The Sky's the Limit

It's time for a little look back on our first term of homeschooling. It has definitely had it's ups and downs.

Home based education had always looked very picturesque in my mind's eye. I imagined us transitioning effortlessly from one undercover learning experience to the next, surpassing all expectations. I somehow believed that my child would cooperate in every circumstance, and see the worth in each and every activity presented to him. I may have actually thought that we would never have another argument ever again, because, let's face it - we were about to embark on the most idyllic existence possible.

Okay, I guess I'm prone to delusions. Aren't we all? As it turns out, the home school experience is every bit as rewarding and frustrating as parenting itself. It's that same old paradox. Oh, well. At least we are all making the most of every day and having some pretty amazing adventures as we learn. We've been to the zoo, parks, friends' houses, concerts, science labs, libraries, festivals, basketball, museums...it really has been a busy and exciting month.

We had our first visit by the home school moderator, who asked some questions and made some suggestions. He classed our learning style as 'natural' and 'eclectic'. This sounded just right, and I was glad there were boxes to tick that represented our method. Following a strict curriculum that prohibits us from following our natural motivations does not appeal to me. I have always believed that the deepest learning occurs where internal drive and motivation are at their highest.

Speaking of drive and motivation, we struck pure gold this week. For the past few months, our boys have been absolutely crazy over the game Skylanders (a strange story about many funny creatures who do stuff, have unique powers, and are sold separately, thank you very much). Well, today the 'penny' dropped for master six. He realised a little while ago that Skylanders were available for a price. However, today he made the link between doing jobs, earning money and buying Skylanders. This was a massive win for us all.

This of course, makes way for massive learning opportunities. He now has the internal drive necessary to set goals, contribute to the household, familiarise himself with money, budget and prioritise. As it stands, he chooses to write about Skylanders most days of the week and constantly role plays Skylanders with his little brother. Today we reserved Skylanders chapter books at the local library and he drew Skylanders in art class today. This really is the perfect unit of study for him at this moment in time.

I'm sure as the days and weeks roll by, we will discover new ways that the Skylanders can teach us. For now, I'm so thankful we've gained this momentum. Let's see how long we can ride it for!