Homeschooling Outside the Home

If you type “homeschooling images” into Google, you’ll get a ton of pictures of smiling families, at home, hovered over books and laptops. The message is that homeschool families school at home.

While that may be true in one way or another, what’s even more true is that homeschoolers do a LOT of school learning outside of the home!

“The World is Your Classroom”

The adage, “the world is your classroom” sums the point up best: home education doesn’t have to happen at home.

It’s a lifestyle really; an approach to living that recognizes that learning can happen in a multitude of different ways and places, and creating the space for learning to happen wherever you are.

Yes, math concepts can be learned from a book while sitting at a desk. But they can also be learned while helping to build a community garden, comparing shapes and sizes in paintings at the art museum, or by letting your child start their own small business in the neighborhood.

History can definitely be learned from a video on YouTube. But it can also be learned while road tripping through the National Parks, spending time at a living history farm, or by dressing up with friends and participating in your local renaissance fair.

And of course, some science needs lab instructions, beakers, and a chemical proof surface. But so much science can be absorbed by enjoying nature, riding your favorite roller coasters, and experimenting with campfire cooking.

Nearly anything you can learn inside the walls of your home can also be learned outside of it (spoiler: it’s often much more fun). What’s more is that by engaging in learning experiences outside of the home, you’re connecting ideas to real world applications for your children, facilitating new layers of understanding and appreciation that your children cannot get from books or videos alone.

Everything Counts

“But then what counts as learning?” My answer: everything!

Every experience, every conversation, every question gone answered or unanswered, every interaction, every mistake, every success, every game, every single experience counts. It’s all learning, or at least building the foundations for future learning.

We just have to be open to it.

We have to be open to the idea that learning can happen off the assigned page and out of order of whatever table of contents we’ve chosen to follow.

We have to be open to recognizing that moments of play, delight, curiosity, exploration, wonder, and fun as being just as important to the learning process as struggle and perseverance can be.

Look at you! You’re learning to homeschool! You’re learning to parent. You’re learning how to live your adult life. No one is giving you a manual for it (I wish!!), or a test to prove your worth, or a degree at the end to declare your expertness. You’re still learning anyway. And your children will too.

Your children can and WILL learn outside of the books, tests, grades, and accolades; they will learn outside the strict ideas of school at home…if you stay open to it.

Endless Possibilities

For those who want more learning experiences outside the home but aren’t sure where to begin, here is a quick laundry list of opportunities to try:

  • Science Learning Centers

  • Space and Naval Centers

  • Nature Centers

  • Local Astronomy Clubs

  • Living History Farms

  • National and State Parks

  • The Public Library

  • Local Scouts Groups

  • City Sports Teams

  • Local Rec Centers

  • Historical Reenactments

  • Art Museums

  • Theatres and Playhouses

  • University Campuses

  • Visits with Extended Family Members

  • Family Travels and Road Trips

  • Camping Trips

  • Local Homeschool Groups (meetups, cooperatives, and more!)

  • Local Cultural Centers

  • Community Gardens

  • Volunteer with a Local Relief Org

  • Animal Rescue Centers

  • Local Hiking Trails

  • Grocery Stores

  • Crafting Circles

  • Book Clubs

  • Robotics Clubs

  • Dabke and Other Dance Troups

  • (your turn to fill in the blank!)

Melissa Barretohome education, homeschool, learning