Our Homeschooling Philosophy

We are a very eclectic family. Lots of different beliefs, likes, dislikes, etc. We believe that kids are always learning. It never stops. And they can learn from anything. They can learn from a book, watching TV, playing outside, playing a video game, playing a board game, cooking, grocery shopping, just being around an adult, the list is endless! So, while we have a lose schedule daily for our lessons, school/learning never stops. We don’t “Homeschool” from 8am-3pm Monday-Friday. We learn 24/7. I plan their lessons with the help of my wonderful husband and the influence of our boys. That’s right. I ask our boys what they want to learn, pay attention to what they are interested in, and include them in discussions about planning lessons. If something doesn’t seem like its working, I talk to them about it, ask their opinion and we make a change, if possible. I do follow The Well Trained Mind by Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer. It is my guide line. I believe that kids need “guidance” when they are young. While I don’t think they are mature enough to make all their decisions on their own, I value their opinion and try to treat them with respect. You must give respect to get it. If I let our boys choose everything they did during the day I don’t think they’d learn “enough” to get them through life. (But, that’s just our boys and my 2 cents) This is a tried and failed experiment in our home. I consider myself an eclectic homeschooler and part unschooler. I have been reading an unschooling book and despite what some people think I do have a lot of the same beliefs as an unschooler, but at the same time I think there are certain things kids need to know. And certain guidance that kids need. At least this is true in our home.
So, there you have it. That is basically our homeschooling philosophy in a nut shell. Take or leave it.