Weekend Edition~How can I get in my required hours if?

I often suggest that people take a break from "schooling" for a while, for many reasons. Sometimes the child is too young, sometimes the child needs a break to deschool, or digest all he has been learning lately, sometimes there is a death in the family or other family emergency, sometimes mom is pregnant and/or introducing a new little one into the family and too tired and ran down to continue to "school" in the traditional way for a little while, maybe the family is moving to a new home, or having grandma visit for a month and the list could go on and on for reasons we sometimes need to take a break.

However, many states have mandated required amount of hours that children must be taught for the school year. So I often am asked, how would I reach my states required hours if I take a break from schooling? In the following article I will explain ways that this can be accomplished.

1) First of all remember, you do not have to abide by the states public school schedule, that usually consist of 9 months of school. You have a full 12 months to reach your states required hours.

2) We homeschool for many reasons, none of them are to replicate public school at home.

So just because your children are not in a class room, at a desk, filling out worksheets, or reading text books, does not mean they are not learning, and that you can not bank your required hours for schooling.

Pretty much every thing you and they do, can be counted as learning, and "school". What you have to do is step back, and think about all the things your family does naturally every day, and how you can frame that into subjects that your state requires.

First, it's a given that you will study the Bible with your children. However, you choose to do that for their developmental stage. For littles that may mean you read to them a My Book of Bible Stories story to them at bedtime. For a little bit older maybe a Great Teacher story, for even older yet, the Watchtower Study, or going over the magazines for Field Service. And the Book study. etc etc. All of this can be counted as Language Arts (reading), History (it IS history and accurate and true history at that, not made up propaganda that is often in text books), Social Studies, they are learning about different cultures, and how people react to such, etc. Geography, take a minute or two and show them on a map or a globe the places of which you are studying about.

Secondly, it's a given that you will have to feed your family, which will most likely require some cooking. Have your children help you. Weather it's sitting the table and clearing it, or actually helping you measure, bake/cook. Setting the table/clearing it is Life Skills and Social Skills (social studies), and Health and could also be Math-counting the place settings, forks, spoons, napkins needed for the amount of family members, and guests. Cooking and baking is Math-measuring and weighing, also how to save money and budget by cooking at home. It is also Science-how these ingredients when mixed together come out with the final food product, Health, keeping the food area clean and healthy, as well as what is healthy to eat and not eat regularly. etc etc. Again Life Skill of cooking at home! That could also include Shopping at the grocery store, which again would be Math-budgeting, and Social Studies-learning about the cultures at the store, and how to interact etc, Life skills of picking the best foods, and so much more.

Third, children NEED to play. With out moving their bodies, and vigorously they do not retain very much information that they are reading or learning. So they have to play. Playing any where can be considered Health-physical fitness, and Physical Education. If you take this outdoors, then you open up even more subjects to count. Outside you can include Science-nature studies, as they observe birds, animals, and bugs, grass, and plants. If you take a stroll through your neighborhood. This can also be translated to Social Studies- as you discuss the area you live in is rural, suburban, or city, how the houses look in your neighborhood, the size, shape, colors, what is included in your area, post office, grocery store, gas station, etc. and Geography-as they learn to map their own neighborhood and the places you visit.

And as a Jehovah's Witness you would most likely also include Field Service regularly in your schedule, this can be counted as Community Service. The YPA book explains how this is a legitimate Community Service as well as career choice. And just like with Bible Study, this can also tie into Language Arts (reading), History (teaching people Biblical History, and sometimes even modern history, depending on what we are placing and talking about), Current Events (especially the Awake, and considering what they use as their presentation), and again Social Studies (they are having to learn how to socially interact with the house holders, and the cultures they may encounter with such), and again Geography (they are learning how to get to the territory, and read a territory map, how to find previous return visits, etc).

You could also add things like going to museums, libraries, children's parks, and play places, and do not dismiss meetings either! And maybe you regularly visit elderly ones-your parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles, those in the congregation that can no longer get out often. Maybe you have your older children mow the yard, maybe even others in the congregations yards who can no longer do that. Maybe your family gardens, or cans foods in the summer time. And so many many more things that each family could be doing regularly in their every day family life. That if you set back, you can think of how these places and situations could be framed into different subjects as well.

This is just a small glimpse of every day subjects that can be considered and counted in your daily life towards the education of your children, that most people already are doing in their lives each and every day. Every family however is unique in their own dynamic and will most likely have many many more situations and experiences in their daily lives, that I did not list, that they can also look at through new insight and count as their child's continuing education. So step back, wash the public school systems look of education out of your mind, and look at your own life in a new perspective, of what are you truly teaching your children, each day! You will soon find out you have nothing to worry about in acquiring your states required yearly hours for education.