Things That Make You Smile: Homeschooling Edition

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There are so many things that I can list that make me smile: my family, reading a good book, a bag of dice, or time spent playing board games or video games with my husband and children. But what homeschooling things make me smile? When a package arrives with a new curriculum – especially if it has lots of books to read – I smile! When one of our children finally make that educational leap, I smile. There are so many moments throughout our homeschooling day that make me smile.

The Arrival of Curriculum Materials

Do you love getting packages and boxes in the mail? I love it when a new box or envelope arrives with material to use in our homeschool. Sometimes we are blessed with items for free to review here at A Mom's Quest to Teach and other times we save to supplement with materials on our own.

No matter if the curriculum is packaged in pretty paper, contains extras like stickers, or is made up of lots and lots of books, I love opening up boxes and exploring the new items that will possibly help our children learn and grow. I have attempted unboxing videos a couple of times but that is no easy task – especially with five people in our immediate family. Someone is always saying something silly or interrupting. But I always try to snap lots of pictures as we take out each new item.

Learning New Things

I love seeing our children learn new things! That is definitely one of the (many) reasons why we homeschool. Being able to be present when our children learn how to spell difficult words, acquire or refine skills, or solve difficult problems, is a great blessing. Through some of the great resources we have reviewed, I have seen our children grow. For example, I have seen both of our younger children improve their spelling through the use of Spelling Shed. Through some of the courses our teen has taken at SchoolhouseTeachers.com, I have seen his photography share his voice more completely.

I also have to smile at the many new things I have learned since becoming a homeschooling mom. I have read so many books (and reviewed quite a few here on my blog) that have taught me new things. Right now I am reading a book that came with God's Creation from A to Z Kindergarten Kit from My Father's World (I will be sharing a full review in August) – For the Children's Sake by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay. How can I not smile when reading that "Education extends to all life" (8)? We, like our children, are always learning.

Making Homeschool Connections

Another thing that makes me smile is the abundance of connections I have been blessed to make through homeschooling. When we first started our journey, we were only homeschooling our two youngest who were not even in preschool yet. I then had the privilege of joining the Homeschool Review Crew where I met many wonderful homeschooling moms. As I tried to grow A Mom's Quest to Teach, I have met more and more homeschooling parents, bloggers, and individuals. As an introvert, I think finding a community online has been so great for me. I never would have gone out to meet-ups in person or the like but being able to connect online has truly made me smile.

Final Thoughts

Homeschooling can be stressful, time-consuming, and difficult, but it is all worth it. Through homeschooling our children, we are helping them see the value of being lifelong learners. I want our children to never lose the joy of opening up a box full of new books. I want them to smile when they learn something new or complete a challenging assignment or project. These are experiences I want them to take with them when they have families of their own. When it comes to homeschooling, what things make you smile?