This blog post is Part 1 of our Vision Casting series. Visit our blog to read the entire series.
There’s nothing that will get you more jazzed up to revisit your homeschool vision statement than a re-reading of Sarah Mackenzie’s “Teaching from Rest.”
And, truly, now is the time to evaluate your vision. As we leap into curriculum-buying season, excited to make next year the best one yet in our homeschool journey, it is wise to pause and remember why we are doing this whole thing in the first place.
For my husband and I, attending a homeschool convention (we liked the Teach them Diligently conference) helped guide our vision conversation from the outset. It was a great concentrated time to learn about the wide varieties of styles and philosophies and determine where the Lord was leading our family.
Sarah Mackenzie makes a fun suggestion in her book to imagine your children as adults answering the question: “So, you were homeschooled. What was that like?” She tells her readers not to think too deeply about it, but to quickly respond. What words do you hope your children use when they respond?
For me, in designing our science study, I was able to craft an enrichment that spoke directly to each part of my family’s vision: Discovery, Connection, and Conversation.
Over these next few days, I am going to dive deeply into each of these three tenets that define a Learning with Friends lesson, sharing with you the heart and soul of our curriculum, and, truly, my personal homeschool.
Take some time, friend, to recast your vision for your family. Only then should you jump forward in excitement to gather the resources that will help you get there.
Nicole Paitsel is creator and co-founder of Learning with Friends, a hands-on science enrichment curriculum that equips parents to create moments of discovery, connection, and conversation in their homes.
