Homeschooling has in many ways been more than an educational choice. Or rather the educational choice to homeschool has made us more aware of benefits within our whole lifestyle. Stealing this idea from Smrt Lernins here are a few of the unexpected benefits we’ve experienced:

Slow Motion Life
Phone calls with my sister often leave my head spinning with how many places to be and things to do they have in one week. Get the kids here. Drop off one there. Pick up the kid here. Run there. Do this. We on the other hand seem to live in slow motion or at least that is my sister’s perspective. But to us slow is normal. Somewhere mixed up in the educational decision was a life decision to step off of the ever increasing merry-go-round of the fast paced life.

Everything is Science
What better excuse can a mom have for bringing in all kinds of weird things to look at or study than the catch-all “It’s science!” Science has made it possible for us to truly enjoy toads, praying mantis, crickets, spider mites, fungus, leaves, rocks and much more. Need an excuse to bring something weird into the house or keep a wild creature for a few days…just tell everyone it is all in the name of science!

Bedtimes are relative
Kids who HAVE to get up to make it to school in the mornings do not get to enjoy 10pm Mythbusters with their parents. Sleeping or rather the respecting of a natural rhythm in my children has been one of the most profound benefits. Very rarely must I endure a sleep deprived child.

Time is up for tonight! The last benefit is the ability to be outside. We were outside for most of the day. We picked violets on the hill. We shooed the geese away from the road. The boys ran up and down the garden plot while I planted a few things. We checked on the ducklings. We gathered eggs. We played with the dogs. We soaked up the sun and watched as the rain clouds came rolling in. This explains why at 10:30 I’m a little sleepy. I’d like to add more but the lovely, long day here has left me just a little tired.