Family Learning

We make a lot of stress for ourselves when we insist on separating the learning for each child simply because of their age or grade level. Learning doesn't always need to be separated and there are many things that can be learned about and engaged in as a family.

One of my close friends who helped me get started with homeschool explained it simply: think about your learning falling under two large umbrellas: skills and information.

Skills-based learning, like math, may require some separation based on where your individual child's skills are. For example, a child likely won't be able to perform division if they don't understand how to add or subtract. So you may want to separate math learning to ensure that each child is moving ahead at a pace they need in order to advance their skills.

Information-based learning usually doesn't require specific skill sets and tends to involve more discussions, activities, or explorations that everyone can engage in as a family regardless of skill level. For example, in our homeschool, we did World History, Art, Science, Poetry Teatimes, and Hobbies together as a family.

What might it look like covering a topic as a family with different ages and stages? Let's say you're covering Ancient Egypt with your 6 year old (non-writer), 10 year old, and 13 year old. You can...

• grab a variety of books from the library to read and discuss

• watch a documentary about Ancient Egypt together

• build model pyramids or 3D puzzles

• mummify a fruit together

• create secret messages to one another in hieroglyphs

• engage your writers with writing projects on what they’re learning

• engage your ask non-writer with narrations or depictions about what they're learning

• visit an Ancient Egyptian museum exhibit to observe, sketch, and discuss

• tour the pyramids of Giza with Google Earth

By bringing the learning together you can engage in more time as a family and lessen the stress of having to prep for many different levels at once.