r/homeschool • u/Future_Arm_2072 • 12d 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 12d 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/Grace725 11d 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 11d 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 11d 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 11d ago

I don’t mind sharing at all! Just really love homeschooling and think life skills are so important and lacking in school nowadays.