Episode 43: Financially Accessible Homeschooling – How Do We Offer our Children an Abundant Life?

Описание: Does homeschooling have to cost a lot of money?

We tap into this topic with Anne from @obytheby and Eclectic Kids and come to the conclusion that living richly and abundantly is indeed possible without expensive classes, outings and materials. We agree that sometimes we might choose those things but that as we slow down, observe and integrate other things into our days, they don’t seem as necessary or even desired. *This isn’t a conversation that suggests that everyone wants to or can homeschool, either financially or otherwise. It’s an opportunity for us to sift through how home education can be simplified and enjoyed at a much lower cost than people might imagine and that while that still might not make it possible for ALL people, it might make it possible for MORE people. Something that comes up throughout the conversation is the role that gradual deschooling plays in becoming more comfortable with living simply.

We’d love you to tune in and hear our thoughts. If you have links to additional free, low-cost or Pay What You Can resources, please send them our way via Comments or the Ever Learning email and we’ll get a running list going.

We Discuss:


That an abundant mindset can be the first resource to gather

Finding ways to homeschool when it doesn’t look like we can “on paper”

Single parent homeschooling

Sustainable homeschooling and adjusting to find ways for homeschooling to fit our individual budget and lifestyle

That we don’t need a separate homeschool room and multiple materials

Wanting our kids to have high quality learning experiences and what to do about that in the absence of school programs and materials

How we might incorporate learning into life

The back and forth conversations between “homeschooling is a privilege” versus “homeschooling is a sacrifice”

That there’s something else at play beyond how much money a family has … there’s a level of resourcefulness and conviction that is often necessary to make it work

That it’s not so much that you have to be confident in your knowledge as it is that you need to be confident that you can find things and make things happen … learning to let go

That there are particular family set ups and dynamics that can make things more or less possible as far as both financial and personal capacity

Taking different ages and stages into consideration when making decisions about home education

Having the goal of keeping the option for home education available, even if parents and children choose a different path

That home education is lifestyle more than school – almost like living and learning on autopilot

Partnering and being our kids’ life and educational ally during the teenage years

How so much joy and wonder in learning happens when we’re learning together – it’s often the connection that makes the experience

Whether having homeschooled and/or unschooled as a child makes a difference in confidence as a home educating parent

That the level of confidence a parent has in their own ability to home educate may play into how much money they feel they have to spend on materials and programs

Whether many of us, as home educating parents, overcompensate in what we feel we need to spend, based on some insecurity that we may not be able to offer what a school can

The freedom of not feeling we have to know everything … the ability to enjoy coming across something we don’t necessarily know everything about versus the need to pay a guide or specialized program

The blurred line between family experiences and field trips – lots of things can lead to a fun and rich life without adding in extra “learning trips.”

Leaving space to dive into simple and local (and often low-cost) things that come up

The fear people have of leaving space or having big gaps in time and whether that leads to feeling money needs to be spent

The pressure from extended family, neighbours, a spouse, etc that leads us to spend money on fancy or conventional outings or materials AND how those things really do help sometimes to quiet their stress

How adults tend to feel comfortable when kids are “doing” things and involved in things that they can easily report or quantify

Free location passes through libraries

Thinking through free and low-cost resources for people who are looking for curricula, unit studies, etc

And much more … ‘twas another full conversation!

Resources:


@obytheby

Eclectic Kids

Eclectic Kids Explore

Birdbound

Abundant Homeschooling Doesn’t Need to Cost a Lot of Money – Ever Learning

How Much Novelty Do Our Kids Need? – Episode #11: Virtual Kitchen Table Episode

Fear of Missing Out – Episode #26: Virtual Kitchen Table Episode

Easy Peasy Homeschool

All in One Homeschool High School

The Good and the Beautiful

Khan Academy

Virtual Kitchen Table Community