I didn't do this for academic excellence

When I walked past the local elementary school when my oldest child approached school age, I walked past a gated entrance, security guard, and a fenced-in yard of pavement and no grass. I walked with my children one block past the school to a beautiful, big park where we often spent the day.

 I didn't decide to homeschool because of the academic excellence homeschooling offers. I didn't homeschool because I was afraid of the schools or the people in them. I originally decided to homeschool because I wanted my children outside, not inside with 20 minutes to play on pavement for recess, if the weather was deemed nice enough, and with even less time to eat a lunch.

I wanted them in fresh air, noticing the world around them, moving their bodies, exercising their curiosities, building appetites for food and for learning, and getting tired enough to gladly rest. 

Academics are utterly important to me, too, but they weren't the primary reason I decided to homeschool. I guess I decided to homeschool because I wanted tired and hungry kids. 

I can't and don't want to provide everything for my children, but what I can and want to provide are memories and experiences they will take with them when they leave my side. I found a kindred spirit when I found Charlotte Mason's writing soon after I decided to homeschool. 

Spend time outside, Charlotte wrote. 

It's a habit to want to be outdoors, I think, and Charlotte was real big on habits, too.