It's school holiday time.
That shouldn't make a difference to us homeschoolers, but it does. In a big way.
The thing is, like it or not (and Mulan does
not like it!), homeschoolers mostly follow the school term system, stopping and starting their activities at the same time as the schools.
Sometimes it's because we do the same after-school activities as the schoolers, such as:
- Ballet -- during term-time, Mulan has two classes each week and Miya has one class.
- Music -- during term-time, Mulan has recorder and flute classes, while Miya has recorder and violin classes.
- Swimming -- during term-time, both girls have a class each week.
- Basketball -- during term-time Mulan has a team game (playing for the homeschool team, against school teams).
- Netball -- during winter term-time Mulan has a team game (playing for the homeschool team, against school teams).
But sometimes it's because homeschoolers choose to make their homeschooler classes run with the school system, such as:
- Gymnastics -- during term-time, both girls have a class each week.
- Basketball -- during term-time, Mulan has a skills class and each week.
- Sewing -- both girls have sewing lessons with Nainai and the cousins.
What's more, with our teaching business, both Mama and I contribute to the socially-constructed term-based mentality for children's learning. Almost all of the children we teach have stopped their lessons over the school holidays. (In contrast, Mama's adult students are continuing their lessons.)
Nonetheless, despite all this social pressure to stop and start our schooling, my attitude is that learning is a life-long activity that should happen all-year round, day by day, in a gradual way. To me, learning is no different from eating, sleeping or exercising, as an everyday (mostly) enjoyable activity that continues us along that winding path of self-improvement.
So, here at home, in our little family, completely oblivious to the school holidays around us, we are continuing to do our usual schooling activities. These include:
- Maths -- both girls work on Khan Academy every day.
- Silent reading -- both girls read every day (Mulan reads at least an hour or two every day).
- I read aloud to both girls most days.
- Social studies -- most days as a family we watch and discuss history/geography YouTube videos (eg Geography Now and Khan Academy).
- Chinese -- Mama does lessons with the girls every couple of days.
- Ukulele -- Yeye gives lessons once a week.
- Tennis -- the girls and I play once a week.
- And heaps of the usual family discussions (and play) that are hard to label but grow the critical thinking skills and general knowledge.
