To have really enjoyed homeschooling!

[LordGarmadon]

I've actually really enjoyed having the kids at home and being able to teach them things and do proper activities with them. Normally we're busy doing organised activities (swimming, gym club, play dates, visiting family/friends, etc) and spend very little time at home.

They're only preschoolers but we've had loads of fun and they've learnt so much.

I'm going back to work next week (specialist role with vulnerable children) and I feel quite sad that homeschooling is finished.

I know many families struggle, which is why I'm going back to work, so I don't mean to be boastful but I feel sad today.

It's home schooling whilst trying to work from home that most people are struggling with.

That’s great you’ve enjoyed it. I’m all for hearing the positives rather than people just having a hard time. However I do think that activities with pre schooler children is one thing-trying to teach a grumpy 14 year old GCSE level maths is quite another!

We are not sending ours back to school when they reopen.
It will be interesting to see if the amount of children being home educated full time jumps up at all.

Oh I know, that's why I said they're only preschoolers.

I've enjoyed finding things to teach them, and tailoring activities around the subjects... it's been a geekfest!

I have been working from home. Not full time but have been offering online support to the families I work with and having meetings etc.

I have home ed for 11 years now, 14 if you count my first attempt before I got ill.

I loved the early years of home ed, my daughter from age 3 till 8 were great. It's a as they get older, that it becomes much more difficult. And I'm not looking for forward to the gcse years with my second child. However I can't suddenly make a child go to secondary school who had never even stepped foot inside a primary school. That just won't work.

I wish she had trialled school at some point but she has never wanted to and has been happy to be home educated.

But well done op, I hope you continue to enjoy it.

I am tempted to see if we can work out a way to homeschool until they want to go to primary.

... but this is going on three weeks!! They'd probably be sick of me long term.

They have such a thirst to learn new things and investigate things.

So with pre-schoolers what you have been doing is called parenting?

Home schooling children long term is very different.

You just described my normal routine when mine where pre schoolers, nothing out of the ordinary at all.. Trying to keep pre teens and teenagers engaged longterm would be a whole different experience I've only done 3 weeks so far and they need far more than I can offer.

I have a friend whose children have really struggled in school and they've absolutely thrived during this lockdown. Friend and her DH have decided their children won't be going back to school.

Some children really just aren't suited to a formal education setting.

I imagine home schooling when not in lockdown is even better because you can get out and about and join clubs, meet others, do educational day trips, etc.

If I wanted to homeschool my kids, I would have done it years ago. I love spending time with them, and I think our holidays are far too short. I hate the nights before they go back to school. I am still very much looking forward for them to be at school to receive schooling, but people who are trained to do that, and where the social aspect is so much more important.

That said, you are perfectly allowed to love homeschooling - if yours at too young for school yet, it's a bit different, but even so. A parent loving spending time with kids, how could that possibly be wrong!

And agree with bringmesunshine. What you did with preschoolers isn't home schooling, sorry. It's what stay at home parents do every day, it's being a parent to a preschooler.

Well yes, it is just parenting. But then if one autonomously educates one's children after compulsory education age, that is no different; they are still learning via play and real life.

You don't have to follow a curriculum or do anything structured.

It's good there's people around to put me back in my place.

I feel like I'm doing a bit more than general parenting at present.

I'm definitely not an instamum but I reckon I'm a fairly good mum.

Typically though, I don't explicitly "teach" them things. We do lots of stuff together: lots of playing, cooking, outdoor activities (biking, hiking, horse riding), swimming, seeing family and friends, travelling, clubs, etc whereby they do learn skills and have wonderful experiences.

In the last three weeks they've learnt to read CVC words and some 'tricky' words, they've learnt to add and subtract to 20, they've learnt about the world: different countries, rainforests, mountains, deserts, buildings/monuments, sea creatures, etc etc ... things I wouldn't have actively taught them.

I'm sure people will now fall over themselves to tell me I've done too much, should have been doing this anyway and criticise in other ways but it's been a pleasure to have taught them and have seen them learn so much.

Its good to hear you be positive, and depending on what age your pre-schoolers are, nursery and certainly pre-school nursery provide an element of learning so you are home schooling. Personally I couldn't have done it when they were little and certainly not long term now, they are 10 and nearly 13. The nearly 13 year old is fairly self-sufficient but its quite hard to motive the 10 year old. I have already told them both that they are going to have to be quite independent from next week cause I will be working from home, I have some work I do from home which is now my main income, everything else has been cut.

As .others have said it's not really home schooling with pre schoolers ,I have 13 yr old whose somewhat reluctant to do much work ,we didn't do much the first week and he's just had his two week break so I'm not pushing anything until Tuesday when he would have gone back to school

Oh this makes me feel a bit useless. I've got 3 aged 8 months to 4 years and am really enjoying it, but we're just pissing around with toys, making up songs about poo, baking (I.e making a massive mess), playing with glitter (I.e making a massive mess) and watching too much TV. It's been great though, I'm going to let the teachers teach them. Great that you're enjoying it and your kids are learning loads, keep it up (I'm off to research teaching kids about rainforests...)

Absolutely depends on age and circumstances.

I have two 14 year olds and both of us are working from home too in roles that have become even busier.
It is not fun.

Mine are missing school AND missing out on vital school GCSE work.

I'm sure people will now fall over themselves to tell me I've done too much, should have been doing this anyway and criticise in other ways but it's been a pleasure to have taught them and have seen them learn so much.

you are not coming across very well frankly, teaching your young kids about things is part of parenting
Where else are they supposed to learn?

God, I used to love MN, but I think some posters are just horrible. You are coming across absolutely fine. I agree, people do love to put people in their place!

It’s pretty normal to teach your preschoolers things as a parent. It’s lovely that you have enjoyed the time with them though.

Home schooling/educating is different. I am a stay at home mum and I home educate, I don’t home educate my preschooler, I am his mum, I home educate my older two who are both school age and that comes with a legal obligation.

You sound like me, I have DDs 7 and 5. Am working full time from home doing strange hours, and doing full timetable split with DH. Loving it. Usually feel like a crap parent who barely interacts what with work, commute. Curious about my enjoyment, wondering how it will pan out... Surely okay to ponder this kind of stuff aloud? Without all your failings being pointed out.

Mean spirited.

So in a few weeks you have taught your children tricky words and addition:subtraction up to 20???

Even the precursors to those (ie sums up to 5 or 10) aren’t on the preschool curriculum where I live....are they in the U.K?

Preschoolers are a bit more rewarding than older kids I think, you can teach them relatively simple stuff and they're like little sponges.

My eldest is only 6 but she's pretty clear that I'm nowhere near as engaging as her teacher!

They're preschoolers. That's not 'home schooling'.

You sound lovely and it's great you've enjoyed your time together. Perhaps use this time to reflect how you can alter your normal routine in future. Perhaps fewer clubs will allow you to spend more time with your kids.

Oh, and I don't know why do many other posters are so horrible. Yes, teaching teens is different. The OP never said otherwise.