This post is long overdue. Because we get questions about it ALL.THE.TIME. Homeschooling.
How’d the first year go? What curriculum did we use? Was it hard? Are we going to continue homeschooling?
So let me break down our first year experience. Starting with the near breakdown I had on approximately this date last year. I had given myself a July 15 deadline for choosing a curriculum and I had read websites and forums until I was thoroughly overwhelmed. So I walked away from choosing. And then August 1st rolled around and I was all “WTF are we going to do?!?!”
Which is when I reached out to my pal Erin who is one of the kindest/funniest/sweetest people you’ll ever meet. She also happens to homeschool her kids. And she also takes selfies (with Stephanie) on my phone with when I leave it sitting around and walk away from it.
I asked Erin which curriculum she was using and confided that I was having a bit of a meltdown over choosing. Which is when Erin directed me to the one resource that saved me. It’s this book – 102 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum by Cathy Duffy. If you’re thinking about homeschooling your kids, I cannot recommend this book enough. It will walk you through the different educational approaches to homeschooling, as well as help you think through your goals and “teaching style” as well as your child’s learning style. Which is followed by a chart featuring Cathy’s 102 top picks for curriculum. The chart makes is super easy to identify if a particular curriculum will likely meet your needs/goals. Beyond the chart is an in depth review of each curriculum.
As for me, here were the things that were important in a curriculum:
– secular (meaning not faith based)
– complete curriculum (a program containing math, science, language arts and history)
– lesson plans/calendar laid out (I’m new here … no way I feel comfortable just winging this)
– not an online program (from past experience, I knew that Mayhem would do better with real books/workbooks)
And this is how we ended up choosing to purchase the Bookshark Kindergarten Full Grade package.
So did we like it?
Nope. We LOVED it 🙂
The bookshark curriculum is based on a four day school week, allowing for the fifth day to be used for arts, physical education, field trips, etc. Fortunately, those type things are kinda sorta part of our everyday, so … four day school week for the win!
This program was pretty much perfect for us and the beauty of homeschooling is that you can move at your child’s pace. When there were things Mayhem already knew, we either skipped them or just jumped ahead to a lesson she wasn’t familiar with. I loved that each day of each week was broken down for us, so I knew exactly which pages of which books to work through each day. This particular curriculum is very much literature based so when there were chapter books that didn’t hold Mayhem’s attention, we skipped them and found other stories to read.
There are TONS of reasons why homeschooling worked for us, but here are a few:
– time. We generally an hour and a half to two hours a day on school work. And then we had total freedom for the rest of the day.
– flexibility. We could work when we wanted. I do recommend having a schedule, but it was nice to be able to take off to travel when it was most convenient, or have appointments during the day, etc.
– customized. We get to evaluate and choose which lessons we want to spend more/less time on based on Mayhem’s learning.
Did we use everything in the curriculum?
No. But having all of the materials to choose from was ideal for us. Especially with it being our first year and acquainting ourselves with the process. It takes a little time to figure out what’s going to work for you/your child, so having the full package worked out for us.
Will we be homeschooling again this year?
Yes. And the Bookshark First Grade package is our curriculum of choice.
What about socialization? How are you going to make sure Mayhem knows how to interact with others?
Have you met her?!?! 😉 She’s not lacking in the social skills department, BUT we totally understand the importance of her being able to be “social” which is why we’re evaluating exactly how many of the eight thousand sports/activities that she wants to participate in, that we can commit to. For the record, last school year she was in a gymnastics class that met on Thursday mornings because there were enough homeschool kids to have a class at that time. And it was awesome.
So, that’s a pretty brief wrap up on our first year experience with homeschooling, but we’re happy to share anything else you might want to know. Drop a question in the comments (if you have one) and we’ll be happy to share more 🙂
Congratulations Angie!!!?????? It’s not an easy job to homeschool!!! You both will learn a lot!
Thank you so much, and we are BOTH learning quite a bit. So far they’ve all been positive lessons 😉
Nope, sure didn’t think you would share that picture with the world! Haha! We love you so you are forgiven!
Right back atcha 🙂
I’m so glad to hear that you found what appears to be a perfect fit curriculum-wise for your daughter and family. It’s awesome that you are gifting her with all of the benefits of homeschooling – she seems like just the type of child who will thrive in that setting.
Our family had the joy of using a combination of public schooling and homeschooling for my two children (29 yr old boy, 30 yr old girl). My (late) husband taught business classes at our local university so homeschooling allowed us to travel during his sabbaticals. The kids loved it so much that we continued to do it when we were at home. I took an “unschooling” approach that worked well for both of our children. My primary anxiety about using this approach was how it might impact college and career options in the future.
As they grew older we re-visited the option of choosing either home-school or public school each spring (to be ready for the following fall.) We talked about pros and cons and then let them make the final decision. When they reached high-school age, my son decided to go to the public high school and my daughter remained at home.
Eventually, they both decided to go to college. My introverted son leaned toward accounting and computer science classes. My extroverted daughter leaned toward communication classes. Their (completely opposite) social natures played out in very predictable ways that have been evident from the time they were just little children.
They both ended up with associate, bachelor’s and master’s degrees and are doing well in their careers. I asked them to reflect back on their schooling to see if they would have done anything differently. They both felt that the homeschooling was a great fit. My son said he would have switched from doing traditional high school to taking advantage of an “early college” program at the university.
Wishing your family lots of happy adventures in the future! It’s been a joy to see pictures and read about your journey with Mayhem. Thanks for sharing it with all of us!
Thank you for sharing your story! It’s always nice to hear about other people’s journeys and I love hearing that you revisited the decisions each spring with them. Congrats on raising what sound like two incredible kids!
This made me so happy to read! I grew up homeschooled and we had a very similar style in that learning was free form and we had plenty of opportunities to focus on areas we did enjoy, or adjust when things weren’t working. Our family homeschooled through 8th grade and then went to public high school, and on to college pretty seamlessly. Glad you have this forum to share homeschool with and your focus on doing what fits for your family.
Thank you – and so glad you had a positive experience as well! I think it’s really important for each family to choose what’s best for them and we’re happy to share about ours.
Great job! We are considering homeschooling also (much to many family and friends shock and horror ?) I am looking for a faith based curriculum, but it’s good to know of other options to explore that perhaps we can use in combination with our faith curriculum. Thanks for sharing! Looks like your Mayhem is thriving ??
One of the biggest hurdles to overcome is simply the worry about what everyone else thinks and/or says …. Ultimately though, we knew this was the best choice for us right now and doing anything otherwise would be a sacrifice to our kid. Funny story – my aunt is a retired principal from a local (BIG district) public school and while I worried quite a bit what she would think, she was all for it. And she even checked out our curriculum and gave me the thumbs up 🙂
I’ve always wondered why you chose home schooling? I know you’ve said about how the time and flexibility works for you, but what motivated you in the first place? X
Lots and lots of reasons .. food allergies have definitely been a concern, but the idea that we’d put a kid who seems to be already very creative and thriving in an environment where she’d sit all day, certainly made us feel like we’d be stifling that natural creativity and imagination she has oozing out of her. We’re also not fans of “teaching for the test”. I hate the idea of standardized tests and the fact that schools teach for it, so that they’ll get good scores, so that they’ll keep their funding …. seems like a troubled system.
Thank you for the reply! Interesting way of looking at it 🙂
Hello! Mom to a 1.5 year old and starting to open my eyes to all the options of how to educate her. If I may ask, how can 2 hours X 4 days provide an equivalent education to 7 hours X 5 days at a public elementary school? Also, will M still be required to take standardized tests? Thanks!
Well, I suppose this is where we have to rethink our math – I talked to several teachers and administrators who are very open that after you do the calculations (taking out the time spent for attendance, announcements, time changing classes, recess(es), lunch breaks, water breaks, lining up, fiddling through folders, turning in paperwork, “special assemblies” and on and on and on) that the majority of students spend half of their “school” hours or LESS in instruction. Take that teachers time and divide it among 20 (if you’re incredibly lucky) to 30 students … and well, you can cover a LOT more material one on one in a significantly less amount of time.
And let’s say by the time your child reaches kindergarten, he or she already knows the alphabet backwards, forwards and inside out (along with numbers and the rest of the “standardized”kindergarten basics) because just by playing with them, you’ve already taught them all that good stuff. Do you really want them to sit for a year, not advancing at a pace that their little mind is craving?
I guess I could sum it up by saying that for us, it’s not about the hours. I can stand in my kitchen for seven hours and do nothing and clearly the kitchen won’t clean itself. I can also go in the kitchen and have my kid nagging me, checking my email, answering texts, etc. the whole time and it may take an hour to get things fully cleaned up. Or, I could dig in with zero distractions and knock it out in 30 minutes.
As for testing, each state has different requirements for reporting progress, so it depends on where you live 🙂 Hope that helps and enjoy that precious toddler time upon you!
Thank you for taking the time to respond. Helpful and intriguing!
I’m just curious if she’s still in gymnastics?
We took the summer off because they changed the schedule for the summer and didn’t offer her same class at the same time.The alternative class didn’t work for our schedule, but we told her she can start back up after school starts, if she wants. We’ll see though, because she’s REALLY interested in trying out some other sports as well. She still does love gymnastics 🙂
ya and now that she learned some basics maybe you wont have to freak out when she busts out some flips that she’s gonna break her neck lolol
What a great year you had! I hope 1st grade is just as awesome!
I’ve been homeschooling a long time! It’s great!
My brother and I were homeschooled through high school! We had a great experience and are now either in graduate school (me) or finishing up at a liberal arts college (my brother). For those who are worried about teaching certain subjects or through certain levels, not only are there a bajillion curriculum choices nowadays, there are also tons of support groups, co-ops, classes at community college, and online classes. Just do your research and talk to lots of different homeschooling families… Homeschooling can look super different from family to family, and what works for one may not work for another.
Wishing you many good experiences in your homeschooling journey, Mayhem and fam!!
I’m glad that homeschooling worked out well for you! I homeschool my boys (ages 8 & 5) and I just picked out their curriculum and should be getting it soonish, which has me freaking out a little because it leaves little time for planning! There are tons of options to wade through to try and find out what works best for you and I’m glad that you found something. For my oldest it would take us about 2 hours to do all of school for the day, but of course we did pieces here and there because he didn’t want to do it straight through. The amount of time that it takes to do school surprises people, but when I tell them that you are getting one student per teacher you get things done a lot faster than in a school setting. The socialization aspect of homeschooling cracks me up because every day there is some activity (usually even more than one) for my boys to be doing where they are socializing with kids and adults. I don’t know if you know about SEA (Secular, Eclectic, & Academic) Homeschoolers, but they have a few groups on FB that have been very helpful to me, especially for the secular stuff. Good luck with the coming year!
I was very interested to read your post. Where I live (the Netherlands) it is almost impossible to home school. However there are lots of different (public) schooling options which aren’t based on kids sitting behind a desk in a classroom. My son (5) goes to a school where he can choose what he wants to do, and with which teacher, in different dedicated study or open spaces.
I’m curious what options you have with different schooling methods where you live?
Good luck this year!
Loved to read this! We don’t really have this system in Belgium (or at least not that I know off) so it was great to read how it works! I love every system that adopts the needs of the child and not that of the system. I would love to send my children to a more creative system, but on the other hand it scares me that if they do chose to go to a more theoretical university they might have a step back… But maybe I’m overthinking it and making issues that might never happen. Anyway thank you for sharing, you gave me something to think about!
Xoxo, b
I am happy for you that the homeschooling is working well. Nowadays, I don’t think people should even explain to others why they chose homeschooling. For me the reasons behind it outnumber the reasons when chosing a regular school. I thought about it long, since my kids are approaching school age.
The major worry I have is, that even though my kids take part in kids programs and classes I take them to, going to the parks, ect., the time passes by so quickly when we are there, everybody is so focused on the task, that there is no time for socializing at all. As soon as the class is over, everybody is gone in a minute. So the kids are not actually socializing with each other, they just do the activity in the same space. There is no time or opportunity to form friendship like ones you form at school for example when you are every day with the same kids through an entire school year. My kids don’t have kids around with whom they can play and talk to every day, like neighbours kids their age for example, and that is something that worries me. It worries me, because my kids love being with other kids and talk to them, interacting with them. I see, they themselves, want to form friendships with other kids. I would really appreciate it if you find the time to share how you are overcoming this obstacle or give me some tips or ideas how to tackle this worry of mine. Thank you in advance 🙂
Hello! I also work, but am considering homeschool. How do you balance that with your daughter in the same space? Is she ever bored or do you feel your making her wait or waste time waiting on you. I imagine she is creative and entertains herself a lot, but really wondering if you could share your wins and struggles in that area.
Hi there! We prioritize the time we set aside for schooling (usually M-F mornings through lunch time) for just that … schooling. If there happens to be a work project that absolutely needs my attention during that time or if I have to take a call/have a meeting during that time, Keith takes over the schoolwork (the benefit of both parents working from home). As a matter of fact, while I’m typing this response, they are down in the garage building a scale to learn about weight measurements 🙂
We do try to keep a schedule for schooling, but one of the awesome benefits of homeschooling is that we can also be flexible with our schedule. So, we’re able to take field trips in the middle of the day during the week if we want. And when we know we’re going to be traveling, we work ahead on our schooling. There are often days that we push ahead and cover extra materials, knowing that we have an event to attend or somewhere we’ll need to be on another school day.
As for me (and Keith!), our work days often start early and end late. Gone are the days of 9-5, but we enjoy the flexibility of our current schedule. We may get up early and and get a couple hours worth of work done before Mayhem even gets up, and then I often take calls and do quite a bit more work late in the evening. It’s not a perfect schedule, but it allows us to get to spend a lot of time together as a family and that’s something that’s really important to us.
Good luck!!!