Deciding to homeschool is one of the most important decisions you could make for your children. I remember the overwhelming feeling just like it was just yesterday. I was filled with excitement, anxiety, and fear all at the same time. I had no idea what I was doing, but knew it was right. I prayed on it, hard. That’s when all the answers fell into place.
I knew I wanted to support a family lifestyle and spend more time with my children. I wanted to cultivate and shape their minds, model kindness, love, respect, and raise freethinkers. What I didn’t realize at the beginning was all of the advantages. I quickly learned that learning can happen anytime, anywhere, and at your own pace. We now have the ability to provide positive and healthy social experiences and safe learning environments, which improves social interactions. We have the freedom to customize and individualize our children’s learning which leads to a higher quality education. I now had this down, but I still had no idea where to really start!
I reached out to a high school friend who is a seasoned homeschool mama and she guided me to the appropriate resources so I could do my own research. At first your mind is going 100 mph and there is so much information available, but what do you trust? If I can give you only one piece of advice it would be this: go with your gut, trust the process, and trust the Lord.
You have all these questions racing through your mind. Which curriculum will we use? What’s my child’s learning style? Wait, there’s different learning styles? Will we join a co-op? Do I need to let the school system know we will be homeschooling? What records do I need to keep? Will we school year-round or take breaks? Unschooling…Deschooling– that’s a thing? What will family and friends think? Do I need a dedicated homeschool space?
Take a deep breath. Homeschooling is a lifestyle not just an education. Take it one day at a time, let God guide you. He will provide all the answers, I promise.
First and foremost, I knew there were legal actions I needed to take. I highly recommend you check out HSLDA (Home School Legal Defense Association). This is a great resource, from here you can find your state’s organization and research your state’s laws. I recommend you join both HSLDA and your state’s membership, this provides personal guidance and legal protection for your homeschool.
Next, I dived deep into the research thanks to my Type-A personality. When I decide something, I go big. I need all the research, statistics, information, pros and cons, and testimony that I can get. I first started with focusing on each question at a time and broke it down. I knew we needed a curriculum, so that’s where I started, until I learned there are eight different types of homeschool styles. Crazy, right? How would I choose? I knew I had to figure this out before I decided on a curriculum. Then I realized, well, based on these eight different learning styles, I needed to figure out how my children learn best. It was getting deep, and I hadn’t even started yet. So would we choose, classical education, Charlotte Mason Style, Montessori, University Model, Unit Studies, School At Home, Eclectic, or Unschooling?!? Wow. I’ll let you do your own research on each of these models, but I ultimately decided on a mixture of several. Ask yourself, what kind of values you want to put front and center in your homeschool and don’t feel like you have to focus on one learning style or curriculum! That is the wonder of homeschooling – mix it up!
We are mainly a Charlotte Mason Style homeschool because this method has “at its core the belief that children deserve to be respected and that they learn best from real-life situations from which they can learn. Students of the Charolotte Mason method take nature walks, visit art museums, and learn geography, history, and literature from “living books”, books that makes the subjects come alive. Students also know, not by taking tests, but via narration and discussion.” This style of learning really reached out to me because I firmly believe all children should be respected and be able to use the world as their classroom.
Then I checked out Montessori and it emphasizes kinesthetic and sensory learning that teach children how to function in real-life situations. This method emphasizes importance on giving children the opportunity to be freethinkers and make their own choices. They choose their schedules, books, snacks, activities, etc. I don’t know about you, but I want to raise freethinkers. Don’t get me wrong there are limits, but your children will respect those limits. Do you eat when you aren’t hungry, or do you eat something that you personally don’t like? No. Then why should a child? If they can pick something that interests them, they will be more apt to dive deeper and learn more, but most importantly, be excited about learning. This also prepares them for life outside of childhood!
Another style I fell in love with was Unit Studies. What caught my attention with Unit Studies was how it was once described by Rebecca Spooner, creator of Gather ‘Round Homeschool, she explained how she had a vision of having all of her children gather around the table using the analogy of a mother hen and her chicks. The whole family, gathered around, learning, together. Now, this is something that inspired me. This style builds on the family relationship. The bonding of siblings. Learning together as a family. The perfect recipe.
The last style that caught my eye, was Unschooling. I chose to homeschool my children because I didn’t want them in the traditional school system. I didn’t want that structure for them. Unschooling promotes a nonstructured, child-led learning environment. Now technically, there’s no set curriculum or schedule with this style, but it also allows the child to choose what and how they learn. I liked several aspects of this, but knew I also wanted a curriculum.
Once I figured out we would be a mixture of the four styles of home education, Charlotte Mason, Montessori, Unit Studies, and Unschooling, I knew now that I could start researching curriculum. Then I ran into the information that there were three different types of curriculums! What?!? Would we choose Secular, Neutral, or Nonsectarian? Well, I knew I wanted a faith-based homeschool. God is leading us in our homeschool, he is front and center, but I also knew I wanted to expose my children to real-life scenarios and history.
Before I explain which curriculums, we chose, I would like to recommend you use the resource Cathy Duffy Homeschool Curriculum Reviews. This is an amazing resource to figure out which curriculum will fit your family best.
I chose a secular literature-based core curriculum because I knew I would teach religion separately and throughout our daily life. I also wanted my children to know about different cultures, different beliefs, and history. Maybe a better term for this curriculum is faith neutral. It “leaves the teaching of the origins of life and matters of spirituality to the parents, rather than promoting any particular viewpoint.” Bookshark is a 36-week, 4-day per week, curriculum. We started using Bookshark for Pre-K and my oldest will be finishing up Level A this year. We absolutely love this curriculum and I foresee us using this throughout our homeschool journey. Since Bookshark did not have a preschool curriculum, I did use Sonlight for my youngest and we have loved it. Sonlight is a Christian-based curriculum that is a sister-curriculum to BookShark. According to Cathy Duffy reviews, “despite differences in the content of Sonlight and BookShark, the educational approach, and learning methods are the same in both. The essential difference is that BookShark offers an option for those who want to experience a “Sonlight education” from a secular perspective.”
I also chose a Unit Study style curriculum. This is where the personal choice and freedom kicks in. Gather ‘Round Homeschool “is not just a curriculum, it is really an entirely new way to homeschool. Targeted lessons that challenge and inspire curiosity in our students and are age/stage appropriate. One beautiful teacher guide and then connecting student pages that spider web into the amazing connections of social studies, science, history, reading, writing, spelling, grammar, geography, art, Bible, and more!” This curriculum is absolutely beautiful, and the content is engaging and beautifully written.
We started with the Letters and Numbers preschool program and fell in love. This is a 52-week program that breaks it down into four 13-week, 4-days per week units. They will learn their letters and numbers and essentially prepare them to get ready for reading. I wanted to judge where my oldest was at, so I started him at Book 1, and we worked our way through Book 4 without taking breaks. My youngest did this as well but she was too young, and just wanted to do “school” because her brother was. This year she has completed Book 1 and has 3 weeks left of Book 2, then we will start Books 3 and 4 this fall. I strongly feel Letters and Numbers created a strong foundation for a love of learning, because they truly do love this preschool program.
My oldest started the Gather ‘Round Homeschool reading program Ready to Read this year and we have had great success! “Ready to Read is a full kindergarten-grade 1 program that includes all of your subjects blended with a full phonics program that is strategically skill based rather than age. With the unique design of this program, you can place your child exactly where they need the help in their journey to reading fluency, regardless of their age!” The structure of this program mimics Letters and Numbers, the difference being it is a 36-week program that breaks it down into four 9- week, 4-days per week units. I was nervous about teaching my children to read but this has made it effortless and enjoyable for all.
If you have made it this far, then well done! Now the fun really begins! Now you get to decide where you will homeschool and set up your space! We don’t have a “classroom”, but I do have a designated room in our home that houses all of our books, posters, manipulatives, and supplies. We have expanded our home library quite drastically in these two short years, so I can’t imagine what it will look like several years into this journey, but it’s so fun! I look forward to creating a new post about all the supplies and storage we use in our “classroom”, but that’s for another day! We typically school in our living room at a table, but every chance we get we school outside! It is on another level! No matter what space you have, you can make the best of it! You don’t need a picture-perfect classroom! I promise!
The most important thing you can do is enjoy the learning process. Take it at your own pace. Start slow, don’t overwhelm yourself. Take breaks when you need them. If it isn’t working, re-evaluate, and change what isn’t working! You have that freedom and homeschooling should be fun!
Lastly, never forget to celebrate! Highlight all the growth and achievements that take place. We love to throw a themed party after we finish each unit. It is something we all look forward to! It is a day of celebrating all of our hard work and we deserve it! Create the memories! Shape your child’s minds, and always, always go with your mama heart.
I hope you found this helpful. I would love if you would follow along for more homeschool related tips, encouragement, and our homeschool journey!
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