10 Life Lessons Learned from Homeschool

In 2013, Our family began homeschooling. We didn’t plan on it. We didn’t expect it. But it happened. In fact, I fought the change more than anyone else. Why should I homeschool my children? There had to be another answer. Being a public school teacher, I believed in the system. I wanted to believe that it could work for my family.

Life Lessons I've Learned From Homeschooling

Even though I have days where I detest the fact that we homeschool, in the end, I can honestly say that I think we have made the right decision for our family. In fact, I think if I look closely I can find 10 valuable life lessons I have learned from homeschooling in just a short time.

Taking Time to Learn From Life is Vital

Homeschool Learning

In the two months we have been homeschooling, we have stopped along the side of the road to investigate something that interested the boys. Before homeschooling, life was rushed. Rushed to get breakfast and shuffle off to school and work, rushed during the day, rushed to make it home in traffic to make dinner, rushed to do homework, rushed to get ready for bed. There was no time to enjoy learning from life. We try to leave early for anywhere we HAVE to be so that we can take a moment to stop, wonder, and investigate if we feel inclined.

Did you know they put rocks on the top of some buildings?

 Learning Can Be Fun and Silly at the Same Time

diy yarn ball ornaments

Since we are homeschooling on a budget, we have not purchased a curriculum yet. We are enjoying our learning. There are days that the boys are still going strong at 8 or 8:30 and don’t realize they are still doing “school”

 Foster Creativity

Homeschool Thinking

At the start of December, I asked my boys to make a Wishlist of things they wanted to try while we were on our Deschooling process. Homeschooling has allowed us the time to take the projects and work on them for days. Legoman’s favorite project was the marble run, while Bones really liked the sensory play with snow.

A Messy House Means a Busy Day of Learning.

Homeschool mess

No. No. No. This is not true. Our house is not always clean. It isn’t always this messy either. However, I have learned to let go of some of my daily expectations while trying to figure out homeschooling. I have to remind myself that a messy house means we must have been really busy learning. Right?

Children Make Excellent Minions

Homeschool Chores

I mean who wouldn’t want an extra set of hands around to clean up the messes? No, really. The real thing I have learned is that homeschool has allowed our family the time it takes to instill good habits in our children. Both boys have a chore chart that they fill out weekly and they actually enjoy doing the chores on the list.

 Children Can Learn Life Skills Even in the Little Things

Homeschool Learning

Every day my boys wake up and make their own breakfast. They love it. They have a running list of items they are learning to make themselves and they feel so proud when they sit down at the table to eat. They have even gotten to the point where they prefer to make their own lunches too. I always supervise, of course. I have learned to let go and let them have their independence.

Sensory Breaks and Meltdowns Don’t Have to Ruin Our Day

Heavy Work

September was not a pretty month for Legoman or our family in 2013. Out of 27 school days he was out of school for 17 of those days. The reasons varied from suspensions to injuries. Some injuries were caused by other children, some by Legoman himself during his “fits” and some were even caused by ADULTS not knowing how to help him. We fought and fought for what he needed at school. We fought for an IEP, we fought for evaluations, we fought for our son to feel normal. In the end, homeschooling has removed so many stressors for Legoman, that the meltdown (while they do still happen) happen on a much less frequent basis and he is surrounded by people that are trained to try to help him. Let’s face it… if a meltdown is hard for me to handle with one child, imagine being one of 30!

Homeschooling Allows Bonds to be Built

Homeschool

I planned on taking a leave this year to stay home and be with Super B. I didn’t have that luxury with the boys and I wanted to make it a priority this time around. At first, I thought I was losing sight of that priority by also having the boys home. How would I give her the attention she deserves? I don’t. Her brothers do! They love their sister more than anything in this world and it shows. They teach her new things faster and in more varied ways than I ever could if I was the only one home with her.

Sometimes You Have to Take Time to Be Silly

Homeschool

Bones is our resident comedian. He is always silly, always making us smile, and always doing “shenanigans”. He is what some might call a “people pleaser”. He is full of empathy and wants to make you happy. That being said… he can fool you. You might think he is doing what is asked of you or listening to you.. but really he is singing “Up Butt Coconut” in his head. Homeschool has taught me that he can go un-noticed. He has been 6 months behind developmentally his whole life. He walked late. He talked late. He even started reading late. Its okay, though. Homeschool erases the arbitrary times and constraints on what is “normal” for him and allows him to build confidence and try new things he wouldn’t try before.

Family is the Basis of All Things

homeschool

In 2013, Legoman was suspended from school 3 times. Our family was always focused on his day. How could the next day be better. What could we do to help him at school? Our home became a place full of stress, tears, and frustrations. Since we started homeschooling, I can safely say that our family is HAPPIER! All of us. We enjoy each other’s company. We laugh. We have the chance to talk about anything we want because…. We Can!

I find that learning from unexpected places is one of the benefits of having children. Sometimes I think we learn more from them than they do from us! What has homeschool taught you? Maybe you don’t homeschool, what has parenting taught you? I would love to hear!

Dancing to Dynamite

Have You Read Dancing to Dynamite?
A Glimpse Into a Sensory Processing Meltdown

In the coming year, I plan to write more about our homeschooling experiences. What does our day look like? What units are we doing?

Follow me on FacebookTwitterGoogle+PinterestInstagram or subscribe by email. I can’t wait to hear your ideas.



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40 thoughts on “10 Life Lessons Learned from Homeschool”

  1. Pingback: 2013 Best Blog Posts | Lemon Lime Adventures

  2. I’m so happy to have come across your blog on the Hip Homeschool Hop. My 8 year old has sensory processing disorder, and meltdowns are part of our lives too. I’ve been homeschooling him for three years (I took him out of school after two terms of Reception (UK kindergarten)).

    Homeschooling is so much the kindest option for these wonderful children!

    We began by deschooling too, then used various curricula, and now we’re back to being curriculum-free again. It just seems to offer us the most freedom to learn about what everyone’s interested in with maximum efficiency and fun!

    1. Oh Me too! I am so happy you are here! I look forward to connecting more with you. Feel free to email me ideas, questions, etc that you have. My goal in 2014 is to create a community where readers can feel supported and get resources for homeschooling, educational activities and sensory processing disorder. Have we connected on Facebook yet?

    2. Christina

      Hello! I am an American living in the UK. I am looking to homeschool my boys. Have you found any support systems here in the UK. I am used to amazing support systems in the USA…but haven’t found anything here.

      1. I am sorry, I am in the US. There are many fabulous bloggers in the UK that homeschool that you should check out. Off hand I would say go to my facebook page and peruse through the blogs that I like. Many are homeschool blogs. I will try to get some specific names and come back here!

      2. Hi Christina, depending on where you are, there’s plenty of homeschool support around. But perhaps because homeschooling isn’t quite as popular over here, you have to dig a bit to find what there is! We’re in south-east England and there’s lots going on here.
        Feel free to email me lucinda at finebyte dot co dot uk (obviously written properly!) and I might be able to point you in the right direction.

    1. Thank you for sharing this! I love reading other people’s reasons for homeschooling. It is so new for me and nothing I pictured myself doing.

    1. Thank you so much! I fight myself everyday on if homeschooling is right. Then my oldest son has a rough day or we have a project that last until 9pm and I remember why I am doing it.

  3. I cannot imagine the pain you must have gone in 2013. I can see both sides of this equation, and I can say that probably school environment is not a good fit for him at the moment. Perhaps he can come back when he is more in control of his strength and weaknesses – wishing your family all the best.

    1. It was pretty hard. I would like to tell my story and sort-of wish I had this blog back then. It is pretty much one of the things that motivated me to start this. The last month of my pregnancy I was driving to his school every day, for one reason or another.

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  5. Visiting from the Thoughtful Spot Blog Hop! I love, love, love your list! So many of those ring true to our home as well, like being together more as a family, and learning life skills. Many teens think their little siblings are so boring and annoying, and there are times of frustration in our house, but overall there is a lot of love, playing, and compassion between my three girls (14, 3, and 9 months). I can honestly say I don’t think it’d be that way if my oldest wasn’t home with her sisters all day.

    1. Thank you so much for the words of encouragement. Everyone always says the true winner in us homeschooling will be Super B. I am pretty sure they are right. She sees so much and is taught something new every day with two big brothers that love her so!

  6. I saw your blog on the SITs thread. I love every one of these reasons and they are all on our list of reasons too (names changed, of course). Homeschooling isn’t for everyone but, for our family, it is one of the best choices we’ve ever made!

    1. I like hearing that. I agree it isn’t for everyone and I would say that I wasn’t sure if it was for us just 6 months ago. I am still not sure. However each day I grow more confident.

  7. Love your list! We are currently deciding where my son will do kindergarten next year, and homeschooling is definitely high on the list of options we are considering. I always love to read why other families are homeschooling and how they have benefitted. Thanks for sharing your experiences.

    1. Thank you so much for your words of encouragement. I am so blessed to be connected with so may great resources. We are still learning and writing about all the ways homeschooling is benefiting us. It is still so very new.

  8. I was just talking with a Mom I met yesterday about homeschooling my kids. We don’t have to make a decision yet, but I’m so glad that I have blogs like yours to keep me educated about our options! Best of luck and I may be dropping by with questions as my daughter nears kindergarten 😉

  9. You list some really great reasons for wanting to homeschool. Our oldest just turned 3 so we still have some time to decide, but my husband and I have been going back and forth for months now and we’re just not sure which direction to go. Thanks for your thoughts–it’s definitely good to consider these things. Visiting from the SITS group.

    1. Thank you so much. I continually say “I didn’t plan on it, I didn’t want to and I still second guess myself daily”. However comments like these help me feel more confident in our decision.

  10. Homeschool is a wonderful option for families. There are so many benefits and it is very rewarding to know your children are learning useful skills and avoiding a great deal of stress.

    Thank you for stopping by the Thoughtful Spot Weekly Blog Hop this week. We hope to see you drop by our neck of the woods next week!

    1. Thank you for hosting. Homeschool continues to show us so many things in the last few months. It is great that our family is growing the way it is.

  11. Pingback: Weekly Homeschool Lesson Plan: Week 1 | Lemon Lime Adventures

    1. No you made mine. I need these lovely comments to help when we are second-guessing our decision to homeschool. Thank you!

  12. Homeschooling always seems like such a scary last resort, but you make such positive points here! #pinitparty

    1. Thank you so much. It has taken a long time for me to get to this point. I have been resisitant. It is so motivating to hear these positive comments. Especially on days I second guess our decision.

  13. I keep thinking about homeschooling and you gave me even more reasons to think even more about it.

    thanks you #pinitparty

    1. Thank you so much for those kind words. I want to be here for people like you that are thinking about or just starting homeschool. That part of the process is not easy. So many thoughts and questions go through your head. Let me know if you have any questions

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  15. I am so glad that you found a solution for your family! Homeschooling is such a major investment but I have some friends who really do it well! It’s an amazing undertaking- and I can see that it can be a great fit! Thanks for sharing-

    1. Thank you. We are still working through kinks and I still second guess our decision. But the changes in our family are amazing!

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  21. I LOVED reading this! We are homeschooling as well, and have learned many of the same things as you have so far. We love the freedom that homeschooling gives us. We don’t have to be anywhere at any specific time and we are free to go to whatever parks or museums we want to, or just relax at home on any given day. On the first day that public schools started this Fall I took a huge deep breath and counted my lucky stars that I didn’t have to get up early and rush everyone out the door! We went camping instead 🙂

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