Along The Road

When I needed a break from researching state homeschooling laws, curriculum choices, and co-op options, I turned to Pinterest. We decided to let the girls share a room and use our third bedroom as a classroom/playroom/craft room. By first world standards, the space I was working with wasn't very big, so I tailored my search of homeschool rooms specifically to small spaces. Here are some pictures of how it turned out. To create some extra space, I removed the closet door and added an additional shelf (behind the magic curtain.) The two shelves hold all craft supplies; the curtain hides the "visual noise." To the left of the bookshelf is our little reading nook. Not pictured is the push on light stuck to the inside wall.  Frequently used supplies are easily accessible on the back of the door. The hanging buckets are dry-erase markers, sharpies, and colored pencils - things the girls use only with supervision. The hanging chalkboard reminds us of everything we have...

After deliberating over each and every decision for much too long, we finally pulled the trigger. Here is where we landed on curriculum, co-op, and schedule. CURRICULUM Language Arts Reading - As a trial over the summer, I used How to Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons.  It was great and very cost-effective because I bought it used for $5.00. However, moving into the fall, I wanted something that offered a little more in the way of activities and practice. We have been using All About Reading, and so far we love it.    It's a good mix of instruction, activities, stories, and fluency practice. Some lessons we do in a day while others we stretch out over two days. We've been at it for three months and are just about through Level 1, so I've ordered Level 2 (of 4 total). Writing - Every morning L "writes" in her journal. I brainstorm prompts the week before and write a prompt for each day in a spiral notebook. She usually draws a picture to illustra...

It was 8:30 a.m. I just laid on the floor while L threw the tantrum of the year, screaming and crying in the next room because she didn't want to do reading first. It was for moments such as these - the ones where I wonder "what the crap was I thinking?!" - that I have a one-page mission statement in a page protector at the front of my lesson plan notebook. We created it after we made the decision to homeschool, while we were still in the research and connecting phase of the journey. It reminds me why we do what we do, how we got here, and the payoff we hope to see in the end. Every family's mission statement will be different and unique, but here is ours... THE WHY MISSION To raise confident, compassionate, wise girls who love Jesus, love others, and use their knowledge and gifts to serve both. BIBLICAL INSPIRATION   1.      Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all  your strength ...

Mission accepted. Research complete. Now to connect. As any parent knows, "it takes a village." And this is particularly true when you choose the road less traveled. There are so many ways to get plugged in to the wide world of homeschooling. Below, are a few of the ways I personally was able to find community. 1. Friends who homeschool. I won't belabor this point as I mentioned it already in my previous post, but I can't emphasize enough the value of learning from people you already have a relationship with who have made this decision. 2. Local Co-Ops. From structured to casual, weekly to sporadic, religious to secular, curriculum based to social, and everything in between, there is a co-op to fit your needs and homeschool style. And if there isn't one in your area, you can start one! Consider your educational and social goals, and then do your homework. 3. Facebook Groups. I was able to find general homeschool groups for my area, social groups close to my ...

It had been months of praying and considering all of our options when we realized that God had given us the conviction to homeschool. But now what? I did what any sensible person would do and googled "homeschool." I very quickly realized that the world of homeschooling was far vaster than I had realized. Growing up it seemed like there was just that one homeschool family...and they wore long denim skirts. Not the case anymore! If you are considering this option at all, below are some resources that I found to be helpful and would recommend as you begin researching. 1. Lisa Whelchel's book So You're Thinking About Homeschooling . In her introduction, Lisa explains that this book was written for those who haven't even necessarily made the decision yet. In it she describes 15 different families and their approaches to homeschooling. I realized that there are about as many ways to do this as there are families who do it. This was the book that gave me the confide...

After the initial epiphany that kindergarten registration was just a year away, we started considering all of our options. As I saw it, we had three options: option A was public school, option B was private school, and option C was homeschool (which I had always said would  never  be an option). It didn't take long to realize that I didn't want to entrust my children's most formative years to a government-run school.  Disclaimer - this is not to say that public school isn't the best, most God-honoring choice for other families or that there aren't amazing, godly men and women who serve within the public school system.  However, more and more I see our American culture transforming from one that is no longer just "politically correct" or even "tolerant," to one that is downright hostile towards Christianity specifically. Throughout the Bible are stories of men and women who were persecuted and martyred for their faith, and throughout the world to...

The journey started about a year and a half ago when I had to register L in "the system" so she could receive speech therapy in preschool. Having majored in education, I always assumed I would send my kids to a traditional school. I myself would either get a job at their school or be the mom who volunteered for every class event. Turning in official paperwork one year before I would have to do it again for kindergarten it suddenly got real... and I realized I needed to do what I do best - explore every available option and talk it to death before making a decision. Fast-forward a year, insert lots of books and conversations with moms from multiple "schools" of thought (see what I did there?) and we arrive at the trail head. This was the point at which I made it "Facebook official" and posted the below... So there's the road, the road less traveled, and then there's that tiny, little unmarked path. The one you probably wouldn't have noticed an...