A New Homeschooling Journey

 Now that my toddler, Raf,  is closing in on 4 years old I am starting to aim him toward homeschooling.  For me, this will be a dive back into homeschooling.  I am looking forward to encouraging his curious and inquisitive nature.

 I homeschooled my oldest kids, now adults, from 4th grade until graduation.  Starting out with preschool will be an adjustment for me.   With my other two kids I started with a regular curriculum and slowly changed things up as we went along.  With my daughter we ended up mostly led by her interests, with required subjects added in.  By the end she was doing mostly part time work and life skills.  

I have a lot of regrets, in the fact that I was working full time, limiting what and how I could educate them.  Now, I face another challenge.  Trying to figure out where to start with a strong willed toddler, a full time remote job, part time in person job, a disabled adult child that requires full time care, a house to take care of, along with a myriad of other things that I am responsible for.  

Due to everything in my life right now, I have decided to mish mash a few methods together.  He is naturally picking things up on his own.  He knows numbers, letters,  shapes, colors, and recognizes a few words all on his own without pushing him.  Our main style is going to be unschooling focused with as much play and outdoor time as possible.  As he draws interest in things I will bring supports in to help him learn.  I refuse to push him through anything.  I want him to learn and not just memorize.  

Life skills are already a big part of our day.  Giving him as much independence as possible to continue to build confidence in himself and learn naturally.  To let him explore his interests and delve into them as much as he desires.  

Now that Spring is upon us we are spending a ton of time outdoors.  He is exploring the woods, our back yard, anything and everything that he is drawn to.  He has discovered bugs underneath rocks and logs.  Raf wants to know about everything he sees and hears, asking many, many questions throughout the day.  

The world is changing and I would like him to have the ability to apply himself in any direction he desires.  Raf is a determined, strong willed child that sees something he wants and goes after it. As frustrating as this may be at times, these traits will take him far in the world.