My Homeschool Philosophy

I found a quote over at Toad Haven that exactly fits the philosophy I have for my homeschool. I guess I didn't realize I had a real honest to goodness philosophy but it appears that I do! Here is the quote I found.

Homeschooling is not about sitting at the kitchen table with a pile of textbooks all day, recreating school in the isolation of the home. (Unless, for some reason, you want it to be.) For many--maybe most--families, homeschooling is about getting out and about. It is about opening to possibilities, about finding learning opportunities around every corner, and about having the 'luxury' of making the kinds of community connections that are sustaining and enjoyable. It is about exploring the world with open eyes and minds, trying new things, going new places, meeting new people. It is a veritable kaleidoscope of experiences that provide a unique educational path for every child--and parent. You can find or create anything you want, and have a blast doing it." -Shay Seaborne

That's exactly us! We do work through textbooks, after all I was a school teacher before I became a home school mom, but we do not sit and do this in the home all day every day. If you have read my blog for very long you know that we are an on the go home school family.

There is so much to learn outside our four walls. There are so many opportunities for the kids in classes I cant offer them. We also travel and camp a lot which affords other new opportunities. If you are interested in some of our vacations you can click on my vacation label on the side bar. We are in the process of planning a road trip to Washington DC, taking in some things along the way such as, Mt Rushmore, and Yellowstone. Once we get to DC their will be too many things to do all in one trip.

We did this trip with Wendy when she was Tinks age and we loved it. We toured the White House and the Capitol. We went to the Smithsonian Institute. We saw the Gettysburg battlefield in Pennsylvania and hoards of other things. Now its time to take the younger two.

This year the kids are signed up for classes to stretch their minds again. Peter is taking a class called History Fun and is going to pick up the viola and see if its something he wants to pursue. Tink is also taking her violin class again but this time she is playing first violin and she's so excited. She's also taking a volley ball class.

Both kids are taking a Science class called Inquiring Minds. In this class the kids enter the world of a scientist. They ask the questions, and set up the experiments. Its class that is much in demand and I was quite pleased that the kids got it!

We love our outside classes. We are an active family and this kind of schooling is perfect for us. I love then finding something like the statement above that just sums up our home school experience in one tidy nutshell.

Over on Homeschool 101 is a list of 10 things you need to know about homeschooling. Number 9 is this:

You do not have to starve or live in a tent to homeschool your children. Thousands of homeschooling families are able to make the money they need and homeschool their children at the same time. While you create a family business or dream job, or restructure your current job, your children will learn the most important skill of all- how to create the life of their dreams.

Now doesn't that just go along with my post on cottage industries? That's what I love about tutoring. It's perfect for a homeschooling mother like myself.

I'm excited for the new home school year. A lot of stuff has to happen between now and then but it doesn't stop me from feeling that rush of adrenalin at the thought of school in the fall!