Today I am going to discuss what I call educational moments. Educational moments are when something happens, whether it be big or small, and you use the event or experience to educate you child/ren. While I have noticed homeschoolers taking advantage of educational moments more often than non-homeschoolers, they can happen to anyone, anywhere. The trick of an educational moment is not to necessarily look for them, but to be open to learning experiences every moment of every day.
As I’ve already said, educational moments can be big or small. When my niece was hit by an SUV, the educational moments that followed were many. As a matter of fact, they are still happening to this day. This was a big event in our life, and while it affected our family in a lot of negative ways, it also affected us in a lot of positive ways. The educational moments that came from this event was just one of the positive ways it had an effect on us. Then there are all the smaller things that happen on a daily basis. There are the trips to the grocery store or the baking of cookies in the kitchen that can be used as educational moments. Basically, any moment in your day is what you make of it, and a lot of them can be turned educational.
I think there are several reasons why homeschoolers take advantage of educational moments more often than non-homeschoolers. One of the reasons is the fact that we are with our children and educating them every day; where as children of non-homeschoolers are at school most of the day and their parents are used to them receiving their education there. Another thing I have noticed is that homeschoolers are usually not as hurried as non-homeschoolers. Notice I said usually, as that depends on the situation, but in general this is usually the case. Also, homeschoolers spend most of the day with or around their kids. Most non-homeschooling families consist of two working parents and the children in a school setting of some sort all day. When the whole family is home together it is considered family time and they just want to enjoy each others’ company.
If everyone actually looked for educational moments, your day would exist of nothing else, and they wouldn’t be so special when they do happen. If you are open to them instead, they will come to you and turn some of the things that seem mundane in life into special moments between you and your child.
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