When my son was four years old he saw a show on television about China. He asked me if we could go there. I don’t think we will be going to China anytime soon. So I decided to bring China in our home and do a unit study about its culture.
We have done several unit studies with our son. By the time he turned seven he had a wealth of information about the Desert, Africa, Asia, Italy, and Antarctica!!!
It’s awesome to create a curriculum that my son and daughter are interested in. Children learn so much better when they have a choice in what they study.
One of his favorite adventures was when we traveled through Colorado and into Wyoming in one afternoon. We went to a history museum where he was allowed to climb on stage coaches and view Wild West pictures. Now he knows what life was like before cars. This is the kind of learning that inspires and educates.
As a homeschooling family we started our journey with online public school. Their curriculum looked good, teachers were available to support, and material was free. But after two and half years we discovered that this was not for us.
We were always playing catch up and we never had time to study the things that my son was interested in. Some days my son reacted like a cat does when you put it in water. I felt like we were the schools online puppets. No one was happy and school was no longer meaningful.
We cut the strings November 2015!!!! We are free from pleasing teachers in a public system where their ridiculous expectations are not important to us. We found that their standards were unrealistic and frustrating.
Now we are a family that wakes up in the morning ready to learn! Education is more meaningful when we can explore, discover, experiment, and read great books. I like having complete control in my children’s education.
As parents it is our right and responsibility to direct our children’s education. I truly believe that education belongs in the hands of the parent. I don’t believe my family can do that in the public school system.
What freedoms do you have as a home –school family that you wouldn’t have if your child was in the public school system?
Mom Inspired Adventures 
Thanks for sharing your homeschooling adventure with us. It sounds like you all have a lot of fun while learning! I, too, believe that belongs in the hand of the parent, but I equally believe that God calls different families to different forms of education. In our case, he clearly called us to place our children in public school. (I could write many paragraphs about why and what that’s done for us, but this isn’t the forum.) What’s most important is that parents pray regarding each child’s schooling options and obey according to God’s direction. Wouldn’t you agree?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Carole – thank you so much for sharing. Prayer is the key!!! God does have great plans for all of our children and He gives us wisdom to discern what is best for them. We live in a time where there are so many educational options and opportunities for our kids. And that is a great thing. Every child and family have different needs and desires. We don’t have to settle for anything. We the parents have many choices to pick from. You hit it on the nail – God will direct us.
Thanks again for coming by and I hope you keep coming back.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Love this Lisa.
When I taught public school I baulked against the rules expected of me. I let my kids explore. We didn’t use duplicated sheets. We worked in groups sometimes. We discovered Math. We did plays, puppet shows, radio broadcasts. But I did feel hemmed in by the curriculum. I only taught 1/2 the day English while my class took 1/2 the day in French. I didn’t get to teach social studies or science. I taught English and math but I brought in as much discovery that I could with those options.
Education is more meaningful when we can explore, discover, experiment, and read great books.
That’s my motto – and what we did with my children when I was home for 13 years. DISCOVER.
Blessings
Janis
LikeLiked by 1 person
Janis that is awesome. Math and English don’t have to be dry and boring. I wish you were my teacher when I was growing up. If you lived closer I would invite you to spend time with us in our homeschool and do fun things together.
LikeLike
I found the freedom to teach according to my children’s abilities rather than their grade level or age. My son, with ADD and dyslexia, just wasn’t ready for much of the language stuff until now. We are doing some classes with an online charter school and the local community college, but we still maintain a lot of control over what he is learning. There is no better way to allow children to learn at their own pace and interest levels than homeschooling. I’m so glad you are enjoying your freedom!
LikeLike