“I read an article about a homeschool dad of 13 children. He had gone to a convention or class and heard from a dad that was a scientist. This scientist-homeschool-dad would set aside time every week for his children to do science experiments. The dad-of-13 thought, “Wow, my gift is not science. My gifts must pale in comparison.” But the Bible tells us not to compare ourselves to one another! So he looked at his life – What was his family’s natural passion? What did they do “by nature?” He was an English buff, so he began to set time aside to incorporate more English lessons into the family’s everyday activities.
One of our passions is small-scale gardening/farming. We have learned quite a bit about gardening and keeping chickens (which is a WILDLY growing trend in the U.S., even in urban areas!), and I was thinking it might be fun to invite the homeschool group out to learn a little bit about the cycle of permaculture: keeping animals (chickens, in our case), composting, and gardening. I could also explain the SFG (Square Foot Gardening) method, and I would have small pots with soil and seeds so that each child (and mom/dad, if they wanted to!) could choose something to plant and take home with them.
I am a very practical-minded person, so I hope this is not too silly or boring – is doing a…I wouldn’t call it a class, but maybe an “intro?” – on freezer cooking. Some people call it “bulk cooking” or other names. I would have to have some time to get this idea together, as well as appliances (I need a food processor, but we’ve already planned on budgeting for that), but the basic idea is this: you assemble many meals all at one time, freeze them in portions that will best suit your family, and then you use them for a month so that you don’t have to worry about cooking dinner (and possibly lunch) for an entire month. You know what is in the food, you can make it as healthy as you want, and it tastes just as fresh as if you had made it that day.”
S. sent this e-mail to us a couple months back and Sharon and I were automatically excited. Everyone has a talent/gift! Now, I know some of you are skeptics, and are thinking “I do not have a talent.” Hmmmmmm…. I beg to differ. If we all stop, take a breath, and mull it over, like the dad of 13 children, we will find something our family is naturally passionate about. Art, music, farming, gardens, hiking, soccer, sports in general, healthy eating, horseback riding, literature, orators, crafts, cooking... these are just a few ideas right off the top of my head that I personally know some of your families fall into.
We are introducing a new idea to our homeschool group. Use your talent/gift day. These would be classes taught by you on things you love! Now, I know some of you are thinking, “me teach, I cannot teach a class.” Hmmmm…. I beg to differ. Who is more qualified to teach a class about a certain topic than someone who is passionate about that topic?
These classes would also be wonderful ways to get your older children into action. Why not have your son teach a class on football if he loves football, or your daughter teach a class on horseback riding if she loves horseback riding. Be creative!
We have several classes in the works,with tentative dates set:
May- Permaculture class
June- Bulk Cooking (mom’s) class
July- Africa class
August- Organization (mom’s) class
September (ish)- Treasure Island class
Are you excited? Are you willing to take the challenge? Are you willing to use your talent/gift?
e-mail us at eifel.homeschools@yahoo.com
