We all have gotten the “look”. The one where you can tell the light bulb has turned off in the brain and the eyes start to appear glazed over. It’s the look that lets you know it’s time to head back to the drawing board to really think about what interests your children.
What makes their heart skip a beat with excitement? And my favorite-what creates the “look”; the glow and the twinkle in their eyes that sparks a whole world of imagination and creativity. That’s the moment you know you are on to something!
Partying Our Way Through School
Children are ignited by the things they are passionate about. The great thing about homeschooling is that you have the ability to give your kids opportunities where they are fully engaged and their creativity is limitless. Whatever hobbies or interests your kids have, why limit those things until after school? For my daughter her favorite things are tea parties and planning.
So, here’s what I discovered when we took a couple of weeks and made our school a party…. Literally! We used our curriculum the way we always do but just incorporated all of her favorite things!
As my daughter started to plan her tea party she was engaged more than ever in her school work. Her motivation to read went through the roof. Her writing capacity was almost endless as she wrote shopping lists, place cards, and her menu plans. Math skills were put to the test as she added with excitement the number of items we would still need to meet her guests’ needs.
We were able to spend hours baking, preparing, and cleaning together to make sure everything was as special as she wanted it to be. She gained understanding in the roll as a hostess and how to be sensitive to the needs and desires of others. It setup the perfect stage to discuss manners and modesty at an age where she is so quickly turning into a little lady.
After all of her hard work and planning, the big day finally arrived! I watched as she proudly welcomed her quests and showed them the treats and activities she had made for them. I watched as she had a sense of ownership in the event. It wasn’t just something I had done for her, but a task that we had supported her in.
Every now and again you get the privilege of bringing lessons together to teach life. You get to watch the twinkle of an eye linger and sit back and know you’re doing something right! So yes, life has been party planning, party planning has been school, and school has been everything I’d hoped for it to be; passionate, engaging, creative, and meaningful!
For more inspiring ways to homeschool, like us on Facebook or follow us on Pinterest. Thanks for your support!
How do you incorporate your children’s passions into their school?
Leave a Reply