In this day and age we need to ask, “What should we be doing in our homeschools to prepare our children for adult life?”
We know that getting a good matric, studying and university or college and then climbing the corporate ladder for the next 40 years is no longer the recognized pattern for most school leavers. This doesn’t mean to say that some will not choose this route, but the trend towards internships, apprenticeships and entrepreneurship is gaining traction.
So while you continue to offer your children a rich and broad education at home with the discipline subjects going layer for layer and their discretionary studies developing their interests and relationship with knowledge, here are some other things we think are good to teach – which you are in the perfect position to do at home with them.
1. How to grow food
Not everyone is going to be a farmer, but learning how to grow your own food alongside your children is wonderful on a few levels.
- It gets everyone outside in the open air and sunshine
- Team work is needed for success
- It teaches everyone to do hard things
- There is a direct input-output correlation
- The produce is a reward and the life skill forever
RESOURCES:
Urban Homestead – an award-winning South African blog about home gardening by guess who – yes, Wendy Young!
Jane’s Delicious Garden – or any other of Jane’s Delicious books are a must-have especially if you are a learner-food-gardener (like Shirley!)
Also look for the Facebook groups by the same names to join a community who are growing food at home.
2. Safety and etiquette on social media (guard your track record)
Data/digital permanence is something that every family needs to pay attention too. Delaying screen access to children until they are in their early teens is ideal but often is not practised due to the social pressure around phones and the need to be in contact with our children if they move independently of us. However, teaching them the responsibility of having this type of tech in their hands is probably more important than the device itself. You have the unique opportunity as a homeschooling parent to:
- Model good phone habits to your children
- Be responsible for your own social media and online presence
- Watch documentaries (see resources below) about the damage that misuse does.
- Set up accountability systems as a family to be each other’s support.
RESOURCES:
Digital Cocaine by Brad Huddlestone
Digital Takeover – a series by Colin Heckroodt, a South African homeschool graduate
3. How to write a short autobiography for your CV
This one is for your teens! In a world where there is constant self-promotion and the brand of “I” on social media, learning to humbly and correctly represent ourselves can be a challenge. Some teens may shy away from writing a paragraph about themselves because they are shy or unable to measure their value for a job application.
A fun way to approach this is to play the elevator pitch game which they can improve on over time. It goes like this: you have stepped into an elevator with the CEO of the company you want to work for. You have 20 seconds between floors to “sell yourself” to him or her. What would you say?
Here is an example: I am a highly motivated learner with the ability to think fast and quickly learn new skills. I have excellent self-management and goal setting skills. I enjoy figuring out problems and finding the solution. I respect authority and enjoy learning from seniors. As I learnt to take ownership of my own education from young, I appreciate the value of planning, time management and working effectively within deadlines.
4. How to change a tyre or use jumper cables
This has to be high on anyone’s list and if you as a parent don’t know how to do it yourself, it’s time to learn. Normally our husbands know the drill and can teach mom and kids in less than an hour, but if that’s not your guy or you are a single mum, then ask a local mechanic to show you and your children.
You can also follow step by step instructions on WikiHow or find a tutorial on YouTube!
5. How to budget
This is probably one of those skills that a Life Orientation textbook cannot teach you. The principal can be taught, but the real-life practice of setting a budget and sticking to it is a character trait only learned in real time, as our children apply their will to operating within their finances.
You can start teaching them early on with pocket money and then as you develop their entrepreneurial skills so that by the time they leave home as young adults they have the needed “know-how” to budget and hopefully the character to embrace it so that they can live healthy financial lives.
6. First aid
Many homeschoolers contact St John’s ambulance services for workshops in First Aid and this is great, but honestly, the chances that you will use that level of aid is low. However, in the home teaching your children how to deal with burns, cuts, stings and bites is what you will need.
An older sibling can also be taught to handle these things for a younger one with kindness and empathy.
Other homeschoolers also embrace a lifestyle of natural and herbal cures for illness which are fabulous skills to pass on to your children.
7. How to publish a blog or website – anything you do requires marketing!
But your child may not go into this field, we can hear you say! Neither did we and 15 years later here we are. There are so many reasons why learning how to get a basic blog up or a simple free WordPress blog is useful. They are so intuitive these days that you do not generally need coding or HTML skills.
Here are a few skills they would learn by creating a blog or WP site:
- Setting a real-life goal for their work
- Identifying a target audience
- Writing clearly to convey a point
- Using graphic design tools like Canva
- Taking good quality photos
- Understanding marketing if they have a product
One of the greatest benefits of starting a website or blog is that children are learning valuable skills for a REAL purpose and a real audience. Instead of just writing for the sake of practicing, here they are publishing a multi-media piece of work to achieve a specific goal.
It’s vital to focus not merely on preparing kids for tests, but to equip them for success in life! Check out our other videos and articles on this topic below.