Art of Homeschooling

I homeschool because I know my kids would not make it in a regular school.  I was teased because I read all the time.  Teasing today has gotten so much worse that it's more like harassment so in not wanting to deal with that I homeschool.  It's a lot of work, some ask how I do it.  There are a LOT of blogs out there I read to help me with knowing how to homeschool.  What I found out is that what works best is following the child's interests.  Focus on the strengths, and plan but not worry too much about the future.  My daughter is nine and said she does NOT want to do college.  I'm not pushing it, she may change her mind, she may not, but seeing how she learns I don't think classroom learning is her place.  She is a lot like me, learning hands on.  I am an artist on Etsy and so my daughter wants to be one.  I am planning on her learning to focus on making a kind of product someone wants to buy.  She and I will research and see what is on Etsy and then she needs to learn craft, how to craft something with care.  She will be getting a real world experience that most kids don't get while doing school.

 She has a lot of trouble with things like staying on task, being distracted and skipping around.  But she is creative and wants to try things and has a lot of energy.  She best learns with projects, we have done mini science projects like burning sugar in a spoon to see what happens, and reading about Unicorns, and she has me reading Under a Blood Red Sun a book that is a sixth grade reading level and is about a Japanese American boy living in Hawaii when it is attack during WWII.  That has open discussions about war and how innocent people are treated and how strong friends stand by your side.  When someone asks about what she is learning I have to say, it's better to ask what she is not learning.
This is what she is learning
Opportunities are everywhere, just keep your eyes open and not be afraid to jump

Being yourself is the most important thing to be

There is a time to be quick and a time to slow things down

Take pride in what you do

Books are worthwhile when you read what you want!  (I hate it when kids are forced to read something that doesn't interest them, it kills the love of reading)  I had it easy, I loved to read everything.

Art IS VERY IMPORTANT!  It is the distinguished pinnical of a cultured society.  I use art to illustrate history, cultures, math, language and reading.

There is so much more that is being learned it would be hard to write it down in this blog.
The heart of the Art of Homeschooling is to keep an open mind and follow ideas.