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What do you like to do? Do it with your children. It’s a marvelous way to teach and learn.
My husband and I are both thespians and I created opportunities for my kids to be involved in theater with me. I taught classes and directed plays in our community. I also performed mime for school assemblies. Once I started homeschooling, I taught my children how to mime and they would perform with me. And...
It got to a point that for all our sakes, I stopped making them come with me. They performed well but I got too intense with rehearsals because we would get paid and I thought the show had to be excellent. I didn’t think it was fun for any of us--too much pressure. I’m just sharing that as a note of caution for you. Later, my two youngest (third child was a teen; fourth child was around 10) actually performed 45-minute plays with us or with one another as we toured to different libraries.
We also liked movies but not just to sit around and watch them. We would discuss movies, not on purpose, that’s just what we did. We also still quote movies. Our children learned how to evaluate and critique shows.
When my two youngest were a preteen and teen, I happened to be in a writer’s critique group and my kids started writing novels. I still think their writing is better than mine. As mentioned previously, I wish they would write more and finish their books. But they have families of their own to take care of.
I once said to my potterer friend (mentioned in the previous post) that I feel bad because maybe my kids would have liked sports better if I had let them participate more. She said, “Oh, Marian, you would not have been able to stop them if they really wanted to be in sports.” (For the record: oldest was on the swim team for a season or two; second oldest played soccer for a season; third played t-ball as a cover for looking at dirt, grass and bugs--that’s the one that has a master’s in plant science and teaches at a university).
My artist friend, mentioned in Concept 1, often had her kids sitting next to her, drawing together. Her oldest can make miniature clay figures that are astounding. Her third child would win drawing/coloring contests when she was rather young every year at the library. It was amazing.
If you love cooking, share it with your children. If you love woodworking, share it with your children. If you love photography, mechanics, paints, gardens, writing, sewing, reading, dancing, piano, birds, mountains, technology, SHARE IT WITH YOUR CHILDREN. But as I mentioned in the third paragraph, I had to stop sharing one portion of what I love to do. And that’s okay. It’s the opportunity to try it out, see if they like it, and to get another bit of education.
And NOTE: Be sure to check your state’s laws for homeschooling. Get it directly from their website.
My husband and I are both thespians and I created opportunities for my kids to be involved in theater with me. I taught classes and directed plays in our community. I also performed mime for school assemblies. Once I started homeschooling, I taught my children how to mime and they would perform with me. And...
It got to a point that for all our sakes, I stopped making them come with me. They performed well but I got too intense with rehearsals because we would get paid and I thought the show had to be excellent. I didn’t think it was fun for any of us--too much pressure. I’m just sharing that as a note of caution for you. Later, my two youngest (third child was a teen; fourth child was around 10) actually performed 45-minute plays with us or with one another as we toured to different libraries.
We also liked movies but not just to sit around and watch them. We would discuss movies, not on purpose, that’s just what we did. We also still quote movies. Our children learned how to evaluate and critique shows.
When my two youngest were a preteen and teen, I happened to be in a writer’s critique group and my kids started writing novels. I still think their writing is better than mine. As mentioned previously, I wish they would write more and finish their books. But they have families of their own to take care of.
I once said to my potterer friend (mentioned in the previous post) that I feel bad because maybe my kids would have liked sports better if I had let them participate more. She said, “Oh, Marian, you would not have been able to stop them if they really wanted to be in sports.” (For the record: oldest was on the swim team for a season or two; second oldest played soccer for a season; third played t-ball as a cover for looking at dirt, grass and bugs--that’s the one that has a master’s in plant science and teaches at a university).
My artist friend, mentioned in Concept 1, often had her kids sitting next to her, drawing together. Her oldest can make miniature clay figures that are astounding. Her third child would win drawing/coloring contests when she was rather young every year at the library. It was amazing.
If you love cooking, share it with your children. If you love woodworking, share it with your children. If you love photography, mechanics, paints, gardens, writing, sewing, reading, dancing, piano, birds, mountains, technology, SHARE IT WITH YOUR CHILDREN. But as I mentioned in the third paragraph, I had to stop sharing one portion of what I love to do. And that’s okay. It’s the opportunity to try it out, see if they like it, and to get another bit of education.
And NOTE: Be sure to check your state’s laws for homeschooling. Get it directly from their website.
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