My most favorite part of my job is that I get to:
* Be outdoors for a lot of my day
* Teach students how to learn and play outside
* Watch as students learn to love being outdoors, building forts, examining the world around them, and building their own self-confidence
Today, I’m grateful that Forest Schools and Outdoor Education is on the rise! It’s a beautiful thing to see kids being able to play and learn in nature!
Our homeschool journey is quickly coming to an end.
We’ve been on this Journey for over 2 years now. It’s been hard, some days. It’s been easy, some days. It’s been beautiful, fun, challenging, and mundane. But, what has been my favorite part is being my kids’ teacher and seeing all of their growth first hand.
I’m so thankful for this journey, and a little sad to close this chapter…and also looking forward to what’s to come!
If you’re at a crossroads in your child’s education and you don’t know what you should do. Consider researching homeschool as an option! It really is a beautiful journey!
Recently, I went back to work in Education.
That means, we are no longer traveling full-time. However, we still full-time in our RV.
As I’ve gone back to work, I’ve taken the opportunity these past few months, to reflect on what our time traveling has given us.
Traveling Has Given Me:
* The gift of time. The time to slow down. The time to go to sleep when we want. The time to wake up when we want. The time to do the things that we want to do.
* The gift of adventure. We got to go to new places and explore. Lots and lots of hiking.
* The gift of healing. Our time traveling was very healing for our family. There were some really hard times. If you think traveling will be a breeze- it’s not. It can be hard. And at the same time the hard parts mixed in with the fun and the mundane was very healing on the flip side of traveling.
* The gift on knowing what I want and what I’m good at. Getting outside of our comfort zone taught us to get a closer look at what my strengths, and where my areas of growth are. It has also revealed to me what I want out of life.
* The gift of risk taking. Living outside of the norm is a risk in itself; however, we had opportunities to take risks and try things we wouldn’t normally do!
Traveling during a pandemic was such a unique opportunity. Now that we are back to “normal life”, I can say, without a doubt, that I look forward to nomad life, again, someday!
There has been a lot going on the last two years. So. Much.
I already knew that we needed a change, as a society.
However, the last two years. . . It has really opened my eyes to just HOW MUCH change we need.
When I think of all the things that need to change. I am reminded that it starts on an individual level. One person makes changes in their lives, and then those changes have a ripple effect on the people their are closest to in their lives, and so on.
If you’re eyes are just opening to the fact their needs to be a monumental shift in America.
Start small.
Start with one small thing that you can implement in your life.
Think about the things you are watching, reading, how much time are you spending on social media? Think about the places you are spending your money. What are you putting your time and energy into?
Then, hone in on just one thing to change. Maybe, you and your family cut back on tv time, or the type of tv you’ve been watching. Maybe you shift the kind of music you’ve been listening to.
Change it. Set a goal for one day, for one week, for one month, for one year.
If you mess up. DO. NOT. Be. Hard.On.Yourself. Do not. DO not beat your self up. Give your self grace. Dust yourself off, and get back up, and keep at it.
I can’t tell you those things that you need to change. You know what’s best for yourself and your family.
I can give ideas and resources, and that’s what I’ll be here for.
Change is hard. You may see some small improvements. You may see no improvements. You and your family may take 1 step forward, just to get 10 steps backwards.
AND- you may come out of a season. . . And, all of a sudden. You’ll see it. The work you and your family has done to make changes. You’ll see the fruit. It’ll be beautiful. It’ll be worth it.
Let’s get ready for change.
The day after Uvalde…I wrote the following on my Facebook page:
Yesterday- I felt sick to my stomach and overwhelmed with grief.
I started a story with: pray- yes….And we have to change.
I couldn’t get my thoughts past that.
All I could muster was “heartbroken”.
We need change. Period.
The time for discussions- is long past overdue. We are past the point of discussions.
Over the years- there have been numerous ideas thrown out about what can be done. Numerous.
It’s no longer time for discussion. It’s time for action.
Be thinking about things that you, yourself can change. What can your family do to make change. In your spheres of influence? Those little changes- spill over in every area- and impact others. Think of those changes. And then- do it.
You’re all right. It’s not just guns. It’s not just mental health. It’s not just parenting and how schools deal with things. Its not just media.
It’s ALL of it. It’ll take making changes in all these areas until we see a difference. And there is something you can do. What are you going to start with?
We need change. Period. More content to come.
From schedules to curriculum, outdoor play to field trips. . . Homeschooling has taught us to think about things differently!
One of the very first things we did was to take time off from learning.
We just played. Explored more.
This helped us shift to thinking about how homeschool would look different than traditional school.
We started school later than everyone, and we ended up unintentionally taking a month break. . . at the beginning of the year. We continued school throughout most of the next year, as a year-round school year. At most, each kid spent 2-3 hrs of intentional learning each day.
Our first year was definitely anything but traditional.
How did homeschooling look different than you expected?
I was about 18 when I realized that being a stay-at-home mom was an option.
I was 21 and student teaching, when I realized that homeschooling can include co-ops.
It was also in student teaching when I knew I didn’t want to be teaching in a public school.
As a Student Teacher, pregnant newlywed. . . All I wanted to do was be a stay at home mom. And I wanted to homeschool my kids.
It took about 7 years for my husband and I to find the same page, when we decided we wanted to travel full time and homeschool.
There are many reasons why I, personally, wanted to homeschool. I may share those at a later time. . . However, there were several things that were important to me, that I wanted us to have as a family.
Things that were important to me:
*Traveling more/field trips
*My kids learning about the world by experiencing the world
*Hands on learning. For my kids to have an environment that nurtures a love of learning. My kids having an environment that nurtures a love of reading.
*Us having a say in our children’s curriculum
*My kids to explore and learn about their interests
*My kids learning the skills they need to fly the nest: Chores, cooking, fixing things, finances, etc. . .
*Learning outdoors/outside free play and exploration
* And many, many, many more reasons.
Why did you start homeschooling? If you’re looking into homeschool, why do you want to homeschool?
When it comes to baking, we love SIMPLE! This recipe only has 3 ingredients: Flour, Brown Sugar, and Butter!
Starting homeschool can be a daunting task. Just like any “new” thing you may take on. Wondering where to start? How to start? What will it look like?
For us, we were leaving public school. So, after the disruption of the pandemic. After the transition from being stationary, to traveling full-time. We needed a reset.
We needed to take some time off of “traditional”, to re-frame what learning at home would look like for us.
If you’re like us, and you’re transitioning from public school to homeschool. . . There are many things to do to “get started”:
* Write it down! Write down what you think homeschooling will look like. Write down what you want it to look like. Write down your fears. Write down what you’re excited about. Write down your obstacles. Write down your values. Write down your why.
*Research: Curriculum and State Laws. Different styles of homeschooling. Schedules.
*Find community. Find a mentor.
*Keep the transition conversation flowing with your kids.
*Take a season to play and explore, and to learn naturally, before starting curriculum and schedules. Especially, if your family is transitioning from public/private/charter school to homeschool.
What questions do you have about homeschooling?
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