by Shelley Kishpaugh

Created on: February 18, 2009

Homeschooling is a wonderful option. Traditional school is very one-size-fits-all and children are not of all one variety. Homeschooling allows the parent and child to work around a child's strengths and weaknesses in multiple ways. Here is a list of 10 things that are great about homeschooling:

1. Enjoy public spaces without overcrowding

This is one of my favorites. How many times have you been at the public swimming pool, the park, or the museum on one of the school's days off? It's insane. There are wall-to-wall people and the kids typically behave like they are wild animals freed from cages. There is nothing pleasant about fighting those types of crowds. We avoid them. I actually go so far as to verify that the local schools are not out for some reason before heading out to one of these places.

2. Participate in a higher level of sports without losing all the time for everything else

My children are competitive swimmers. They have Olympic dreams. This requires an awful lot of time in the pool. We have plenty of time to get school done, go to daily practice for two hours, spend time as a family, have time for free play, and get plenty of good food and rest. And the best part is that when all the other kids on the team have to come directly from school to practice, then go home to dinner, then follow that up with hours of homework, we'll be playing, going out as a family or getting to bed on time.

3. Accomplish lots more education in far less time

We spend precisely no time whatsoever switching classes, lining up, asking for hall passes, waiting for the class to quiet down, finding our seats, hanging up our coats or waiting for the entire class to focus after a discipline problem. We're doing our schoolwork, and we're typically done by noon.

4. Sleep when we are tired

I have two children (out of three) that need more sleep than average children their age. We don't have to get up early, rush around to get out of the house on time, look for our backpacks, shoes, or homework. We don't have to jam a granola bar down our throats as the bus honks outside. Because they swim for two hours each day, they need more rest, and we are happy to give it to them. They usually sleep for eleven to twelve hours a night.

5. Eat healthful foods more often

I have plenty of time to put thought and effort into all three meals daily. Swimming as much as they do, they need lots of food. We have plenty of time to prepare hot meals with lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. The children do not

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