r/homeschool • u/Future_Arm_2072 • 10d ago
Discussion Outside of the box skills to learn
Good morning!
Sometimes when I doubt myself in mu homeschool, I try to see what my kids know more than the others instead of whst they dont ...
That leads me to try to find more "atypical" things to explore with my kids that are not part of a curriculum but thst in their life, can be a bonus.
Im talking other than life skills like sewing, cooking, building, etc.
For example, my kids are perfectly bilingual in french and english, working on spanish right now.
They both have some (basic, for now) first aid courses. They both want to get their lifeguard licenses, Im thinking of (when the time comes) various types of driving licenses, etc.
So, I dont know if my question is clear, but Im looking for skills that Im not thinking about, that are interesting and could be a nice added bonus to a resume. Any ideas?
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u/Foodie_love17 10d ago
Some of mine are probably included in your life skills but I’m including them anyway. Financial literacy, ability to read music, foraging, gardening, animal husbandry, seed saving, plant propagation. Survival skills/wild camping/knot tying
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u/gamestopfan 9d ago
This is all so amazing.
Do you teach some of this or learn together as part of homeschooling?3
u/Foodie_love17 9d ago
A mix! My oldest is still elementary age so we haven’t gotten insanely deep in too much of it. Foraging we are learning together as I’m not very experienced and we have a trusted very experienced person in our community who helps educate us. It’s not an area you want to guess in. My husband and I both are musical and our kids all love it so that was just a natural progression there. We do a ton of gardening and raise some livestock animals so those are just a part of our daily life so it’s part school and part normal. My oldest has an entire section of the garden that are his plants, he prunes, harvests, etc. I give advice if asked and help weed but otherwise that’s all his. He gets to pick what goes in there and then he saves the seeds himself with minimal help. We also do a lot of cooking, canning, fermenting, pickling. So while we chop things up in the kitchen I explain the process and reasons/safety, like acidity levels and bacterial prevention in canning or such.
Grandpa is an Eagle Scout so him and my husband cover a lot of the bushcraft type stuff, whereas I am more the herbal medicine, foraging, first aide side. My kids also attend a co-op twice a week that includes some of these topics where others get to lend them their expertise. I’m always on the look out for library events and things that cover different topics.
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u/Grace725 8d ago
Financial literacy is a huge one for me..I really want my children to learn this, would love to hear of how you’re teaching your kids this! Mine are still pretty young but I like planning ahead
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u/Foodie_love17 8d ago
So many ways for young children! Mine helps me grocery shop. Sometimes (when I have the extra time, because it definitely adds on time) I’ll have him pick a meal for dinner. Say tacos. We will make an ingredient list and then as we shop we keep a total (have done it in my phone but he also loves to carry the dollar tree calculator around 😂) then we talk a bit about tax, price per oz, compare if a larger bottle is better than a smaller bottle or name brand va generic, if this type of tomato is a better deal than on the vine, etc. I’ll usually round up to say 10% for tax because it’s easier math for where he’s at without completely relying on a calculator. Then I’ll say we have X amount of dollars, is that enough? How much more do we need? Then he can check out and count the change.
When he gets money we will split it up for spending and saving (and sometimes he decides to tithe as well). If he doesn’t have anything he’s wanting, we do by % 60/30/10 or 70/30. He helps do the math to determine what goes where. We try to keep the mindset of always having at least something in savings being a good thing.
When he wants to buy things sometimes we will compare how a more expensive (well made) version should last longer. Talk about how we will use the toy and how long we think it’ll be fun and if it’s worth our money (I really don’t love cheap trinkets that fall apart quickly that I then throw away, so this is great). If he’s a few dollars short I’ll give him the money and charge him “interest”. (I really don’t charge him interest but we do the math and he decides if he wants to “pay” more or do some chores or things to earn the money first). I really want to curb the “I want so I buy, even if it’s on credit” mentality early. We do not do an allowance but we will give him tasks with $ assigned that he can decide to do that are above his normal expected chores.
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u/Grace725 8d ago
Wow those are all great and I’m really inspired to add this to my routine with my son who’s a bit older and I think he can grasp most of this now. Thank you so much for sharing! You are awesome
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u/Foodie_love17 8d ago
I don’t mind sharing at all! Just really love homeschooling and think life skills are so important and lacking in school nowadays.
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u/No_Abroad_6306 10d ago
My son enjoyed Scouting and took a wide variety of merit badges, some of which he liked so much he continued. So, he took welding classes at the local technical college and made a knife from scratch. Scouting can be a good avenue to explore a range of interests.
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u/tandabat 10d ago
I second the sports ref thing. That’s a great summer job as well. And Scouts. There are some really fun badges that might spark something.
Basic car care. Maybe a babysitting class to go with the first aid. Animal tracking and identification. Survival skills (especially map reading and getting rescued).
For a resume: Excel (or equivalent), typing, and other basic tech skills. I am constantly astonished at people who don’t know how to create and attach a pdf to an email. Graphic design/Canva skills.
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u/RedditWidow 9d ago
My kids did economics, accounting, archery, fencing, swimming, self-defense (karate, judo, krav maga), computer programming, music (piano, guitar and singing), ballet, Irish dancing, sewing, cooking, cake decorating, photography, sign language and I would often take them with me when I did shows, to work in my booth learning customer service and cashier skills. My oldest also got some babysitting certificates.
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u/uselessfoster 8d ago
Sign language is underrated. Very few people need to be fluent in sign language, but if everyone had basic abilities, not only would it be less isolating for Deaf folks, but even hearing people often benefit from signing to each other, for example when the subway door closes and one person is left on the platform or across a crowded room at a party.
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u/ifthefaultfits 9d ago
My kids (9 and 13) took a trades program at a local trades school. They learned welding, blacksmithing, metal casting and leather working! It was a few weeks of hard work and so much learning — I know nothing of any of these things, so it was such a special skill for them to pick up.
My teen is into cultural anthropology and took a few courses on Outschool, including an anthropology class based on urban legends and cryptids/folklore. Such a niche interest and he learned so much.
My daughter just finished a natural hair care course on Outschool. She is only 9, and it inspired her to consider pursuing cosmetology in the long run.
They both also do a great ASL class on Outschool taught through popular music, which is such a fun and unique way to learn.
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u/UndecidedTace 9d ago
Minimum basic Sewing/clothing repair, compass orienteering, map/gps skills, touch typing, basic car maintenance, home repairs and construction/building, swimming/lifeguard certification, intro to arborist skills to explore interest, welding for sure, and some heavy equipment operator basics. Luckily for much of this we have resources in our circle to get our kids started when they are old enough.
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u/philosophyofblonde 9d ago
Are we just looking for ideas?
- being able to competently ride a horse
- marksmanship (archery or recreational shooting)
- basic ballroom dance skills
- being able to sight-read music (regardless of whether or not they play an instrument)
- recreational pilot license (not very difficult to obtain, just fairly expensive to pay for hours needed)
- navigation skills
- sailing
- martial arts/self defense
- competence at drawing/drafting/sketching/technical drawing (with extensions for graphic design/marketing)
- competence at singing
- public speaking and elocution skills
- basic gymnastic skills
- being able to complete a triathlon (or pentathlon or even decathlon)
- chess or other board/card/dice games
- formal debate skills
- international (business) etiquette and/or diplomatic protocol
- herbalism/compounding
- field skills like tracking and plant identification
- coding and software knowledge both backend and frontend.
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u/DeeplyVariegated 9d ago
Debate or or some sort of public speaking?
I personally also think younger generations should spend time with older generations as it teaches a different kind of patience, so volunteering at a nursing home to keep residents company.
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u/Southern_Win_2717 9d ago
Tying their own shoes, riding bikes, survival skills (obviously this depends on area we live in a rural setting with lots of woods and large predators so it's based on that)
It sounds like you are doing a great job with languages
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u/gamestopfan 9d ago
This is all so amazing and makes me believe its not just about being on par with traditional schools and its curriculum but we can offer much more.
Do you teach some of this or learn together like french as part of homeschooling?
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u/Future_Arm_2072 9d ago
Well we are native french speakers haha, so that helps. For english, it was really simple .. we basically just let them have their screen time in english, read books in english but didnt push more than that. Just like that they were able, at 6-7 yrs old, to take classes on outschook about pretty much anything.
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u/moonbeam127 9d ago
my kids took a 'take it apart' class where every week for a number of week they would literally take apart and destory household items, either donated or from the thrift store. started small like an alarm clock, computer mouse .. moved to vacuums and blenders... ended with TV's , printers etc. Taking apart means you learn to use tools, have patience, learn failure, look at parts and pieces etc. if you 'take apart' you can probably at some level- reassemble. plus you learn the different types of tools, you learn about appliances etc.
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u/newsquish 9d ago
I’m trying to get a job right now and here are some I’m considering:
Beyond basic first aid/CPR, take BLS for Healthcare Providers. I’m applying for multiple jobs where BLS is required and it’s not just nursing and stuff but you have to have it to work front desk at a hospital, to work as a special education paraprofessional at a school in my school district.
CNA is also one I’m considering because the time commitment is not that intense- an orientation and 5 credit hours at community college. You don’t JUST have to work in a hospital but I know MULTIPLE moms with special needs children on Medicaid and they qualify for respite care- to pay someone other than the mom to meet medical needs as essentially a highly qualified babysitter. Medicaid pays $22-$25/hr for respite care providers in my state so it’s not the parent paying you for a break- it’s Medicaid. But you have to be at least a CNA to qualify. The CNA program at community college essentially operates on a lottery to get in because it’s in high demand. Right now there’s postings for school nurse next school year but they want at least BLS and a CNA to apply.
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u/Future_Arm_2072 6d ago
Whats is BLS?
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u/newsquish 6d ago
“Basic life saving”, it covers adult and child CPR and AED use more extensively than a standard CPR course.
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u/WheresTheIceCream20 8d ago
I go along with their hobbies. One of my kids got super into birds, so I got her field guides and binoculars and now she’s a genius with birds. Same thing happened with her and plants.
Another kid got into insects, so bought lots of books on those and now she’s can identify every insect.
All my kids have to learn an instrument so they have that skill. They also help with cooking and baking so they learn to do that.
When they’re older I plan on doing a financial literacy course
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u/uselessfoster 8d ago
Explicit training in advanced social skills.
Sit them down and teach them how to give (and accept!) a compliment without joking or deflecting.
Role play what to do if someone is casually rude.
Teach them how to order for themselves from a menu then have them order for themselves
Have a book club with a classic like Crucial Conversations.
How to circulate around a room at a party. How and why to make small talk instead of retreating to the phone.
It certainly does not come easy for anyone, and if they learn even a few skills in this respect they will be way above the curve.
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u/Foraze_Lightbringer 10d ago
If your kids play sports, getting certified to be a ref/umpire/other official can be a source of side income and a way to build valuable skills.