Why Homeschooling WorksProviding context, or giving a clear picture of what happened or why something is important, brings learning to life and makes it more memorable. In an educational setting, there is a great opportunity for parents to provide this for their children.

How many times in school did you ask the question, “Why do I need to know this?” or “When will I ever use this?” You asked this because while studying chapter after chapter in your history, math and science books, you wanted to know how the information you were learning would affected you. You wanted context for the learning process.

In the homeschool setting, parents are able to give context to their children’s studies with real life learning. Here are a few ways you can provide this for your children’s education:

Family Vacations

Homeschooling can bring a whole new dimension (and memorability) to your family vacations. A car trip can be more than hitting every fast food play area on the way to grandma and grandpa’s house. Instead, look for natural history locales to explore (Think caverns, lighthouses, museums, battle fields and homes of notable people). With a little planning you can build a great unit around what your child is currently studying.

Family Projects

Does your family want to get in shape, plant an organic garden or become active in a local service project? These are opportunities for putting what they’ve learned in physical education, science and social studies to use, not to mention they’re great opportunities for character building. They’re also chances for families to spend focused time together, working in tandem, for a united cause.

Day Field trips

Day field trips can occur with regularity. In fact, homeschool coops often plan these monthly. How about adding a trip to a pumpkin patch, apple farm or you-pick-it fruit stand while learning about seasons with your kindergartener? Or how about a trip to the zoo or exotic animal reserve while learning about science with your elementary-aged child? Here are a few more suggestions just to get your juices flowing:

  • Federal Reserve bank
  • Animal farms (dairy farms, alpaca or sheep farms, etc.)
  • Living history attractions
  • Arboretums
  • Botanical gardens
  • State and National Parks
  • Theatre productions (including ballet, symphony, opera and concerts)
  • Museums
  • Exhibits and shows

Common Outings

Even the most mundane trip offers educational possibilities. While teaching nutrition, a trip to the grocery store or farmer’s market can be valuable in teaching children how to shop for nutritious food and give them the opportunity to try fruits and vegetables that they’ve never before tasted. A trip to the bank can open a dialogue about financial responsibility; clothes shopping can teach about budgeting, frugal living and money management; and even a visit to a parent’s workplace can be a great chance for a child to learn more about what his mother or father does and how the professional workplace operates.

All of these possibilities give your children a better understanding for knowing why they’re studying a subject, and makes their studies more memorable, interesting and fun. These examples can be worked into almost any curriculum and subject. They needn’t be expensive, and you’ll probably never hear the question “Is this going to be on the test?” Your children will be having so much fun; they probably won’t even notice that they’re learning valuable lessons.

Photo: battlefield-14 by efz3x