Homestead-Swim Camp: Fill & Download for Free

Well, myself and about 2 dozen of my soldiers were.Some years back, stationed in Fairbanks Alaska, US Army. Summertime, we were doing a week long “float trip”. Transported by truck well upstream from our goal- and float for a week, camping along the way.On day 4, we found a horseshoe bend in the river, nice beach of the inside of the bend- and a good chance to swim and bathe. Bear in mind- we were 50 miles from civilization. We all stripped down, and with the exception of 2 bear guards, jumped in for a wash-and-rinse.Within a few minutes, we starting hearing a sound. Turned out that some homesteaders had taken their small boat to town for groceries, and were headed home- right thru the middle of 24 naked soldiers. Mom, Dad and 2 kids. They waved, said hi, zigzagged thru my troops, and continued on their way upstream.

“Safety is the number one priority.” If this were true I would lay in bed all day and take welfare. And I would wear a helmet and bubble wrap anytime I went anywhere. I would not drive at night. I would never have learned how to swim, hunt, fish, wrestle, jiujitsu, survival skills, primitive homesteading, climb, paddle white water, run barefoot, hike, camp, make love, learn medicine, have kids.Without risk, there is no reward, no fulfillment, no life.My priorities are in order:GodFamilyWisdomVocationAdventureSafety

The average homeschool day differed a lot depending upon the student’s age. When my students were young (elementary age), the typical day was full of activities. On their own, they’d awaken when the sun came up. We’d start the day with breakfast and go from there. Many days we’d pack lunches and snacks and leave the house by 9:30 a.m., returning sometime around 5 p.m. We’d hike at local parks, swim, go to the library, and meet up with other homeschool families for activities and free play. One of our weekly activities was to “apprentice” at a local homestead. We’d gather eggs, feed animals, and the kids would free-range with the homestead dogs over a 40 acre plot of land that included a large pond. We’d go camping with friends. We baked goods and sold them at a local farmer’s market - they got a share of the profits. Since the market was held at a local historical site, they learned about history while there. One became a docent at the site and led tours.If we didn’t have an outing, we’d play at home. Arts (free art, not instruction), crafts, building things with legos, building forts inside, playing games together, cooking, baking, gardening, yard work, much imaginative play, much inquiry based learning - where they chose the learning based on their curiosity and questions. Much of their science education was hands on.Outside classes chosen by our kids were gymnastics and music - one studied violin, the other piano.I would also read books that they had chosen daily to them, for hours. They were free to choose to read or choose any activity to explore.In high school, the focus turned to college. For grades 9 and 10, they took online classes in math and a few electives. For grades 11 and 12, they began dual enrollment in community college classes of their choosing, completing 26 cr that transferred toward general ed requirements for their university programs. Both took a part time job at age 16, where they earned enough money to buy their own cars, their own cell phones, and pay their own cell phone bills. :-)As you can see, our approach was very unstructured. Homeschooling doesn’t have to look anything like traditional school to be successful. It simply has to be tailored to the needs of the students.Our outcome? Both were accepted to university. One has graduated with honors and is now enrolled in graduate school. The other is a university jr with a 4.0 gpa.