{TOS Crew} Having Fun

I hope this week I have shared enough to give you some confidence in starting on your homeschool journey. Homeschooling can definitely be a hard undertaking. I've told others from time to time that there is stress involved with taking on the education of your child. After all, if there are any issues you can't blame the teacher - you are the teacher!

However, I find true joy in knowing that I am completely responsible for what it is my child learns. I was there as each of my children learned to read. I was the one who taught them that skill. I am free to follow their interests. My oldest loves all things computers and this year he'll begin a computer programming curriculum. My middle son lives and breathes airplanes and we are incorporating that into his learning.

While homeschooling can be tough, it should also be fun! I strive to instill a love of learning in my boys. And yes, many days that is an uphill battle! However, my one goal is to teach them simply how to learn. At the end of the day if they can figure out how to find the information they need, I'm okay with that. 

Now having fun can mean a number of different things. For us, it means lots and lots of field trips. Winters in Maine can be tough, well, this last winter was very mild but that's not the norm for us. That means we fit in field trips whenever we possibly can. 

From hiking with our west coast cousins here on vacation....

...to heading to a local pond for a science class...

...to meeting up with homeschooling friends, from out of 

state (New York!), here on vacation at a 

historical site (one of our favorites)...

...to attending various plays...

...to going to our favorite old-fashioned agricultural fair...

...to attending class at our favorite natural history museum...

...to attending monthly art classes.

As you can see, we spend a lot of time out and about. Perhaps too much time but it's all educational and beneficial. And all of the photos I posted were from a mere two months time last fall. 

We actively embrace all the fun activities available to us here in the woods of Maine. I'm sure for many locales, there are even more to chose from. Be sure to evaluate each opportunity as it comes along and make sure it adds to your homeschool experience and doesn't detract. Many times there have been activities that have come our way, but they were not beneficial or did not add in some way to our educational needs.

While homeschooling can be hard, it's the fun days that help us get through the tough times. Make sure you plan for them just as much as you plan any other part of your curriculum. Learn to enjoy spending time together. 

I pray that this series has helped encourage you in some way. And be sure to head back to the anchor post over at the TOS Homeschool Crew blog to explore all the other "5 Days Of..." posts linked up there.