The Chipps Family Homeschool part 1: The Natural Method

      I love homeschooling. I get very passionate on the subject. It is a hobby of mine, everything to planning out what we want to work on, to what actually is needed for each child. I'm not sure my children are impressed with with my wide variety of interests, but I try to convince them anyhow that I do have the harder job. I believe that home schooling is what I should do, and it isn't for everyone.

      The privilege I have of  teaching our children at home is amazing yet it is of the most natural things to have happen. After all I did potty train them, they did learn how to use a fork, and most of the time they do leave their shoes at the door. They have responsibilities they are learning with daily chores, they help with laundry, they partake in preparing the meals and help clean them up. With their desire to learn they can dress themselves and know he difference between good clothes and play clothes. They learned all this at home. They have learned how to talk, in an unschooling fashion, they say please and thank you. They can change a baby's diaper and help a small one to get dressed for outside. All this took hour and hours of training on the part of their parents, at home.

      I've thought about the earlier years of our homeschooling. Mama as the chore leader and Mama as the math teacher is really one in the same, really. I have been guilty of trying on a different uniform for the "school" room. I allowed my confidence to shake at the door and question my ability to teach. Oh sure, as a mother, I can/will/do face extremely difficult situations that really can shake my confidence, but I always know that no matter what, I am Mama, and somehow we'll get around this. I have that confidence. As a healthy adult I don't need to give up and say, "This is too much, I can't be a mother". (I do have the blessing of a supportive husband to fall back on and call out for help!). That doesn't need to change when I'm teaching between fractions and how to properly sweep the floor. You could say that that really isn't apples for apples because alot of our teaching is merely our children watching us as parents. But you want children that read? You read. There it is, the natural method.  They will want to read and you show them how.
  
     I once exclaimed in response to someone,"Oh, you home school too!". "NO", he declared vehemently, "We home educate." Call it what you like: teach, demonstrate, show, instruct, whatever. Don't give yourself an unnatural limit to your abilities. Yes, there will be some hmming and hwwwing around here when some advanced math needs to be learned, but hey- I'm not to old to get a few formulas under my belt.  Some subjects come harder than others. Some subjects get favored over others. So what? Every family does that naturally already, yet we can commit ourselves to be responsibly balanced.

      One of my favorite books to get relaxed and stop being so worried about my capabilities is Easy Homeschooling Techniques. It's good for what ever style of home school you are seeking. That is our privilege and our joy, to pass down our values and heritage. You as the instructing parent can decide.