One thing I have learned from homeschooling these five years is that creativity is key. We are also being bold and brave by stepping out of the norm and educating our children in a way that is contrary to what the general population feels is acceptable. We are already teaching our kids that it is OK to step outside of the box. Unfortunately, in an effort to check ourselves and make sure the kids will still fit into the society when they grow up, we at times get afraid, and copy what the general public is doing.
For my daughter, we like to follow her creative nature and allow her to do things like pageants, acting workshops, plays and productions. This week it has all come to a head, for as I write this I am sitting in a hotel in Los Angeles, California. My daughter is representing our state in an African American pageant that celebrates heritage, and teaches children the importance of confidence, awareness, and pride.
We have been here a mere 24 hours with nine days to go and so far my child has been taught the importance of presence, diction, enunciating, projecting, and a bit of African American history along the way. This may sound like a strange way of teaching my child things that can be done with a trip to a museum in downtown Atlanta and a couple of acting workshops, but I have learned that the lessons stick longer when they are experienced, versus when they are taught.
I challenge you to take a time out in your homeschool experience to have experiences that may not look like education at all. Indulge your children in their interests. Expose them to people who will push them and challenge them. You’ll be amazed at how much they’ll learn.
Do you have an unusual education experience that your child has had or that you are planning? Leave a note in the comments section and tell us about it.
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