I want to start homeschooling myself.

[whoami]

Okay I know this might sound weird, but please humor me. I had a dream last night that I started to homeschool myself and finally started to accomplish all the things I want/need to do. I want to learn how to sew, cook, paint, draw, medicate, play guitar, be domestic, etc.

I know it sounds weird, but I feel this might help me understand what it requires to homeschool a child, and will better myself in the process. I am considering homeschooling my 3 year old son for K, and leaning towards waldorf, although I'm not sure it will be the right thing for long term. I love their focus inner work. However, I can't seem to focus enough properlly on myself and feel like I need structure.

I wish there was a curriculum for all this, but of course there isn't so I'm willing to create my own. The thing is I don't know where to start. I feel like block learning would be the best approach for this but don't quite understand it. Please help me

[mom2ponygirl]

I think that picking something new to learn will be an excellent experience for yourself and your kids! I wanted to review some upper level math, learn Spanish, improve my cooking and meal planning, garden, re-learn piano, work on a writing project. However, life is incredibly busy and things kept getting put off. So, I made small goals and enrolled in Habitforge. Habitforge is a website that sends you daily emails reminding you of your goal. Once you work on it for 21 days straight you can add a different goal or extend the current one as needed. I set small goals - 10 minutes working on my project daily. Some days that was all I could do, others got more time in.

Hope it helps! Learning together has been one of the greatest things about homeschooling. I've also managed a small garden, more made from scratch meals, gotten most of the way through a pre-calc book, and 1/4 of the way through Spanish 1. I play piano occasionally. I'm not yet where I want to be on my projects but I feel pleased that I am progressing, even if slowly. LOL

[Arduinna]

I just follow whatever I feel like learning about at the time. I tend to drift back and forth between subjects because I prefer to immerse myself in something but then I need a little break to let all the info sink in before I can move on to the next level.

[deditus]

I think I have always schooled myself - and my parent's hands off attitude that left us to our own devices as children, with plenty of time to run and roam, and no pressure to participate in organized sports/clubs really helped. I dropped out of high school because I was bored to death - I was gifted and learning about 4 years ahead of what I was being taught in school, really there was nothing left for me to learn in school and I couldn't stand the immaturity of my peers. I took my GED when I turned 18 and started college. I dropped out after 2 semesters so I could become an entrepreneur and opened my own garden maintenance/design/install company, which I later incorporated. I definitely think that to me education involves the discipline of how to think and problem solve - it has enabled me to have the drive and skills to teach me almost anything I want w/o help - to be a business person, to do simple graphics design for my business, to use Quickbooks, to hand draft garden designs, cook from scratch, to knit, sew, spin, and since dd was born I have researched biochemistry so that I can heal us from food intolerances.
That said - I have always had problems with rhythm and routine, for all the great things my parents did, there was little in that regards. I think it is very important and part of what sets successful people apart from unsuccessful - the ability to nurture the self that gives you energy and focus. I am scatterbrained and neglectful of self care. So I really understand where you are coming from. I found Enki Education and have been mulling it over a lot in my head, it really appeals to me. I like it's approach much more than Waldorf, I think it addresses all the things I don't like about Waldorf. I think the daily routine would be really good for me and help me learn to be a little more centered. It is expensive, though.

http://www.enkieducation.org/

[Lillian J]

I'm on the run, but I can give you a couple of links to take a look at:

Become an Autodidact: 10 Ways to Become a Self Taught Master

Autodidactic Press - "Lifelong learning is fundamental to living a full and interesting life.

Just start wherever you're most interested and follow your nose! You'll be finding that the more traditional kinds of structure are not at all necessary - your interest will carry you along in the most effective way. Lillian

[Dakota's Mom]

There are great U-Tube videos for some of the things you want to learn. Also a lot of community colleges offer classes in sewing, cooking, and things like that. Or you can take sewing classes at your local fabric store. I am part of a great yahoo group called hippiesew. The women and man on there are wonderful about helping you out if you have a question or a problem with something you are sewing. Earth Expressions is a great begininng sewing book. And the author is very helpful if you have questions.

Community colleges are also a good place to look for quitar classes. I'm not sure if you want to meditate or medicate. If it's meditate, you could try a Buddhist Center or a Yoga Center. If it's medicate there are some great online herbal classes available. Or get a good book like Rodale's and just study one herb at a time. Learn what it is good for and how to use it. A great children's game to learn about herb's is called Wildcraft.

There was a thread on here about homemaking in the Mindful Home section. I don't know if it is still active or not. You could do a search for it.

Good luck on your journey of self exploration.

Kathi

[tallulahma]

i feel like when i realized i was 100% dedicated to homeschooling, i also started thinking about how little from high school and college i remembered.

i feel like rushed, organized mass education does that...

however, after being on our waldorf/unschooling/hodge podge life- ive learned more than i could have imagined just by following along and researching things that my kids are into.

from teaching myself how to knit on double pointed needles to baking to physics and the solar system....

then i stay up ;ate looking up MORE things that interest me.

the cool thing is you get to learn everyday, so no need to rush...

[EmmysMama]

Well, I've been focusing on filling in my gaps in history and literature because those subjects were my first love.

I do also want to learn things like you're talking about ... how to sew, cook, Home Ec type things!

The best thing for me so far has been finding someone IRL who knows how to do whatever it is I'm interested in. That way I'm accountable to someone but not in a graded sort of way. I can make my own progress but they do expect me to do it.

My aunt is teaching me the basics of sewing, and how to crochet. A nice old lady will teach me about canning next year.

Just the general "be domestic" thing, I so identify with that, growing up everybody always told me "Oh you'll be a professor or something!". Not to mention I'm naturally a little scatterbrained. I wasn't really prepared to be a homemaker when I decided to do it! There have been a few "series" or "classes" on different homemaking blogs and stuff. Um trying to remember ... one was called Making Your Home a Haven I think? Anyway I've read anything like that I come across!

[dotnetdiva]

My whole life will always be a self-schooling adventure for myself. I just love to learn and teach myself things. Just in the past years I finally taught myself photography, bird watching, and loving learning history in a more fascinating way than I did in school. Plus I'm learning so many other things! I started a blog about reading classic novels. I'm increasing my vocabulary. Learning how to draw. I love to read. I look forward to learning botany, wildflowers, herbs, everything nature really. I love, love, love learning!!!

[elizawill]

oh yes! i love schooling myself too! my signature should say, "everything i know, i learned from youtube". i've learned to knit, crochet, make t-yarn, my own detergents, cleaning supplies, toothpaste, deodorant....i could go on and on. right now i'm learning to be more traditional in our foods. i'm actually taking an e-course at http://gnowfglins.com/ she accepts donations of any amount, so i paid $5 for it. it is awesome! definitely school yourself! and never stop!

[whoami]

haha, I didn't mean to type medicate, but I guess I was thinking that at the time I was typing. I actually do want to learn about herbs.. And I'll definitely look into the books and links suggested. I can't believe I didn't even think of youtube, man if that was around in hs when I origionally tried my hand at guitar that would have made my world. I have all the tools to do the things I want, including a fabulous singer that my future mil gave me, but it's carving out that time I struggle with. Left to my own devices I tend to do everything but the things that I really want to do. I need to work on that. How do you ladies do it?! Do you focus on one thing at a time, or dabble in a few things at a time?

[CherryBomb]

You should check out The Well-Educated Mind: A Guide to the Classical Education You Never Had by Susan Wise Bauer. It's on my (long) list of books I need to buy

[dotnetdiva]

That's a great book, it has inspired me!

I also inspire myself. I am no longer a computer geek programming all day long. I am no longer a "dotnetdiva"! I yearn to learn how to cook and follow every creative impulse I get. I'd love to grow an organic garden, learn my herbs, self-medicate that way, hehe.

I enjoy taking a few different things at a time and following wherever they lead me. Some of this I learn with my daughter, some by myself.

[MrsJewelsRae]

Ditto to other poster who said there are videos all over the internet teaching you to do anything! I learned how to knit by watching videos on videojug.com over and over and over until I got it right and knit a whole bunch of blankets and scarves for our family and friends, it was so fun and I felt pretty darn proud of myself!

I also taught myself how to can from this website: www.pickyourown.org

I taught myself to sew- somewhat. I can't follow patterns, we don't get along, I have tried and tried! I can sew simple stuff, like skirts, blankets, diapers, aprons, etc. You just have to dive in and be willing to make mistakes.

[zjande]

I want to know everything there is to learn about farming. I make myself flash cards & quiz myself all the time! I also want to learn herbs! Although I can't quite wrap my mind around doing the autodidact thing working out as good practice for homeschooling my child... I still think it's a great idea.

[sapientia]

Just another voice to add to the chorus of self taught people!

Seriously, I have really self educated so many things out of necessity. I lived out in the country away from places to take classes for so long that I just learned to teach myself. It's often cheaper-easier sometimes. Now that I am closer to 'civilization' and educational opportunities I still don't take advantage of proximity to classes, I just look it up or buy a book or trial and error it.
This has helped me immeasurably in homeschooling. The kids learn by example, for one.

[Love_My_Babies]

Saw this today and thought of this thread...
http://forum-network.org/