We’ve talked about what an Enchanted Education is.
Let’s look at what it is not.
Enchantment is not about Pinterest-worthy projects or crafts. The point is this: Academics are better received by children when the properties of surprise, mystery, risk, and adventure attend them. They are better mastered with some level of routine and measurable progress. The nexus of these elements is what creates and sustains momentum in the homeschool.
You can’t be all parties and you can’t be all workbooks. There needs to be some kind of mixture where the routine provides the sustained practice of academic growth, but the surprises and adventures lead to enthusiastic bursts and deeper dives.
Remember: enchantment can be…
- eye contact,
- time alone with one child,
- adding a cookie to a math lesson,
- taking time to do the science experiment rather than just reading about it,
- reordering the day to accommodate a morning dress up time,
- laying on your bed to do copywork,
- sitting outside to read alone,
- playing with alphabet magnets on the refrigerator,
- watching a movie about history rather than reading about it,
- reading historical fiction,
- triangling in an expert,
- reading any book aloud,
- poetry with tea,
- staying up late to discuss politics on the bed of your teen,
- changing the tools to new ones (gel pens, iPad, writing on sticky notes)…
The aim isn’t to create an arts and crafts homeschool, or even an elaborate series of spectacular events! (Remember: I’ve said I could only pull off one or two “parties” in a year, if that!)
The goal is to remember that for kids and teens, rote learning using pen and paper (abstraction) and receptive learning through reading text books is rarely enough to keep the enthusiasm high and the learning applied. Anyone can “enchant” learning because you have heart, connection to resources, and a home filled with space for exploration and coziness.
Take advantage of home (and for teens, take advantage of outside the home)! That’s your best way to think about enchantment.
