Why are you homeschooling? What made you decide to home-school? Doesn’t she like her school? Just some of the questions we have been asked. We didn’t make it Facebook official or tell very many people in the beginning for two reasons:

1. It is a test run to see if this is something that will work for our family.

2. I didn’t feel like any negative comments

So why then the new (old) blog about it? Well before I answer that question let me answer the initial questions.

Why are you homeschooling?

I am sure if you are a homeschooling mom/dad you have heard this question a million bazillion times and perhaps you have found yourself answering it a million bazillion times, sometimes with a long in depth answer and maybe sometimes the shortened version and maybe even times with different reasons. Perhaps your reasons have even changed from when you started your homeschooling journey with your child/ren. Our reason (short version) to home-school Leah is that we have had it on our hearts for a very long time (since she was about 3 years old I would estimate) but circumstances didn’t allow for it to be even a remote option. Now due to circumstances (and some other factors that I might blog about at a later stage) we are able to finally try it out.

Why blog about it then?

We are trying it out for the year hence the reason I am “journaling” or “blogging” about it for this year. I am a terrible blogger and I know this for a fact because of my numerous failed attempts at blogging in the past but I am going to try and persevere in order to keep a little record and maybe collect and share some cool activities that we do while we home-school.

Are you using a curriculum?

I have been asked a few times what curriculum I will follow (Leah is supposed to be in Grade R this year). From my research and from what other more experienced homeschooling moms have said is that this year should be a year of playing, outings, adventures, working on relationships and tons of reading together and not so much about formal curriculum work like writing in a desk kind of work. Learning through everyday experiences which incorporate all those important foundations for maths and literacy. Think about when you chat to your children when you are busy making supper for example, reading the recipe, chatting about the ingredients, where they come from, how much to add, counting, measuring, tasting, describing, cleaning up afterwards, pleases and thank-you’s…and so it goes on. There is so much learning happening in just that session of time together. So learning happens naturally and will happen… In the future maybe next year if we continue I am keen to try out Sonlight and Footprints on our Land (South African based curriculum).

When will she socialise? 

Aaarrgg the most irritating of all questions … please don’t ask this question if your friend is homeschooling. Yes, she will socialise, it’s not like we are under house arrest. Play dates, sports, clubs, church, parks, going to the shops, in the neighbourhood with the other kids… They are kids after-all, the best kind of socialisers!!

Have you started?

Yes, we started when she was born actually, everyone who has a child has in theory home-schooled their child and still does. Think about my example above about cooking supper but if you want to be technical then we started last week Thursday (when Scarlett went to Playschool). We are “officially” into our second week and so far so good. HAHA but we shall see as the year progresses.

So those are the most common questions I have been asked so far, let me know if you have any others and I will try and answer them