The other day, I wrote some articles on how to keep track of hours and attendance for your home school records. If you live in a state that doesn’t require this then you’re lucky! Several states do require some type of log, including New York. I also wrote an article about what I considered as counting for school (lunch for example) and what I wouldn’t count in my hours. Here are a few more creative activities that are slightly outside the norm, but count towards schooling.
Cooking and Entertaining
Often, people are at a loss for what to do for home economics. While I don’t have children who are old enough for me to worry about that quite yet, we do build in getting ready for a guest as part of school. Meal preparation, how to clean the house properly, and ways to make your guest feel welcome are all part of home economics and good training. And by the way, my son is as handy with a whisk as any of my girls.
Entrepreneurship
Awhile ago, I wrote about my kids doing a lemonade stand and how well it went. Any type of entrepreneurship can count towards home schooling hours. Not only is it a good and practical math lesson, but it teaches good people skills and marketing skills as well as helping kids develop common sense.
Community Service
There are practical skills to be learned while doing community service. Whether it’s simply caring for your fellow man, or actually putting hammer to nail, community service is one opportunity that can’t be missed.
Helping Younger Siblings
Having older children help little ones is a great way to help your older kids review not to mention the fact that it helps them improve their communication skills.
Scouting, and Camp
Awhile ago, Julie wrote an article about using scouting activities for home schooling requirements. You can read it here for more information. But suffice it to say that scouting activities are so varied that there are a variety of things that can qualify as home schooling.
I also counted my daughter’s time at summer camp as home schooling time. She spent time with animals and exploring the forest (science), learned to cook over a fire and learned other survival skills.
It’s not a bad thing to be a little creative when figuring what to count and what not to count. After all, one of the benefits of home schooling is that we get to tailor make creative curriculum to fit our child’s needs.