Growing-Tastes-1The garden is one of my favorite things about summer.  To watch things blossom and grow, thrive and bear fruit.  It never ceases to amaze me that with a little effort on my part, plus water and sunshine, something beautiful or delicious comes to flourition.

Gardening is a perfect metaphor for so many things.  Take homeschooling, for example.  My friend recently wrote the following about her gardening adventures.

“When I first began to garden, I really didn’t want to. I knew learning how to garden would benefit our large family but I didn’t want to make time for it. I was already homeschooling and writing so this seemed like an insurmountable task. First, I didn’t know much about it and second, the work required to remediate our sandy soil was not appealing. I wanted to take the easy way out in summer and spend it at the beach . . . The next year I spent a little more time with the soil and read up in a few gardening books which highlighted how much I didn’t know about it. Still overwhelmed I planted more things and had a slightly better success. My attitude toward gardening was still functional and I still did not love it. By the third year . . . the plants began to thrive. The conditions were right for growth and I had learned much more about what would help me succeed. My children began to take interest and they watched those little seeds grow into plants for their food.  This growth did not come because I gave up the first year or even the second. I didn’t have to love it to begin it. Even my discipline and organization was lacking. The mistakes helped me to learn and eventually the work produced fruit and great joy. I am so glad I persevered. We enjoy many kinds of healthy food [and we] have learned science, architecture, math and character. So many decide to eliminate homeschooling as an option because they cannot see the possibilities of what it can become. We cannot always see that one step leads to another and eventually the blessings will come. We do not have to have all the discipline, organization or answers to homeschool successfully. No one will love them enough to teach them like you or enjoy their fruits with greater joy than you.”

Summer is a great time to reflect on your “homeschool garden,” to look back and marvel at what has grown and flourished during the past year and what could use some weeding out or pruning before next “growing season.”

What’s blooming?  It helps to stop and think back over the past months and recount the positive.   When I asked a group of homeschooling friends about their favorite memories of this past year, some of their answers  were:

“When my son got his first report card with all A’s and said, ’Mom, I can learn.’” – Shellie:)

“The pleased look on my daughters face when she wrote a perfect sentence in cursive.” – Terrilyn

“When we made a volcano together and watched it erupt! – Lara

It is also important to consider what worked well during your homeschool year.  Was your routine a really good fit?  Maybe you finally got the balance right between what you do in and out of the home.  Taking time to remember and note the positives is such a source of encouragement as you think about the upcoming school year.

What needs weeded or pruned?  Looking over your homeschool garden, you might notice some things that need to change.  Perhaps you need to cut back on time spent in a particular endeavor or tweak your curriculum to better fit your needs.  Making these plans for next year while the past months are fresh in your mind can lead to greater learning growth in your children.

Need fertilizer?  As you contemplate your homeschool, you might recognize some weak areas that need a little boost.  Does your high school student need more electives?  Or your fourth grader need a little more help with math?  Adding to your “soil” can have great results!

Got tools? As you are thinking about curriculum, a helpful resource is Global Student Network (www.globalstudentnetwork.com).  They offer 6 different curricula as well as a virtual school.  Loaded with unique electives and approaches to suit all learning styles, GSN could be a great tool in your homeschool endeavors.  Speaking of tools, GSN is currently offering free Android tablets to all students who register for a year-long program.

Copyright © 2013 J. Hoffman / GSN (NV)

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Email: JHoffman@GlobalStudentNetwork.com

Happy Gardening!