When you think about the most common subjects of study for kids today, English, Math, Science, and Geography most likely come to mind. However, there is another list of subjects and concepts that are rarely seen as educational.
The truth of the matter is some, if not all, of what you’ll read below are subjects attached to lost skills that kids could benefit greatly from. Keep reading to find out what those are and how to incorporate them into your homeschool.
What are the lost subjects of study?
School systems, and even home educators, place a lot of emphasis on the term “‘subjects.” But what if we looked a bit deeper into the lost tools of learning? The tools that I speak of are directly connected to skills that are often not thought of, let alone taught.
If you go back far enough in time, you’ll begin to see a trend. A trend that clearly shows the education of adolescents looking a lot different than our modern-day outlooks on learning. Now, more than ever before, we see things in subjects versus concepts and tools.
Below you’ll read about 10 lost skills and how to incorporate them into your homeschool.
What are the lost skills?
Lost skills typically fall into one of two categories: survival or self-reliance. Category aside, these are skills our ancestors naturally gained. They’re also the skills that kept them alive. Although they may seem long forgotten, they can be taught today and count as formal education.
The exhausted list can climb high into the double digits; however, below are the top 10 skills to consider adding to your homeschool schedule:
- Gardening
- Hunting/Fishing
- Natural first aid
- Navigation (without a GPS)
- Home maintenance
- Sewing
- Starting a fire
- Building shelter
- Weapon safety
- Cultivating community
While you may not have your own set of skills in these areas, there are still unique ways to give your children the knowledge and hands-on opportunities to learn.
How to Incorporate Overlooked Subjects into Your Homeschool
Make a plan.
Before diving in, you’ll want to create a plan. You can start by making a list like what’s shown above, or create something a bit more detailed. Then add a rough estimate of when you’d like to teach about each topic. An example would be choosing one lost skill to study per month.
Gather resources.
You may find it easier to study the skills using a unit study style. Unit studies give you flexibility by including multiple subjects and learning styles. Consider gathering resources such as books from your public library, YouTube videos, and/or a documentary or two. Don’t forget to schedule field trips to see some of these things done in person.
Use what is learned.
Studies show that children don’t obtain as much information as they’re taught. But when it comes to teaching the lost skills, it’s a great idea to give your children ample opportunities to use what they learned.
Invite them to help cook a meal from scratch. Let them have a go at handwashing a few pieces of clothing. Go on a mini camping trip and let them find the sticks and start the campfire. It typically boils down to providing the opportunities to learn.
Another idea is to present your children with a list of lost skills and let them choose what they’d like to learn. This is considered a child-led approach. Going this route would guarantee a fun-filled time of learning because it would be concepts they were naturally drawn to.
The skills our forefathers and ancestors knew don’t have to stay lost. They can be revived today and continue to live throughout generations to come. And that, my friend, is how to incorporate subjects of study for kids that people overlook.
(GIVEAWAY)
It’s Back to (Home) School Time!!
More and more families are joining the ranks of homeschoolers this year. With all of the uncertainty surrounding what public school will look like this fall, it’s no wonder parents are adding the role of educator to their list of parental duties.
One of the scary and overwhelming things about making the leap into homeschooling is the financial aspect of it. Curriculum can be expensive (although it doesn’t have to be) and one of the parents might have to quit their job or cut their hours to help make homeschooling a reality for their family. While working and homeschooling or being a one-income family is totally doable, it does require some sacrifice and sometimes that means tightening the budget.
I’ve teamed up with a great group of homeschool bloggers that would like to bless a few homeschool families this year and help lighten the financial load, even if it’s just a little. We wish we could bless more, but we will be able to give THREE families $200 to spend at Christianbook.com to buy curriculum, resources, and supplies for their homeschools.
To enter for your chance to win, simply use the Rafflecopter form below to enter. Now I know this is quite a few entries, but each of these bloggers has generously chipped in their own money to make this giveaway possible, so I hope you will take the time to do all of the entries. And hey, the more entries you do, the better your odds are of winning!
Giveaway ends August 14, 2020, at 11:59 pm ET. Must be at least 18 years of age. Must be a resident of U.S. or Canada to enter. Selected winners will have 48 hours to respond to email notification to claim their prizes or another winner will be drawn. By entering this giveaway, you agree to be added to the email lists of the participating bloggers (see the Terms & Conditions on the Rafflecopter form for the complete list).
As an adult, I feel I didn’t learn enough of these “lost skills” as a child. I’m excited to teach my kids these practical skills and learn them right beside them. Thanks for this insightful post.
This is a great idea. I have already taught my girls a couple on the above list but you have reminded me to teach more of life’s basic skills in addition to the standard requirements.
I love this so much! My husband has always enjoyed survival tactics, so he will be teaching not only our daughter but me as well how to make a fire, a good shelter, how to make our own cordage, and we will all be working on our fishing skills! We do a lot of cooking and baking also.
What a great giveaway! Thank you.
I love that home school we can cook go on nature walk go fishing and just loving the core of learning!!
Hi my name is Jason. We share the same sentiment when it comes to other means of learning. I am also teaching my kids how to be independent and they do household chores as we also believe in practical approach to learning life skills. I will consider other items in your list such as gardening.
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