Even though we have yet to finish all our projects, and our last day is still slated for June 4, school is “out” this month.

School is outside: With gorgeous sunny weather, we’ve done lots of schoolwork on the patio.

School is out of order: Lately we seem to be doing schoolwork in the afternoon rather than our usual morning routine, especially on hot days.

School is out-and-about: More and more we take a field trip and call it school for the day. We may not make great progress on book work, but field trips are an essential tool in keeping everyone’s attitude in check.

Even though most of the book work is wrapping up in the next week, school at home doesn’t really end just because it’s summer. So much of what parents do on a regular basis relates to their child’s education somehow: taking them to swimming or piano lessons, teaching them to ride a bike, reading together, visiting the library, modeling behavior and teaching life skills like cooking, cleaning, laundry, money management etc. All are significant learning experiences.

Perhaps the best advice given to me when I was first considering homeschooling was from a dear friend of mine who said, “Diana, you’ll be surprised how much schooling you are already doing.” And indeed, I was surpised by how much of life outside of our curriculum is educational when you really think about. Two years ago I didn’t consider myself an experienced educator, yet homeschooling seemed like a natural next step because I had been my child’s teacher since Day 1. So, I encourage any homeschool newbies out there to read this article and take comfort that it’s really not-so-new territory afterall.

Even though this time of year makes me realize how ongoing and seemingly endless every parent’s job is, I’m feeling a little sentimental, too. And I’m not the only one. I was so touched by this homeschool mom’s letter to her child. It says so much of what I hope my children will remember someday when looking back on their education at home.