What does it mean that everyone homeschools? Officially, there is no real definition of homeschool. Rather homeschooling is created by the individual homeschoolers. The taxpayers do not financially support homeschoolers. Some homeschoolers use a commercial curriculum, while others do not. In addition, there are different homeschool organizations, nationally, regionally and within the states.

Except for individual state legal requirements, there is no clear definition of homeschool. Because of this there are those who homeschool with different methods. There are those who unschool, while others use a particular style of teaching such as Charlotte Mason. Some families use purchased curriculums such as Oak Meadow, Saxon, Sonlight or Alpha Omega, to name a few. Other families are considered eclectic, meaning they pick and choose teaching materials. They may use Singapore Math, Explode the Code for phonics, Story of the World for History, the library for reading materials, an electronics science kit for science, and the news for current events and geography.

Most families who homeschool do so full-time while others homeschool and then seek specific instruction for certain subjects, such as a Spanish tutor. Some homeschooling parents pool their resources and offer co-op style classes.

Some parents, whose children are in school, give extra math problems, have political discussions over dinner or help with their child’s homework. Many families are involved on some level with teaching their child, yet they don’t see this as teaching. For many homeschoolers, learning is not something done only between certain hours or at a specific location, rather it is a lifestyle. Essentially, homeschooling becomes life learning.

With life learning, you don’t need to be a certain age to be introduced to a subject or have to sit at a school to learn about the subject. Life learning happens in everyday opportunities, discussions, and books read. No assumption is made that one is not old enough to be introduced, even if it is cursory, to a subject. While a child of 5 might not fully understand a business plan, they certainly get the idea that they made some money at their lemonade stand and they quickly learn to count. Similarly, a child at age 3 might not understand all that Thomas Jefferson accomplished but a visit to Monticello certainly teaches them that Thomas Jefferson was a President, as they get introduced to history. By age 8, that same child grasps that Jefferson authored the Declaration of Independence. Before long, that same child learns about Jefferson through a biography and the purchase of the Louisiana Territory from France.

When one realizes that homeschooling is life learning it becomes clear how everyone homeschools, whether formally or not. This website is dedicated to all those life learning opportunities regardless of the learners age, location or subject. We hope you enjoy it!

Ken and Lisa