For homeschoolers, the end of the school year is a time to reflect and reevaluate what worked, what didn’t, where we excelled or struggled, and consider possible changes.
Now a “retired” homeschool mom, I based my evaluations mostly on spiritual and academic improvement and one very important question “Did we have fun?” For our family, that last one was a biggie! Why? Because, ultimately, if the kids weren’t having fun that pretty much guaranteed I wasn’t either. So, it just made sense for me to inject fun-learning wherever I could. Besides, we weren’t just “doing school”, we were creating a lifestyle!
But, let’s be honest, not everything is going to be fun and that’s okay because that’s real life. But, when it comes to instilling a love of learning shouldn’t “fun” be at the top of our list? Obviously, some subjects will be more of a challenge than others, but with a little ingenuity, even they can be more fun. On the other hand, with subjects such as history and life science, it couldn’t be easier! Even if you concentrated your creative efforts in only these two areas your kids would retain more information, enjoy higher grade point averages, and your whole family would have more fun homeschooling! It’s a win-win!
Over the years we did all kinds of things to make learning more fun and reinforce what our kids were learning, most of which would eventually make their way into Once-a-Week Unit Studies. From making rock candy, terrariums, ping-pong catapults, model Indian lodges, and a backyard teepee to dissecting owl pellets, writing tall tales, sending secret messages, learning Indian sign language, playing colonial games, and hosting a Revolutionary War party. You name it, we did these and more! Field trips, educationally focused family nights, family read-alouds, documentaries, and videos also enhanced their education and, ultimately, our family life.
So, when it comes to reevaluating your school year and making some alterations why not ask yourself “Did we have fun?” If the answer is “eh” then it’s time to shake things up.