Aug. 4, 2017

7 Realistic Ways to Homeschool Multiple Levels with Ease

By Deana Wood
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7 Realistic Ways to Homeschool Multiple Levels with Ease

I’ll be honest. One reason I love Sonlight is because I can use a single program, branching off as necessary to match the various ability levels of my kids. However, this year, I really wanted my younger children to go through History / Bible / Literature (HBL) Level B (because every child needs Intro to World History, 1 of 2 in their life!) while my older children needed and wanted to stay on course and move on to Sonlight HBL F for ages 10-13.

So here I am, back once again in the land of multiple children covering multiple Sonlight Levels. It’s okay though. I’m not new to the concept. Today, as I am doing my summer planning for next year, I’m reviewing my best strategies for teaching multiple children in different levels. These aren't pie in the sky tips. These are realistic methods that have worked for me in the past and that I'll be implementing again for a fresh season of homeschooling.

Continue reading below or listen here:

1. Divide Time into Blocks

This is probably my best tip for homeschooling multiple Sonlight Levels—block your time. Here's how I do it. Every morning, from 9:00-10:00(ish), I have a Math Block. I rotate my kids through their lessons in 15 minute time slots. If someone isn’t grasping the concept in 15 minutes, I make a note to revisit it later in the afternoon. Frustration usually sets in at the 15 minute mark anyway, so it’s actually a good time to take a break.

After a nice, long recess, we gather together again for a Language Arts Block. I follow the same principle here. We rotate through 15 minute time slots and go through the Language Arts assignments for the day. While I’m working with one child, the others are doing some of their independent work for the day.

After lunch and another recess, I’ll run Sonlight Blocks. This is where we get together, read great books, have in depth discussions, and do any science experiments or activities listed in the Instructor’s Guide (IG). If my younger kids want to sit in while we do Level F, that’s okay. If not, that’s okay too.

2. Encourage Independence

I approach homeschooling as a full time job. I generally don’t try to clean house or do other things during the day, so my kids get a lot of my time. However I also require a good portion of independent work time from my children.

Once we’ve gone over their Math or Language Arts assignments, they have practice work to do independently. When they finish their list and their rotations for the day, they are done and can have free time. If they don’t finish, they have to keep working. This incentive seems to be all my kids need to encourage them toward independence.

If they have a question, they know that I’m available, but they also know that they are personally responsible for their work to be completed well. If you want to move your children towards more independence, look at your schedule and figure out which assignments your child could do without you. Get a simple assignment book to write down their solo assignments each week, and train them to work through their list every day.

3. Use Audiobooks

Audiobooks are essential when you’re teaching more than one level. This year, I was able to purchase several audiobooks for Level B which both gave my voice a rest and also served as a genuine time saver. Libraries usually keep a great selection of audiobooks to check out anytime. When we use audiobooks, I will simply write in their assignment book, “Listen to two chapters of Charlotte’s Web on my phone.”

4. Combine Where You Can

Remember that children don’t necessarily compartmentalize things like adults do. Just because you are studying the Great Wall of China with one child doesn’t mean that same child wouldn’t enjoy listening to a Read Aloud about Lewis and Clark from another child’s level. If you have a book that you think everyone would enjoy, by all means, read it to everyone. You can either skip a book in the other level, double up, or use the audiobook option.

When you choose your levels, consider selecting complementary levels. For example, I find that Level B goes well with Level G because both are World History. Levels D and E are excellent companions to Level 100. If you can, schedule these levels together, and you’ll be surprised by all the concepts you can combine. (See the full Sonlight History Scope and Sequence here.)

5. Save Skipped Books

When you teach multiple levels, you’re going to end up skipping a few books. You just are. Accept it now so when it happens, you won’t be bummed. I am never bothered by skipping a book here and there though, because I know that I’ll come back to those books for summer reading.

Like most homeschooled kids, my kids don’t really ever have a total summer break. I’m always reading something to them, so having a few leftover Sonlight selections to read in the summer is never a problem.

6. Think Outside the Box

I know some families that don’t do Science during the school year; instead they spend their summers working through the Science IG. Sometimes we fall behind on our HBL work, so we continue our Bible and history readings through the summer. Think outside the allotted 36 weeks. There’s more than one way to execute your plan.

7. Organize, Organize, and Organize Some More

Spend a few days in the summer time preparing for the school year. Take apart the IG for each level and file it in hanging file folders labeled by week. That way, you can grab all the week’s IG pages for every level and every subject in one swipe. Bind, file, or place in a folder all your kids’ activity pages and workbook pages for each week as well so that they are easy to grab and hard to lose. A little bit of planning in the summer time goes a long way when you’re in the midst of a busy school year.

Teaching multiple levels is actually easier than you might expect when you don’t overthink it. Don’t stress, and don’t be afraid to take it on. You can do it, and your kids will love it!

If you are wondering how to teach multiple levels with your particular mix of children, our Advisors can help! Click here to connect with your homeschool consultant.

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Aug. 2, 2017

3 Things to Remember When You’re Teaching Worldview

By Gina Munsey
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3 Things to Remember When You’re Teaching Worldview • Christian homeschooling

Worldview formation begins long before high school-level worldview courses, long before a child ever knows the terms apologetics, theology, or politics. By the time we as homeschool parents begin to make curriculum decisions for our children—much less prepare a high school transcript—we’ve already spent long hours teaching and modeling worldview.

1. You’re Already Teaching Worldview

It began the moment we first helped our daughters or sons begin to sort out appropriate ways to navigate choices. When we teach our little ones to say please, to communicate in words rather than screams, and to refrain from pushing siblings, we’re building the foundation of the viewpoint from which they will interpret everything they encounter. We model worldview, too, in the books we choose to read to aloud. As parents, we delineate right and wrong, good and evil, in these basic ways from the very beginning.

As our children grow, their environment expands and so too does their awareness of right and wrong. As caring parents, we may be tempted to shield them from evil for as long as possible. In many circumstances, this is the correct and the wise decision—but it’s not quite as simple as that.

2. When Teaching Truth, Don’t be Afraid to Include the Context of Opposing Evil

As a missionary kid born abroad, I saw peeks into evil at a young age. I knew angry villagers attempted to kill my father by hurling rocks and stones at him. And in another country, I knew the state was vehemently opposed to the ideas in the stacks of Bibles he’d stuff into duffel bags and smuggle overland, beyond the Iron Curtain. But here’s the thing—these glimpses of evil served to fill me with an overwhelming sense of awe at how powerful and majestic God must be if people would go to such lengths to oppose Him.

When my daughter was in kindergarten, she could recite back to me, “God is good." But having led a delightfully safe and secure life, she had no concept of what good actually was. Good, in fact, was all she knew.

As we snuggled together and read aloud from History / Bible / Literature A, she was gently introduced to the clash between the Egyptians and the Israelites, and (in a now-retired Sonlight book) the clash between the Vikings and the Lindisfarne monks, too. As we read, a light bulb went on for her, and I was witness to a powerful and profoundly developing sense of truth versus evil.  “The way to glorify God, mama,” she would tell me, “is not to do idol worship and not to pray to kings. Only pray to the one true God. Egypt and Jerusalem were similar, Momma. Both had king-people who did not worship the one true God. Both had king-people plotting to kill! Both did not pray to God, but to false kings and false gods."

The Israelites of old were instructed to teach their children not only God’s covenant, but also the battles and exploits of heroes of faith who had gone before. When the Israelites instructed their children, the triumph of God was always taught in context of the opposing evil. These conquests were not stripped of all information about the pagan nations, or presented in sanitized, rewritten form, showing only the Israelite’s actions. In Exodus 13:14, we read the following: "And it shall be when your son asks you in time to come, saying, 'What is this?' then you shall say to him, 'With a powerful hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery.’”

How would this deliverance be remarkable at all unless we understood the oppression God’s people had been under? Would early Christian martyrs stand out as phenomenal examples of dedication to the cross of Christ, if we minimized the evil leading to their execution?

3. Tell the Whole Story

History needs to be told in context. This is why I love Sonlight so much. Stories provide context in a way that rewritten textbook sources never can. While it is admirable to wish to tell history from a Christian perspective, this attempt to smooth over the mess can be problematic. As our children get older, we must be careful to resist the temptation to paint rough patches of history in a purely positive light, or whitewash history to the point of inaccuracy.

If we take this paraphrasing too far, for too long, we do our children a disservice. The powerful triumph of victory over evil is lessened if we continually downplay the extent of evil. We need to be carefully not to accidentally narrow the gap between good and evil, between right and wrong, between light and darkness, or between truth and deception. We need to tell the whole story—and Sonlight books do an excellent job of this. We must give our children real stories of real people, not just sanitized retellings. We must teach not only the good alone, but also of good’s triumph over evil.

The essence of teaching worldview, after all, is to equip children to effectively differentiate between the two.

Ready to explore an educational option that helps you impart a Christian worldview? Go to SmoothCourse and get started today.

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Jul. 31, 2017

Reasons to Keep (and Not Resell) Your Used Homeschool Curriculum

By Sonlight
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Reasons to Keep (and Not Resell) Your Used Homeschool Curriculum • building a home library

When you use a literature-rich program for homeschool, you don't ever outgrow your curriculum. Although reading skill grows and Readers increase in difficulty, your Read Alouds, biographies, and nonfiction titles remain a valid part of your home library, enriching your experience again and again through the years.

That's why we encourage you to grow your family's library by keeping—not reselling—your homeschool curriculum. I'd like to offer you three reasons why.

#1 You have books ready to learn from again and again.

This is an enormous benefit. With Sonlight, your children enjoy so many favorite books that they will want to read repeatedly. And every time, they will learn something new. Or will learn something old more deeply.

This was Sarita’s experience with her children. She often found them reading and re-reading books they had read even years before. Because they were that much fun and that engaging. And each time, something new was planted in their hearts.

Now Sarita’s grandchildren pull out books from Sonlight programs they’ve finished. They cross-reference what they’re learning currently with what they’ve learned in the past: ancient ships, maps from the time before Columbus, animal facts (usually to prove a point to a parent).

Even a dyslexic grandson, who does not yet read books on his own, will pull books from previous programs in order to prove a point. “Remember how we read about the triremes?” Or “Like in this book—everyone dies.” And an artistic grandson will imitate some of the drawings.

Many weeks Sarita's daughter will round up and re-shelve a dozen Sonlight books that aren’t part of current studies. Her grandchildren are actively using their Sonlight books.

If you sell your Sonlight books, or if you have to return them to the library, your children will miss this layered learning effect.

Books are quite durable. And if a book wears out from over-love, what a way to go! While you may have to buy the occasional replacement, the vast majority of Sonlight books are purchase once, reuse again and again. 

#2 You have book friends to turn to whenever you want.

When you read a book the first time and fall in love with it, you are finding out how the story unfolds. When you revisit a book, you remember (either entirely or at least a bit) how the story unfolds.

But now you can enjoy the pleasure of reading a story you know you love, with the memory of the first time you read it. And that past experience with the book makes the experience richer.

You notice details you missed the first time—the hints along the way. You know the book is beautiful, so you read it without the question of whether you will like it. You know that you do . . . and will again.

If you sell your Sonlight books, or if you have to return them to the library, you are parting with book friends.

#3 You make a statement about who you are.

It's the trendy thing these days is to be a minimalist. The fewer items you possess, the closer you are to zen perfection, or something like that.

And I am not one for mass possession, but I make room for my books.

Daniel Levitin, in The Organized Mind, summed up part of the reason to keep your Sonlight collection. He says,

"Another thing that has been lost with digitization and free information is an appreciation for the objects in a collection. A person’s music library was once, not so long ago, a collection to admire, possibly envy, and a way to learn something about its owner. Because record albums had to be purchased one by one, because they were relatively expensive and took up space, music lovers compiled such libraries deliberately, with thought and planning. We educated ourselves about musical artists so that we could become more careful consumers. The costs of making a mistake encouraged us to think carefully before adding a clunker to the collection. High school and college students would look at a friend’s record collection and wander through it, allowing themselves a glimpse of their new friend’s musical tastes and the musical paths that he or she presumably crossed to acquire this particular collection of music."

Change record albums to books, and musical artists to authors, and his point applies to your homeschool curriculum. What you own says something about you. If you own a television in every room, you are communicating something about what you value. If you own twenty-five designer purses, you’re communicating something else. 

A home library communicates that your family is curious, interested in history and stories, and tends more towards books than towards digital products when it comes to education and information. When people come to visit, they get an idea of what you’re like as a family based on your bookshelves (whether they ever browse them or not).

While you can carry a large library of ebooks on a device, if your books are hidden on an ebook reader, you miss the social benefits that physical books offer when they quietly declare who you are:

  • what you like
  • what you learn about
  • what you do for fun
  • what satisfies your soul

A physical library tells everyone who enters your home a little bit about who you are as a person. The titles of the books themselves show your interests, concerns, and passions. They provide touch points for conversation.

If you sell your Sonlight curriculum, or if you have to return your Sonlight books to the library, you miss out on these relational anchor points.

#4 You enjoy the tactile comfort of a book.

Back to Levitin:

"[M]any of us still find something soothing and satisfying about handling physical objects. Memory is multidimensional, and our memories for objects are based on multiple attributes."

Have you ever experienced I have a hunger to reread an old Sonlight book? Maybe you long for the comfort in the Cornstalks book of poetry by James Stevenson in History / Bible / Literature C. Or maybe you are disheartened about the world and in need a story of God’s faithfulness. So you turn to The Hiding Place or The Insanity of God, both part of high school programs.

You may crave the truth in those books, or the aesthetic beauty, or the soul nourishing. And maybe you want to share that book with my children, or maybe you want it just for yourself, but you want to hold that book, and return to it, to remind yourself that there is something real and good and true in the world.

If you thought Sonlight was just good because you can check off the boxes and ship the books away . . . you might reconsider. If you let them, these books can become companions, ready to offer a laugh or a cry, a reference to an interesting fact or a needed word of wisdom.

SonlightCares is worth more than the $10 you save.

Of course, you can build a home library using the Sonlight booklist and taking it to any of our competitors. Many people do that. If they buy used, they sometimes save money. If they buy new, they might save $10 (literally—people experiment with that, and order from Sonlight in the future).

​​When people buy from others, we are still grateful that they homeschool their children. Of course.

​​But we end up feeling like a waiter who just had happy customers leave without a tip. A good waiter would be happy that the customers were fed . . . but left feeling a little flat about all the hard work offering such little return.

That said, if this year you’re only able to buy used—if you’re financially not able to afford Sonlight this year, even with the payment plan we offer—we understand, and bless you on your journey. We hope that you will keep us in mind in the future.

And if you’re shopping elsewhere to save $10, don’t forget that the SonlightCares package of benefits is worth far more than $10:

  • consultant available to answer your homeschooling questions
  • a one-year guarantee
  • discounts on other purchases for the rest of the year
  • IG repurchase discounts
  • college scholarship eligibility

Come. Join Sonlight families all over the world and help your children love to learn and love to read. Browse curriculum options to get started today!

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Jul. 25, 2017

Using Your Sonlight Instructor’s Guide as a Morning Time Schedule

By Gina Munsey
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If you’ve ever fallen down the Pinterest rabbit hole of homeschooling, you have a passing familiarity with the idea of morning time. Maybe you’ve heard it referred to as a morning basket, symposium, or circle time. The underlying concept is the same: begin the day with a gentle routine of reading aloud, singing, prayer, and perhaps recitations.

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Jul. 24, 2017

Planning an Intentional Family Morning Time

By MJ Sherwood
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Planning an Intentional Family Morning Time

When you are a homeschool mama with many young minds to nourish, finding a way to streamline home education holds heavy appeal. I’ve heard some people compare homeschool moms to teachers and say it must be easy when you don’t have 30 kids to teach. Sure! Instead we juggle multiple grades, climbing toddlers, dinner prep in the slow cooker, doctors appointments, and maybe even a basket of laundry or two.

In just a few years, I will be teaching four children. Even by combining my children for Couch Subjects such as history, science, and read-alouds, there are a lot of subjects left to cover individually for each child. Just thinking about it makes me want to flip the switch on the coffeemaker for a fresh cup of coffee.

I chose this lifestyle, so I accept it with little complaint; however, I also know that I need to be intentional to get through the school year well—one day at at time. A few years back, I began using a daily morning time with my two middle children who were close in age. My purpose was to complete their schooling in a short amount of time. Throughout that year something unexpected happened: My oldest wanted to listen in to her siblings' stories!

Towards the end of that year I realized, morning time could easily be something all the children could participate in together. I spent some time that summer creating a morning time that would include all my children. I was a bit uneasy, knowing that a good chunk of our day is in the morning.

How can a homeschooler get everything completed each day and simplify the day? I knew if I wanted to simplify our days, morning time was the best way to do it. Over time I began to see many benefits to starting our day off with morning time.

Benefits We Gained from Family Morning Time

1. Simplicity

Morning time takes place sitting on the floor, gathered around a single book. A few subjects involved notebooks for the kids. I read aloud while each child had a notebooking journal or coloring book. By the time we finished each morning, we had 4-5 subjects completely done for the day without my feeling entirely depleted by it.  

2. Connection

As often as I can, I attempt to keep morning time unhurried. As a recovering type A homeschool mom, this is my moment of the day to remain focused on connection above productivity. If we are in the middle of a deep conversation about the Bible or Science, we just keep digging deeper. This is my chance to make time for fairy tales, silly poems, fun songs, and whatever other things I have the tendency to cast aside because they “aren’t productive.”

3. Togetherness

As a second generation homeschooler, I know that simply being together is often the most important and overlooked element of our day. My best memories of my own homeschool years are not all the boxes my mom ticked on her checklist but the moments we learned together.

Giving our kids an excellent education is important, but the relationships we are striving to build each day are equally as important. Morning time has given my kids a chance to work, laugh, and learn together as the foundation of each day.

4. Fun

Learning is not always going to be fun, but it is wonderful to start our day off with the subjects we are more likely to enjoy together. Art, music, and poetry are all subjects that bring my kids joy and get our day off to a breezy start.

What to Include in a Family Morning Time

When choosing what to include in our daily morning time, these are the general categories I try to cover. Fortunately, my Sonlight curriculum contains all of these elements, and I simply keep the materials together in one convenient spot. I've listed a few example books that we are using currently.

1. Something Biblical

Read a passage of the Bible out loud, work through a devotional book, or study apologetics together. Relaxing on the floor, reading God’s word has elicited wonderful questions that challenge and strengthen my faith alongside my kids'.

2. Something Mission Focused

Savor a biography or collection of short stories about missionaries. It could be a prayer guide that brings focus to places and people groups around the world who are unreached by the gospel. These stories are powerful ways we can learn about God’s amazing power each and every day.

3. Something Awe Inspiring

I try to choose a subject that points our kids to the amazing glory of God’s creation. Science or Nature study is perfect for this goal.

4. Something From The Past

History gets a slot in our morning time routine. Sometimes we use a book retelling true events from the past or sometimes we choose a Read-Aloud that's historical fiction.

5. Something Beautiful

I look forward to this part of our morning time! Dwelling on poetry, a work of art, or art created by God (nature) is calming and refreshing.

6. Something Musical

Last year I focused primarily on teaching fun toddler & preschool songs to all my kids. The older kids enjoyed passing down to younger siblings the songs they already knew. During Christmas, we studied The Nutcracker which was a highlight for all of us. On future mornings, we will learn about a composer, a hymn, or a piece of music.

7. Something to Remember

Each morning, I provide something for my children to tuck away in their hearts and minds. It could be a Bible verse, a lovely poem, or even a short saying. One year we memorized one Bible verse each week for the entire year; we had 36 verses memorized by the end of the school year!

Sonlight Curriculum is filled with resources which can be used to create a morning time focused on what is most important to our family. To start each day working together, with our hearts turned toward Christ, God’s plan for my children becomes my primary focus instead of my own plan for them. As a homeschool mama, I need that reminder that He is in ultimate authority over our days and I am only a facilitator.

 Try three weeks of any Sonlight Instructor's Guide for free. Click here to get one for any level, preschool through twelfth grade.

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Jul. 21, 2017

6 Keys to Homeschooling Children From Traumatic Backgrounds

By Deana Wood
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6 Keys to Homeschooling Children From Traumatic Backgrounds

We adopted my youngest son from our state’s foster care system over two years ago when he was seven and began homeschooling him when he was in third grade. It hasn’t been easy, but it has been rewarding. My son has a host of issues that stand in the way of his academic success, but homeschooling him gives him the opportunity to receive a gentle education tailored to his individual needs.

I know that in the last few years, I have cried many tears over this boy. At times, I am so proud of him that I can hardly stand it.  At times, I am so frustrated that I want to quit. Many parents take on the task of schooling a child with a traumatic background, and it can feel so lonely. Let me assure you, you’re not alone. There are many parents down in the trenches right alongside you. Today, I’m sharing a few things that I’ve learned in the last few years that have made it a little easier, because I’ve been there and I’m still doing that, and because you’re not alone.

1. Put Your Relationship First

Before they know their times tables, a child from a traumatic background needs to know that they are safe and loved. It’s essential. It’s a great idea to spend a few weeks every so often focusing only on your relationship—not on academics.

During this time, play games, have long talks, spend one-on-one time, and possibly most importantly, make eye contact. Eye contact is one of the best ways to communicate love, care and trust to a child.

2. Have a Never Fail Policy

My son carries the weight of his birth parents’ failure with him all the time. As backward as it seems, he feels like he failed them. That is a tremendous burden of failure for a child to carry, so school should never be added to that burden. My son is a year and a half behind in math, but he doesn’t know that. All that he knows is that we steadily keep working at math. If he doesn’t understand a concept, we don’t leave it until he does. In this way he doesn’t have to add that burden of failure to his already heavy load.

School is one thing that he knows he can succeed in, and that gives him confidence that he didn’t have before. The more confidence he has, the clearer his mind is, and the faster he will learn the next concept.  Think of homeschooling as a scaffold. If you skip one thing, you have built an unsteady, unsafe scaffold, but if you steadily work at each level until it is perfect, in time, you will get better and better at building it.  Therefore, the next several stages will go faster, because you’re confident that you will succeed.

3. Know Your Obstacles

If you go through an obstacle course blindfolded, you will never finish it.  You need to know what’s ahead of you in order to handle it. It’s the same way with children. My son came to us with an ADHD diagnosis and plenty of medication. But I never felt right about that, so I researched it and found that he didn’t have ADHD. Instead he has hypervigilance along with symptoms of PTSD. Treatment for these conditions was completely opposite that of ADHD.

Because of this revelation, we were able to find a doctor willing to take him off all his ADHD medicine. From my research, I learned that a weighted blanket on his lap and my occasional touch and encouragement would do wonders for him as he worked. Medicine can be a huge help, but only if it’s the right type. You wouldn’t take an ibuprofen for heartburn, and your child shouldn’t take ADHD medication for a sleep disorder. Always know what you’re dealing with, and if you aren’t sure, get a second (or third) opinion.

4. Take a Break

Parenting a child from a traumatic background is tough. Schooling them is even harder. When you feel frustrated, take a break. Give your child a pleasant surprise by letting him go outside for a quick 15 minute recess while you collect your thoughts and muster up a second wind.

While taking a break sounds selfish to a homeschooling mom, it’s one of the kindest things you can do for your kids. When you are tired and frustrated, you need a break. Feel free to take one.

It’s just as important to allow your child to take a break when they get overwhelmed. We have an old-fashioned bathroom, and my son loves to crawl into the claw-foot bathtub to think when he’s upset. When I see that he needs a break, I just say, “Do you need to go to the bathroom for a while?” It sounds odd, I know, but he always comes out fresh and ready to go. Time away from life every once in awhile is good for everyone’s soul.

5. Never Be Surprised

Kids are human. They sin. It’s imperative that you are never surprised by what they do. Never expect absolute perfection. It places too much pressure on the child and it’s exhausting for you. When you’re surprised by your child’s misbehavior, you will act on emotion, likely giving your child more attention for negative behavior than you need to.

Rather, have a list of consequences written down and keep it close by. When your child misbehaves, take a deep breath, remember that you aren’t surprised by his sin, and calmly dole out the consequence and move on to something else.  When your child sees that he can’t get a reaction from you, many of those negative behaviors will likely end.

6. Pace Yourself

If your child leaves fourth grade without knowing his multiplication tables, don’t panic. There is still time, and plenty of it. We treat homeschooling like a sprint. Each year, we bust out of the gate and push ourselves as hard as we can, but in reality, we tire out in the first few weeks. Just like the Tortoise and the Hare taught us: slow and steady wins the race every time. Even more so with traumatized children. Be consistent, and you’ll get there.

Most of all, grace is needed when you take on the task of homeschooling a child from a traumatic background.  Grace for your child, and grace for yourself will get you through.

Keep going.  Don’t stop.  Marathons are long and hard, but the sense of accomplishment at the end is so worth it.

If you are homeschooling a special needs child, we have experienced homeschooling moms who would love to talk to you. Click here to connect with your homeschool consultant.

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Jul. 19, 2017

8 Ideas for Nature Study in Urban Areas

By Gina Munsey
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8 Ideas for Nature Study in Urban Areas

In the homeschool world, the idea of rural living pops up a lot. In everything from literature to suggested activities to Instagram hashtags, there’s widespread admiration for the wild outdoors, the idyllic farm, and acres upon acres of open land.

But the truth is, not all homeschoolers live rural lifestyles. We’re not all wading barefoot in creeks and catching frogs. Many of us are hanging up laundry in the living room after carrying groceries up half a dozen flights of stairs, or coaxing a little plant to grow in the narrow swath of sunshine that dances across the kitchen. As a child, I lived on the second story of a multi-family home, and have fond memories of watching magpies, doves, and sparrows from the concrete balcony. We took buses and trains rather than a car (we didn’t own one!) and shared a community garden with other families in the neighborhood.

If you’re a city-dwelling homeschooler, it can sometimes feel like you’re the odd one out, especially as the rural homesteading movement continues to grow in popularity. But would it surprise you to know rural homeschoolers are actually the statistical minority in the United States? Recent data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) shows us that of the homeschooled students from which data was gleaned, only about 40% live in rural areas.

Forty percent! That means the rest—the majority—of homeschooled students in this country are based in cities, suburbs, and towns across America. While the reality of urban and suburban homeschoolers is a far cry from the folkloric ideals of prairies and pioneers, it’s no less valid—just perhaps much less represented in literature, on blogs and social media, and in homeschooling subculture in general.

This lack of representation, I think, really becomes apparent when we start talking about nature study. Many nature study resources assume every homeschooling family has access to unfettered acres, and will be observing plants and animals in a rural setting. If you’re based in a urban or suburban setting, you might feel like your opportunities to explore the nature world are limited. But even miles away from the countryside, there are so many fantastic ways to study nature.

1. Community Gardens

More and more community gardens have been popping up in urban areas in recent years.
This is an excellent way to really dig in (pun intended) to nature while teaching your kids where food comes from. If you’re unable to connect with a local community garden, consider starting your own, or putting together a container garden on your own balcony or stoop.

2. Wild Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation

There are many organizations across the country dedicated to rehabilitating injured wildlife, and some may even allow tours. You’ll have to do a little bit of searching to find out what’s available in your area.

3. Pet Stores

More than just a repository of cat toys and dog collars, urban pet stores can be an excellent place to observe animals, and to talk about the food chain. (Those crickets aren’t stocked as pets!)

4. Universities

Many universities, and even community colleges, have impressive collections of nature specimens. Depending on the fields of study offered by the school, the botany department might have a greenhouse of unusual plants, or the entomology department might have a great insect collection.

5. Saltwater Fish Stores

When I was in highschool, I had a pet shrimp. He was so tame, I could rest my clean, lotion-free hand in our saltwater tank, and he would sit on my finger and nibble on my cuticles. While a saltwater aquarium store definitely won’t let you you place your hand in the water, you might able to observe live rock, coral reef, peppermint shrimp, and other fascinating ocean life.

8 Ideas for Nature Study in Urban Areas

6. Botanical Gardens

Botanical gardens are hidden away in all sorts of spaces. Sometimes, you’ll find one on the grounds of an art museum, and other times there’s a compact indoor greenhouse overflowing with colorful flora from around the world. These are such refreshing oases! My personal favorite, located in St. Paul, Minnesota, is a journey through the Spice Trade—cocoa, vanilla, cinnamon, coffee and more.

7. Conventions and Conferences

Keep an eye on the conference calendar at the convention centers near you. Sometimes, although this it isn’t always well-advertised or widespread, certain conferences will offer free access to the public on select days. This is how we ended up attending an incredible Insect Expo—at no cost—when the International Congress of Entomology was in town.

8. Windowsill Gardens

The simplest and most economical nature study, of course, is sprouting seeds in tiny pots on the windowsill. The bean sprouts we grew in moistened paper towel and then transplanted to potting soil provided us with weeks of enjoyment—and even a tiny harvest of green beans.

If God has you in an urban area right now, don’t feel limited or alone. He knows. God has His people dotted all over the globe, in high-rises and cottages, in densely populated areas and in rugged wilderness. “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; there is no place He cannot reach.” (Psalm 24:1). And he has you there, right where He placed you, “for such a time as this.” (Esther 4:14b)

Ready to explore an educational option that gives you flexibility to explore and enjoy nature? Go to SmoothCourse and get started today.

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