Welcome to Part 1 of the How We Homeschool Series. Through the posts in this series, I will share with you how we got started, what curriculum we use, and how we make education fit our schedule. I am so passionate about educating children at home and would love to answer your questions, if you are new to homeschooling or considering it for your family!
Before I had children, I never intended to homeschool them. Actually, I was quite against it for various reasons. But over the years, God softened my heart toward home education, brought key people into my life to get me on the right path, and ignited a passion within me for this non-tradtional way of teaching children in the most ideal environment.
Let’s jump back in our time-machine, shall we? I was in the terminal of the Tulsa International Airport with 2 babies! I ignorantly assumed traveling with two tiny humans would be a piece of cake (and boy, was I wrong!! But, I’ll skip all that drama…) While waiting for the first of several delayed flights, I began chatting with a woman about our children. Her kids had gravitated toward mine, and they were playing with some real toys and games. Somehow, we got on the topic of homeschooling and she mentioned her method of choice- Charlotte Mason. This being the first few hours of a very long and trying journey, I naturally forgot about this tidbit of fabulous advice. (At this point, I still had no plans of homeschooling my kiddos!)
Fast forward a few years to when we began searching for our first grown-up home in a neighborhood closer to the church we were attending. We found quite a fixer-upper less than 7 minutes from the church, which also had a school. We went to an open-house for the school and loved what they had to offer. A Christian school, with small class sizes, great teachers. It was perfect, except the price-tag…. We figured when the time came to enroll the kids, I’d have to get a side job to pay for the tuition, but something about this plan just didn’t feel right.
When our oldest was about 3, I began working at the coffee shop of this church and began to meet many new people. Several of these people had children who attended the school, so I began asking questions. And, during one of these conversations, a Godly woman said, “But, you could probably do Kindergarten at home to save the first year’s tuition.” And, this got me thinking…. and praying!
Could I homeschool my kids? Did I really want to be with them all day, every day? Did I have what it takes to be a teacher for 2 children, in different grades? What if they turn out weird?! What if my husband isn’t in agreement?
All the thoughts flooded my brain, but God worked each step out at just the right time. Both my husband and I agreed to do Kindergarten, “just kindergarten!,” at home with our oldest. Then, we would decide what to do for first grade. I began doing research, and naturally, I came across the Charlotte Mason method. I loved all that I read and found out about this style of homeschooling, but there is no Kindergarten curriculum. Since I had agreed to do Kinder at home, well, I had to find something to do…
(In hindsight, I would do nothing for Kinder with both of my children. I would give myself the breathing room and the freedom to post-pone schooling until they were 6 or 7. We would simply read and play.)
The midwife we used for Otto’s birth suggested the curriculum, Five In A Row, as a kinder/pre-kinder option. The ideal behind this curriculum is you read one book each day to your child(ren) and do some small activity to go along with it. It is simple and easy to do with multiple children. It takes about 20 minutes, but can certainly be lengthened if you are really into a topic. (For example, we read Mrs. Katz and Tush by Patricia Polacco, we simply visited a bakery for a day’s activity, as this is something done in the story. If we wanted to take this farther, we could tour a bakery or make several recipes referred to in the story, which we did as you can see in the picture below. So, one activity may be quick, while another takes several hours.) And, the best part about this curriculum is… It’s super flexible. You can do one story over 4 or 5 days in one week, or spread it out over several weeks. Even if your schedule is very full, you can make it work for you!
If you haven’t noticed where I’m going with this, let me just say….
Kindergarten went great, so I began to ask my hubby if we could continue. First grade. Elementary. ALL the way to High School! The more we homeschool, the more I want to continue. Each year, my confidence in myself as a homeschool teacher is strengthened. And while, sometimes my kids want to know what it would be like to ride a bus to school, or hang out during recess, they love the freedom and simplicity of our homeschool!
Tomorrow, I will go through the in’s-and-out’s of what homeschool looks like in our home, how we mostly use the Charlotte Mason method and the Ambleside curriculum, and how we choose to keep our schedule flexible for the realities of life!
