The homeschool buffet and how not to fill your plate too many times

We had a busy year. Too busy.

I liken homeschooling to a restaurant buffet. You have a lot of choices and can go back for second or thirds. It all looks so tempting. Sometimes even when you're full you take just a few more things. Then you regret it later. It is wonderful, simply wonderful that the homeschool buffet is so full, even here in rural NH. Our children have so many opportunities. They can specialize or dip into many great things. They never lack for social opportunities and have all the same field trip experiences as their public and private schooled comrades. they can go to "Zoo School" or "Space School" or Aquarium School" or run a pretend city. They can spend a year visting all the living history museums. They can take classes at co-ops and farms or even study science and engineering at MIT! The possibilities are endless!!

Our years do vary, we often seem to balance our lives out by alternating busy years with quiet years. I don't know what I was thinking this year because we were on the go wayyyyyy too much! One part of the problem may be that we home educators are blessed with more opportunities than ever! Some homeschoolers I know can remember a time when you had to search high and low to find another homeschooler in the surrounding towns. Some even remember when homeschooling was considered illegal! They may have travelled several hours to get to a homeschool group or single event. Now there are so many of us home educators and we are so diverse that there are literally hundrends of classes and activities to choose from each month.

One reason for such abundance of homeschool opportunities is that we are a diverse bunch and we all plan activities and events that interest us, Another reason is that our numbers have grown and businesses would love our business! That museum that was empty in the mornings now offers morning classes for homeschoolers. That dance studio, karate dojo, music class, theater, ice rink, ski resort, bowling alley...that was slow during school hours advertises special classes and rates for homeschoolers who can come in during these formally slow morning hours. The museums and places of interest that offer field trips for schools also welcome and advertise to the homeschooling community. I don't even have to think a minute before I can come up with 20 semi-local places I could click over to and find the listing of homeschool classes and field trips. there is also a bounty of homeschool groups and co-ops. With many homeschoolers many groups are needed. Where once there may have been one or two groups within a geographic region there are now 20 or more. I live in a quite rural area but within a 1 hour drive I can get to 20 homeschool groups that meet for classes or field trips or support meetings. We are blessed with options. So how best to limit oneself!

I guess the best way is to carefully examine each offering be it class, field trip, club, sport, group, lesson.... and then plot out the best ones for your family on the calender. If the calendar gets too full then hard choices need to be made. Deciding just how many busy days each week or month you will allow and then sticking to it will help. I absolutely have to do that. Three of four kids in our family felt we were too busy this year. We did great things, had fun experiences, learned a lot, got the younger boys back to many places that they were too young to remember the first time around. But in the end it got to be too much and we started to get burned out. We "called in sick" to a couple events we had paid for but just couldn't fit in or badly needed a day off from. During the winter we had one day a week where we had to be in two places at once, as you can imagine that didn't work too well most weeks! I started to prioritise but more needs to be done.

Already I can see a lot of what will be on offer for the coming year from the three homeschool groups I check in with the most. I am so glad that there is not too much tempting me yet. I will be strong as more opportunities are posted. My goal is set, we won't be on the go for more than an average of 2.25 days per week. What a funny number but 2 wasn't practical based on what I already know and 3 sounded like too much! I have a goal at least and that's a great start. Now to visit the buffet, that is homeschool sign ups and commitments, without over filling our plates!