Change of Scenery

I have been sick. *We* have been sick.  My house is in complete disorder. 

Weeks like this make homeschooling a very, very difficult thing.

I don't want to.  They don't want to.  And when we do get the get up and go to do it...finding what we need in the piles of stuff has been almost impossible.

Thank you, Co-op.  You taught my children about electricity, foreign language, basketball, sewing and drama.

Thank you, Library.  Your free homeschool class taught my children about the Egyptian gods and goddesses.  And we checked out some drawing books to learn how to draw animals and planes.

Thank you, Internetz.  You reinforced math skills and with my Usbourne Internet-Linked Science Encyclopedia, you reinforced concepts of conservation of momentum and velocity.

So I actually only had to teach language arts, Bible and math.

I hate not feeling like 'doing school'.  It makes me feel like a slouch and selfish that I am not forcing myself and my kids to 'push through' and do it anyway.  Yes, in the Real World, when they have a job, they will have to work when they don't feel like it.  Of course the arguement to that is the concept of sick days in the work place.  But I digress...

 I think they have learned so much more than information during this week.  They learned that they don't have to 'do school' to learn...they can go online and use games to learn.  That opportunities in the community educate them.  That they can select library books that interest them and that learning about something you enjoy is, well...enjoyable.  And the biggie...they learned that THEY are more than capable of teaching themselves at times by expressing an interest and gathering the materials needed to follow through.  LIFE alone is a constant learning experience. 

When you are actually participating in "Real LIFE" and not in a brick and mortar classroom for 7 hours a day..."Real LIFE" will teach you in multifaceted ways.  It teaches you to adapt to situations and to be flexible, because, as we all know, "Real LIFE" doesn't always begin at 8:30 with the Pledge of Allegiance and end at 3:30 with the ring of a bell. 

That all being said, of course I am still going to be 'doing school' when all is back in order.  But it sure is nice when 'Real LIFE' derails the Same-Old Same-Old Train and forces it to go down another track. 

It's a nice change of scenery.