Where Do I Homeschool?

I have thought long and hard about the answer to this question. "Where do I homeschool?"
Hmmm....well, do you mean the actual 30 minutes a day that we sit down and do our textbooks? Then, we homeschool at the kitchen table.
If you mean the other 16 1/2 hours a day that we are awake, then the correct question would be "Where DON'T you homeschool?"
My family has enjoyed (thus far) a variety of ways of educating our children. We have gone from using strict textbooks and "setting goals" daily to completely unschooling with no books or schedules, to a somewhat balanced approach between the two.
For me, education is much more than just picking up the "Easy Grammar" book and filling in a few pages. Sure, my kids learn what a participle is and why it should never dangle on a daily basis. (did ya catch that?) But, they are also learning more about who they are. They are discovering the talents that the Lord gave them and how to develop them. I am not sure how to incorporate my daughter's love for all animals into a "subject course" because it's not just one or two...it's the entire animal kingdom! Try making a unit study out of that one. What books do you start with from the library? Horses, dogs, skunks, rabbits, squirrels?
How do I count TaeKwonDo as PE when I am not helping my son learn? Sure, I can be his punching bag or hold the kickers, but really, can I count that? What category do I put his compassion down under? Do I write all the times he gives his little brother a toy to make him happy under spelling? Or math?
What about Bible time? We read our devotions, sure. But what about the rest of the day afterwards? Do the times that I fall short and have to ask my children's forgiveness fit there? When they learn that even small lies are not allowed and they get disciplined, is that enough for the day? What about the honesty lessons when the cashier gives too much change and we walk back into the store to make sure it's given back? When we are living what we learn from the Word, do I have to have my children notebook it in order for it to be school?
Yes, I know the answer should have been "kitchen table" or "dining room table" when I have to separate the kids, but I think that answer officially is:

We homeschool everywhere we are, everyday that we are alive, every moment that we are awake.



originally published on Goshen Homeschool Digest on Feb 15, 2008