Homeschooling is not for everyone, but one of the things that makes it a great fit for our family is that we have the luxury of time together. Though there is often lots to be done, our days are rarely rushed. On these snow day, when our neighbors were also home, we did our regular school seat work and still had plenty of time for shoveling, sledding, baking, popcorn, cocoa and lots of reading aloud. The thing is, we all admit that children learn as much from those last things as they do from the school work. The seat work my children do is pared down to the essentials, and we get it done efficiently becuase we don't have to spend time commuting, lining up, or taking roll. Yesterday felt like a vacation day to me, the snow made us joyful and added a cozy feeling to everything we did, and that is one part of the snow day that I really want to hold close. It encouraged flexibility, for me -- lessons were dropped when friends came on a sledding call, and resumed at a later time, and that is just fine. It also reminded me of something very important -- while I am happiest and most calm when I have few obligations outside my home, my children really look forward to time with peers. I need to work hard to balance these two things to create the best homeschool environment for us.
3 comments:
Balance is always the challenge and it becomes a much bigger issue as the children become older. The good news is that it can be achieved!!! Thank you so much for all your posts. I find them very uplifting. Wish you still lived on Long Island!!!
Absolutely agree! We've enjoyed a few snow days here in Tennessee as well and, although my children bemoan the fact that they don't get to skip school on a snow, we so appreciate the gift of time every day.
No apologies here for homeschooling!
Gianna actually did her work more quickly on these two "snow" days! I think she wanted to get out and play in the snow.
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