Summer
It's the season I looked forward to the most as a child, not because I particularly enjoyed the season itself, but because it meant freedom from oppression, er . . . I mean, school.
Finally, I didn't have to worry about sitting in a classroom for long hours, waiting for the day to be over, only to be faced with a mound of homework. I wouldn't have to deal with bullies and brats or the pressure to fit in. Ahh, summer.
When I switched to being homeschooled, I remember how awesome it felt to ease out of summer. Graduation didn't come as a big shock of freedom either, because I had already learned how to manage my time outside of "school." I was going to continue learning just as I had before.
Now that I'm homeschooling my own children, we've chosen not to take the summer "off." In fact, if anything, summer is the best time of year for education because communities are more active. There are more functions to attend, museums offer special attractions, and many places extend their hours during the summer.
This summer, we have decided to focus on one particular subject - Slavery.
I picked up a couple books at the library on the subject. We're currently reading about Addy, one of the girls from The American Girl collection, who struggles with leaving behind her baby sister to run away with her mother after her father and brother are sold to another family. Next month, we are taking a trip to Vermilionville to see how the people in our state of Louisiana once lived. It's "paused" in the same time period as Addy is in. Not only will it be a lesson on slavery, but also a lesson on our own culture and how things were done before technology spit out cars and microwaves.
What I love most about homeschooling is how one subject inevitably leads into several others. We don't have to separate them out like institutional schools do. It's wonderful to watch my children's eagerness and excitement over these things. We read a chapter out of our book each day (and they always want to read "just one more, Mom. Please!"). When we finish, we discuss what has happened so far. They cannot fathom why some people would be treated with such disrespect, especially since they recently memorized the golden rule; "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." (Matthew 7:12)
They want to test out some of the foods people ate back then, which leads to "chemistry in the kitchen." I think reading about how the slaves worked in the fields has given them a new appreciation for our own garden. They wanted to try balancing pails of water (not too good at that, I must say) and dress up in disguises, like Addy did in the book.
By the end of the summer, they'll have learned so much without realizing it as we continue memorizing Bible verses, reading stories from the Bible, learning about slavery, exploring our culture, and caring for our home and garden.
Mandy is a former homeschooling student who has set out to homeschool her three young munchkins in an unschooling meets discipleship method. In her column "Delightfully Discipled", she gives a glimpse into the curious minds of her children as they follow their natural instincts to explore the heights and depths of knowledge and and are led though Godly discipleship. She blogs at MandyMom.com and Noggin News.
It's the season I looked forward to the most as a child, not because I particularly enjoyed the season itself, but because it meant freedom from oppression, er . . . I mean, school.
Finally, I didn't have to worry about sitting in a classroom for long hours, waiting for the day to be over, only to be faced with a mound of homework. I wouldn't have to deal with bullies and brats or the pressure to fit in. Ahh, summer.
When I switched to being homeschooled, I remember how awesome it felt to ease out of summer. Graduation didn't come as a big shock of freedom either, because I had already learned how to manage my time outside of "school." I was going to continue learning just as I had before.
Now that I'm homeschooling my own children, we've chosen not to take the summer "off." In fact, if anything, summer is the best time of year for education because communities are more active. There are more functions to attend, museums offer special attractions, and many places extend their hours during the summer.
This summer, we have decided to focus on one particular subject - Slavery.
I picked up a couple books at the library on the subject. We're currently reading about Addy, one of the girls from The American Girl collection, who struggles with leaving behind her baby sister to run away with her mother after her father and brother are sold to another family. Next month, we are taking a trip to Vermilionville to see how the people in our state of Louisiana once lived. It's "paused" in the same time period as Addy is in. Not only will it be a lesson on slavery, but also a lesson on our own culture and how things were done before technology spit out cars and microwaves.What I love most about homeschooling is how one subject inevitably leads into several others. We don't have to separate them out like institutional schools do. It's wonderful to watch my children's eagerness and excitement over these things. We read a chapter out of our book each day (and they always want to read "just one more, Mom. Please!"). When we finish, we discuss what has happened so far. They cannot fathom why some people would be treated with such disrespect, especially since they recently memorized the golden rule; "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." (Matthew 7:12)
They want to test out some of the foods people ate back then, which leads to "chemistry in the kitchen." I think reading about how the slaves worked in the fields has given them a new appreciation for our own garden. They wanted to try balancing pails of water (not too good at that, I must say) and dress up in disguises, like Addy did in the book.By the end of the summer, they'll have learned so much without realizing it as we continue memorizing Bible verses, reading stories from the Bible, learning about slavery, exploring our culture, and caring for our home and garden.
Mandy is a former homeschooling student who has set out to homeschool her three young munchkins in an unschooling meets discipleship method. In her column "Delightfully Discipled", she gives a glimpse into the curious minds of her children as they follow their natural instincts to explore the heights and depths of knowledge and and are led though Godly discipleship. She blogs at MandyMom.com and Noggin News. 
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