Financially Accessible Homeschooling - How Do We Offer our Children an Abundant Life?
Episode 43: Financially Accessible Homeschooling – How Do We Offer our Children an Abundant Life?
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
The value that people put on kids travelling, taking a lot of lessons, etc and how competitive and elite things have become so expensive
The focus on creating a “well-rounded child”
Connecting with our kids and fostering their connection to the world in a way that feels rich and abundant, but doesn’t necessarily cost a lot of money
That you’ve got to be willing to dig and keep your eyes open … the richness of local community
Free location passes through libraries
Citizen Science opportunities
Community programs that partner kids and musicians
Opportunities with public schools to participate in sports and arts
The vast value of libraries – books, Maker Spaces, instruments, adventure packs, a quiet space to be away from home
Taking advantage of the every day things that come up
All the learning that happens through focused things like getting an aquarium and playing board games – so many deep dives
The value of waiting for something like our family’s turn for a community pass at a library OR of choosing to buy something in the moment because it feels really important and possible in the moment … there is value in both
Team work and problem-solving with our kids – regular life skills that don’t need to be paid for to obtain
Time as a (maybe the most) valuable resource
Enjoying the everyday skills like markets, helping with budgets and bill-paying
Finding the joy and balance of spontaneity and planning
Looking forward to things that are naturally happening (eg,strawberry full moon) and add an extra special piece for fun (strawberry sundaes)
Putting fun and free/low-cost things on the calendar to show the abundance of what’s already happening
Tapping into things like National Ice Cream Day or Read Aloud Day
Enjoying seasonal or annual activities
Taking stock of what we might like to do coming up or what we’ve done
Stacking activities with something a bit new or novel … a new playground or ice cream place on the way home
Keeping a curious mindset of seeing what you can notice around you
The creative people offering things in the community that maybe don’t get noticed or used too often – we can be the people who take time to observe and appreciate
The depth of relationships that you develop from going consistently to places – going to a state park is not just about the program but also about the connections built with the rangers that can then lead to further possibilities
Leaving room for possibility and how many schoolish skills come about quite naturally, eg, reviewing games in video as oral presentation, writing movie and book reviews for a community newsletter
Collections as rich learning experiences and opportunities to search and keep our eyes open
That there’s a big market for selling to kids and families and how homeschool families can easily fall prey to assuming we have to buy
That special-interest groups and public events can be excellent ways to offer either one-off experiences or continued membership in a group of people with a common hobby
Going “adjacently” as a way of saving money (finding a piece of outdoor clothing in the men’s department instead of women’s, finding something to repurpose a table as a board game table rather than buying a specific “board games table,” Seek or Merlin apps on a nature walk with another family rather instead of forest school) – there’s often another option when we look past our initial choice
That children can wonder and hold some mystery and unanswered questions – not everything needs an answer or a resource or curriculum
“I Wonder What Will Come Up Today” as a mantra for leaving space and time for what life brings our way
The openness and flexibility and thinking outside of the box, allowing space for kids to come in and out of participation
The fun of making random connections … the various directions things can go into from one thought or topic
The high school years: How we can choose a “service” mindset rather than a “consumer” mindset as a way to spend time and pick up skills and knowledge as well as to develop relationships and connections
Enjoying local history presentations complete with interaction with and assistance to the actors and presenters
Finding community opportunities like theatre and choirs where places are hoping for kids to join
Conversations with our kids about consuming versus creating and considering mentorships or apprenticeships in place of buying courses and lessons
Finding mentorships by seeking out people in the community who are passionate and skilled and might be interested in mentoring a young person, whether in areas like wood-working or video game development, etc.
Very “human” ways of doing business where we know the person we’re buying a material or service from and have the ability to communicate about what feels possible and fair to both
Noticing the outlets, opportunities and connections that our kids come across themselves
How people like to share and if we’re open to it, people will often offer opportunities and equipment
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:
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