Homeschooling: how do you?

Every homeschool is different because it has a different teacher and different kids.

Ours looks different to everyone else's that I know.

I've been asked several times recently exactly how we 'fit' school into our day.

My philosophy is that learning starts those moments the eye lids open to the moments they close again.

Learning takes place in all circumstances, including running to the shops for something quickly.

Today.. Our natural learning took us from cleaning the car out to a trip to the bird & animal park to learn how to take care of a baby bird the children found on the ground.

Personally I was hoping it would die before lunch ended and we were headed out but it was still alive. That's my lazy selfishness talking. I don't want to look after a baby bird!!

Anyway, I drove them out. We now have the opportunity to feed a bird by syringe 4 times a day. Impressed?

Neither am I.

Through the hands on experience of looking after a baby bird, syringe feeding it and making lil bird nests the children have learnt.

In the arvo, while I couch rested, the two older children laid on the floor and drew pictures of the bird.

I googled quickly and showed the children the bird as an adult, what it will look like.

Later on in the day we were swooped by an adult miner who then perched on our pram to check us out.

As we got home later on, the first thing the children do as we arrive home is check the bird, notice its hungry, and feed it. Putting the bird safely back into the laundry.


If I can facilitate the children (driving them to find out how to care for the bird), (gain information aka google), and show them how to feed the bird.. I can (relatively) leave the children to educate them-self in a particular area with minimal intervention.

This is the kind of learning that I can't plan for and you can't teach from a text book and you rarely see in a school classroom. We are learning without pencil and paper yet using our senses (touch, sight, hearing, smell).

And for today.. This baby miner bird was only ONE aspect of our homeschool.

ETA: The bird died overnight..
The 'facilitating' occurs by being purposeful in child-led learning ;)