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One of the huge benefits of homeschooling is that we, as mums, are made acutely aware of the opportunity to learn.  The things that our children want to learn about are usually way outside our own understanding or interest.  But we dig in; we become enthusiastic because that is going to help our children.

But what about learning for ourselves?

We have a little joke going on around our place at the moment.

2008 was the year of the Bowser – this was when I learnt to fill up the car with petrol!  Yep, shocking admission but until then I always went to the place where they served you!

2009 is the year of the Knife – we have a chef living with us at the moment and he has given me a big heavy knife and taught me how to chop chop chop, seamlessly like you see the chefs on TV doing.  (I’m still a bit slow but I’m getting there and I haven’t cut myself yet!)

I guess the point is that I can actually define some of the things that I am learning – I have taken specific steps towards something and I can say “I learnt to do this….” And my children rejoice with me, just as I celebrate with them when they master something.

There have been many seasons of my life where I have set specific goals to learn something:

• When I first got married I wanted to have a repertoire of recipes so that when children came along, I was very familiar with a wide variety of meals.
• I also learnt about homemaking routines and habits (thank you to Emilie Barnes)
• When we lived in a shed, I learnt about small space living and how to maximise what we did have
• When I ran a craft group I learnt how to make one project in a variety of ways – not just in line with my naive country prejudice
• When we started homeschooling I learnt about all the methods, philosophies and curriculums
• When I wanted to write I learnt to build a website
• When it became obvious that my son had some learning difficulties, I learnt as much as I could so I could help him succeed.

These are just some of the intentional learning seasons that I have had in my life. 

There have been other seasons though when my life is just so chocker-block full that I can’t squeeze in another book, project, life-skill or lesson for my children let alone for myself!  That’s okay – there is no doubt something I am learning through all that it is just not so deliberate.  

The benefits of learning something new

• You grow in your abilities
• You grow in your understanding of the world around you
• You become a better conversationalist
• Doors open up where you never expected and you never know what experience God will use next!

What about you – I’d love to hear the things you are learning now, and the things you have learnt in the past.