If you are anything like me (and many of my friends), you grew up thinking that history was so boring. It was just plain torture to have to sit and read a history textbook. I remember endless hours reading, highlighting and note taking that still seemed to have little to no affect on my memory beyond the test. I vowed that when I began homeschooling my boys, I would do my best to make education as entertaining as possible.
Here are a few tips to help you relax and even enjoy your homeschooling journey.
Of course, we cannot make every assignment a game, but every now and then we try to add a little pizzazz. Here are some of the ways that we keep their homeschool from becoming dry and boring.
**No, we do not participate in school on the weekend. Staged photo in progress…LOL**
Stay Away From Textbooks…
This was the first lesson that I had to come to grips with. My hubby and I grew up attending public school just like most of you. All we knew were textbooks, quizzes and state testing. Homeschooling has been quite an eye opening experience for us, requiring us to really take a look at how our kids learn. Please don’t get me wrong; there is no “one size fits all” way to educate. However, for our boys the textbooks were cold and did not engage them on a personal level; which was a good thing because traveling with textbooks for three children takes up way too much real estate in the RV.
That is when we decided to toss the textbooks and introduce age appropriate books, biographies, movies and hands-on activities that they can connect with. There are so many resources at our fingertips in this information age, including kindle, ibooks, Google and the local library, which offers many free educational programs and classes to students.
Minimize Worksheets and Tests…
As a homeschooling/roadschooling mama, I have been filled with crazy thoughts of not doing enough and not being enough for my kids. Especially as they move into the middle school years and the high school years get closer and closer. The urge to rely on worksheets and tests to prove that my kiddos are actually learning was quickly becoming my clutch. Until one summer as we were camping in the Smoky Mountains, my husband was packing up lunches preparing for a much anticipated hike with boys. I told the boys that they could not leave for their hike until they finished their worksheets that I had made for them as a review for one of the chapter books that they were reading. The looks of dred on their faces! Of course, they complied and got every question on the paper correct, but at what cost. My boys enjoyed reading, but in one instant I took them from the wonder of reading to the drudgery of completing a pointless worksheet to check off a box on our planner.
Picture taken at the National Civil Rights Museum – Lorraine Motel in Memphis, TN.
Now to be completely honest, I still have them do worksheets and tests so that they are comfortable with these tools in the event that they need to enroll in the school system at some point. However, I have found that I can weigh their level of understanding and comprehension by simply having a discussion. You see, we talk a lot about the places we visit, experiences that we have and the books we read and during those conversations we ask each other questions, go down rabbit holes that lead us to other topics and challenge each other to see things from different perspectives. In these discussions I get more information out of my kiddos than any worksheet could ever do. The best part is that my boys enjoy our conversations and the learning process continues.
Visit Historical Places…
A big part of our trip planning process includes looking into the surrounding areas of each campground that we are going to stay at. This country is still young, but it is chock full of history. We utilize the internet to research museums in the area. There may not be a huge history museum nearby, but many times there may be a small local museum that is unique to that area. State capitals are also great places to grab a quick tour and learn about the history of the state that you are visiting. Make sure that you look up possible historical landmarks and monuments.
Have Fun…
There are so many games that can be sprinkled into your history curriculum that will make learning fun for the parents as well as the kids. The main goal of homeschooling is to make sure that our kids learn, however, the process does not have to be painful. Try to be creative in your daily lessons. I realize that everyday is not going to be like a day at Disney, but it should not be like doing hard time either. Nobody knows your kids better than you do and nobody cares about their education more than you. There are a ton of resources out there for homeschoolers to utilize, so never feel like you need to recreate the wheel. Borrow ideas from other homeschoolers and add or subtract from it whatever you need to make it a better fit for your family.
Your kids are constantly learning whether you are in the middle of a lesson, taking a hike or preparing a meal in the kitchen.
Whether you are homeschooling or roadschooling the world is in your hands! So be creative and have fun!
Tia – Soulful RV Family
As a new homeschooler and wannabe roadschooler, this is do inspiring!
Thank you and you can do it too! Trust yourself. Lean on others, there are so many great free resources to use. Attend a homeschool convention, we learned so much and got such great resources.
Awesome article. Your boys will be much further ahead with their knowledge and understanding then most kids their age. I remember a time when learning started at home and the school teacher was no more than a guide. Now, in the world of must haves and keeping up with the jones, School/ TV/Internet/Cell Phones etc. are raising the next generation. Keep up the good work, They will be well prepared for what life holds for them.