Shady Lane Farm

My love and passion for homeschooling runs deeper with each passing year. These are just a few of the reasons I’m delighted by this learning style.

✨Spontaneity: When an idea or inspiration hits, the kids can run with it! You could say I’m radically flexible with our routine. I resist the idea that I should force them to sit and do a math lesson when they are inspired to do something else. Usually, whatever project or idea they set off to create incorporates several learning domains anyway and I would be stripping them of a valuable learning opportunity by making them follow my own agenda.

✨Sibling relationships and mixed ages: Living and learning alongside people of all ages is how humans evolved; homeschooling siblings naturally involves this. Mixed age learning fosters critical thinking and problem solving, increases social emotional skills, and improves academic outcomes. It also encourages an acceptance that each individual works at their own pace and that learning isn’t a competition.

✨Collaboration: When kids come together to work toward a common goal, they develop higher-level thinking, hone communication skills, and practice leadership, turn-taking, negotiating, compromising, and more. I love that homeschool has opportunities to collaborate not only with siblings, but with a parent (and sometimes friends), as well!

If you homeschool, do these resonate with you? What is your favorite part of this lifestyle?