If you homeschool or are considering it, there’s one question that’s critical you answer.
It’s NOT “What curriculum should we use for math?”
It’s NOT “How will we make friends?”
And it’s definitely NOT “How can I recreate public school at home?”
The super-dee-duper, most-important, must-answer question is…
(drum roll, please)
Is it just me or has our society overcomplicated things that should be fairly straightforward?
Take food, for example. The overall process seems like it should be pretty simple. Grow or buy food. Cook food. Eat food. Done.
But when you get to the grocery store and spend the first 15 minutes just trying to pick a breakfast cereal from the 129 choices available, you quickly realize this might be harder than you thought.
I’m a list person. I love lists. If there’s a problem for me to solve, the solution will probably involve a list. And, if it’s a list in the form of a spreadsheet, all the better!
Now, even if you’re not on the same page as me about lists being the answer to life’s most pressing problems, please hear me out.
There’s one list – and, yes, it’s a spreadsheet *giddy squeals* – that has helped me plan out our homeschool years more than any other resource I’ve made or bought. The best part is, it’s *EASY* and *FREE* to make and highly customizable.
(There may be affiliate links in this post – click here to learn more. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.)
We love The Story of the World history curriculum.
(And, given that I loathed history when I was a kid, it’s no small potatoes for me to say that I love a history curriculum!)
After using Tapestry of Grace Primer for my oldest son’s first and second grade years, we started Volume 1 of The Story of the World and haven’t looked back.
The more we homeschool, the more I realize a lot of my job as home educator does NOT have to do with academics.
Sure, the 3 R’s are important, but there are higher objectives we should be prioritizing.
In last week’s post, I interviewed my 5th grader about his homeschooling experience. Now it’s my 2nd grader’s turn.
The following is an interview with my youngest son, our middle child. I’ve tried to capture his exact responses and he’s read and approved of this post.
I’m a homeschooling mom who was public schooled. From time to time I wonder what it’s like for my kids to be home educated. Do they like homeschooling? What are their favorite and not-so-favorite parts about their education?
Well, the best way to find out is to ask – so I did.
The following is an interview with my oldest son. I’ve tried to capture his exact responses and he’s read and approved of this post.
Pencils? Check.
Binders? Check.
Pegboard and hardboard panels? What?
They’re probably not the first thing that pops into mind when you think “school supplies.” But these two boards have been some of the most-used tools in our homeschool over the years.
I’d like to start this post with an apology for any neck injuries you may have sustained by following this series of posts. It’s been like watching a tennis match!
Back and forth I’ve gone, trying to find the sweet spot for our summers. More academic? More relaxed? Over-scheduled? Lazy days? Seems like we’ve tried it all.
We’ve finally caught up to real time in this series – we’ll be heading into our 5th official homeschool summer in less than a month!
If you’ve been following this series (if not, start here), you’ll probably have noticed a pattern by now. We seem to keep ping-ponging back and forth between work-focused summers and play-focused summers, always trying to find the sweet spot.
Year 3 was a summer of virtually no advanced planning and no academic work. So, you probably won’t be too surprised when I tell you that Year 4 was the complete opposite.
(And, according to my oldest son who was just reading over my shoulder a minute ago, Year 4’s summer was “horrible!” Can’t win ‘em all, I guess.)
