Road School

We had an amazingly fun day building this driftwood fort on the 
Olympic Peninsula with our dear friends the Harker Armstrong Family.  

Being responsible for the education of my children is a humbling and serious responsibility.   I've given much thought to the best practices, methods and curriculum.

 And this is what I know for sure:
1.  The most important thing kids can learn is that they are loved and valued.
2. Socialization is important, but it doesn't have to happen the traditional "meet kids at school" way.
3. Every child is unique- and may learn in different ways. Teach to their unique style.  Find what works.
4. If you want to help someone reach their highest potential-  build on their strengths- NOT their weaknesses.

I love to seize learning opportunities and have discussions with my kids about what interests them most. Finding ways to use their interests as learning tools makes education more fun.

When you get down to the nitty grity of schooling-  Kids are in school for 6.5 hours a day.  We tend to think that every bit of that time is formal education.  In reality, lunch, recess, PE, library time, show and tell, and the like make up most of the day (all great things).   With my kids not going to school I first thought I would need to spend 6.5 hours teaching them every day.  This is not the case.  Kids are sponges, constantly learning about whatever they experience.  It has been amazing to help shape and create experiences and watch them learn and grow.

To cover the formal part of their education we do reading, writing and math every day.  They choose their reading books and topics.  Writing is usually in the form of a letter to Grandma or cousins or Aunties.  And Dad is in charge of math.

Nature based play rather than screen time is important to us.  Learning can be a lot of fun.