Having Grandparents involved in the homeschool schedule is a good idea on many fronts. While legally the grandparents have to be guardians of the child to homeschool them independently, they can always be invited into the homeschool run by the parents as additional teachers. If you are lucky enough to live close by to the grandparents of your children, do take advantage of the help and expertise that they have to offer. Here are some things to consider.
Have Them as Backup
At times parents are unable to meet their homeschool teaching requirements on their own and need some help. Having a grandparent come in regularly once a week to take a specific class or topic is a good way to get started. This way when they need arises, the homeschool students are already used to grandma or grandpa teaching them in the classroom. It’s a great idea to dedicate specific days in the regular course of the week when the homeschool parent and grandma can switch places in the homeschool classroom.
Encourage Them to take Field Trips Together
While an outing to the grandparents home is a good break from the homeschool classroom, getting them actively involved by having them take the kids out for field trips is even better. The homeschool parents get a break. The homeschool students get an educational outing. The grandparents get to spend quality time with their grand kids. The kids also get to learn something new that can be made a part of their study requirements. It’s a total win win situation for everyone.
Have Them Share their Experience
From collecting coins to stories of the family history. There’s a lot of experiences that the grand parents can share with the homeschool students. Why not set up an educational project for the team to tackle together. The children can learn about the many different hobbies and interests of the grand parents as well as gain new knowledge as they present them to the parents in a report. Plus the additional advantage will be a closer relationship bond developing between the grandparents and grand kids.
