At Aero Academy Homeschool, space has a big impact on the way we do things. I am always looking for ways to connect my son’s love of aerospace to our homeschool life. I have found, to have a successful homeschool, creative teaching is a necessity. Today, I’m sharing how we apply the astronaut creed and lifestyle in our homeschool, and how you can too.
Why Failure is Not an Option
The phrase “Failure is Not an Option” is quoted from the 1995 film, Apollo 13. William Broyles Jr. is said to have come up with the line after interviewing Jerry Bostick – the Apollo 13 Flight Dynamics Officer. Consequently the quote has become a motivational phrase for NASA. Failure is Not an Option is a now a creed to live by. In the spirit of Jerry Bostwick, when things are not going well, calmly lay out all the options. Your failure is never one of them.
This is a great application for the homeschool frame of mind. As a home educator you tend to worry you are failing as a teacher. You’ll question yourself so many times. Is my child learning enough? Should I be teaching them more? The truth is, our kids learn all the time. We just provide them tools to learn in a certain direction. And when those tools “fail” to interest our students, we lay out our options until we find something that works.
When Homeschool Isn’t Working
Try something new. Make it fun. Look back on these years with your child, you might realize you’ve been teaching with this creed without even knowing it. Did you have to be creative teaching toilet training, tying shoes, or picking up after themselves? Every kid is different, learns at a different time, and in some cases, you have to get creative in how you teach them. Homeschool is the same way. Just when you think things are going smoothly and you have everything in order, you have to switch up the way you do lessons. Again.
Story writing and themed craft projects stopped being enough for Emmett recently. We were getting less and less work done. He’s been interested in creating videos about toys. So I added creating videos to our homeschool lesson plans about everything Emmett is learning. He loves planning what he is going to say (script writing class), recording the videos (public speaking class), and helping edit the videos (computer class). Creating videos on topics such as Hydrogen, Samurai Knights, and NASA Inflatable Habitats has given our homeschool new energy and excitement. He is still learning fundamentals he needs to know, learning about subjects that interest him, and learning things he probably wouldn’t have the chance to explore in public school. I call that a successful mission.
In case you couldn’t tell, our homeschool is space based. My son named his homeschool after his love of aerospace. NASA’s astronaut biography pages are one of our favorite pages to visit. And astronaut quotes, lifestyles, and spirit are in pretty much everything we do. Including how we think of apparel.
Our Astronaut Homeschool Uniform
Astronauts typically wear flight suits when they are training and spacesuits in space. Their outfits are designed for their activity. Practical and awesome. Homeschoolers are often associated with school at home in their pajamas. However, no homeschool is the same. If you want to homeschool in your pajamas, do that. Want to homeschool in goulashes and a poncho? Do that. If you want to homeschool in an astronaut costume… Then do that. It’s practical to do homeschool in your pajamas if you do your homeschool in the mornings. Pajamas are comfortable and don’t distract kids from their studies. They can choose clothes that match their next activity after their lessons are complete. Light flight suits to spacesuits 😉
In our astronaut homeschool there isn’t one uniform way. Like astronauts, we dress for the occasion. Our regular homeschool work is done in the morning until lunch. It only takes 3 to 4 hours Monday through Thursday for us to get everything we need complete. Pajamas are common in the mornings. The rest of the day and Friday is spent on adventures, projects, field trips, sports, or co-ops with other homeschoolers. We dress for the current activity we plan – or go on spontaneously. We even designed t-shirts with our homeschool name on them: Aero Academy. Homeschoolers have the BEST school spirit.
Let pajamas be your flight suit and your field trip clothes be your space suit. Or don’t. That’s the great thing about homeschool. You can do what is right for you and your family.
What creative ways do you use to succeed in your homeschool?
Ashley is the naturalist homeschool mom of Emmett’s Expeditions. She designs learning tools and apparel that encourage kids to explore nature, discover new horizons, and protect the world we live in.
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I enjoyed reading about how you tailored your homeschool program to fit the needs and interests of your family! Very inspiring!
Thanks, Katy!
Thanks Katy 🙂
I really love the uniqueness of your homeschool! I also love the fact that you brought out the idea of homeschooling the way that works best for your family. No two families are alike, and so should be true for homeschool as well. Be unique! Thanks for sharing!?
Hi Angela. You’re absolutely right. Every homeschool should fit what the family needs. Thanks for reading!
This is a great reminder that homeschool is supposed to look and feel different than public school, and kids should be comfortable and happy to learn! Thank you for the reminder!
Thank you Danielle. I’m glad you enjoyed the article 🙂
I love how your Homeschool is based on Aerospace and it reminded me to teach what our children enjoy. Which I had been struggling with as my son was beginning to hate Homeschool although if we add Wrestling and Soccer he would go all day. So back to the drawing board to redo our lessons for next year.
Thanks Glenda. Wrestling and Soccer would be a great theme for homeschool. You can easily apply them to core subjects. He could write a story about a soccer player, solve math problems related to wresting, learn the history and geography of where the sports originated, and even incorporate his soccer ball in science experiments such as catapults! I hope you have a great homeschool year.