Nature's Bounty

Here's an example of how homeschooling doesn't have to be expensive. Three days ago we went on a nature walk and collected 149 acorns. How do I know it was 149? We counted them!

First we divided them into three piles: acorns with caps, caps, and "bald" acorns. We then counted each pile and added them together. Then we subtracted the caps and "baldies" from the acorns with caps to see if we were correct. Cha-ching! Free math lesson!

Yesterday I put little pieces of paper with numbers on them in the bottom portion of an egg carton. C. had to put the correct number of acorns in each one. Then I switched the papers and she had to change the original number to the new number, either adding or subtracting the correct number of acorns. Each time we wrote out the equation on a piece of paper. Free math lesson #2! Thank you Mother Nature!

What to call it?

So we haven't come up with a name for the room yet, but C. and G. get very excited everytime we do something there! They really enjoy the "special" space that we are creating together. We finished the walls and painted a large blackboard on one wall that C. "christened" with a self-portrait.

So what do we call it? Schoolroom isn't appropriate because we aren't at school, and I certainly am not trying to replicate it at home. Learning Center sounds too stuffy and formal, and classroom seems sort of silly. So I am stuck trying to decide what to call it, and I guess it doesn't really matter anyway. I just want the kids to enjoy being there.

Classroom? Learning Center? What is it?

I wasn't able to get the pictures up because I was out of batteries for my camera but here are some pics of us turning "mantown" into "schooltown"!

The kids had a lot of fun painting - C. even painted some interesting pictures on the wall!

My goal is to turn the room into a peaceful place, a place where we can relax, learn some fun things, paint, do crafts, and display seasonal items. I want it to have a "homey" feel.

What's this all about anyway?

Why homeschool?

In a word, freedom! Freedom from and freedom for! Freedom from arbitrarily imposed standards, freedom from a life based on comparisons to other children and the pressure to conform intellectually, physically, and spirituality. No thanks! I envision my children living a life free from such constraints. Homeschool is the gift of freedom - freedom to have a life where knowledge is truly experienced as individuals without timetables or restrictions.

Homeschooling for us is not an activity that takes place from 8:30 until 3:00 in the afternoon. It is all day, every day, every season. Learning is not something to be found in a workbook, but something to live and breathe. This is only our first official year of homeschooling, because 6 is the age of mandated reporting in Massachusetts, but really we've been at this for 6 years already. Let the rest of our journey begin!