Letting Go of the List

There are days when I am so focused on getting through the list that I can forget one of the reasons we homeschool. Today, started out busy and full of distractions and by the time we were able to begin our school day, all I wanted to do was get through the list. I like being able to check the items off and see all the progress we make. It was quickly evident that today was not going to be that day. While I was all about what I wanted to check off the list they were more interested in building a volcano, building a light bulb, reading books and painting. So I gave them the day to explore their interests. The girls went outside and worked on their volcano (a really large pile of dirt that they are turning into a really big volcano) and they painted for a while then they crocheted. Tonight before bed they were all reading books about sewing. So even though we didn’t check off any of the boxes on my to-do list, they spent the day learning. Learning is so much more than reading a text book and answering the questions or listening to a lesson that has been carefully prepared to capture their attention. And it is much more enjoyable when we spend time pursuing what interests us. 

When I remember to let go of the list, they enjoy learning that much more. I still make sure we get all the subjects in, and they do even their least favorite subjects at some point in the week. But letting them have days where we don’t worry about my list, the other days tend to go much smoother.