School at Home with Darci Dowdle
I wish you could spend a day in the Dowdle’s homeschool room because it’s so colorful and inviting and because I know you would immediately feel encouraged to imagine a corner in your own home where books and timelines and maps rule and where learning feels exciting and FUN. In today’s episode I’m sitting down with my sister, Darci Dowdle, who voluntarily pulled four of her five children out of traditional public school two years ago so she could homeschool them. Darci is my inspiration and go-to source for answers when it comes best practices for teaching children—period. She is full of energy for life, organization and teaching. Darci has a degree in Elementary Education and a knack for making anyone feel like they are the most interesting person ever. She is passionate about living healthy and exploring the outdoors. The Dowdles love to hike and ski together and they are working towards the goal of visiting every National Park in the United States and Canada.
Just in time for millions of families adjusting to a new normal, I’ve got Darci’s best practices for school at home!
Darci’s TOP 5
1. Set up a morning routine. Whether you’re teaching one or six, creating an expected, unifying start to your day is so helpful. This can be a time for spiritual uplift, but it can also be an anticipated review of current and upcoming personal events, the news and weather and or time to write in a personal or family gratitude journal. Make it your own and stick to it.
2. Create a schedule. Be flexible for sure, but establish a daily and weekly schedule, so you know exactly what is expected and what success for any particular day looks like.
3. Respect your children. Learn to see your kids as emerging learners and give them as much autonomy as possible. They want to learn (I promise) and they are naturally curious and creative—allow them time and space to discover their unique gifts, skills and talents. Allow them to make mistakes, to be in a bad mood and to challenge what they are learning.
4. Get outside. Everyday, make time to get outside—literally—but also to explore new places where you can experience the different topics you’re studying. Go to the library, take hikes and bike rides. Visit neighbors and other local experts. Volunteer in your community and take advantage of learning opportunities around every corner—ask your local grocer to show your kids the deep freeze and stop and talk to your mayor or chief of police. You are only limited by your imagination.
5. Expose children to good literature. We often hear that it doesn’t matter what kids are reading, as long as they are reading. This is not true. Exposing children as early as possible to really good literature as a powerful affect on their developing minds and character. Reading good literature is about so much more than just reading—this is probably the single best thing you can do with kids at home—introduce them to a classic story about people and places they are unfamiliar with. One that is filled with words that don’t yet know and complex sentence structure that challenges them. You could even listen to Audible books and then look up documentaries and other resources about the people and places you encounter.
Homeschool Resources
Right now thanks to the Corona pandemic, families in 70 different countries have been thrust into school at home with varying degrees of support. This is why I wanted to compile a short list of helpful websites that Darci and I have used and loved. There are gratefully countless resources, but you might not have time to research right now, so these are favorites that we recommend without reservation …
Our primary curriculum is The Good and the Beautiful and one of their primary goals is to make homeschool less overwhelming and time consuming for the student and the instructor. Their recommended book list is phenomenal. Addie’s ability to read, write and memorize has improved immeasurably with the language arts program and I am particularly fond of their history courses and the variety of science units they offer.
Teaching Textbooks is our favorite math curriculum. It is 100% online and enables independent learning.
Addie’s FAVORITE activity to do during her self-directed time is Osmo—I cannot say enough good about these learning games.
The Dowdle family: Brooklyn (14), Tatum (9), Darci, Ty (17), Cache (12), Mitt (7) and Kevin near Banff, Canada.
Most people will either want or need to send their kids back to school as soon as possible, but some may be curious about options to homeschool in the future. General questions about homeschool laws in your state can be found HERE.
Darci also inspired me to create a dedicated and decorated space for homeschool. For me, this made a huge difference. Having somewhere specific and FUN to go to—not just the kitchen table—helped put me in the proper mindset. Architectural Digest actually has a complimentary guide on setting up a homeschool room in your home. It’s HERE.
