Ten Things We Love About Homeschooling

There are so many reasons that homeschooling works well for our family.  Here are a few of the big ones.  I'd love to hear your reasons for homeschooling....or not homeschooling....if you care to share.

1. Our flexible schedule: my kindergartener could potentially go for weeks without seeing his dad if we were tied to a "normal" schedule. This way we can work around my husband's second-shift hours and have family time.
2. Wonderful literature and music:  morning, noon, and night read-aloud sessions offer us opportunities to read and discuss all the wonderful stories out there.  Our CD player, at this very moment, contains CD's of Robin Hood and a child-friendly version of The Three Musketeers, both read by the amazing Jim Weiss; Mr. Bach Comes to Call from the Classical Kids series;  Beethoven's Wig, a fabulous collection of silly songs set to the music of well-known classical music pieces that help the kids' learn the title and composer of each piece;  a CD of well over 20 Bible verses set to music; and My Father's Dragon, a wonderful adventure story that my kids can nearly quote by heart.  (You should hear my four-year-old's vocabulary!!!)
3. Hugs and kisses:  all day long!!!  I am a spoiled, spoiled mommy.  Very seldom does an hour go by when I am not hugged, kissed, and told that I am loved.
4. Time for the things in life that we consider important:  daily devotions that allow time for discussion, excersize and lots of play time, naps, healthy meals, sibling relationships, church activities, chores....  There are so many things it seems would be put on the back burner if the kids were out of the house for much of the day.
5. Answering my kids' questions:  they think up the most profound things in the middle of the morning!  I am so glad they have the opportunity to ask away and that I can answer in a way consistent with our beliefs and morals.  Adults are often amazed at my son's ability to join into a conversation that would normally be well over the heads of a typical five-year-old.
6. Learning by doing:  I spent ten years of my life as a teacher (everything from preschool through 12th grade came through my doors at some point during those years) and I did my best to teach through a variety of mediums.  As much as I tried to avoid the trap of constant lectures and paperwork, it was hard with classes of 20-30 students.  They learned so much more when we DID the work, discussed the work, saw the work....  Although my children are still quite young, I already see the benefits of learning through doing, discussing, and seeing.  Although the school teacher in me still insists on regular "school hours", I am also constantly amazed at how much learning my children do when simply left with hours of free time.
7. Socialization:  it happens in real-life settings with a variety of ages. I also get to be pretty selective about the relationships my children develop during these early formative years.
8. Children (boys especially) are not made for desks and chairs:  have you ever noticed how often boys simply randomly fall out of their chairs and look honestly amazed by the event!  I truly believe that children often have to consentrate so hard on sitting still, that they miss out on the learning that should be taking place.  Several years ago I had the opportunity to tutor a wonderful young man during his 10th grade year.  For 9th grade, I had him in a classroom setting and truly thought he had a learning disability.  When his mother decided to homeschool this still-squirmy teen ager and hire me on as his language arts teacher, I was amazed!  His morning routine included bike rides, drum playing, and healthy snacks when needed.  And we all discovered the boy was brilliant!!!  By spending half as much time doing school work, he produced amazing work and his test scores sky rocketed. 
9. Spending the days with my children:  enough said.  I LOVE our days together.  Not everyone is cut out for this job, but I feel truly blessed to have the opportunity to enjoy these fleeting years together.
10. Being in charge of what my children learn:  call me a control freak, but I like knowing that what my children are learning and how they are learning it are consistent with the values held by our family.