Flexibility....

BAH!!!!  I have been SO busy (and sick with a chest cold too)!  Over the past week, one of the BEST parts of homeschooling has reared it's beautiful head several times, so I thought I would address it:  FLEXIBILITY.

One of the best parts of homeschooling is flexibility.  I love having the flexibility to make homeschooling work and fit for THIS family.  For example, last winter when my grandmother took ill and needed care during the daytime, the Kastners just packed up their homeschooling and took it to Oma's twice per week to help care for Gramma Hilly.  Last week, Hannah had an eye doctor appointment.  The Kastners packed their backpacks and headed to the eye doctor.  Upon arrival, we just turned the waiting room into a schoolroom, and no time from school was lost.  Monday, Noah wasn't feeling well (we're all fighting some little bug) and fell asleep just before afternoon classes.  No problem!  He and I just finished up his lessons right before bed.

I <3 having the ability to make our school calendar fit our family's life.  We school most of the way through the summer because a schedule which provides order works best for THIS family.  We take the day off for family birthdays to make them more special.  The amount of time we take off for Christmas and Spring Break varies dependent upon our families needs for that particular year.

I do make sure that flexibility does not equal laxness.  Every year I start out logging the number of hours we school just to make sure we are meeting the DPI's standard, but inevitably I give up pretty quick when I see that we will meet the standard for number of hours required by the DPI sometime in January.

But the flexibility of homeschooling extends far beyond just scheduling.  I love the flexibility to follow every little rabbit trail we encounter because it is something my children are interested in.  We can turn away from our science textbook to follow a spark of interest in the planets and stars, even if it is not covered in that year's curriculum.  In 2008, we dropped all social studies to focus on voting for a President, and the day that President Obama was inaugurated we did NOTHING but delve into the depths of the historic significance of his inauguration.

A part of this flexibility also includes the fact that technically, as a homeschooling family, we NEVER stop learning.  Making cookies becomes a lesson in fractions and following directions.  Filling the water pitcher includes a reminder that healthy living includes drinking more water.  A fight with a sibling turns into a reminder of the golden rule... or a lie told turns into a lesson that, "The Lord hates lying lips."  We learn ALL the time here in the Kastner household which is why homeschooling fits us so well.  Because as many of your know.... the Momma of this clan loves to life her "life as a lesson."

Mkay... well I gotta run!  Today is the day after a day off (the teacher had a medical procedure yesterday) and we need to make sure we stay on track.  Hope you all have a wonderful day!