It may seem obvious that if you are homeschooling, you’ll be homeschooling at – where else — home! But this may or may not be true. As homeschooling parents know, learning can take place almost anywhere!
In the Home
We do most of our schoolwork at home. When all of my kids were small, we had a couple of Little Tikes desks where they could sit. The desks were side by side, and I sat on the floor beside them to help the children as they needed it. As the kids outgrew the desks, we moved to the kitchen table. That way, when they didn’t need my help, I could watch to make sure they were actually doing their work.
These days, my youngest still works at the kitchen table, but the older kids work at desks in their room. Sometimes they move to the living room, and other times they take their work outside.
When deciding where your kids should do schoolwork, consider your own personality as well as those of your children. Some parents and children do better with a more structured atmosphere. If you have the space, you can set up a “school room” just for learning. You might have a large whiteboard or chalkboard on the wall; the kids might sit at regular school desks. You might have bookshelves lining the walls full of texts, science equipment, and hands-on activities.
Even if you don’t have an extra room in your house, you can convert part of another room into a school space. Check out this site for some ideas to get you started.
Other parents prefer a more relaxed set-up. Their kids may stay in their pajamas until after lunchtime. They might work on the sofa, in a bean bag chair, or sitting on a trampoline.
In the Car
Sometimes life demands that you are in the car a lot. Perhaps you have a lot of errands or appointments you need to take care of. If that’s the case, you don’t have to let your school time slip away. Take along some workbooks that can easily be completed during the ride. Or you might try listening to books on CD as you go. Besides fictional books, you can listen to stories like those by Jim Weiss, or historical accounts such as those in The Story of the World.
On Location
One of the best parts of homeschooling is having the time and flexibility to go new places and try new things. Field trips are a great way to provide hands-on learning to elementary students. Local field trips might include tours of farms, stores, bakeries, restaurants, museums, historical sites, fire stations, and police stations. Or you might take a longer trip to visit a special city or national park. You could also incorporate schooling into a family vacation as you child journals about the things they see and do.
Where does your family like to homeschool?
Photo by: WoodleyWonderWorks