How to Turn Everyday Life Into School

 

This is probably one of my favorite topics. It’s what I became very good at with my youngest, who had numerous challenges.

 

Many years ago, I read Dr Moore’s books on homeschooling. He created a method called ‘The Moore Method’ of homeschooling. Dr Moore is considered to be the ‘grandfather’ of the homeschool movement, in some circles.

When I started homeschooling, there were very few resources. The internet was not really around until I had been in the trenches for a while. Very few curriculum resources.

 

The Moore Formula was all about dividing the educational time between academics, work, and service. This is a biblical principle. (I have a training on Educating God’s Way, available for free access on my Skool page, Living Ready Collective.

 

For me, I think I took the Moore Formula and expanded it.

 

How can we turn everyday life into school?

 

Household chore – Domestic engineering. EVERY CHILD needs to know how to run a household. They need to know how to cook, create a budget, create a menu, and shop.

 

These require math, science, reading, writing, and even health.

 

I want to share a personal experience from my own history.

 

I graduated in the top 10% of my 600+ graduating class. I took honor classes through most of my high school years. I was a cadet commander in my AFJROTC class. I worked 35 hours a week from the time I was 14, all while maintaining honor roll.

Yet, when I graduated, I could not manage a checkbook.

I could not cook anything.

I could not create a menu. I had no idea what was needed for food to be healthy.

I knew nothing about cars other than how to drive and put fuel in the tank.

I didn’t even know how to set up utilities in my name.

Or open a checking account.

 

I graduated with honors and had no practical life skills, other than knowing how to clean up the kitchen.

After I became an adult, I worked hard to begin filling in the gaps. I determined that when I had kids, they were going to know how to do al these things I never learned.

 

And they did. Even my youngest, with all the challenges. He just took a bit longer to learn them, but he learned it all.

 

My sons learned to cook.

My daughter learned how to change a tire and the rudiments of changing the oil.

It didn’t matter what gender they were; they all learned how to do everything related to running a home.

I would rotate weeks of assigning a child to work in the kitchen. They would create the menu and then go shopping. Then they would cook. Someone else would clean up. The jobs rotated regularly.

 

My children were not going to graduate without knowing how to ‘adult.’

 

Financial literacy

Filling out an application

Creating a resume

**BTW, I have a Life Skills 101 class I offer for juniors and seniors. We cover all of this and more. Available on my Skool page, Living Ready Collective.

 

From there, we explored their own personal interests. Project-based learning allows a child to do this. It includes the subjects they need to learn.

 

When we took a trip, my son would have to figure out the map (No GPS). How much fuel would cost. How long it would take to drive.

 

Other ways to use life:

If your child wants to buy something, allow them to do extra chores to earn the funds. Have them determine how many extra chores it will take to earn the money. How long will it take?

 

I’ve mentioned programs like 4-H, Scouts, and youth groups. These are excellent for hands-on learning.

 

Have your child begin a business. Help them create a business plan, a marketing plan, etc. Then keep records. (The Classical Learner site offers information on this.)

Or the parents can run a home business and have the child help. Dr Moore has a wonderful book on this topic.

 

I believe children should be involved in some type of community service. The youth organizations mentioned above require so many hours a year. It is good for our young people to help others.

 

Education is not only for learning the ‘’3R’s,’ but also for learning how to be a law-abiding citizen, able to think and communicate effectively. It’s about developing a saving relationship with Christ. It’s about learning how to use their God-given gifts for the benefit of mankind.

 

If our children get through their school years without knowing these things, a great disservice has been done.

 

For more information, contact me through my website, Kindling Dreams.