in both situations I am with them, we are together, and I love it :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madteaparty Posted December 16, 2015 Share Posted December 16, 2015 When I am relaxed, yes. But today we were at natural history museum in Paris and just wandering around and I was stressing over the fact that we were not looking at the information cards...and that he was not practicing his french sufficiently (!!). I just need to relax more. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daijobu Posted December 16, 2015 Share Posted December 16, 2015 Like, like, like. Thank you for reminding me to be more mindful. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seeking Squirrels Posted December 16, 2015 Share Posted December 16, 2015 I'm trying hard to remember this more lately. I was getting very stressed out and considering sending DD to ps. (SN playing into that). But the past few weeks I've really tried to relax and enjoy the moment. The girls have been sick this week and I think a few weeks ago I would have freaked out that we weren't pulling off our full schedule. But I was reminded here that we can modify and do things differently, it doesn't have to be a full load or nothing. So we've been relaxing with lots of reading, audio books, documentaries, Bill Nye, puzzles, games, and a "real" lesson or two here and there. That's not something she would be able to do in ps. She would either be home missing school entirely, or have to push her body to go for a full day when she's really not quite up for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heatherwith4 Posted December 16, 2015 Share Posted December 16, 2015 Yes, it's especially nice this time of year. We finished our seat work pretty quickly today so they are outside enjoying a sunny 70 degree day. It will be cold starting tomorrow, so I wanted them to enjoy it while it lasts. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madteaparty Posted December 16, 2015 Share Posted December 16, 2015 yes... It is a bummer they don't always realize it though. Preach! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobbes Posted December 17, 2015 Share Posted December 17, 2015 Yes. I love it. Today was a peaceful, slow-paced day, with schoolwork and baking and Lego and reading. And this evening, my 2nd grader decided to focus and finish almost all of her work for the remainder of the week, effectively bumping up the holidays! She hopes to bake all morning tomorrow and I love that she has the freedom to work hard to make time for hobbies, etc. Such a gift, for them and for me. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoolC Posted December 17, 2015 Share Posted December 17, 2015 Yes, days like this make it all worth it! We had a great day yesterday as well. We read a book on the City of Troy and the legend of the Trojan horse. Afterwards, ds spent hours constructing the City of Troy's outer and inner walls and buildings from magnatiles. Then he made a Trojan Horse from Legos, complete with a trap door, ropes to climb and an army of mini Greek soldiers hiding inside. I got to see a complete reenactment of the Trojan war. This was amazing from a child that rarely will give oral narrations from our readings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lllll Posted December 18, 2015 Share Posted December 18, 2015 (edited) nm Edited December 28, 2015 by w11 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted December 18, 2015 Share Posted December 18, 2015 Yes, absolutely. My son is older, but he went to school for sixth and eighth grades a few years ago. He spent about 50 hours per week on school related activities, including getting there and back. At home, we spend 25-30 hours per week on a far more academically demanding program than was offered at the "rigorous" private school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnMyOwn Posted December 20, 2015 Share Posted December 20, 2015 Yes. My kids only spent a couple of hours a day on the basics all through elementary and then had hours and hours to play, do crafts, listen to audiobooks, legos. Etc. We spent lots of time outside and experienced many fun field trips. They also had plenty of time to spend with their grandparents. I can't say things are as wonderful homeschooling high school because they are very busy now, but I am so grateful that I was able to give them that time when they were little. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daijobu Posted December 20, 2015 Share Posted December 20, 2015 I can't say things are as wonderful homeschooling high school because they are very busy now, but I am so grateful that I was able to give them that time when they were little. Thank you for mentioning the increased workload in high school, because I also feel like I've lost a bit of control because their classes are all so time consuming. I was wondering if I had made a mistake somewhere, because before this the kids all had loads of time for extracurriculars or whatever struck their fancy. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eliz Posted December 20, 2015 Share Posted December 20, 2015 My girls are both in high school this year. One is a freshman, the other is graduating in June. We were talking just yesterday about how much they have enjoyed the freedom to explore interests and take time off when we want rather than when the school system wants. But their high school classes are demanding and time consuming. I often wish for the days when we studied in the park. We still do some of that, but it's less and less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G5052 Posted December 20, 2015 Share Posted December 20, 2015 Thank you for mentioning the increased workload in high school, because I also feel like I've lost a bit of control because their classes are all so time consuming. I was wondering if I had made a mistake somewhere, because before this the kids all had loads of time for extracurriculars or whatever struck their fancy. This too, but you can still build in margin. We try to plan for at least one leisurely breakfast together a week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dollhouse Posted December 20, 2015 Share Posted December 20, 2015 Absolutely. I don't always believe that I am the very best teacher of every academic subject that my kids could have (in fact, I'm sure I'm not), but the time I have with them and the relationships we are building are why I do this. I will never get these days and years back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LMD Posted December 20, 2015 Share Posted December 20, 2015 Yes, my kids spend many an hour legoing, bike riding, drawing, game inventing, clue hiding... And fighting. Lots and lots of fighting. Le sigh. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Strawberry Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 Yes! Isn't that the point to this whole deal? They can sleep as long as they need, play as much as they want, read all the books, and love each other all day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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