The Child IS the Curriculum

Years ago, when I was really serious about learning to homeschool 'the right way',  I was fortunate to acquire priceless knowledge from a mentor. My mentor (she didn't start off as such) was a genius ! She still is. 
She had no degree  or certificate in teaching/childcare,  but she was a master coordinator and an excellent planner. She was also a homeschooling mom of 7. 

My mentor shared her thoughts on homeschool with me early on, when I was still trying to find my groove.  One of the first things she ever told me was that "the art of homeschooling is to be a facilitator of play, and to be able to differentiate between teachable moments and moments of play." 
In other words, she wanted me to understand that while all play is work for children, sometimes they need to be left alone to explore at their own pace with their own thoughts.

She went on to caution me by asserting that while every moment is indeed a teachable moment, a child need not be bombarded by my presence, my knowledge and my desire to teach all the time...#PAINFULTRUTH.

The second most genius words that she said to me...that I have never forgotten was that I needed to spend less time searching for resources. Simply, she was telling me to stay off the internet lol. She asserted that in searching for materials, crafts, and curriculum ideas, many homeschoolers "feel" as if they are actually doing the work- when in reality they are not. I mean, STOP and think about that for a minute!

It resonated so much with me because I often spent hours trying to find the right craft, or reading about various aspects of applying Waldorf at home. Days after our conversation, I made a commitment to limit my research time, scaling back time spent browsing platforms like Pinterest, and various homeschooling forums.
My mentor also asked told me to watch how my children learned, questioned and retained information. That she said would lead me to be at ease with presenting the right materials at the right time. 

IF the child is the curriculum, then I whole-heartedly believe that there doesn't need to be a plethora of gadgets and extensive tine spent doing tons of research in one's curriculum planning. My reasoning behind this thought is that over a period of 5 years, I have shown various versions of the same activities and the children always a) interpret it differently (as they should), and b) based on their age and knowledge, present various outlooks on the particular subject by actively doing (trial and error).
That's really something to think about. Flexibility and inquiry-based learning will never lead to the same learning experience for any 2 children. The child is ALWAYS the curriculum.

Oh, and back to staying off the internet. I have a strict 45 minute "searching" rule. Sometimes I do need a bit more research time, and I DO like to see what fellow teachers, homeschoolers are doing, but I try to remember that the work is not in the research.
Now, I am committed to providing limited worksheets, and allowing the children to create what comes to mind - not from a pre-cut.