by Julie Bogart
You’re driving along discussing how far the sun is from the earth when one of your kids wants to know if the song on the radio is by OneRepublic, another one asks if you can stop by the store to get a starfruit because she heard about it from a book she’s reading, and then another one declares that he knows a shortcut home. The toddler takes this opportunity to throw his pacifier to the floor, and the nine year old steps on it while trying to pick it up. Of course.
In the span of fifteen minutes, you’ve covered all kinds of interesting information, as well as heard snippets of what is filling your kids’ heads all day.
Count it all.
Write it down.
It’s okay that you have incomplete discussions. You’ll circle back to them over time. Remind yourself that conversation is the homeschool equivalent of a classroom lecture.
These conversations are often best had in a car, anyway. It’s when you’re all trapped in one space and talking is the main thing that can be done in that space. Use it well!
Some Ideas
• Pose a provocative question: “How many whole chickens could we fit in that semi? How might we figure it out?” Brainstorm ideas, take guesses, figure it out when you get home.
• Talk about the lyrics of a song.
• Comment on the birds on the telephone wire, wondering which ones they are.
• Ask about a game recently played or a book being read.
Talk in the car! Count it. So much good education happens, literally, along the way.
Julie Bogart homeschooled her five children for seventeen years. Now she runs Brave Writer, the online writing and language arts program for families, and is the founder of The Homeschool Alliance and Poetry Teatime.
You’re driving along discussing how far the sun is from the earth when one of your kids wants to know if the song on the radio is by OneRepublic, another one asks if you can stop by the store to get a starfruit because she heard about it from a book she’s reading, and then another one declares that he knows a shortcut home. The toddler takes this opportunity to throw his pacifier to the floor, and the nine year old steps on it while trying to pick it up. Of course.
In the span of fifteen minutes, you’ve covered all kinds of interesting information, as well as heard snippets of what is filling your kids’ heads all day.
Count it all.
Write it down.
It’s okay that you have incomplete discussions. You’ll circle back to them over time. Remind yourself that conversation is the homeschool equivalent of a classroom lecture.
These conversations are often best had in a car, anyway. It’s when you’re all trapped in one space and talking is the main thing that can be done in that space. Use it well!
Some Ideas
• Pose a provocative question: “How many whole chickens could we fit in that semi? How might we figure it out?” Brainstorm ideas, take guesses, figure it out when you get home.
• Talk about the lyrics of a song.
• Comment on the birds on the telephone wire, wondering which ones they are.
• Ask about a game recently played or a book being read.
Talk in the car! Count it. So much good education happens, literally, along the way.
Julie Bogart homeschooled her five children for seventeen years. Now she runs Brave Writer, the online writing and language arts program for families, and is the founder of The Homeschool Alliance and Poetry Teatime.
