We escorted Daddy to his downtown office building this morning and then headed across the street to the
aquarium. I thought that with school out around here it would be a quiet, crowd-free morning. I was wrong, but we still had a nice time, especially in the aquarium's toddler/preschool area where M colored a turtle while listening to a staff member read a detailed story about turtle habitat and behavior.
These spontaneous learning moments centered around our
outschooling approach to homeschooling are so rewarding. The kids receive varied and relevant instruction from many different teachers and subject-matter experts who are passionate about their work -- all within our community and part of our everyday living. This is why we homeschool. Learning is integrated into our daily experiences of living in the city.
As the kids get older and develop stronger interests in certain topics, the city offers plentiful resources to help them learn more about those topics. Our museums, libraries, universities, cultural and civic events, knowledgeable neighbors and community members, community classes and lessons already contribute so much to their education.
So while we didn't set out to the aquarium today with an agenda to learn more about turtles (other than to spot Myrtle the giant sea turtle), we welcome these spontaneous learning moments which lead to new discussions, new questions, and new explorations. And the best part is that we were home by lunch.
