You CAN Homeschool!

My sister--in-law homeschools her two young children.  She ran into issues with the local public school when her oldest daughter was in Kindergarten.  She got a hold of me, and I helped her find some materials to help her begin homeschooling.  Now, a year later, she wouldn't trade it for anything.

I stumbled upon the Easy Peasy homeschool site last year.  I forwarded it to my sister-in-law to see if it would help her.  I used it occasionally as a supplement for Megan's math lessons.  Megan loved the videos, and they helped her greatly.  A couple of months ago, I was visiting with my sister-in-law.  We were discussing homeschooling, and she told me that she had switched it all over to Easy Peasy.  I asked her how it was going.  She said that it was getting tougher, meaning the material was getting more advanced, but that she really enjoyed it.  She was excited and thanked me for sending her the link.  It was saving her a ton of money, and her children were learning so much!  In a couple of years she had gone from a mom in tears, dealing with a school that wanted to hold her daughter back in Kindergarten, to having two young children succeeding greatly learning at home.

The free or cheap materials that are out there are incredible!  I spent quite a bit on materials over the years.  I don't regret that because I needed the guidance.  I experimented with a lot of different teaching styles, and have ended up with an eclectic mix of things.  What I have learned along the way is priceless.  One of the greatest discoveries for me is that my children don't always need expensive materials to learn a great deal.  I have chosen to use some materials that can add up quickly, such as Rosetta Stone Spanish and Teaching Textbooks math for the High School levels.  I also use a variety of workbooks for certain subjects.  I have a mix of CLE, Ace,  and various other companies.  I have chosen to do this because, often, the workbooks are more cost effective than printing out worksheets on my printer.  It's also convenient for me, since all the work is done.

This isn't necessary though.  Notebooking only requires the purchase of composition books or blank paper to place in a binder.  I've seen notebooking work in incredible ways.  I've not mastered it all yet, but I do enjoy it greatly.  To me, it's kinda like scrapbooking mixed with notetaking.  I love scrapbooking, and it definitely allows for creativity with my children.  It's also awesome to go back and see what the children learned and were studying.  This works great for many subjects!

I have also begun using Netflix quite a bit. I also use Christian Cinema a lot for Christian movies to supplement what we are learning.  I have one daughter that learns very well from what she sees.  She learns visually.  She could read and read, and only retain a bit.  But when she watches a documentary or a movie, she can recite nearly everything that was shown.  It was a struggle for me at first to let her learn this way because I am such a reader and love learning and teaching this way.  However, I have come to realize that her learning style is different than my teaching style.  I've also learned that, the more senses my children use, the more they learn and retain.  It's one of the reasons we have drifted to more of a unit study learning method.  It works for all of my children!  I can use more literature for my daughters that love reading, add in hands-on projects, and throw in movies for my visual learners. 

I never felt that I could homeschool on my own.  When I first was led to homeschooling, I researched and researched.  Often, fear that I wasn't doing enough or that there was another method or curriculum that was better would overwhelm me.  I prayed, but not in faith.  Over the years, I have spent SO much money on materials.  When we moved recently, I kept much of it, but also got rid of a lot.  I wasted a lot of money, much of it spent in fear that I couldn't do it and needed that expensive curriculum or materials.

Now, everyone is different.  I tried to build a great library, but have had to downsize it quite a bit with our recent move.  I believe in investing in quality materials and Christian materials that may be more difficult to find in a local library.  However, I have been pleasantly surprised that my new library has a wide selection of Christian reading materials.  It has made downsizing my precious books a bit more tolerable.

If you are just starting out, I would encourage you to Pray, Pray, Pray.  Allow the Lord to direct.  Don't feel afraid to try something new, even sometimes using something that might now have the best reviews.  Every child is different.  I have found that what works for one child, even in my own home, won't work for the next.  That's okay!  Get to know your child's learning style, and hit as many senses as possible.  Most of all, relax.  It'll be okay.  Focus on the basics at first.  Your child won't become a bumbling idiot.  When they are young, read to them A LOT.  In fact, I still read to my highschooler and middle schooler.  They can read the material for themselves, but sometimes it just helps to read together.  We do this with Bible time every day.

I began homeschooling six years ago.  It has taken six years for me to begin to feel that what we are doing is working.  I have stopped stressing that I am failing them in someway.  Instead, after six years, I am seeing the fruit of homeschooling.  I am seeing my daughters live their lives for Christ.  I am seeing them fail, but then get back up again.  I am seeing them being independent in their learning, instead of having to be spoon-fed by someone else.  They are learning to think for themselves and evaluate their choices.  My first grader has taken off in reading, which opens up the whole world to her.

YOU CAN HOMESCHOOL!  Whether you have a lot of money to spend or practically nothing, you can homeschool.  Whether you have a gifted child, or a child with learning issues, you can  homeschool.  Whether you are starting at the beginning with a precious preschooler or are pulling an older child out of public school, you can homeschool.  One of my daughters came home her junior year of high school and graduated successfully.  She is on college today, and her English teacher said she would never make it to college.   One daughter came home at the beginning of ninth grade after years of LD classes and IEPs.  She is now finishing up her Sophomore year with great grades.

One of my biggest fears was teaching my youngest to read.  Her sisters all learned to read in public school.  What if I couldn't do it?  What if she didn't get it?  My fears were all unfounded.  I bought Hooked on Phonics, supplemented with Explode the Code and lots of books.  She is reading successfully, already moving beyond her grade level.  She recently seems to have taken off in her reading ability.  She "gets" it, and is reading everything set before her.

Yes, there are challenges.  Yes, there are days where I want to cry.  Yes, there are subjects where I feel I am failing my child.  Yes, it's hard and time consuming.  But.... I wouldn't trade homeschooling for anything!