“Are you going to homeschool your son too?” It’s a question I am getting a lot lately. And to be honest, I’m not sure.

Since my son was only 3 when we started this homeschool endeavor I didn’t give it much thought. But now it’s something I feel like I should start considering.

He’s completely different than my daughter who welcomes the challenge of homeschool, and, well.. Actually listens to me. He learns differently. My son isn’t one to sit down and color, or practice writing letters, or even craft for very long. I still have to find a method that works best for him. But so far I know what it’s not, and that’s sitting still and following my instructions.

He behaves well for others. In his little mother’s morning out program he participates and follows instruction. He’s still his silly self, but he seems a bit more contained. Around me he lets loose and feels free to be as silly (and sometimes disobedient) as he wants.

This fall he’ll be entering Pre-K. My husband and I have been debating the local half-day program, keeping him in his twice a week gymnastics/casual school program (which I’m opting for), or homeschooling him “full-time” alongside his sister. I’m debating the last option because, well… I like my sanity.

He’s most in his element in two situations: Building (specifically his wooden train tracks and unit blocks). And when we leave the table, desks and books behind and head outside to run, jump and climb.

“What are we gonna do?” he asks me when I tell him we’re going to do something fun. When I grab his Stride Rite sandals and his helmet, he knows we’re in for an adventure.

“Are we going to see water?” He’ll ask me as I strap his sandals to his feet. A sunny day and no socks usually leads him to this assumption.

It was my goal to ditch the indoors and do more outside, even if just in our backyard or our neighborhood playground. From catching toads (ok, well I catch them, they run and scream from me), to identifying caterpillars and butterflies, they are natural explorers. We did quite a bit of that, but not as much as I had hoped. More on my first year of homeschool summary and thoughts soon, but for now I’ll say that we’re planning to continue our lessons through the summer, and definitely involve more play and discovery.

This is when my son gets in his own little zone. He picks up a rock and tries to see how far he can throw it into the pond. He asks about bugs and other creatures we discover. He’ll play nice with his sister, follow directions and stretch his wings while also staying close enough to be safe.

In so many ways these are reasons homeschooling him would be a perfect environment. We’d have the freedom to learn in unconventional ways.

I’m just beginning to understand how he loves to learn, but I’m hoping to tap into that so that no matter where he is, I can give him what he needs to not only learn, but thrive.

I’m teaming up with Stride Rite over the next few months to share our family adventures and style. These are the Phibian Sneaker Sandals. From the parks to the pool, my kids can keep them on all day. They’re machine washable, quick to try and made for the land, sea and everywhere in between. Check out the full line with an array of colors. All opinions are my own. 

Tags: homeschool, siblings, stride rite