Why I Love to Home School

There are so many reasons to love being a home school parent. If you are reading the blog, then you know there are ups and downs to any decision that we make, including home schooling. However, I have found so many reasons to love being a home school mom. I am going to share a few of the reasons I really enjoy home schooling.

We made the decision to home school when we moved to our new duty station. I had found that my kids had some deficiencies in their learning, and I wanted to help move them along. So home schooling came into play. We had discussed it on and off for a few years, but it never seemed like the right time. Moving gave me the open to make the jump that I needed to get started. There have been great days, there have been down days. but the good days make it all worth it. Here are the top reasons I love being a home school mom!

1. Cool Field Trips – we get to take some amazing field trips! We live in a history rich state, and we have been able to get out and take some fun trips during the week. During a normal school year, we take anywhere from 30-50 field trips. Hands on learning helps bring the information we are studying home. Aquariums, museums, historical sites – there are so many fantastic places to see! We have been to Antietam, Williamsburg, and Jamestown. These are just a few of the things that we have seen this year.
2. Learning is not all books! Book learning is great, but there are some fantastic movies that can be used (Gods and Generals. Cleopatra, 13 Hours, Fort Apache, and The Longest Day are just a few). Getting some hands on experience. Take an afternoon and go outside and collect leaves. Look at the different designs and shapes. Check out the wildlife in your local area, as well as the floral and economics that are at play. Hiking, bugs, and mud can make for some very happy kids. It is pure science! Let them get out and get dirty! Spring is a great time to get out and take some nature walks. Baby animals, collecting egg fragments (and then figuring out which type of animal they came from), or just getting out to see fields being prepped for planting… it is all learning.
3. Travel – I LOVE to travel. Last year we took an extended Spring Break to go and visit the grandparents. We had a lot of fun just getting away from home and being able to relax a little more. We did take a few field trips while we were there, going to Fort Knox and seeing the General Patton museum that is there, among a few other excursions. We have been able to take off and get some random travelling in during our home school time. We just pack up the books and take them with us. The flexibility it has created has been amazing. I don’t worry about moves. or any other unexpected things that the military throws our way, as we can adapt to any situation easily.
4. Focused Studies – We have enjoyed being able to do more focused studying. While we still follow a curriculum, we can focus on the areas that we want to more. We do a special project each year, and each of my boys gets to choose the topic of study. We delve into reading, movies, music, art, and anything else that we can find that fit the topic. We build notebooks and compile the information they are finding. They are discovering new things that they want to investigate more, and I am okay with that! We keep a running list of topics for future usage.
5. Family Time – While we stay busy with scouting (this counts as school too), and other activities, we have a lot more family time. There are days that we simply put the books down and have a lazy day. We will pile onto my bed and watch movies and read books. We all love these days. I use these as rewards for hitting milestones in our work.

There ya’ll have it – the top five reasons I love being a home school mom. While there are days I wish for a little kid free quiet, I would not change these days for anything. I know they are only going to be little for a short while, and I have loved being able to watch them grow and learn.

Share your favorite home school moments with us!