Homeschool Bloopers

Growing up a perfectionist, I never saw the humor in screwing up. I would rehearse things over and over in my head to ensure they came out flawlessly. Part of the fun of getting older, I've found, is learning to laugh at myself (at least a little).

Somehow, kids provide plenty of opportunities for things not going according to plan. So, I'm starting a new category here called "Homeschool Bloopers". It must be a major sign of personal growth to actually blog about my screw ups. Seems like there have been so many to make me laugh lately, but of course, I can't think of them right now; I'll just be adding to this as I go.

The two that come to mind were from our human body unit study. During the first class, we learned about external anatomy, DNA and genes. We worked on some lapbook elements, and I sent the kids home with a "body part" word search to follow up on what they'd learned. It wasn't until I helped Noah complete his later that week that I realized there was an extra body part hidden in the jumble that definitely wasn't on the list. While just a few years ago I would have been mortified by the mistake, I laughed hysterically for at least 10 minutes about sending a bunch of five-year-olds home with a human body word search with the word "ASS" on it.

The following week, our class focused on nutrition. We were discussing fruits and vegetables, and the mom leading the class asked if anyone grew their own at home. Noah, being the enthusiastic gardener that he is, jumped up and down excitedly informing everyone that we have a "pot garden". We've since informed him that "container garden" is the proper term (and will spare us a lot of raised eyebrows).

I'm hoping I can pass this new-found attitude on to my kids. Even though I've gotten here through baby steps, I can already see how life is more enjoyable when you're willing to accept (or even embrace) your imperfections.