Homeschooling outside the box!

"As parents, if we open our eyes, we get a front row seat into the talents and potential of our children. My daughter, who is now 16 and an aspiring author, used to walk around at age five with a notebook, daily adding words to a story that spanned over a year. She has had varied deep interests, but writing has always been a passion from a young age. She came into the world spouting poetry, and was constantly telling witty jokes. At age 13, she wrote a 60,000+ word historical fiction novel in her free time. This child did not need grammar lessons, as she spent her early years immersed in reading good literature and creating her own worlds with her pen. Now she is working on a novel that she wants to publish. Her childhood enlightened me that writing was not just a passing passion, but a talent that would be a feature in her own story unfolding."

There is a brand new Christian homeschooling book called Lifeschooling: Learning to Think Outside the Curriculum Box, and the above is one of my story contributions to the book.

I love Danielle Papageorgiou’s relaxed homeschooling philosophy. It is so similar that our family has embraced, and it has made all the difference! One of the best parts of Lifeschooling for my family has been allowing my children to bloom in their own timing.

In my experience, each child’s dominant talents have come to light from an early age and consistently remained strong. My first child, as mentioned above, wrote her first novel. all of her own volition. Writing is definitely an integral part of her. This does not mean that she must or will become an author as a career. But her skill of writing is an obvious talent that can be harnessed for God’s glory. Clear communication is beneficial for everyone and useful in many career paths. Many of her friends are blessed by her lengthy letters and poetry. The gifts our children possess, may not be used in the traditional sense, but there is a reason God has given our kids their particular abilities - to be used.

When this child is passionate about something, I have observed that she will chase that spark as long as it remains a spark and learn with pleasure. Yes, it requires effort but she finds the engagement meaningful. One daughter read every book on dinosaurs and fossils she could find (I made sure I got good quality creation science books in front of her). She would spend hours reading these, internalizing and remembering what she read, sharing fascinating discoveries with me. She never tired of searching for fossils. Now, I could expect her to do math and writing, or I could realize that through her following her paleontological interests that she was building plenty of appropriate knowledge and skills. This doesn’t mean she is destined to be a paleontologist. But by knowing how to go chase information she is interested in, is a skill she can transfer to finding knowledge whenever she needs to.

If my other child who is a right brained learner had been at school, it is likely she would have had low self-esteem due to her inability to read according to the school’s scope and sequence. Yet at home I was able to read to her to her heart’s content, and she was able to absorb information like a sponge with comprehension. From a very early age she could repeat verbatim back to me The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe after one hearing. Reading didn’t enter her radar until much later. Yet this child expressed her talent of impromptu and dramatic storytelling from a young age and this aptitude has continued to flourish. Other talents of cooking and gardening were discovered later but her proficiency at storytelling has remained a bold talent. My other child’s talent of athleticism and visual arts also was recognizable from a young age and continues strong. She still spends hours daily either illustrating, designing or building constructions.

I am confident that God distributed these abilities to my children for a reason and that they will feature in their callings in some shape or form. Your child’s early skills and passions may be a seed of their lifelong talent.

I resonate with Danielle’s new book Lifeschooling: Learning to Think Outside the Curriculum Box, and her message is one I am passionate about and is similar to how I approach homeschooling and family life.. It echoes my Heart School philosophy as it’s all about learning to integrate life with homeschooling and finding our child’s gifts so we can raise a world-changer!

It clearly shows how one can step outside traditional methods of learning and how education and family life can look different and equip our children for real life through living real life together with Christ at the centre.

I proudly have a copy on my book shelf. Do you?