I've been getting a few emails lately about homeschooling, from the how-does-my-day-look to curriculums to socialization issues. I thought maybe a segment on homeschooling would be helpful for those that are interested. But before I jump in, I want you to know that I am no expert and neither should I be perceived as one in this arena. I do what works for my family right now and I am fluid to change. This segment should also not be perceived as a negative to those that choose to send your children to school. We all love and want our children to succeed and so we do what we have grace to do in our individual circumstances.
According our provincial government you can choose one of three ways to educate your child:
- public funded school
- private school or
- home-education.
- ISO - Independent Study Options which entails distance learning course materials for grades 8-12.
- Christian based materials (eg: Abeka, Sonlight, etc) that you purchase independently
- Child Centered learning using print and non-print materials from a variety of sources, life experiences, etc.
All three options listed above are a personal preference and costs are the responsibility of the parent(s)/guardian. There is no funding for homeschooling in our province and so you are responsible to pay your local school taxes even though you do not avail yourself of those services.
For our family we chose child centered learning. We embrace use of both printed and non-printed materials. Because our geographic location is so affected by seasons I keep most of the printed material study to the winter months when our days inside are longer. We use printed materials mainly to reinforce basic concepts but overall I favor the approach of unschooling and find it most suitable to family life and the instinctive needs of (my) children. Once the warmer days hit we abandon the books for an unschooling life at it's finest as we head outdoors to explore the world. This is my personal favorite time of homeschooling, long walks, talks about life and individual interest studies.
How about we stop there for today and continue on with what a typical day looks like in our next segment.
