The school buses are ready to roll. Students have their new shoes laced good and tight. New backpacks are filled with shiny new supplies. Butterflies are busy in the tummies of newbie teachers and students. The start of school in Wisconsin is here!

This fall Lucy is five-years-old. Since she will not be attending a “school” in the next few days, I guess that means one thing…we are “officially” homeschoolers. Of course, our fellow homeschoolers (which in 2013 made up 3.4% of the U.S. student population) would agree that we’ve been homeschooling since she was a baby. Tru dat!

What will Lucy be doing on the first day of school in Wisconsin?

She’ll be in East St. Louis with her family, at an in-service where her Daddy is speaking, to help a bunch of Head Start teachers fight Adultitis this school year. The day before we’ll be at the St. Louis Zoo, where she’ll get to see her favorite animal (cheetah!) up close and personal.

It’s pretty neat. I’m feeling blessed that she can join us on this journey to rid the world of Adultitis. At the innocent age of five, she “gets” this mission. When asked recently what Adultitis is, Lucy said confidently, “It is where you lose your happiness!” Yessiree!

For all of you fellow homeschoolers, or just curious folks out there, a common question we receive is, “What’s your homeschooling philosophy?” After years of reading, researching and LOTS of discussion, we’re thrilled to have our philosophy in our heart and head as we start/continue this journey of home educating Lucy, Ben and Virginia.

Our-schooling: Self-directed, adult-facilitated life learning in the context of their own unique interests.

BOOM.

We adopted this exact wording from a very neat article we read recently about homeschooling by Ben Hewitt. Granted, it’s a mouthful, but every word is intentional and makes me excited and proud to be on this adventure.

Photo credit: Larry Darling