Home Education - Why we love it!

Firstly I want to make it clear I do not preach home education, it is very much personal choice and what is right for one child or family is not right for another. Simply put there is not just one way of parenting, educating, living in general. This is just what works for us and we are open to change as we grow and develop as individuals and a family unit.

What do I love about our children not going to school:

• We spend every day together! Each milestone I witness - reading, writing, swimming as well as their social developments are all witnessed by me first hand. Those moments will stay with us forever and I don't want to miss them. I cannot imagine reading about how well my daughters are doing in swimming class or that they read their first book in full in their school diaries, I don't want to miss those moments. There are times when I want some time to be me, some quiet time after all I am human but when those moments arise I am blessed enough to have a husband and children who (most of the time) listen and get that and we arrange it. I have plenty of time to read with a cuppa, have a long soak in the bath or craft when they are older too!
• If we have a disagreement it is sorted out quickly, no going our separate ways to brew over it for the day or worry about how things will be when we are reunited. This helps keep everyone's stress levels low. 
• Our lives are slower, more relaxed and we can listen to our bodies. Most days we can eat when hungry, rest when tired and work when we feel mentally ready to absorb the information. I truly believe if more people lived slowly, less stressed lives our society would be a happier, healthier place.
• We learn on the go! Our eldest learnt the basics of addition and subtraction on the local village bus. We would count the passengers then add those getting on and subtract those getting off. This made sense for her she could see it in real life not on a piece of paper with no meaning.  A girl who attended the local Rainbow group with our eldest daughter was confused how she could be learning without going to school as in her words 'You have to go to school to learn', my daughter told her all the places we learn before coming home confused by this belief. 
• We learn together, I am learning all the time with our daughters. As adults we never know it all, we are continuously learning in life. Learning doesn't stop when you leave school! I am learning so much now with my children and enjoying every moment of it.
• Aquariums, museums, libraries and pretty much everywhere is so much quieter for us. We can go to the aquarium and stop and read every sign we wish, speak to the passionate staff who are happy to answer questions and have lengthy discussions with us within the children's interests. We truly gain so much from these days out. Our children find it strange to see school visitors be rushed through to the sections needed and unable to ask questions or look at things outside the days learning criteria. To be honest I remember those school trips, I left with the few basic facts needed to tick the curriculum but not much more. 
• Learning never stops for us, every waking moment is an opportunity to learn and explore which is what life is all about right?  
• Most importantly for me is our children learn in their own way at their own pace. No pressure, no rules they learn in a way that suits them when they feel ready. In our home there is no pressure to read, it comes naturally. A baby isn't taught how to crawl, chew etc it comes naturally as humans are naturally curious and want to explore the world around them. Children soon want to understand the signs around them, the menu in the cafe and research answers to their questions independently and to do so they need to figure out the words and sentence formation. I truly believe they teach themselves if you give them space and time. 

I am happy when people question home education, I am unhappy when people want to negatively judge it, as I said in the beginning it is about doing what is right for your family and that is not the same for every family. Accepting we are not all the same and that is perfectly ok helps relationships within society a great deal so lets all try and do it a little bit more!