HOW TO HOMESCHOOL WITHOUT A LESSON PLAN

The Interactive Around the World gadget

When we went to homeschool group this week my daughter took the big, laminated pictures of countries eg: Asia, Europe and South America and put the labels saying each country onto the appropriate spot without hesitation. She looked at me to see if she was correct and I - feeling somewhat embarrassed - looked back at her and shrugged my shoulders. The person who was facilitating the activity came to look and said correct to each placement.

Later on when we got into the car I asked her how she knew about those countries; I know we have studied a little this year from Homelands Around the World but deep down I know I can't take the credit for this - perhaps she's learning by osmosis, I thought. This is a popular homeschool idea that I wholeheartedly agree with; the child literally takes what it needs from the environment when he/she needs it - it's a completely different view of the concept of learning.

"Mum," she said clicking her tongue and sighing, "don't you remember, (my memory isn't what it used to be and the children constantly remind me of it) you bought me the Around the World gadget from Toys 'R Us and I used it until I had learnt everything it had to say." I found this to be unlikely; I don't ever go into those stores, I completely avoid them at all costs but then I remembered one day last year when I was minding my grandson and we had run out of nappies and we dashed into Baby's 'R Us (which is with Toys 'R Us) because it just happened to be there and she found this gadget and begged and pleaded for me to buy it. "Okay," I had said, "but only because it's educational." And then she was glued to it for weeks but with the general chaos of everything (new baby in the family, first book being published plus just living life) hadn't really paid much attention to it. Now I chuckle to myself.  .  . yet another beautiful moment in our homeschool journey.

This is home education, folks. It may not be set lesson plans and it may feel at times like you're failing dismally but then you have one of these wonderful, break-through moments like I've just written about and for a while now all of my doubts about what I'm doing as a homeschool mum and whether or not I'm doing it well enough will be hushed - for a little while anyway.