We are Thankful for Homeschooling!

13 Things We Are Thankful For About Homeschooling Science

Happy Thanksgiving! We hope it is a special day filled with family, friends, and reflecting on God's goodness and provision.

Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
Psalm 95:2

This Thanksgiving, we are taking time to reflect and thank the Lord for homeschooling. Here in the United States, we continue reaping the benefits of our history, and one of those benefits is the liberty to homeschool our children for all subjects, including science. We know that not everyone around the world enjoys this liberty, and we want to recognize and appreciate it.

There are so many wonderful things about homeschooling our children through their science education! Here are 13 things that come to mind for us. We recognize that not all of these are exclusive to homeschooling – it’s possible that you enjoy these blessings with an educational model other than homeschooling – but we can still celebrate them as part of the homeschooling adventure.

We are thankful to the Lord that . . .

1. Astronomy class can happen at night when the stars and moon are bright. While we generally agree that routine and order should be part of our homeschooling experience, we also appreciate the flexibility homeschooling offers that allows us to move astronomy class to the night hours when we can use a real telescope and gaze up at the real night sky. For a fun night of stargazing with your family, check out our Astronomy Day ideas.
2. We can choose to do science individually with everyone studying different branches of sciences at their own level, or as a family with everyone studying the same branch at their own level.
3. There is a fabulous variety of curricula . . . What a blessing to have OPTIONS! No one-size-fits-all attempts needed. Not only are there options to fit different homeschool philosophies but also format options such as textbook-only, textbook and video-based, video-only, streaming or DVD, etc. . . .
4. . . . and we get to pick which curriculum we use! We as parents get the blessing of the freedom to pick the curriculum that works best for our particular student. We can look over the options, watch reviews, talk to friends, go to conferences and use our own discernment. Picking your curriculum can be fun! That said, sometimes it might seem more like a burden than a blessing. How can you know which option to try? If you’re feeling stuck, we have a free worksheet to help you pick the right material.
5. We get to see the golden moments when science comes to life for our children. Like when they see a monarch butterfly on a bush and not only know how to catch it, but are able to carefully do so and marvel over a beautiful specimen of God’s creation, having been exposed to amazing facts about this small creature.
6. Our classroom is the globe! We are not limited by four classroom walls and can take science class to the field. We have the option of taking field trips that classroom teachers at schools may only dream about doing. The pond, the planetarium, the zoo, the aquarium, the nature center, the arboretum, the massive telescope, the ocean, the week-long marine biology camp, the mountainside, the space center, the jungle (international for some, not for others!), the state park, the lab and more!
7. We can tailor our science education to fit the goals of our students. One student wants to be a pediatrician and dives into biology with gusto. Another student wants to be a chemistry teacher and so memorizes the periodic table with passion. And a third student wants to be an artist and so pursues a lighter science load but does side studies on the science behind color and light.
8. We can connect with experts in different science fields to share their expertise and passion with our students. Does your student dream of working at your local zoo? Sign up for one of the special programs where your student can work hands on with the staff and interact with the animals. Is your student starry-eyed about outer space? Look for talks online from astronauts and astronomers. Would you like to instill in your students a Biblically-grounded desire to care for nature and the environment? Check out shows like “Hike & Seek” with Peter Schriemer (available from Answers in Genesis).
9. We parents get to learn things we didn’t learn in school. Parents may choose homeschooling because we want our children to get a better education than we received. Happily, we get to reap the benefits of going through school again and filling in the gaps of what we didn’t learn whether that is the physics course we skipped or the amazing wonders of nature that point to a Creator that were bypassed in our school. Even if you feel like you received a great education, chances are pretty good you will still learn something new!
10. Our sense of wonder over creation grows as we learn more about the intricacies of God’s handiwork. Once you understand more deeply how complex and intricate the human body is, you appreciate even more God’s care in making you. As you study Astronomy and recognize the vastness of the universe, you have a greater grasp of the power of God Almighty Who numbers the stars. When you learn about the laws holding the universe together, you can see with fresh eyes the order God has put in creation. Yes, studying science increases our appreciation of God’s handiwork.
11. We get to be inspired by the lives of scientists of the past. As part of our science education, we may learn about scientists who have gone before us. Bacon, Galileo, Newton, Herschel, Maxwell, Curie and more! As we get to know them and their contributions to science, we can recognize their admirable character traits like perseverance and courage and seek to live out these virtues in our own lives.
12. Science time can be a social event! Whether we join with other families in a large, formal co-op or with just one other family informally in our home, we can do science with friends. We may get together to do all the lessons, or we may do only the labs together. Maybe our high school students get together to review before exams. Perhaps we host a science fair and invite other friends and family to come see our displays.
13. Best of all, we have the opportunity to do science with our children in a way that honors the Creator and gives our children a chance to learn about how He created them and all of creation with care and purpose. If this is at the core of what we do, it can literally change for the better how we and our children live. Now that’s something to truly be thankful for!

There you go! Along with these 13 great things about homeschooling science, we are also thankful to the Lord for all the families that choose to make Science Shepherd part of their homeschooling journey. May the Lord bless and keep you this Thanksgiving!

What are some of your favorite things about homeschooling science? Follow us on social media and let us know your thoughts!

Happy Thanksgiving!
Science Shepherd