Homeschooling, Me? But Now That I Think About It...

I got this not that I'm included in the Jewish Homeschool Carnival, and I couldn't figure out why. Of course check it out!

1. My kids finished school years ago, unless you count the professional course my elder son is doing to be a dog psychologist whisperer.
2. I always sent my kids to regular schools.

Curious, of course, I checked it out.  Jennifer has expanded the concept of homeschooling, including all of the very educational things good parents and grandparents do. The fact that I speak English to my very Israeli daughter and her kids means that I'm homeschooling my grandchildren in English.  It amazes me each time I hear them answer (99% in Hebrew but) appropriately to whatever I've said.  English isn't a foreign language to them.  The sounds, words, phrases etc are familiar and even comprehended.

When I sing "One little, two little, three little Indians," not only do I show appropriate fingers, I mix two from one hand and three from the other for five, along with similar combinations, to give them at least a visual understanding of how numbers can be added.

When my daughter allows them a treat from the supermarket (the local grocers is big) they are given a maximum price and aren't allowed to go over it.  That's also teaching.  They pore over the chart at the ice cream freezer, learning quickly that seven 7 is more than five 5, and four point five zero 4.50 is less.

This year I decided that since they have too many "things" and I have too little money, so I'd give them each (the older ones) a ns20 bill as a Chanukah gift and let them shop.  My daughter told me that it's their favorite type of gift.  They love to calculate what they can afford, adding up potential purchases to make sure they don't go over budget.  The oldest (all of seven) helps her younger siblings.  Their great-grandfather was a CPA and his father was a Yiddish-speaking factory owner in New York.  Another great-grandfather managed to save/invest a fortune from a modest salary as civil servant, which was only discovered after his death.  Yes, B"H, bli eyin haraa, they come from good stock on all sides.  But the key is how you school them at home, no matter where they learn the "3 R's."