Have you ever wondered if homeschooling was right for you? Or maybe you know for a fact that it isn’t your cup-of-tea. Maybe you’ve said, “I don’t have time to homeschool.” Or maybe you just simply don’t want to! I’ve thought, “I’d like to have a break from my kids.” Well, I knew that homeschooling wasn’t something I wanted to do, but I knew it was something I HAD to do!
When my firstborn was getting closer to school-age, people would often ask me where I was sending her to school. Or which school district we were in. Honestly, I wasn’t looking for what options I had in the local schools or “where” I was going to send her to school. I knew that I was going to be her teacher! Let me just say, I have no problem with parents who send their kids to public schools or even a private (Christian) school! But I knew it wasn’t for us! Bedsides, public schools are not exactly the same as they were even just 10 years ago!
This doesn’t mean I didn’t have concerns or was worried about this daunting phase in parenthood. Honestly, I kept putting off the process of getting information and educating myself in finding the right curriculum. (And maybe I was in denial that my little girl was starting school already!) However, I am so thankful for those who have gone before me, gave sound advice and gave me their opinions on what they liked and disliked.
I hope you will find a little inspiration if you are just starting or have been on this journey of Homeschooling! The process can feel overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be scary if you break it into bite size pieces. Don’t focus on getting it all figured out at one time. But, little by little you’ll start to feel more confident in your new role as “teacher”. If you have the discipline to help your child get a little bit done everyday, then you CAN homeschool! ***Let me add, homeschooling may not be for everyone, but anyone can do it! I’m living proof of that, ha!***
Finding the right Curriculum
First, you’ll have to start looking at which curriculum might be best for your family. When looking for a curriculum for your child or children, you need to start by asking yourself, “What do you want them to be learning about?” “What is important to you as a family?” For us, I knew that I wanted my children to get a great start on reading! But most importantly, I knew that it had to be Biblically based! Some really great curriculums that I’ve looked into were Abeka, Sonlight, and Classical Conversations.
Of course there are many other options, but these are the ones I’ve considered. Most curriculums have a 100% money back guarantee or you can request samples to help you decide on which you like better.
Personally, I needed something that was all mapped out and ready to teach. I am not the type a person that spends 30 minutes the evening before preparing for the next days lesson. I wanted something simple, but would really give my kids a great start. I chose Abeka curriculum and we love it! The lessons are easy to follow, they do not require a lot of preparation, and they have the option of video lessons where an actually teacher will teach that lesson for you! I especially love it for our Social Studies/History lessons!!
When we started homeschooling, I had just had my third baby. So having those videos were a life saver! I don’t use them very often now, but I’m always glad to have that option when I need it! Maybe as we get further down the road, we may switch to something else. But that’s the beauty of Homeschooling.
Here are a few sample pages in the Kindergarten workbooks.
Benefits of Homeschooling
- I love the flexibility of homeschooling! If I want to have my kids work super hard for three days and get a bunch of lessons done, then we can have the rest of the week off. If other plans come up and we didn’t get school done that day, we do a little extra the next day. It’s important to remember to give yourself some grace and don’t overwhelm yourself or your kids!
- You get to be the one feeding their minds and not the government! (There, I said it…sigh) This is so important to my husband and I. We feel as though God gave our children to us to raise up for such a time. WE need to be the ones preparing them for the future and guiding them while they are still home. It’s what we are called to do! Giving them a Biblical foundation is so important!!!
- Your child will get one-on-one focused time while doing their schoolwork. I’ve heard over and over again how students will fall behind because there is just too many kids in the class, that one teacher just simply cannot focus on all of them. I know, this may not always be the case, but your kids can thrive on that one-on-one time. Actually, they crave that from us!
- You can go at the pace of your child. If my child is not ready to move to the next lesson or even grade, I can choose to review the lessons in the next quarter and move on when they’re ready! Don’t stress it if they don’t get it the first time. But, when they do get it, they’ll be farther ahead than if you would’ve forced them through it.
Homeschooling has definitely been a learning curve for me! But, I hope this has given you a little hope to know that you can do it if you really try! Everything we do takes a little effort! It may be simple but not always easy. I know, I know, that’s not what you want to hear. But, I think you’ll do a great job!
This Farmhouse Wife