Lifestyle of Learning

I hear homeschoolers talk about "lifestyle of learning" and the "homeschooling lifestyle". What does this mean?

Response from design-your-homeschool.com

Let me explain what I understand by a lifestyle of learning.

Home Education is a lifestyle. Learning does not begin at 8.30a.m. and conclude at 2.00p.m. Learning is life- all of life- from the time we rise up, as we walk and talk, as we visit, as we read and study, as we play a game, as we cook, as we drive, as we prepare for bed. Deuteronomy 4:5-6 tells us that as parents, we are never off the hook. We are to be leading our children all the time. – “Follow me as I follow Christ,” says Paul and so should we.

This doesn’t mean that we don’t need to plan a structured day or be diligent to put academics into our daily plan. We do, but we do not assume that learning only happens when the books are out.

The questions around the dinner table tonight were as varied as can be, and I’m not really sure what sparked them off:

Do dark colours absorb heat? (10yr old)
What is this inside the middle of the bone? It’s yummy! (12yr old)- Discussion of marrow, red blood cells etc
Water really isn’t blue! (10yr old)
I love my little trees –broccoli (6yr old)
Martin Luther- remember- he was the one who nailed the theses on the door of the church (12yr old)

Just before bed: "I have two teddies far away...... one not too far away – in a dead branch in a tree across at the park. He was hanging on to my garbage bag kite. And the other one which flew away over the houses on my plastic bag kite a while ago." (10yr old)

Children are such interesting persons!

Tell us about your lifestyle of learning. Add a comment here.

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Aspects of a learning lifestyle
by: Wendy

Hi Marianne,

I can only agree with your anwser about this Lifestyle of Learning being a natural outworking of our lives together as families.

Another thing that I would like to add is that because we homeschool we are able to help each child develop their own learning lifestyle.

We allow them to learn at their own pace, according to their own delights and in a safe and learning rich environment.

This means that our children's natural bents are developed into highly honed skills which will become their passions in life.

A learning lifestyle takes time, though, doesn't it? We cannot attempt to keep up with the local school (nor do we want to) as we are seeking to take a slower walk through life and allow everything to become a learning experience.

I often say to new moms that homeschooling is our - the moms - second chance at a good education.

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