A little over a year ago, a friend was telling me that her daughters were having a hard time with history. "They just don't seem to retain anything," she explained. Then she asked, "What history textbook do you use?" I stopped and thought for a moment. It was a quick moment. However, in that moment, all the resources I use reeled through my head. I then answered, "None." She actually looked shocked. "None!?" I went on to explain that we use the library as our primary resource for history and science. Then the next question came, "How do you know you aren't missing anything?" I answered with another question, "How much do you remember from your textbooks in school? Do you remember how dry and boring they were?" Then I asked, "Do you remember any books you read as a kid?" Of course she did.

I do evaluations for homeschoolers in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Every year, I have a new homeschooler who feels they didn't cover art or music or whatever. I love talking with them and helping them to remember shows or other experiences that would be considered art and music (or whatever other subject they think they missed). I also get phone calls from new homeschool moms who are panicing and asking me which curriculum (or workbook) they should have their preschooler or kindergartener in. My reply is always, "None." With children that age, you should take out the play dough or the building blocks and let them play. Take them on walks and let them explore. Talk to them about all that you do and encourage them to talk to you. That is how they will learn best.

Not all learning comes from a text book. As a matter of fact, most learning doesn't come from textbooks. Life is learning.

This morning, I was sent this link for 100+ Resources for Teaching Without Textbooks. It has so many good resources.

As a side note: I do use textbooks for Math. Our family uses the Math U See materials. That only takes 15 to 20 minutes a day and it works well for us. Along with this, I also give my kids some real life experiences with math at as young an age as possible. They include (but are not limited to):

• Cooking using recipes. Sometimes we double or half a recipe and they have to do the math.
• When we go to the bank, they are not allowed a lollipop unless they have a deposit. They also have to fill out their own deposit slips.
• When at the store, I'll ask them to tell me how much change I should get back. Then I have them count it to make sure it is correct.

These are just a few ideas and as I read others' blogs, I get so many more.

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There is a woman in my life who has homeschooled her two sons all the way through.  One she graduated two years ago and the other is 17 (I think).  The other day we were talking about homeschooling and she said that when her boys were younger she "tried very hard to make that line between school and real life as fuzzy as possible."

Didn't Charlotte Mason say, "Life is an atmosphere"? 

As I sit here and work on my goals for next year, these words keep scrolling through my head.  This past year, I have put way too much emphasis on the 180 days that my children need to complete to be in compliance with the law.  I think next year, I just need to put our attendance chart out of sight.  I plan create a habit of math and copywork every day along with reading lots of books.  We will also take up handicrafts in the afternoons.  I'm hoping each girl will finish a quilt next year.  There will be art and music appreciation incorporated into our days as well.

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Some days I am just ready to throw in the towel.  I try so hard to find just the right curriculum for my kids and for what?  So I can drag them out of bed at 9 am to get started on lessons?  So I can look at their droopy faces and rolling eyes when I say, let's learn about....?  So I can have a floor that you can eat off of (a small child could survive for a couple of weeks with what is left on our floor most days).   Ugh!

Then I go and pick up a book - maybe Charlotte Mason or John Taylor Gatto or Catherine Levinson or Ruth Beechick or any number of authors I admire - and I remember.  There really is a simpler way.  (Some days I need someone to beat the public school teacher out of me.)  As a homeschool evaluator, I see so many families, and it would seem that I should take a lesson or two from them on what to do or what not to do. 

First, I realize, I need to relax.  Forcing my children to sit down every day and go through a check list of tasks for the day isn't working, because the learning isn't authentic.  The other morning, my oldest daughter came downstairs in her PJ's and flopped down at the dining room table.  I asked if she wanted something to eat and she said no.  Pointing to her books set out for the day, she sighed "I just want to get this over with."  Talk about heartbreaking.  One of my many reasons to homeschool originally was so she wouldn't loose her love of learning.  This is evidence that I've killed it.

So what do I do about it?  I'm not sure, but I have a plan.  Over the next couple of weeks and months and years, I am going to build our family's library with lots and lots of classic books.  They will be available for her to read and explore.  And that's it for my plan.  Pretty simple, but it may work.  I don't know.  As a classroom teacher, I always said that for every kid out there, there is a different style of learning.  It's now time for me to put my money where my mouth is. 

I have a philosophy of education and I need to live it. 

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