Why I Decided to Homeschool

I decided to homeschool for one main reason. I wanted my child to experience real learning. What do I mean by real learning? 

Instead of hearing a lot of facts and memorizing them for the test and regurgitating them, I wanted my child to absorb and retain them. When I was in school I learned the game of regurgitating for a test but then three weeks later I forgot most of it.

I wanted my children to learn naturally from the world around them and have an environment where I could support their interests and support their strengths. I wanted to embrace the whole child and provide a nurturing environment to explore and grow.

I didn't home school to use school worksheets at home. I wanted my children to be able to look at the bird feeder outside and then pick up a bird book and look up what kind of birds they were and what they might like to eat.

I also wanted to give them a supportive environment where they could avoid embarrassment and criticism. When I grew up teachers loved to read out everyone's marks, starting from best to worst which is nothing less than shaming children. Now I realize schools have changed a lot since then which is great and many of them experience a lot of positive things. 

I didn’t want my kids to think learning was just forcing information in and parroting it back. Also when I homeschooled, I didn't have to give my children tests because I already knew if they understood what they were learning. Of course, when they grew older I wanted to provide an environment where they could feel the stress and pressure of testing and learn how to study so I did give that to them by putting them in school eventually. 

My Favorite Part About Homeschooling was Reading Aloud.

Reading great books was like watching a movie together. There was nothing I loved more than hearing them beg to hear more. An excellent exercise you can do with your child is to have them summarise what you just read to them, sort of retelling the story. In their own words of course. Even if it’s just a simple sentence. It's a great way for them to practice processing and memory.

It's also a lot of fun to read a novel out loud to them and then watch the movie together. Watching the movie after reading a novel is an excellent way to stimulate discussion, comparing what you liked about each format and if one was better than the other and why. Totally based on opinion of course. A great way to begin practicing analytical skills.

There were so many Favorite Books, but Here are our Top 5.

The Little House on the Prairie Series

Indian Captive

Narnia

The Bronze Bow

Little Women

If you are interested in learning more about homeschooling in Canada and what it looks like this is a great place to start  https://homeschoolcanada.ca/.

And if you would like a great website to order resources, books, and curriculum I like this store https://www.canadianhomeeducation.com/.