Carolina Homeschooler

what counts

Trial Run

Carolina Homeschooler

I’m often asked how to do a “trial run” before fully committing to homeschooling, especially during the summer. My advice is not to bring out the textbooks and workbooks.

Instead, do this:

  • Go to museums and zoos, and participate in any extra educational programs they offer.
  • Visit state parks and historic sites and participate in their park programs and junior ranger programs.
  • Watch and discuss educational television, documentaries, and/or streaming that interests you.
  • Go to the library and check out laundry-basket-loads of books, both fiction and non-fiction, and read/discuss them together.
  • Do any projects or experiments that interest you.

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Does This Count?

It Counts!

Does music, summer camp, a visit to the zoo, etc., count? This is probably one of my most frequently asked questions (well, that and “What about socialization?”). My answer is almost always, “Yes… it counts.”

It’s important to get out of the mindset that learning only happens when it’s planned, scheduled, directed, or approved by someone else. Children learn the most, and retain what they’ve learned much longer, if they’re the ones who initiate it, take ownership of it, and have input into what they’re learning. I don’t know of any research that doesn’t support this fact.

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