Have you ever noticed how many "first day of school" or "back to school" themed books and DVDs there are written for public schooled children? They're everywhere! My children are fond of the Let's Go To School DVD by Leapfrog. We also enjoy Disney's Winnie-the-Pooh in his first day of school found in this treasury. (I'm not a fan of most Disney books, but I make an exception for Winnie-the-Pooh even though their stories don't even come close to the charm of the originals by A. A. Milne.) All this to say that public schooled children have plenty of exposure to media telling them what to expect as they set out on their schooling adventure.
But what about homeschoolers? There aren't a lot of books out their written for children to prepare them for what to expect as a part of a homschooling family. They aren't going to be riding on a big yellow bus or taking new lunch boxes and backpacks to school, so what do they have to look forward to? The book, "I am Learning All the Time" fills that gap. A delightful story about a five-and-a-half year-old boy who is asked "Why aren't you in school?" by a stranger on the street. It gets him thinking about the things he loves about being at home with his family and how his life is different and similar to his public schooled friends. This book presents both schooling options in a positive light, which I think is important. We don't want our homeschooled kids to think of public school as a bad thing- they may go there someday, but we also want them to know that they're not the only ones who are learning at home. I recommend this book for anyone who is planning to homeschool their young children or even if you are sending your kids to public school but they have questions about their homeschooled friends- this would be a great book for them as well.
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