Importance of Discovering History

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The Importance of Discovering History

When talking about history it seems there are very different types of responses. The response which utterly loves anything about history then the other type of pure boredom. So what’s the importance of history when homeschooling? And how do you engage your child if they aren’t quite fond of it?

First, understanding that history is learning about real people who lived in before us with real emotions and thoughts.

The more you can help children understand that these stories from hundreds or even thousands of years ago really happened, the more relatable and influential history becomes. When I was studying Ancient Studies, I remember the time my professor spoke about his student writing on women’s sandals in the ancient world. I remember thinking “Wow these women back then cared about their style just like we do today!” A great way to have students engage with history is to have them focus on something they love but find it in history! If your student loves to go hunting with their grandpa or dad, have them research about hunter/gather societies or find out how important hunting was to different civilizations! All people must eat – food was not readily available like it is for the majority of the world today! If your student loves drawing, have them research a famous artwork from that period! Although this art may not be on canvas but may be on stones or caves – civilizations loved recording beautiful things – just think of Egypt! Ancient Egypt was littered with walls of color and great stonework. You can learn a lot about a culture through its artwork!

Second, explain “the Why”!

Why is it important to study history? Did you know that much of Western thought today can be traced back to ancient philosophers and politicians? Discovering what worked and what did not for those who came before us, helps us to not make the same mistake again! History does not always need to be studying of Ancient Egypt or Greece but should also be the study of family history and your own city or state history. Understanding where your own family came from – your parents, grandparents, great-grandparents and so on is a great practical use of the importance of history. I’ve always loved history. Whenever I was visiting my grandma, we would sit down together before anyone else woke up and she always told me stories. Stories of my great-grandpa and his struggles in the war. Stories of where they came from and how they remembered a time prior to cellphones and even cars! We have access to a generation who experienced a lot of change in their lifetime and you can hear about their parent’s and their grandparent’s stories!  I know for me, my grandma would always speak of the day man walked on the moon, and the first time she got her own personal car. She worked at an old Bell company at the switchboard. Can you imagine how much history she saw seeing the changes from a switchboard to the modern iPhone? Even in these stories, there is so much to learn about modern history.

Third, history is not just a ton of dates and facts. History should be engaging!

Here at WP we want to help engage your students, allowing them to experience and discover history for themselves! We want them to experience what life was like on a spaceship (Adventures in the Sea & Sky) or to learn how to spell their names in Phoenician letters (Hideaways in History). We want them to be able to understand the hardships which the soldiers fighting for American freedom went through, and to understand the suffering of those awfully sold into slavery. (American History 1&2) The more we understand history, the more we can hope to help our society. History is not always easy to hear or fun to deal with but we need to ensure that we teach our children the mistakes made so we do not continue to do the same!

History has such a rich and amazing influence on young learners. Read the interesting excerpt from one of our digital studies below!

 

The Akkadians*

Taken from our Ancient Civilizations Digital Study

Near the Sumerians grew up the city of Akkad, probably somewhere

along the Tigris River. Today no one knows where the actual city was

located, but there are quite a few other things we know about Akkad,

because it grew to the be capital city of the Akkadian Empire.

Akkad is mentioned in the Bible in Genesis 10:10, spelled out there as

Accad. It began as a city, and it appears from historical records that

the Sumerians and Akkadians developed a thriving trade relationship,

interacting culturally alongside each other. They mingled enough that

most people who lived in the region in the 3rd millenium B.C. spoke

both the Sumerian and Akkadian languages.

In time, the Akkadian Empire gradually grew more powerful. Rulers of

the city-state began expanding their power. The most famous ruler of

Akkad was Sargon, who defeated the king of Uruk in the Battle of Uruk

and took over the empire ruled by that king. Sargon also defeated its

once-friendly neighbors, the Sumerians, but Sargon wisely appointed

over 5,000 Sumerian men to help him rule over his empire, so that

there would be less chance that Sumer would revolt in the years ahead.

In time, only the Akkadian language was used throughout the kingdom,

and Sumerian was not used, but the Akkadians did adopt the Sumerian

style of cuneiform script for writing. They inscribed important papers

onto clay tablets or cylinders. The writing on these tablets and seals

was usually drawn among decorative scenes taken from myths or rituals.

The Akkadians also adopted the Sumerians’ religious beliefs.

The Akkadian Empire spread over Mesopotamia between the Tigris and

Euphrates rivers. At its height, it ruled over cities like Assur, Mari, Eshnunna,

Sippar, Nippur, Uruk, Ur, Lagash, and Suse. Sargon was able to

expand the empire under his rule so that it reached the Mediterranean

Sea on the west, the Persian Gulf on the east, and deep into the Arabian

Peninsula to the south.

Trade routes were established that allowed for safe travel of trade

goods throughout Sargon’s lands and along the Euphrates River.

Sargon used these trade routes to gain access to further lands for

expansion, and brought back booty from his conquests along the

established roads in the kingdom. While agricultural products were

produced in Mesopotamia, the area lacked other natural resources.

Wood, building stone and precious metals were required by Akkadian

rulers. They were traded and imported, and floated to Akkad on the

Euphrates as well.

The empire was so well organized that it had a regular postal service.

Akkad’s ruler did a survey of the land, and began naming the years

from the year Sargon began to rule. Sargon appears to have established

a library that took and collected astronomical observations.

After Sargon’s death, his sons and descendants ruled his empire for

several generations. Sargon was considered a model for later

Mesopotamian rulers, later great kings in Assyria and Babylon, who

looked back at Sargon as the first dominant ruler in Mesopotamia.

These kings looked upon themselves as heirs to the empire that Sargon

had begun long before.

The Akkadian Empire lasted from 2334 B.C., when Sargon took over

control of Akkad, to around 2193 B.C.

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BEING A CHARLOTTE MASON “PARENT-TEACHER” (a note from WP author Kaeryn)

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I remember when I first met Charlotte Mason…

Okay, not really “met,” but got to know.  I was immediately struck by Charlotte’s intuitive understanding of children and how to educate and train them.  I was also hugely impressed by how counter-culture Charlotte’s ways are in today’s world.

If you haven’t gotten to know Charlotte Mason yet, and you are hoping to be a good homeschooling parent, a great “Parent-Teacher” — or at least aiming that direction :), then you should “meet” Charlotte, too!

There are a lot of summaries of Charlotte’s ideas online, but here are the basics:

Charlotte Mason was a British educator who worked with children for years. She believed in exposing children to great ideas, wonderful literature, God’s Word in liberal amounts, and beautiful artwork, and she called for challenging them in a way that gave them a love for learning. She believed in teaching history, getting children to tell back what they know, and — most of all — Charlotte believed in joy!

As a Momma myself, this is what perhaps convinced me that I wanted to be a “Parent-Teacher” like Charlotte.  After all, if I couldn’t bring my children joy, and teach my children the joy in curiosity, in exploration, in discovery — what was parenthood for?

As I delved into Charlotte’s methods and thoughts, I found new ways we were kindred spirits.  It was a thrill to hear from someone who did not believe that raising your children meant teaching them to cram for exams, run around to endless extracurricular activities, and fall into bed exhausted at night.  Charlotte’s ideas were freedom.  Freedom to develop a lifestyle that was not at all like school, not at all over-busied, and above all — not self-focused.

The freedom we found was like finally breathing again.  It meant so much more, you see, than just that we’d found a homeschool method that worked for us.  In fact, we’d found a lifestyle!

We’ve had a chance to live the Charlotte Mason lifestyle for a lot of years now, and we’ve just seen our lives change so radically from what they were before.  Here’s what I’ve learned along the way:

  1. I have never spent one moment thinking about how I wish I done things differently.  Our lifestyle works for us, and it works for our family.  It is a servant to, not a master of, our souls.  It supports our family — it does not “run” our family.
  2. My children have had enough free time to think big thoughts on their own, and that has allowed each one to blossom and develop in their own unique way.  They’ve had to time to explore the world their way, to be curious, to investigate, and it has made all the difference in how they relate to the world.  They reach out to the world and experience it, a true contrast to how many children have to depend on “packaged” experiences in classroom or sports arenas.
  3. The time we’ve had together that wasn’t “overplanned” and “over-scheduled” reaped so many more benefits than I could have imagined.  As my kids have grown up, I can see each day how much that has meant to their development.  They are comfortable with conversation, deep relationships, reading, and self-improvement.   We’ve had so much time together, time we used to mold our kids’ character and develop their relationship to Christ.  We’ve had time to teach them skills and common sense, courtesy and manners, and simple leadership skills like timeliness, follow-through, accountability, servanthood, and working as a team.

I really could go on and on.  In short, I am thankful every day that Charlotte’s simple wisdom traveled across time to whisper to me the things for which my “Parent-Teacher” heart was longing.  She pointed the way to a Christ-centered, family relationship-focused lifestyle that changed our lives.

So, when God gave us the opportunity to create a curriculum that would allow homeschoolers to really enjoy their journey, it only made sense that we build it the Charlotte Mason way.  We’ve included many of the concepts that Charlotte Mason advocated, and added a few we fancy Charlotte would have if she were living in this century!  We’ve made it easy to do yourself, without having to pull a bunch of things together on your own, so there’s still plenty of time to invest in the character of your kids.  Plus, we made sure to include the kind of life learning that so benefitted our own kids, and really stuck with them as time went by.

So, now, I whisper all of this to you, too!  Don’t wait!  Go out there and get some Charlotte Mason in your life!

It may be that WinterPromise offers you a start on that lifestyle, and we’d love that!  But be sure to meet Charlotte Mason in any case, so that you can develop a lifestyle that suits you as “Parent-Teacher,” and develops the promise in your own family!  You’ll never be sorry that you did!

Kaeryn

Curious to learn more specifically about Charlotte Mason?

Check out our blog Meet Charlotte Mason & Her View of Education!

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Dinner Tonight – Chicken Curry!

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Does your family love to cook together? In Children Around the World we schedule a number of recepies for you to try making as a family that are found from all over the world. Try making the recipe below as a family!

Here’s a recipe from our Children Around the World Themed Program!

Chicken Curry

 

This recipe serves just four hungry people. If you’ve invited more people to your buffet, or have more famished mouths to feed, increase the recipe as needed!


Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 whole boneless, skinless chicken breast, chopped into small chunks

2 Tablespoon butter

1-2 Tablespoons curry powder, according to how spicy you like it

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 cup canned coconut milk

½ cup golden raisins

Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan over fairly high heat. Add onion and chicken and cook for five minutes or until the chicken is browned slightly on all sides. Remove the chicken and onion from the pan, and set aside for now. Clean the pan with a paper towel, and continue to use it to melt the butter over low heat. Add the curry powder and the garlic and cook for three minutes. Stir in the coconut milk and the raisins, and add back in the chicken and onion. Cover the pan and simmer for 25 minutes. Serve over rice.

For more recipes from around the world and other hand’s-on experiences check out our Fun & Traditions from Many Lands – part of our Children Around the World!

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6 Ways to Have Fun in the Snow!

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Get ready to make snowmen! 

Here in Michigan we just had our first snow fall of the year. Even though it didn’t cover the ground that doesn’t mean that we aren’t excited! So many fun activity opportunities open up as the snow starts to fall. I’m sure you all know about the fun activities like building snowmen, snow angels, snowball fights, and catching snow flakes on your tongue, but do you know about all the ways you can tie in snow with your daily educational lessons!

Nature Observations! 

If you and your family like to observe how nature changes throughout the year start a snow journal! Record how much snow falls in your city each day and how long it lasts. Keep track of when the trees lose all of their leaves and when they start to grow back. Keep track of the coldest days and how many animals are around as well as when birds and other animals that migrate leave and come back! These activities will be great for students studying in the Animals and Their Worlds Themed Program!

Science Expirements!

There are so many cool things you can do with snow! Get out a magnifying glass and look at snowflakes. Draw their patterns down on a piece of paper and see if you can find any that are the same! Snowflakes are so small and there are so many that your chances of finding any two that have the exact same pattern is very little!

Study how snow transforms into water or ice! Place some snow in a glass cup and place your hands around the cup. See how long it takes the snow to melt from just the heat in your hands. Next put more snow in a cup and bring the cup inside. If you have a firplace or a heater, bring the glass near the warm area and see how fast it melts. Remember to make sure you have your parents permission before getting to close to the fireplace or any heat source!

Another science expirement you can try is about finding out how clean snow really is! Try getting a section of snow that hasn’t been stepped on or hasn’t touched the ground so it isn’t so dirty. Either wait for the snow to melt or you can melt the snow yourself in a pot on the stove. Once the snow has turned into water pour it into a clear container and look inside. Make note of any specks you see inside the snow. Because of the water cycle, when water particles up in the sky harden into snow they can sometimes trap other particles in them too. Things like soot, dirt, or anything else that might have traveled up there with them. Any particles that you see might be from the sky or from the ground. Eating snow can be fun, but also sometimes gross! Go ahead and try this out with different patches of snow to see if you find any differences as well!

All of these activities are great for any sutdents studying in any of our Science Programs! Give them a try!

Animal Tracking and Fun! 

When the snow is covering the ground you can see all sorts of wildlife tracks! The best time to look at animal tracks in the snow is in the morning. Go out and try and see if you can tell what animal the tracks you have found are from! You will most likely see bird, bunny, deer, and possibly cat tracks out in the fresh snow!

If you are studying in our Animals and Their World Themed Program you know that there is an animal of the week each week! Go outside when there is enough snow and build your very own snow animal! You can even create a family of snow animals from your week in Animals and Their Worlds!

Having fun as a family is important for every family dynamic. Whether or not you are interested in snow activities that will relate to your currect studies, go outside and play in the snow! Have the family get their snow gear on and go sledding in the back yard, create giant snowmen, and fill the yard with snow angels!

Most importantly make sure you drink hot cocoa when you come back inside to keep everyone warm!

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Multiple Intelligences!

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Did you know that your kiddo could have different intelligences? There are so many types that no learner is ever the same as another!

Let me explain a little more about multiple intelligences before I tell you the different types! The multiple intelligence theory was developed by Howard Gardner in 1983 to better define the concept of intelligence. His theory questioned whether the methods that were used to “measure” intelligence were scientific and complete. Gardner theorized that the traditional understanding of intelligence was too narrow and only really measured one or two types of intelligence. If two children are taught their multiplication facts in the same teaching style and one of them masters them easily while the other struggles; that does not necessarily mean that the first child is more intelligent than the second. Gardner understood that the second child would most likely learn the same information through a different method of teaching and may understand other topics easier than the first child as well.

Gardner understood that topic and learning style were an important factor in how children learn and how their intelligence should be measured. If you have homeschooled more than one kiddo I am sure that you will agree when we say that no kiddo learns just like another! When we create curriculum we keep in mind Garnders theory of multiple intelligences and make sure we integrate assignments and schedule activities of all kinds to make sure that each kiddos learning style is included!

Below we will explain the nine multiple intelligences and how WinterPromise has included things for each intelligence. While reading through you will most likely find that more than one intelligence sounds like they could relate to your kiddo! Many kiddos actually have more than one intelligence and may prefer learning styles from one or the other. As you read through try to pick out the intelligences that sound most like your kiddo and find the activities they learn best with. Knowing this information you can understand what your kiddos learning style is and be well equipped to pick out the curriculum that fits you and your kiddo each year!

9 Multiple Intelligences:

  • Visual-Spatial Intelligence: This intelligence is characterised by the ability to see with the mind’s eye and spatial judgement. Kiddos with this intelligence often learn best from seeing or drawing things on their own. They love drawing activities and probably are pretty artistic and creative! Your own little Picasso!
    • These students learn best from creative activities, highly-illustrated books, seeing physical timelines, drawing, and notebooking! (All things that WinterPromise offers in each one of their programs!)
  • Verbal-Linguistic Intelligence: This intelligence deals with written or spoken words. Kiddos who have this type of intelligence demonstrate good reading and comprehension, story telling, and are also good at writing. If this is your kiddo you probably know that they love reading books or having books read to them, and they are probably pretty good at speaking and narration. These students learn best by reading information, writing down their thoughts, and notetaking.
    • WinterPromise includes colorful notebooking pages with prompts for students, living texts for all students to read from, timeline cards to study from, and discussion topics for families to talk about while they are learning for students with this type of intelligence!
  • Logical-Mathematical Intelligence: Students with this intelligence are good at activities involving logic, abstractions, reasoning, and numbers. These students have great abstract thinking and prefer to figure things out in their head rather than use their hands or visuals to figure things out. While this intelligence correlates heavily with the “traditional” type of intelligence they may not always learn best from traditional teaching. These students benefit from outlining the main points, and activities that rely on logical thinking.
    • WinterPromise includes key fact narration, important information repetition, chapter or lesson information outlines for students to fill in or learn from, as well as logic based activities. These students would excel in the game chess (p.s. if you have a logical-mathematical learner you might want to check out our chess programs!).
  • Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence: This type of intelligence relates to actually performing activities by moving or involving your body. These students love trying things for themselves as well as can often be labeled as too excited. Rather than thinking of them as too excited to stay seated WinterPromise understands that these students learn best when they can experience it with body movement!
    • WinterPromise always includes “Try it yourself!” sections, hands-on activities, and tons of fun experiments for these students to do as often as they would like!
  • Musical-Rhythmic Intelligence: This area has to do with music, rhythm, and hearing. These students often like to listen to and make their own music and often may like to listen rather than speak. Creating little tunes to remember things by or simply listening to a lecture may sometimes be the best way for them to learn and understand something!
    • WinterPromise includes weblinks to videos, musical games, schedules for books that can be read aloud to them, and options to watch certain DVD’s relating to their program in order to help these kiddos learn best!
  • Interpersonal Intelligence: Interpersonal intelligence has to do with learning with others or in a group. Kiddos with this type of intelligence may be extroverted, sensitive to others moods and emotions, and cooperate well when working with others. They may also struggle when left alone to perform certain tasks or may not enjoy doing school alone rather than with friends.
    • WinterPromise includes family projects and crafts, leadership tasks, group discussions, and prompts for discussing feelings or emotions about or related to what they are learning!
  • Intrapersonal Intelligence: As you can probably guess this intelligence is the opposite of interpersonal intelligence. These students would rather work alone than in a group and often are content playing or entertaining themselves. These kiddos are probably also very adept at understanding their own feelings and have a strong sense of self.
    • WinterPromise includes journaling, independent activities, connection opportunities with characters in living texts or books, and tons of other activities that can be done solo rather than in a group for students with this type of intelligence!
  • Naturalistic Intelligence: As the title suggests students with this type of intelligence love nature and the outdoors. They most likely have a strong connection with animals and nature. Kiddos who have this intelligence are probably relatively interested in science and understand it easily.
    • WinterPromise includes programs focused on nature topics, a scientific resource in many of their programs where students will observe and journal throughout the year, as well as outside activities and observation projects! Be sure to check out the programs Equine Science and Animals and Their Worlds if your student has this type of intelligence!
  • Existential Intelligence: This intelligence is a little trickier than the others. It relates to abstract thinking and philosophical questions. While it might be hard to tell if your student possesses this type of intelligence while they are younger, you may still be able to tell! Students with this learning style will often ask questions related to world structures, emotions, and other questions that as a parent might be hard to answer because there isn’t one true answer. These students may also be very connected to their beliefs or interested in the beliefs of others as well. These students learn best from studying questions that they think of as well as asking questions to others.
    • WinterPromise includes abstract questions, topic starters for “food for thought” discussions, as well as facts and questions meant to get students to think deeper on certain topics for students with this type of intelligence!

You may have read through these intelligences and picked out each one that your kiddos have, or you may still be questioning a few of them. This is okay! As you homeschool and grow with your kiddos you will better understand their intelligences and maybe even notice that they may start to change as they get older! Knowing what learning methods best suit your student is always a trial and error process but thankfully with these intelligences defined above families can get a better start and what they can be looking for in a curriculum to best suit their kiddo for the year!

If you are unsure about which intelligences your student has, reach out to us and speak with us about your student and we can help you pick out their intelligences as well as find a program that fits you and your kiddo best!

Click here if you’re interested in reading more about Howard Gardner’s books.

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Joy in Adventuring Outdoors

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As we wrap up our series on outdoor learning, I want to take a step back. We discussed why you should integrate the outdoors into your learning. Then, we went on to discuss the right attitude to ensure you are successful. In the last post we got into the dirt and talked about some specific ways you can utilize the outdoors in your learning.

To wrap up I want to discuss a simple encouragement with you. As parents we often pile on guilt, shame, or burden ourselves that we need to do more. Some parents may not have this struggle and may struggle in other areas. But, for many we see what other people may be doing because of their “Insta” stories or Facebook posts and feel that we do not measure up.

What matters most is not what others may or may not be doing. What matters most is not measuring up to some standard. What matters most is that you have fun and do what makes sense for your family. This is the same in regard to outdoor learning.

Our parting words to you is that you do not make this goal of integrating the outdoors into your homeschooling such a burden that it ruins your joy. We want fun, joyful learning experiences that help grow fun, joyful learners. The outdoors are a great way to encourage that and really good for your family. But do not create a standard or approach that will not work for your family, burn yourself out, and discourage your kids. You want to do everything you can to avoid attaching negative experiences and feelings to the learning experiences you want your children to love. The first way to make that happen is doing something that simply doesn’t work for your kids, yourself, or your schedule.

Have fun with what you can do and make the most of what your family is able to do. Then, rest and enjoy your time together. If you can only do a certain amount or certain aspects of this then enjoy those and make the most of them. We want your family to experience an abundance of joy in their learning adventure!

Go have fun today and #adventuretogether.

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Ways to Use the Outdoors in Your Homeschooling Experiences

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We have been talking extensively about integrating the outdoors into your family’s homeschool adventures! Last time we explored the importance of making memories through exploring and discovering outdoors. We also focused on the best way to use the outdoors in your adventure is to do it is what YOU and your family can do and the difference the right approach has on using the outdoors to create memory-making experiences!

Now, we are going to dive into some specifics!

 What are some specific ways you can use the outdoors in your homeschooling experiences?

Some of these ideas are extremely simple while others are a bit more involved. Remember, to get started it is less important how complex what you are doing is, rather simply getting started is the key!

Do another schooling activity, outside!

This engages your student’s other senses and helps them be more creative and attentive because their scene changes.

Practice the cornerstone habits of discovery: investigate, observe, record!

Get a notebook and send them outside with a list of things to investigate, observe, and record. The artistic learners will thrive with this. The recorders and note-takers will enjoy it too. The fidgety learners will love the activity. The benefits keep on going!

In a spelling funk? Create a spelling list based on the outdoors!

Have them scavenger hunt for outdoor items that start with a certain letter and practice spelling them. a

Make nature journaling essential to your homeschooling.

Capture the joy of the outdoors, observation, investigation, discovery, and more through the habit of nature journaling. Make it a weekly or daily part of your homeschooling. This can be artistic, scientific, active, or anything else you want it to be. Get a nice journal or sketch pad and get them outside observing. P.S. it also helps them practice being quite in strategic moments because some observation needs some quiet too!

This is only the beginning but almost anyone can do them.

Remember, it is all about just getting outside when you can and in the way that makes sense for your family.

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Outdoor Learning: The Right Attitude

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In our last post we focused on why outdoor learning can be so beneficial (Integrating the Outdoors into Your Homeschooling – WinterPromise) In today’s post we will talk about our attitude and posture toward outdoor learning. We want you to know that if you take on the attitude that we talk about today you will be successful in making the outdoors a key part of your homeschooling experience.

Before we jump into the attitude there is an important element to learning that must be emphasized. A key part of the WinterPromise educational philosophy and a truly transformative view of learning is that we learn best when we make a memory. Yes, memories make learning. The best way to reinforce something is to help form a memory around it. How do we do that? By making enjoyment, discovery, and engagement paramount. This means for you the parent, ensuring your student discovers, laughs, and makes meaningful memories when you are learning is the best way to support their learning!

So, how does this connect to outdoor learning and our attitude toward it? Keep reading to find out! The way you view the outdoors will mean success or failure for you in carrying it out. If you place all this pressure on yourself or think that you have to “do” it in a specific way to make it a success then you are probably going to stress more and fail more often in creating meaningful learning experiences outside. The key to using the outdoors in your homeschooling is knowing that you should use them in the way that fits your family culture. What does your day look like? What does your outdoor space look like? How far is it? How old are your kids? How much time do you have to carry it out? All these questions only you can answer and they will help guide you to the right use of the outdoors for your family. So, the right attitude is first and foremost making sure that you actually take advantage of the outdoors by doing what you (and your family) can handle. No extra pressure, just do what you can do, how you can do it.

The second part of the attitude is based around making memories. The goal of integrating outdoor learning and the attitude you should take on is NOT one where a super specific task MUST be completed, or you have failed. No, the goal of outdoor learning is to make memories together while exploring and discovering. This is a very broad range of success and lets the student lead. The key for you is to invest time and energy in simply making a memory with your child. This is the very foundation of learning and will make whatever you do with the outdoors a success.

To review:

  1. Making memories is the best way to reinforce learning.
  2. Your attitude will determine your success and an attitude of pressure is not the right one.
  3. The right attitude is twofold:
    1. Do not feel compelled to use the outdoors in the ways other people may expect. Do what makes sense and fits YOUR FAMILY. Only you can judge that.
    2. Finally, every time you do use the outdoors regardless of how specific you are being in your use, your goal is to make memories with your child through laughter, exploration, and meaningful moments.

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Integrating the Outdoors into Your Homeschooling

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Spring and summer often bring the hope and excitement for being outside. For families in general we understand intuitively that being outside is good for our kids and for us. Families that homeschool usually seek to bring the outdoors into their education for their children. In this new series we will explore how best to take advantage of the outdoors in our homeschooling and what posture we as parents should have toward this important goal.

In this post I would like to focus on the actual reasons that being outside is beneficial for your kids. Likely, most of us already have an idea as to why it is good but may lack specific reasons. When we examine the reasons for why something is true (or why we believe it to be true) we often have better clarity and motivation on that specific topic. With that in mind, here is a list of some of the major reasons the outdoors will enhance and are an important part of education.

More than just a different context, but never less.

First, it is important to realize that the outdoors provide more than just a different context for your students to learn. At the same time, it will never be less than that. At the very least you can take them into different scenery which will help them be more creative and more engaged.

Active students and students that are outdoors experience a general academic benefit.

Similar to the last one this will encourage you that even if you don’t feel you are doing something creative or unique with your outdoor learning you are still bringing broad benefits to your child. Studies show that students who are active and outdoors experience a better education.

It offers learning experiences with all senses engaged.

The outdoors offer a fantastic opportunity for you to engage all of their senses all the time. Even though it is not all focused on what they are learning they are simply more engaged outside when they are touching, feeling, and smelling the outdoors.

Problem solving and nimble thinking is promoted.

When a child is outdoors, they are constantly problem-solving or investigating, even when they don’t realize it. Children walking down a path discussing the trees and soil are at the same time avoiding pitfalls, finding stumps to jump from, and looking (or running from) bugs. So much is happening, and this is very healthy for their minds and development. Kids love it too!

Nature and outdoor curiosity are the foundation of sciences, scientific investigation, and cultivates curiosity.

British educator Charlotte Mason believed that promoting nature learning and curiosity was essential for every student as nature investigation is the foundation of the sciences. Do you want your child to excel in STEM? Get them outside early and often! It develops curiosity, joy in experience, and connects them to the idea that they need to investigate and explore the world around them.

ADHD/busy/fidgety students excel in this environment.

Many of our children are either ADHD or are simply busy and active. Often these students experience one of two extremes. Either they need constant stimulation to stay engaged or they are overloaded with stimulation and need calm and space. The outdoors unique serve both students. The outdoors offer loads of stimulation and experience for students craving engagement. While at the same time, it also provides a calm and soothing context for students normally over-stimulated inside. The outdoors are incredibly designed by God to speak to us and help us. Amazing!

Next time we will discuss how our attitude and posture toward outdoor learning is key to making it a success.

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