If you take a trip this Spring to an historical site, for example, and end up studying Civil War history for three weeks because your kids got excited about it... well, let it happen. That is the best sort of learning. Do not be trapped by curriculum or the thought of keeping up with the system. Kids will learn. I have heard the question hundreds of times, "But what does my fifth-grader need to know?" To start with, he or she needs to know that learning is fun; it's an adventure around every corner. It's not having their heads buried in a text-book laboriously memorizing for a test. It's exploring! There are hundreds of places within driving distance. Get out! Go places. And explore a little with your kids this Spring.

EXPLORE NEW BOOKS AT HOME

Go to the library. How many books are available for your child's age? Walk out with an arm-load every month and you won't go wrong. Important: Be careful to surround your kids with good books. I've never seen a kid climb under the covers with a flashlight and his or her favorite school textbook. Textbooks are written under contract by achievement test companies and committees. They are designed for fifty minute lessons and homework assignments, a sure formula for boredom. Real books are written by real authors, someone who loved the topic so much they wrote a book about it. That's the sort of book you'll have to take away from your kid so he'll turn out the light and go to sleep. The real educational magic is not the facts we force into our child's brain, it's the appetite for learning in our child's heart. That's the ultimate measurement of homeschooling success.

So let's give our kids the freedom to explore, both outside and inside the home this Spring. Then let's share our ideas and stories with one another and encourage each other along this homeschooling journey! After-all, as home educators in the 21st century, we're all explorers!   -David.