Making Friends through Home Schooling | Forty Something Parents

Technically speaking, my seven year-old daughter Nixi isn’t really an only child; since she has two adult siblings who now have children of their own. But when it comes to the everyday, my youngest often feels very lonely for the company of kids her own age. I realize, in our day to day and home school life, it is up to my husband Nico and I to fill this void as-best we can.

Enter…creative play, road trips, ‘staycation’ style field trips, and ‘lots and ‘lots of one-on-one learning games and lessons. When it comes to our learning schedule (notice, I did not say ‘schooling’, since we choose to learn rather than school), there really isn’t a schedule. We do have a tentative list of learning activities written on our black board, to reference and help stay at least a little on track.

However, we pretty much go with the flow. –If Nixi feels like doing math one day, even though that day is listed for Language Arts, we do math until she is full of it for the time-being. If she feels like doing art on a math day, we cover the kitchen table with a big plastic bag, put on our smocks, and paint…draw…glue or cut, to our hearts’ content.

The answer is to keep your lone-home schooler company, occupied, content, and happy in her/his learning path. For our family, we aren’t out and about as often as many other home schooled kids we know here on the island. They are always on the go, from one class or activity to another; never really schooling much at home. As for our unschooling style home school, we center our learning activities at home about 75% of the time. It works for us! : )

The point is: No matter where you go or what you’re doing, there’s always a lesson to be learned. Keeping it fun is where one’s creativity comes into play. But finding ways to make sure your lone-home-schooler doesn’t end up lonely is where the dedication and love of Mom…or Dad, plays into the mix. Because we always want to see our child(ren) happy –I’ve learned on this home school journey with my daughter — all in all…we’ll do what ever it takes. Because no one – absolutely no one – cares more about a child’s education than the one’s who love them the most.

On that note, here are a few of the ways we’ve come to help our lone-schooler escape the loneliness factor. Because life, and learning, is what we choose for it to become. There is never a right or wrong way to live or learn, as long as it works for us…and the one’s we call family.

“The World is Our Playground, and Every Moment a Lesson to Learn.” – Penny Espinoza (Gypsy Vin Rose)

FUN SCIENCE PROJECTS:

: 2nd Grade Science Project — Even though Nixi is ‘technically’ a 1st Grader, the beauty of Home Schooling is being free to explore any grade level one wishes.

: This science project was to mix food coloring, milk, and dish soap in a bowl, and draw/color what she saw.

: Video Coming Soon! Pics just don’t do this science project justice.

: Nixi draws what she sees taking place in the bowl.

CREATIVE OUTDOOR PLAY:

: Nature Cat Craft Project from PBSKids.org

: Making a Bird Feeder from Re-used TP Rolls, Peanut Butter, and Bird Seed

: With a Simple Stick and Some String, We Have a Bird Feeder. It was fun to make, but the birds didn’t seem to care for it much. *Bittersweet Moments*