The Homeschoolers’ Time

  • Time for making gifts

Soulemama has a wonderful post about the gifts her two older boys made for their baby sister, Adelaide (2). Calvin made a tote-bag, first sewing it by hand, then turning to the machine – he’s a wizz at the machine! – and Ezra made a song, which he played on his brand new fiddle and then “translated” to a pillow.

Calvin, Ezra and Adelaide are homeschooled in the unschooling way. And it shows in these gifts. Not so much in the fact that the boys are sewing (though I am sure traditional schooling and the peer pressure it involves would probably dissuade boys from sewing), but in the fact that they had the time to make these wonderfully original gifts.

Most traditionally schooled kid would not have had the time to think so deeply about their gift and to execute it. They would have been forced, by lack of time, to spend some of their piggy bank money on a store-bought gift.

  • Sibling community

That is, if they give their siblings a gift at all. That’s the other about homeschooling siblings: they spend so much  more time together than traditionally schooled siblings do, get to know and appreciate one another, and learn to get along,  so much better.

  • But what about the only child?

This is homeschooling in a sibling context, of course. Amie is an only child, so though homeschooling, at least part-time, appeals to me, I still worry about the lack of community. It would be just me and her, and hopefully (sometime soon) some grandparents – are you listening?

I know, there is community out there! Other homeschooled kids who get together in play-school-groups. And if I am thinking part-time homeschooling, then Amie would still be exposed to school groups…

It’s my shortcoming, which I have to overcome: I’m not very social. But if I want to give homeschooling a chance, I need to find that community…

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