I'd like to tell you a story. Just a little story but one that is true.
Once upon a time. There was a family of 6 who ventured out of the norm and learned about true pioneering. A homesteader. What history was made of.
We started our journey in October of 2007. We had decided a few months earlier to venture into the realm of homeschooling/unschooling. The kids, then 12 11 9 and 8 had been in public school for all their schooling so far. I had worked in their school for a year the previous school year and was horrified by what I saw. Chaos... To say the least. Little school work and a whole lot of teachers spending time quieting kids down and very little real teaching. Except for a few teachers. I saw my oldest and youngest lagging behind because they were not IEP kids but also were suffering from not having some help in the class room. From math and reading which really go hand in hand. I told my husband this is just not right. We had to help them and spend time with them teaching them what life skills could do and education.
We decided after the district was combining the next year we would pull them before that happened and we did ... It took alot of faith to know we could do this. But I wanted my children to learn hands on and me be there for them. We would be a family.
So first things was learning history. They had no clue much about pioneers, frontier life, homesteading, how to really be creative in working and simple things. Granted yes I had taught normal things like chores etc but to learn survival skills. To live with a little and make due.
I decided to delve into stories of true pioneers such as Laura ingalls Wilder, and many more who lived in the 1800s and 1900s. We planned a full week of living without electricity and cooking outside. Lighting lanterns, dressing the part, washing clothes by hand, hailing water to bathe and cook and clean with. They loved it. Perfect weather too. October.
They workedon school with actual books from the era. Which they were shocked how hard the work was compared to what they had done for their grades.
This actually was the turning point for me. I started researching self sufficient living, homesteading, gardening, raising animals etc. My first book officially I used was Carla Emery encyclopedia of country living. Love that book!
Mind you I had canned and raised a garden but not thought of how much food to raise etc. Anyways this has turned into so much for us. We grew so close as a family. The boys learned to tinker on motors, build buildings, electrical work, farming, even working with their dad at a dairy.
My children have a work ethic we are proud of. When they work for other people we hear alot of good reports of how they have a name as a hard worker. It pays to teach them skills. It's ok to unschool them. Hands on life skills are crucial. They we're not social rejects. They could hold civil conversation with adults at young ages. Now as adults they are utilizing those skills they learned in school. 2 of them are huge history buffs.
I am truly thankful for the lessons we have learned along the way!