The Scenic Homeschool Route
Every year, after spending time listening to homeschooling moms that we chat to at the homeschooling expos around the country, we find that overall moms are feeling stressed out by their homeschooling curriculum and are looking for “permission” to relax and take “the scenic route.”
Martie du Plessis, a homeschooling consultant has found that 87% of the South Africa homeschooling families she has consulted are experiencing this same stress. The kids are bored and overworked and the mother is frustrated and feeling overwhelmed.
What do many families experience when they try to do school-at-home? These are some of the issues that we’ve observed over many years:
- Someone else dictates the content you have to teach your child
- A curriculum becomes your slave master not your tool
- Someone else dictates the timetable and schedule
- Boring impersonal textbooks
- Kids make no emotional connection with subjects
- Endless busywork in workbooks
- A child loses motivation
- Moms become champion naggers
- Family conflict, tears and drama
- Stressed and burnt out parents
- No JOY in learning
This does not need to be your life. The choice is yours.
What do we mean by “the scenic route”?
We mean that you can work at your own pace and allow yourselves time to add projects, outings or even educational trips to your mix of learning activities. You can take time out and deviate from the expected time schedule and adapt the programme to your specific situation.
We often say to parents that a curriculum should be a TOOL that you use, not a MASTER that drives you into SLAVERY to it.
There are so many factors that might affect how families homeschool – here are just a few:
- the age of the children – teens or toddlers or a spread of ages
- the number of children
- the size of your home and whether or not you have domestic help
- children’s ability to help in the home
- other activities – church involvement, community involvement, business activities etc.
- special needs of children (or parent!)
- attitudes and discipline issues
- experience and confidence of the parent
These and many other factors will affect what you focus on and what you accomplish in your homeschooling. Remember, that pages completed in a book are not the only measure of your achievement…so don’t just tick blocks and don’t compare with the homeschooling family down the block or across the Net.
Just be diligent…and yes, feel free to hang up a “back soon” sign and take the scenic route! Choose to be liberated with an eclectic tailor-made journey for your family. How? Consider one of our Footprints programmes in English or Voetspore in Afrikaans.
Enjoy Relaxed Homeschooling With Footprints
Here are the top 5 reasons why children love our Footprints programmes:
- They are based on stories while developing learning skills
- The lesson topics are engaging and fun
- Kids can learn right alongside their siblings
- Their moms are relaxed as all the lesson prep is done for them
- There are just enough hands on activities to keep things interesting.
If you have yet to discover the joy that our Footprints and Voetspore programmes give, consider the amazing choices for your family and unleash the happy homeschool mom within! Our clients confirm over and over again, that homeschooling can be relaxed and you can take the scenic route!
“Thank you for making my life easier with this program.”
~Annel
“I have received my parcel & am delighted with the books & your work material and feel energized once again to do something which is fun for both me and my child, thanks!”
~Marjo, Zambia
“Life IS sometimes stressed and pressurized, but I was always aware, whenever I bent down to find the Footprints manual and the current book we were busy with, of a strange feeling of peace. Maybe it was due to the relief that we would now all be working with material that we all enjoy and derive pleasure from.“
~Pam, Sedgefield
“I have often thought that I would enjoy putting my own curriculum together for my sons, but practically it is impossible – so I have really enjoyed using Footprints as a starting point, and allowing it to inspire all sorts of wonderful and exciting journeys of discovery. We have found that many of the suggested activities in the parent guide have been done with gusto, but most times they lead into a delightful tangle of tangents, during which we’ve learned more about our world and each other.“
~Shirley Royal, Durban
Click here for more Customer Reviews
Footprints on Our Land is a literature-based South African homeschool curriculum series in unit study format for multi-level learning.
Benefits of Literature Based Learning
Relaxed Homeschooling Video
In this quick video, Wendy and Shirley chat about when homeschooling days are tough-going, or you and your children just need a break and to do something different, who gives you permission to pack up the books and go have fun and recharge your batteries?
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