Homeschooling: You Can Do It Too
This giveaway has ended. Winners to be announced shortly.*
This summer I was a part of an ebook project that I wish I could have read when I first began homeschooling.
“You can do it too: 25 homeschool families share their stories” is the brainchild of Lorilee Lippincott, who blogs at Loving Simple Living. Along with her family’s journey to minimalism and simplicity in their lives, she is also passionate about encouraging families that homeschooling isn’t as daunting as it might seem.
Knowing just how different every homeschool family looks and functions, she chose 25 very different, very average families to share answers to a series of questions. What I love about the end result is that there is something here to help and encourage anyone, whether your children are 5 or 15, whether you’ve been homeschooling for 7 years or are just thinking about starting out.
Each family answered 26 questions including:
- What does your typical school day look like?
- Do you follow a specific curriculum or method? What and why?
- Are there specific challenges you face with home schooling? (physical, legal, family)
- Have you thought about quitting before? Why and what changed your mind?
- How much time to you spend preparing lessons? Have you learned any tricks to plan better?
- What do you see as the biggest misconception that people have when they think of home schooling?
- Why do you keep home schooling? Is it different than why you started?
- If you could tell someone thinking about starting home schooling one thing, what would it be? or what about someone feeling burned out and unsure they can continue?
Some questions were more fun, others were serious, and some were just plain practical.
Best of all, there are no right or wrong answers, and this doesn’t read like a how-to book. It’s regular families talking about their everyday lives as homeschoolers. Ups and downs, victories and struggles, good days, bad days and all the in-between days. Real life stuff.
To give you just a little sneak peek, I thought I would share a couple of my own answers from the book…
Are you worried about socialization? Why or why not?
Absolutely not. In fact, I’m grateful that my children are avoiding the negative socialization that they would receive in a classroom or school playground! Think back to your own school years… what was your socialization experience really like? My public school experience included learning about things I wasn’t mature or old enough to handle (sex, alcohol, etc.) struggling with peer pressure to be disrespectful to teachers or to make fun of other kids, being left out and feeling emotionally crushed, being concerned with being cool and popular and adapting to the current trends and fads, and ultimately prioritizing my relationships with my peers above my family. Need I go on? My experience is NOT uncommon. Is this the type of socialization that we are worried about our kids missing out on?
By keeping my children home with me, there are plenty of opportunities for positive socialization. They are learning to love and appreciate their siblings, to be a part of our family and do their part through chores and other acts of service, and how to obey and respect their parents. I am able to supervise the great majority of their social interactions with other children and I can carefully choose ones with children that I feel will be positive friends and playmates, that will encourage and build up my children rather than drag them down. My kids have a lot of adult interaction, and because they are not so influenced by their peers, they are learning how to speak both respectfully and also intelligently to adults (rather than being one of those kids who answers in one-word sentences while looking down at the ground). My children are less dependent on peer, age-based groups, and are happy to play with children that are both older and younger than they are. I can guard their exposure to things beyond their understanding and maturity levels, and be there to talk through the things that we may hear in a song or watch in a movie or read in a book– I don’t have to wonder how they will internalize these new ideas, because I am right there to discuss it with them.
After 3 years of homeschooling, my oldest is an articulate, fun, engaging and confident little girl, who makes friends easily anywhere that she goes. Other adults frequently comment on how polite she is and how well she engages in conversation with them. My daughter isn’t a superstar (well, I’d like to think so, but I’m a little biased!). In fact, I’ve known plenty of other (older) home schooled kids and teens who also exemplify these wonderful traits, which I believe is a direct result of homeschool-style socialization.
What are your concerns with home schooling now? Are they different than when you started?
Recently, my husband and I have gone back and forth, weighing the decision of whether or not to enrol in our province’s government-funded homeschool program (you still choose what and how you want to teach, but you receive money for purchasing curriculum and are then held accountable to a teacher who checks in on your progress, gives reports cards, and ensures that you meet up with the grade level requirements). Our other option was to simply forfeit the money that we have been receiving and go it alone. After much consideration, we’ve decided not to enrol, and it’s a decision I feel very satisfied with. Every state and province is different in what it requires of homeschooling parents, and over the years I have recognized that I am a better homeschooler and that I am more focused on our family’s goals (as opposed to the outside requirements and expectations of others) when I have no one to be accountable to but myself, my husband and the Lord.
My biggest challenge in it all is learning how to balance academic study with the other aspects of developing our children (love for God, character, responsibility, etc.) as well as nurturing a creative and inspiring environment. In other words, my concern is that I would use these years and months and days wisely, knowing what to focus on in each season, so that our family can reap the rewards of a job well done. I don’t want to spit out children that conform to the mediocre standards of a government-sponsored education system which I have chosen to opt out of. Doesn’t that defeat the purpose? Instead, I want to give my children something far superior, and therein lies the challenge… knowing what is superior and what is worth our time and energy and then figuring out how to do it. My concern with homeschooling these days is knowing how to provide my children with a truly excellent education.
When I first began, I don’t think I honestly knew what to concern myself with. I wondered how I would choose and afford curriculum, and if my kids would listen to me, and could I actually teach them as well as someone else. I wondered if I had the patience, and how our extended family and friends would react, and all of those other things that parents worry about when they first start. Now, I’ve stopped worrying about all of that and started to worry about the actual substance of what I do and why I do it. I’m not concerned with what others think but only concerned about being faithful to my task.
Taken from my interview in the book You can do it too: 25 homeschooling families share their stories
How to get your copy
“You can do it too” is available here for $9.99. The PDF version that I’m currently reading is a meaty 253 pages, so it’s a full length book.
Or, you could win a copy…
I’m going to run this as a simple, 24-hour giveaway for 3 copies.
To get entered, all you have to do is leave a comment telling me either:
a) Why you homeschool and one thing you love about it
OR
b) Why you’re considering homeschooling (if you don’t yet) and one question that you have
That’s it. As my 7 year old daughter would say, easy-peasy, lemon-squeezy. 🙂
Giveaway has now ended. Thanks, everyone!
We are just getting started homeschooling our 4 yo this year. Our main reason was getting to tailor her education to her needs and continuing to spend our days together as a family, bonding and exploring our world together.
I always love hearing how other people do it. I was homeschooled my entire life. 🙂 We have not started yet, but we are planning on schooling our children at least to start. The reasons include, better academics and flexibility and stability. We will be moving in the next year and that move will be temporary, so having the constant of school at home will help the kids adjust and not have to constantly learn new school systems.
I would love to home school my daughter because with her ADD she misses so much in the class room then falls behind and teachers say they don’t have the extra time in a school day to slow down for her. If you homeschool, do your kids still have to take the state mandatory tests?
I am considering homeschooling because deep down in my gut I feel it is the right thing for my children, yet I am so terrified and feel so inadequate, I don’t know where to begin or HOW to begin, or how to keep up with it. I am truly afraid of failure, and it is SO not like me to think that way. I need to figure out what is stopping me and affecting my thinking, and I think this book would help A TON! Please pick me! 🙂
My husband and I have 4 children and have been homeschooling for 14 years and the reasons in the beginning have evolved into a LIST a mile long. But, pretty much when anyone asks me why I homeschool, the easiest answer is: “Because it’s LEGAL and I LOVE doing it”…I get a few crazy stares, but it’s just one of those things you have to realize that unless you have done it for awhile, there really is no quick and simple answer….Thanks, Kristen
I would live to read this! We just started our first homeschooling year yesterday!!!
Oops-
I have wanted to homeschool since our oldest began kindergarten but couldn’t convince my husband to give it a try. I feel like this is my calling, it’s what the Lord wants me to do.
I love having my children home with me (and their baby sister) all day! I love knowing what they are learning and being involved in their learning.
I would love to homeschool my 2 younger children! I don’t feel they get enough of the right stuff in public schools. My question is, how do you establish a “teacher” relationship with your children (verses “mom”)? Love your daily emails by the way!
We are beginning our ninth year of homeschooling. Besides individualized and higher quality academics at home, the personal relationships we have with our kids and the daily teaching of godly character are extremely important to us.
I have two boys aged 14 months and 4 months and am so excited about homeschooling. I began researching the topic long before either one was born due, in large part, to a homeschooling family we know with 5 girls. They are so poised, confident, respectful, kind and giving – all the things I want for my boys. My question would be “What do you do if one of your children one day decides they want to try institutional schooling? How do you address the potential curiosity they may have about what other kids do for school?” Would love to win this giveaway. Thank you!
As a mother of four (7,6,5&3) one reason why I homeschool is so that I don’t have to get everyone ready to drive to school in the morning — It is hard enough for me to arrive somewhere by 10am…let alone any earlier!!! (There really are many other resaons why we homeschool…but this is one close to the top ;o)
Both my husband and I were homeschooled, so that is really probably the first reason we plan on homeschooling our kids, but it’s also because we want to be in control of what and how they learn. I have lots of ideas and plans for what we will do, but I also worry that I’ll have trouble in consistently carrying them out! Encouragement and thoughts from other families would be extremely helpful!
Pure and simple, I started homeschooling because God told me that’s what I needed to do. He made our situation to where I had to because my children were not succeeding in public school. I haven’t looked back!
We’re just getting started homeschooling our oldest (4). I’m excited and just a touch nervous. 🙂 I’m confident I can do this and this is the right choice, but of course, when I step back and think about it it’s a huge responsibility! Anyway, so far, the biggest thing I love about it is our freedom to really tailor the learning directly to our children – no worrying about whether they’re ahead or behind, no pushing them through a particular system that just doesn’t work for them. Just learning at their own pace whatever method fits their learning style.
I was blessed to be homeschooled growing up…before it was popular! And value the type of education we received. We plan to homeschool our children, desiring to give them a godly perspective and training and wanting to be their primary influence. My concern is my own lack of schedule and trying to figure out how to make school a part of the day and not always pushing it to the back burner.
My daughter is 3.5 and went to pre school last year. She loved it and will go again this year. I am considering homeschooling once my kids reach elementary/middle school age. I would at least like it to be a viable back up option if public school is not right for them. I just feel that public school is too rigid and not nurturing enough to each individual child. I also fear that school can be a cruel environment and whether its right or not, I wish I could protect my children from it. My only question I have right now is, am I even capable of homeschooling?
Ive been considering the idea (but my son is only 2). My question would be how do you get everything done around the house still if you are homeschooling as well? I don’t feel like I would have enough hours in the day. Would love to win this book and see how it’s done!
How do you still get everything else done around the house at the same time? Would love to win this book to see how it’s done.
We are considering homeschooling for a variety of reasons, but right now the biggest reason is that our 3 year old (4 in Nov) is incredibly bright. He loves to learn. He is quite a good reader already and writes most anything by sounding out words. He is amazing at putting puzzles together. And, he is trying to figure out addition right now. We haven’t done any formal instruction with him, nor has he been in preschool. His little mind is just inquisitive and has a desire to know everything! Our fear is that traditional schooling isn’t going to meet him at the level he is at and encourage continued passion for learning.
My question would be…since I have very little experience with homeschooling other than seeing friends do it well, where do I even start considering the advanced level of my child? I see a lot of sources encourage starting with a published curriculum set to get the hang of homeschooling. But, I have a feeling we would fly through a Kindergarten curriculum if we started with one.
This will be our fourth year homeschooling. We started out primarily bc of my husband’s shift work – in order to spend more time together as a family. I love the opportunity it gives me to teach my children not only school related subjects, but heart related also.
I have 3 ds (9, 5, 16 months). I have home schooled from the beginning. When my oldest was about 3, I started feeling God leading me to hs. I have loved every minute of it. Some days are incredibly hard, but even on those days I’m thankful to be with them everyday! I’m thankful that I get to be there to see their excitement when they learn something new! And, I’m also thankful to be there when they are upset about not understanding something. HS is not easy and it’s very time consuming, but I would never dream of stopping now! God has truly blessed me with the gift of my children!
I’m just beginning the homeschool adventure with my daughter this year with preschool. I am a former teacher and am concerned that I’ll put pressure on her or myself rather than giving a bit of grace in some areas and allow another year for development.
One of MANY things I love about homeschooling is seeing the delight in my children’s faces when they learn something new. I would really miss being witness to that excitement if they were classroom-schooled.
We plan on homeschooling our kids! The main reason is that we feel as Christians it’s our duty to give our kids an education that INCLUDES God, not excludes. And the best way for our family to do that is to homeschool them.
Also, I was public schooled and a public school teacher so I know just how screwed up the system really is 🙂
I would love to win a copy of this book!!
We are new to homeschooling. My oldest is in kindergarten as of 2 weeks ago :-). Perhaps one of the many questions is common but a concern nonetheless… How do I balance academia and Christlike character building? It’s tempting to forego the academia a bit to focus more on the spiritual nurturing of my children right now. I guess I just need to continue to ask the Lord for the right balance!
I’m intrigued by homeschooling… My biggest “fears”, though, are similar to Marlea’s (establishing teacher relationship vs mom) and Ingrid’s (in comments) . And, selfishly, I wonder how to get everything done around the house and garden (large garden) and also caring for an aging parent… I’m afraid of not having that “block of time” where they’re in school to get it all done – I’m not very organized and struggle to do it all especially in the summer months – but at the same time I hate that my children are exposed to several things we don’t agree with. This book would answer so many questions that I have. Thank you for offering it!
We don’t (yet) homeschool. We live in a great school district, but my kids are still like cattle, being pushed this way and that along with the rest of the class, rather than being given the individual attention that would help them learn best. I’d love to able to give that to them (and would probably be quicker to move to that if I wasn’t our only source of income right now!). My biggest question is about getting the kids to listen to ME and respect me as a teacher. They both have always preferred to learn from a “real” teacher – at swimming, math, anything – and just want to goof around with mom and dad. Have others worked through that, or are our kids unique in preferring other teachers?
I am very interested in homeschooling my 8 month old baby girl. Obviously, we have a ways to go yet :). I was wondering if anyone had any success in gettin the schools to let them play sports. I ask, because my husband and I both loved sports and did three sports each in a small rural school. I look at sports as a very positive experience and we hope that our children will as well. Thanks!
Around us, there are homeschool groups that have these types of activities. The closest city (about 25 minutes away) offers homeschool athletics, drama, band, etc. It took a little searching to find, but we will definately be taking advantage of it when our little ones are older.
I am praying about the decision to homeschool and here nothing but wonderful things about it when you do it. I have a lot of fears, but know i have to trust in God. I have a ll sorts of questions! But one would be how do you plan and schedule the day? How do you grow as a teacher?
I am starting homeschooling this year, for pre-k. We did a loose preschool last year, which ended up being more like life learning, which in the end, was best for us. I have so many questions, but one that is constantly in my head at the moment is how to choose curriculum, despite my constant research I cannot decide on something. I feel like we can’t afford the curriculum that I want, but to piece together something myself feels totally daunting and overwhelming. I know it’s just pre-k, but I want to do a good job, I feel like this year will be so important to knowing if I can do this longer! Thanks so much for the giveaway!
We’ve decided that we will be homeschooling our first son as soon as he was born in 2010. I felt led to homeschool by the Lord, and my husband doesn’t trust the government run system here in the States. We hear so much about kids being introduced to homosexuality as part of curriculum as early as 1st grade, and our history classes are being changed to reflect what is right now considered politically correct. Instead of allowing school to be a platform for the worldly agenda, we will homeschool so that our children will receive an acurate and Godly based education.
I would love to read this. I have 4children 6,4,2,4mos. My oldest is in public school. Not entirely satisfied. But homeschooling seems so daunting to me. I worry all lot about the negative socialization aspect. We’ve experienced some of this. Thanks for offering this!
I am a teacher turned stay-at-home mom, and the idea of home schooling has always scared me just a little. I have seen it done well….and not so well. I feel as though God may be calling me in this direction, but I have so many questions, just like everyone else. We live in a small town, far from a larger city to draw resources, so I am hesitant but excited to see if this is the way God has for our family!!! Thanks for sharing this resource!
I am beginning with homeschooling this year, just preschool. The whole thing intimidates me, will I be a good teacher, will my kids get everything they need? My husband was home schooled nearly all the way and he is a HUGE advocate for it. Would love to read all of these experiences, I’m sure it would be encouraging.
I’m planning on homeschooling (although I do have a couple more years till it will happen) but I’m a little overwhelmed at where/how to start. I know how I want it to look for our household but the getting started is where I am stuck. Thankfully I have some time to figure that out as my oldest just turned 2 🙂
I love homeschooling because we get to be together most of the time.
We homeschooled our two oldest boys until they reached upper grades. Our youngest has gone to public since first grade but I can see the social pressures really effecting him and have debated bringing him home. He is in the gifted program so that adds pressure on me, whether we can give him enough challenging options. This book may answer so of those unsettled questions.
This is really our first year homeschooling. My son’s in kindergarten, and although we did some preschool activities last year, this is the first year that I actually have lesson plans and a set curriculum. We decided to homeschool for several reasons: the negative influence of public schools, less-than-great public schools in our area, my husband’s work schedule, and my desire to teach my own kids. I was a public school teacher for almost 7 years, and I think it came down to the fact that I just knew too much about what went on in public schools to send my kids there. There are days that I’m ready to throw in the towel, but I try to remember the reasons we started and the positive results that I’m already seeing. We love the flexibility of homeschooling, and it really allows us to spend more time together as a family and to visit our extended family more often.
Thanks for this post, and I look forward to reading this book!
We will “formally” start homeschooling next year. For now I bought some workbooks from Target to kind of ease our way into it. My biggest question is to see what a typical “homeschool day” looks like. I know every family is different, but I have never been good at routines/schedules, so I know I can learn a lot from others about this.
We will be homeschooling starting in another year or two! One thing that I have questions about… or rather feel is SO overwhelming… is picking the right curriculum! Do I have to spend hundreds of dollars on a top-notch program? Or are some of the more affordable options just as good? Which program includes the RIGHT material and topics? Oh… scheduling is a breeze, and planning – no biggie- I’m a teacher by trade! But picking the curriculum SCARES me!!!
I love home schooling! However, there are those days when you need encouragement and ideas from other families. I believe this book would help.
My prayer is that I am raising my children to be followers of our Lord, not merely scholars.
We didn’t start out homeschooling. We found a good charter school and were fairly happy for a few years. Then the charter school started lengthening the school day and increasing the homework load and we realized how little time we actually had together, as a family. I want my older kids to know their younger siblings! We’ve just started our 3rd year of homeschooling and never want it to end. My kids still fight with each other (unfortunately), but they’re also best friends–big kids and little kids and the ones in between. All the other perks of homeschooling are just icing on the cake for me. 🙂
Even though my daughter is just 2, I’d consider myself more in the “already homeschool” category than the “not homeschooling” category since we decided we were going to homeschool before she was born. I was homeschooled until 7th grade and I loved it. I just can’t imagine sending my 4, 5, or 6 year old off to a long day under someone else’s care. In homeschooling I love the close relationships formed among family members and people of lots of different ages instead of peer-to-peer friendships of all the same age. I hope to team up with at least one other mom (trying to convince my sister to move here) to homeschool together because doing on my own definitely sounds overwhelming. I also love that you can get more school done in half the time, with plenty of time for play the rest of the day. I would LOVE to read this book to gain a wide range of perspectives!
Our baby is 7 months old now, but we plan to home school. We want out children to learn how to truly do critical thinking and apply it to their lives instead of being taught to follow unswervingly the status quo. We also don’t care for the negative type of socialization that happens in young peer groups!
In my official first year of homeschooling. I homeschool because I love the flixibility of the chedule, the chance to pick what my children learn and because I would miss them! =) Would love to see how other families cope and what they do in their homes. Thank you for the chance to win.
I would consider homeschooling if I had the possibility, but unfortunately it’s not allowed in my home country. I love to read about homeschooling and think it’s a great way to teach your children what really matters (and not what economists or politicians think that matters).
I very reluctantly started homeschooling our 3rd grade son last year because of low academic expectations in our local school (and because I felt like God had been leading that way….I had just been trying to ignore Him!). We had an amazing year! He thrived and excelled academically and I loved having him home, watching him learn and having our family together. We’ve just started our second year and while I am thrilled, I feel a little overwhelmed knowing that I am truly responsible for his education. I would love to read about what the day looks like in other homeschooling families and what curriculum they use.
I’m currently pre-homeschooling our 3 1/2 year old son. I’m interested in homeschooling him for his elementary years. My husband wants to send him to school. My biggest concern is whether or not our son will allow me to “impose” a regular school schedule on our day. Perhaps this book would address some of mine and my hsbands’ concerns! Thank you for this giveaway.
I very much want to homeschool my son (now 3). My biggest concern is how to know what method will work for him at so young an age? I am so apprehensive of purchasing some expensive curriculum and then realizing it’s not working 2 weeks in. I’m not made of money…
I am the mother of a precocious 20 month old boy. I and my husband have spent about 10 years between us teaching in public schools. We know their limitations intimately, and are choosing to homeschool our son. We will begin a bit of homeschooling through play when he turns two this December. One thing I worry about is becoming too school-like especially since i am used to rows and lessons, etc. So my question is: how do I unschool my self?
I have a five month old baby girl. So we are not “yet” homeschooling. I consider it but I wonder how people pick their curriculum. How do you CHOOSE what subjects to study? ANd how do you know your child is receiving a good education?
we plan on homeschooling because we don’t like our county public school system. we also want our children to be well rounded in all subjects including their faith. that’s just 2 sentences on it I could talk for hours !!!
I homeschool my children because I am not interested in having them “socialized” by an ungodly government.
My little girl isn’t school age yet, but we have many friends that homeschool, so it has crossed my mind. My question is: how do you get everything else (household chores, grocery shopping, taking care of young children) while making sure each child is receiving excellent education?
We are a veteran homeschooling family, embracing the homeschooling lifestyle! I love reading about other homeschooling families; I may just learn something new. 🙂
I agree! One of my favorite things is to read about how other families structure their days and what types of learning activities they do, because I always learn something new!
We are starting our forth year of home learning! We live the freedom it gives our family. No boundaries, do/ learn the way each child needs to. Love it!
This sounds like a great book. I love reading about other families and how they spend their days. I’ve homeschooled for 10 years and love the flexibility and freedom we have. I also love being able to see them light up as they learn and learn to love God. I pray we’ll have many happy memories and they will become responsible adults.
We are currently in our first year of homeschooling. Our 2 oldest children went to public school for a few years and although our experience wasn’t awful it wasn’t great either. After researching homeschool I could not deny them a better education just because of me selfishly feelings being overwhelmed by it. After witnessing the lack of adult respect by older children we knew we were going to have to do something different if we wanted to teach our children how to behave respectfully.
I had a fairly inconsistent education, and I feel like I missed out on essential, sometimes entire, periods of world history and a large spectrum of science literature. Maybe this would have happened even if I had been in the same school for 13 years, but that is one major reason that we are home educating our children (we have the possibility of being moved frequently in my husband’s job). We are also adamant that they be raised with a Christian worldview.
I smile every time the school bus goes by our house at 7am and 4pm because my kids aren’t on it. I love that they have HOURS to PLAY every day. They are still very young, and I know just how important this time to explore their world is for them.
My husband and I discussed home education when we were dating. (Yes, really!) Homeschooling any children we might have was that important to both of us.
My favorite thing about it? I love being the one who is THERE when they learn to read, or learn how to do something new! I don’t have to hear about their day, because I was there with them. 🙂
We are about to go into our 2nd year of homeschool with our eldest and next year our second child will be in “kindergarten”. This was a completely unexpected journey for us and we’re loving it! However, I still often feeling like I’m only treading water in this whole thing and not necessarily going in a particular direction that I’ve chosen… Inspiration and connection to resources from other homeschooling families is always something I’m after. This book looks great!
We have a 18 month old, so we’re not there yet, but I’m already intrigued by it and love hearing others stories. My question is “Do I have the patience and grace to do this for/with my kiddo(s)?”
Amy, can I answer that question quickly right now? The answer is no, not really. None of us do. BUT, you will learn to be more patient and gracious with your kids, and you will grow into the role of teaching your children more and more with each year. And even more important, the Lord is the one that calls us, and He is also the One that equips us for every work He has called us to. His grace is always sufficient. 🙂
Hi Stephanie, I just love your website and posts, they are so filled with wisdom and encouragement to pursue Christ in the many aspects of our role as wives and moms….I have always wanted to homeschool and my husband just loves the idea of it (so I am blessed), but I am not sure how/when to start? We have a 3 and 1 year old and hopefully more to come, and I was planning on starting this fall with a preschool curriculum, but just not sure if our oldest is ready?
My advice for those early years is just have fun and start exploring the learning process together. We didn’t do any formal schooling up until my oldest was 5, but we read a lot of books, did devotions together, art and science projects as we were interested, played games, worked casually on skills like phonics, numbers, colors, etc. We usually didn’t do more than 1 hour per day (unless it was because we were enjoying ourselves too much to stop), and it was very laid back. I was purposeful in moving us towards schooling and figuring things out, but very relaxed about what we actually did, if that makes sense. In other words, it was more about me getting ready than feeling pressured to do particular things with her. With my next two youngest, I was even more laid back. I don’t feel that at 3 they’re ready for anything formal, but that having fun learning with mom is always a good idea, plus it will help you begin to prepare yourself for the real work of homeschooling in a couple of years. 🙂
I am interested in homeschooling our son (now almost 2) because I know that no one else loves him as much or will challenge him as much academically as his father and I can and will.
I will begin homeschooling my second oldest next week. I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed by all of the choices and resources out there. Surprisingly, I am feeling confident and at peace with my decision though. If I can manage with just my son this year then I will begin homeschooling my other three next year.
We are in our third year of homeschooling. After sending our girls’ to a small, Christian school last year, it is such a joy to have them home again! I love being a significant influence in their lives, especially during middle school years (6th and 7th grade). Our family homeschools out of direction from the Lord. I love no homework and the extra time for the kids to just be kids!
I will be homeschooling this year for the FIRST time- with my 15 (almost 16) year old son. He has panic attacks/anxiety since our house burned down in the 2007 wildfires. We have had him attend traditional school (lots of problems), on-line school, and charter school (great school just too much panic for him). So, here I go, homeschooling for the first time with my 3rd child! and, at the high school level (I could use some help!). My question: what support services do you use when the material is challenging? (rosetta stone for foreign language, tutors?) In the spring, I homeschooled for just the last month or so and my friends said I taught him more than their kids were learning in school so just relax and don’t worry about it… it that your approach? thanks!!
Hi, I am starting my third year homeschooling and what I love about it is the time my kids spend together. They are good friends who spend many hours playing and I love seeing the older two taking care of and teaching the younger two!
I have begun homeschooling my preschoolers because I want to customize their education to their personalities and strengths. I also feel the “socialization” of public school was something I survived, rather than benefited from, and I think there are better ways to raise socially wise children.
My husband and I don’t have children yet, but we are heavily considering homeschooling when we do. I love the idea of creating an environment where students can learn knowledge through experiences, hands on, and application as oppose to memorization, etc… One question I have is how does the legal aspect of transcripts work to prove the child has passed a grade level? Along the same line, how does the transcript work for when a child graduates high school and wants to start applying to colleges?
Thanks again for passing along this book! I’ve been reading and looking into how other families define and do homeschooling. This book sounds like it will be good to read.
I love homeschooling because it gives me the flexibility to select and rework curricula so that it meets the learning styles of my girls – who are opposites in how they learn, of course! 🙂
I am currently pregnant with my first child, and I have long considered homeschooling. The biggest reason is because I am deeply dissatisfied with the public education system here in Oregon. Children are in huge classes, and due to the government required testing, seem to be taught mainly to pass tests, rather than to think critically and be well rounded people. I also worry about my children being taught to “think” that God isn’t real using “logic”. One of my own strongest memories of highschool is a teacher forcing me to “defend” God’s existence in front of an entire class, and then dressing me down for my answer of “faith tells me He is real, and logic tells me your answers cannot explain everything”. It was shaming, and nothing I want my own children to endure.
We decided to homeschool because we don’t like the standardized tests the kids have to take. I love homeschooling because I get to learn right alongside my children.
I have a 4.5, 2.5 and one coming in February and I am just really doubting my ability to be able to handle the different needs of the children. Homeschooling is NEW to me and our extended family and I know that there will also be comments about socialization and my ability to produce a good education. That doesn’t sound like I am stressed, does it??!!!!! ha ha – I’d love to read this book…..thanks for the post!
I have a 3.5 and 1.5 year old. While I know schooling is a year or so out I have decided to use my time wisely now to take advantage of their sponge likeness!! I am super excited to homeschool both of my kiddos!
I haven’t started homeschooling yet, but am considering it. My biggest question is how to engage the older children while also caring for the young ones.
I’d like to homeschool because I want to give my kids a higher quality, more individualized education than what’s available in public schools. I’d like them to be able to follow their own interests and engage in lots of hands on activities.
I homeschool because I feel like God has called me to it. I also love the fact that I am the person teaching my daughter to read and other basic skills that she use the rest of her life.
I homeschool because I feel I’m doing the best with what God gave me for my son, at this time and I love it because we are learning everyday together like a real family should!
I never thought I’d homeschool, but this year we begin the journey as our oldest starts kindergarten as we feel this is something God has called us to at this time. I need all the tips I can get!!
Oh! And my one question is…how do we keep the little ones occupied while making sure we give our best to the ones who are “school-aged”! 🙂
We homeschool because we know it is the Lord’s will for our family. I love having my children home with me and seeing all the growth and new discoveries they make in so many areas of their lives. I feel that it is the best way to train them in the ways of the Lord and prepare them to fulfill His plans for their lives.
I just started homeschooling my two younger boys a couple weeks ago. I love that I get to choose the curriculum. And that we are not rushing out the door to get to school everyday. The Lord really put it on my heart to homeschool!
I posted a comment earlier, but something messed up with the comp- sorry if this is a double!
But we will start homeschooling in a year or two! My biggest question or concern: which curriculum to buy!?! Scheduling is a breeze for me, and lesson planning is natural- I’m a teacher by trade. But picking curriculum practically SCARES me! I’m so worried I won’t pick the “right” one, or it won’t have good lessons or structure or whatever! Does it have to be expensive to be good? (or are they ALL expensive anyway?? lol!) There are just SO many to choose from!
I would love to home school my children, currently having a one year old daughter I feel like I need to be getting an idea of what I could be doing now until we start, and get a head start on figuring out what curriculum we would want to use. But I have never had experience with home schooling, so I have no idea what it takes, or costs or looks like! My husband was home schooled, so he has an idea, but we also want to make changes to what his experience was. My biggest concern is balancing being a teacher and being a mother and how to know how to separate the two.
We’re in our 4th year of homeschooling. Our daughter is now in 3rd grade (we did a year of pre-Kindergarten because she was begging to learn how to read and write.) We decided before I ever got pregnant that we would homeschool. Both my husband and I are products of the public school system . . . from over 30 years ago! It was bad enough back then. We were concerned both about the things she would be taught and the things she wouldn’t be taught. We were a little concerned about socialization because we were never able to have more children, but between extended family, church, friends, and neighbors that has not been a problem. Plus, public school socialization is NOT what we wanted for her. She is polite and respectful to adults, and makes friends easily with other children. We have definitely had to simplify our life financially and it’s not been easy, but we wouldn’t give this up for the world. There is so much joy in watching her learn, seeing the “light bulb” go on when she finally understands something that she’d been struggling with. I’m able to give her the attention, direction, love and, when needed, discipline she needs during her school day. I thank God every day that I have the privilege of homeschooling!
We homeschool because we feel that it is God’s will for our family. Thanks for sharing!
We are entering our 6th year of homeschooling my two youngest children. I love the fact that I KNOW my children as I get to spend a lot of time with them. My youngest’s favorite thing is no standing in line “forever” for bathroom, hand washing, lunch, and playgroud!
I am currently homeschooling my 5 year old and 2 1/2 year old. The original choice was because my 5 year old has social anxiety issues and is more advanced than his age group for reading, counting, etc and I felt he would be bored in a public school setting. Then my 2nd child came along and has severe allergies to dairy, peanuts, garlic, and environmental allergies, I don’t feel he would be safe in a public school environment. What I love about it is I see them blossom more each day as they absorb all of the information around them and I’m so glad to be the one providing (and filtering) the information available to them.
This will be our first year homeschooling. We have a 6th, 4th, and 1st grader, as well as an 8 month old. I am already loving the freedom of starting when we want and going at our own pace. I’m so excited about this year! I would love to win a copy of the book!
My husband and I plan on homeschooling because as a homeschooled child I know the benefits! My questions are practical ones, a lot has changes since I was little 🙂 this book would be so encouraging and I would be able to see how other families besides my own school their children. I would be able to better decide how to go about picking a method for my own family.
This is our second year homeschooling, and have been having some ups and downs. Would love to hear what other families are doing.
I will be starting kindergarten with my now 4 year old next year. In the meantime, I do different preschool activities with him and my 2 year old. Nothing formal, just fun, but foundational. I am going to homeschool because that is what God would have me to do with the little ones I’ve been blessed with. My question is how to get everything done without being exhausted?
I’m homeschooling preschool my 4 and 2 year olds and we love spending some of the morning reading and playing together. I like how I get to focus on what they need and our family needs and I LOVE not running them to and from a preschool classroom 🙂
My husband and I don’t have kids yet, but when we do, our plan is to homeschool them. I know if our kids are anything like my husband or I, homeschooling will be much better for them. I would like to know how other homeschooling families went about choosing the curriculum they use
Why we love to learn at home- I just finished enjoying an impromtu “concert” by my 3 and 5 year old, and they’re now upstairs working on their next one. How would we have time for a moment like this if they were in school all day?
i have only begun considering homeschooling and, honestly, very interested but also frightened by it. I grew up in a different country and never heard of homeschooling until i moved to US so it is a foreign subject to me. But i see so many positive sides to it, such as being fully aware and in control of what your child is learning and their social interactions. We have two girls now, the oldest one is starting 2nd grade in a private Christian school, the second one is a toddler. We also just learned that we are expecting our third child, so homeschooling just may become a reality in the next year for us as i don’t know how much longer we would be able to afford private education, so i would love to see all the answers to the questions i’ve been asking myself.
I don’t homeschool yet, but I’m wondering how long before you feel confident in your ability to homeschool?
My kids are 5, 3 and 1 and although I have been informally homeschooling my oldest since before the baby was born, this will be our first official year. The main reason I want to homeschool is just as you mentioned I do not want my children exposed to adult material that will ruin their innocence or prioritizing peer goals over more important goals. I also believe I could give them a better education for many reasons, but at the very least I care intensely about these children (more than a teacher could) and there is a low student-teacher ratio- things that are definitely in our favor!
This is our first official year homeschooling! I have 3 curious daughters: 5, 3, 9 months. One of the main reasons that drew me to homeschooling initially was how learning can be customized to each child’s ability and interests.
I am considering homeschooling because I have a very active 1st grader that seems to get in trouble a lot at school. He understands concepts quickly and wants to put them into action instead of sitting quietly and then filling out a worksheet. I feel that I could provide a more active learning environment for him and he’d still have time to learn lots of fun new skills.
Thank you for such a great article and review of the ebook. I would love to win a copy. We have been considering homeschooling my oldest son (10 yrs old) for the past year because the traditional public school doesn’t provide a way for him to fully express his strengths. He is a brilliant young man who seems stifled intellectually and emotionally frustrated with the current way of “memorizing facts and spitting them back out on tests for a grade”. We have looked at all different schooling options for him and with budget constraints for some private schools and really wanting to get back to the days where he was excited to learn new things, we have considered homeschooling. At first he was excited then changed his mind because he was concerned he wouldn’t have any friends to hang out with. I guess this is my question: How do you ensure your kids get all the peer interaction and fun activities (i.e my son really loves PE). I am concerned that he will feel isolated. Thank you again for your article. I am praying for guidance on this.
I just blogged about my first ever day of homeschool! I felt God was calling me to homeschool and so with my son starting kindergarten, I figured it was the best time to do it. I can’t really mess up kindergarten and I know I’m falling what God asked me to do. I’m excited to start day 2!
I home school my three children, 6, 4 and 2. We just started two years ago. I am a certified teacher, who taught prior to having my precious blessings. I saw the lack of education in the public schools. I wanted something different for my children. I wanted them washed in the word and grounded in their faith. As a teacher I was used to seeing many behavior problems and little children fighting about and talking about things that shouldn’t even be on their radar. I didn’t want my kids exposed to all that. I want to make the most of our time and have them develop a love of learning and of God. I love being with them and seeing the sparkle in their eyes as they learn a new concept. I still have so many questions as we go through each day. Yet I believe this is where God wants us.
We’re on our 14th year of homeschooling … and if you would have told me that we’d be doing it this long I would have laughed in your face.
Best advice: one day at a time. 2nd best: EVERY one of your children is different and will have different needs – teach to them, not to books.
I just blogged about my first day of homeschooling! I felt God called me to try it out and so we are starting with kindergarten!
We have started looking into homeschooling because we want to the best for our daughter and expose her to do much of the natural world that childern miss out on in the standard classroom. My biggest question is how do you find the time to come up with the lessons and activities and teach them while being present with your kids. Thanks!
Thank you for posting this.
My husband and I have been discussing this topic for the past month. He was homeschooled and loved it. I was brought up in overseas military schools and have a limited experience in US public schools. Let’s just say it was rough for me.
I would like a shot a winning the new book to learn more of the “meaty stuff” you mentioned and understand what I am getting into next year with our oldest daughter. Things are tight right now, so the free book would be a blessing.
In answer to the second question, I want to see what it would really be like to homeschool and am I really capable of doing this? Cause right now I get nervous just thinking about it.
Thanks again for this post!
Yadi Unrein
Our children are 4, 2.5 and 7 months. We are just starting out in our homeschool journey and I have so many questions!! I’m glad I started doing research now because there certainly is a lot to learn! This book sounds like it would give the wonderful, well-rounded information I’m looking for.
we homeschool. We started mid-school year last year. Mykidlet is 12, and we went ahead and started 7th grade even tho he wasn’t quite done with 6th. He had straight A’s and is doing fine with solid A’s on 7th and some 8th grade material so we’re all ok with my decision.
What do we love the most?
#1, that he can work at his own pace. No more being told to sit quietly with his head down because he isn’t allowed to work ahead and leave the rest of the class behind. If you have a child with ADHD, you know that sitting quietly with your head down + being bored = a recipe for disaster behaviorally.
#2, I am getting to spend an insane amount of time with my kidlet as he turns into this… person. He’s not a kid anymore. He tends to get the joke. he’s developing his world views and political leanings and spiritual side. I would have missed ALL of this working like I did (I worked seconds so during the school year, I literally ONLY saw him on weekends. His step-dad, my husband, was, as my son put it to me on mother’s day, his primary parent. Talk about stung…) I am really thrilled to have to opportunity to observe the ADULT he’s growing into…
And since he’s been OUT of public school, his anxiety level is SO much lower! We were actually going to have him retested for autism spectrum. He had severe social anxiety and wasn’t able at all to verbalize his emotions or needs. He just melted down and anything could set him off and he was completely unable to self-soothe. 🙁 Since we started homeschooling, we saw changes within the first two weeks. Now, just 5 months later, we’re completely unconcerned about the possibility of autism spectrum. He can verbalize and is relating to people better. his anger and explosivity is completely diminished.
We know that we made the right decision for our family. For our son.
Oh, there are many reasons I homeschool. Two big ones are that I can continue to be with my kids during the day and be a good influence on them AND they still get to be kids with more playtime and time for creativity.
We are entering into our 1st year of homeschooling with my almost 4 year old so I am excited & nervous at the same time. I am very appreciative of this encouraging post and will plan on purchasing the ebook if I don’t win!! 🙂
My children are 3 and 10 months and I have been considering homeschooling since my first child was born. I want my children to have godly values and to love the Lord. I don’t see how entrusting them to a school system and teachers whose standing you don’t know for 4Y0 hours a week will accomplish that goal. So that leaves me with homeschooling… I am scared that I can’t do it. I’m terrible with schedules. So how do I schedule in school and stick to it?
My husband and I are planning on homeschooling for many of the reasons you mentioned. We both taught public school (he changed professions and I stay home with our girls). We saw what a disservice schools do to our children by using the latest fad teaching methods and teaching skills before they are developmentally appropriate all for the sake of accountability. We also feel like our older daughter would be bored and punished with extra work or having to “tutor” students that are behind. We want the flexibility to allow our children to work on whatever level is appropriate for them.
I don’t have children yet, but I am already excited to homeschool! As a teacher, I don’t doubt my ability to teach, and I really want to maintain a close relationship with my children through out their lives. My biggest question is how to deal with a reluctant spouse. I haven’t even mentioned my desire to my husband, since we don’t even have kids yet, but I am nervous about his response when I do.
This book looks like the very thing I need right now! We are just starting our homeschool journey with a 4 year old, 2.5 year old and 7 month old. I’m glad I started my research now because I’m realizing just how much information there is out there to sort through!! This book looks like a perfect one-stop resource to answer so many of my questions!
My oldest just turned 4 so we are just going to start simply this year! We are excited! My question would be what is the best way to incorporate hiding God’s Word in our hearts for a 2 and 4 year old? Right now I make it a chasing game or tickle game as we say a part of it. They seem to enjoy it. What are some other methods?
We’ve always planned to homeschool, for all of the reasons already mentioned. 🙂 Minimizing peer influence, maximizing biblical worldview, etc. My oldest just turned three but is academically ready for first grade, so my biggest question right now is how to meet the particular needs of a gifted child while not ignoring my two younger children.
I am beginning my 4th year of homeschooling. I started homeschooling because I couldn’t bare the thought of sending my first child away to Kindergarden. My reasons have grown and changed over the years. I feel strongly that I am called to teach my children. It isn’t always easy, but it is good.
We start homeschooling for the first time next week. I would like to know if anyone has homeschooled while having a younger special needs child that requires a lot of time.
We homeschool because I want my son to have the best foundation ~ both educational and spiritual. One of the unexpected benefits is how much more *I* have learned since we started schooling! 🙂
I plan to homeschool my children when they are older (3 and 1). I began doing some research and was OVERWHELMNED by the many curriculums, theories, books, etc. My question would be, where do you start? And how do you decide which one is best for your children?
We just started our second year of homeschooling. My daughter is in 1st grade, and my son in pre-k. We homeschool because we truly believe that a personalized education is better than a one-size fits all could be, and to prioritize creativity, family, and curiosity as central to the learning environment.
My husband and I are planning on homeschooling our 2 year old son because we believe it is the best option for his development in all areas.
When do most families start? What types of curriculum is available for preschool children?
I don’t homeschool yet because I don’t have kids yet!
I am considering homeschooling because when I do have children I want them to:
*be trained in the ways of the Lord
*grow up respecting their parents, siblings, friends and people in authority
*learn to be responsible for themselves
*be children while they are children and not be pressured to be an adult before they hit puberty
*have the teacher time and attention they need
I live in a country where homeschooling is not common and is viewed with suspicion. One question I have is: how do you maintain your determination to keep homeschooling your children when you receive hostility from family, friends and society?
Thanks for reading, I look forward to reading the book!
I am considering homeschooling because I like the flexibility of teaching on our own schedule and this will give us more options as we travel for ministry.
I’m considering homeschooling for several reasons… but primarily because we live in a large city where it is difficult to get into the top public schools and paying for private schooling would be financially difficult.
One thing that I’m looking forward to about homeschooling is the imposition of a flexible schedule. We’re so hurdy-gurdy most days that it feels like we don’t get anything done, even though I know that’s not the case.
(I’m also looking forward to the chance to help my 5 year old improve her handwriting and teaching my 4 year old how to really read. 🙂 )
Thanks for hosting this giveaway!
I homeschooled half of the school year last year but had to stop and send my son to public school because of a difficult pregnancy. Now that our baby is born and things are back to normal I am homeschooling with Sonlight core A. I love the flexibilty it affords our family and that my two boys can now learn together instead of being seperated at a public school.
I am considering homeschooling for many different reasons:
1. I want to make sure my children are taught about God in every aspect of their schooling, and that’s not going to happen in a public school (and we don’t have money for private).
2. I was once a teacher and know the challenge of meeting the needs of every student… even when my classes only maxed out at 20 students. I can’t imagine putting my children in a public school classroom with 30 other students and expect them to have their needs met. (My husband was overlooked and didn’t get referred for LD until 12th grade… kids DO slip through the cracks!)
3. What a joy it will be to have my children learning TOGETHER. We can spend our days TOGETHER as a family!
Question… How do you decide on a curriculum?! There are SO many out there…
I’ve been considering homeschooling and my husband would really like me to because of the ability to teach at their level and incorporate spiritual learning as well. How do you find other families that homeschool for positive social interaction? Have you found ways to implement activities such as band or choir for older children?
I started homeschooling because I felt like it was something God was calling me to do…quit my part-time job and teach my children at home. It was a big decision at the time, but I am so excited to be starting year 3 with a 2nd grader, preschooler and 1 year old. I love the time I get to spend with my kids and the flexibility it allows us.
We are considering home schooling due to the nature of the public school system really failing kids socially and academically. My brother and are 10 years apart in age and I saw first hand the “dumbing” down over time of public school education. My biggest concern is cost of materials and finding the right materials for homeschooling. I know that Ebay has often curriculum posted by homeschoolers that are past the stage they need certain things. And I do want to make sure my kids would be keeping pace with the “standards” they need to keep pace with in our state. Thankfully we have 1-2 years (due to state birth date cutoffs) before we MUST put our oldest in school so we have time to figure this out but would like to start our oldest on Kindergarten at home next year.
we are casually starting homeschooling since my son just turned 4. there are several things I like just in practicality… for the price to send him to preschool i can afford several different classes (ie dance, gymnastics, soccer etc.) and invest in items i can use for all of our children, including teaching them basic Russian and Italian. i also like that i am not just sending him to ‘babysitting’ and into a world of toys and germs etc and that i have total control of what he is exposed to and learns.
I am homeschooling my son through fifth grade because we both had an awful experience with his teachers last year. They made things difficult and homework was agonizing. My hope is that I can lead him back to a desire to learn. I feel they have been given just the bare essentials and are cut loose with those as they are expected to developed new skills, as with writing. Not enough guidance is provided and I worried my son would fall behind and hate school even more. I love learning new things alongside him. This is the most fulfilling job I’ve had.
We are just beginning our first year as a homeschooling family. We have decided to homeschool because our time with our children is precious and passes quickly. Though my husband and I both attended public schools and we live in a great district, we feel God is calling us to educate in the home.
We are going on our fourth year of homeschooling, and I absolutely love it. We homeschool for many of the same reasons: more control over our children’s environment, studies, etc., the ability to teach the child, not the curriculum, meeting our children’s specific learning needs and styles, no grades or tests (we use the Charlotte Mason Method), and being able to shelter our children from the typical school experience of cliques, gossip, competition, peer pressure, and popularity contests. Our main reason for homeschooling, however, is that we feel Biblically mandated to do so, according to Deut. 6:1-12. Does this mean everyone is asked by God to home educate? Maybe, maybe not. But for us, it was a matter of reading the Scriptures, praying and meditating on them, and then deciding that, Yes, God meant those verses literally in our own lives. We have experienced nothing but blessing since. I would love to win a copy of that book!
I am not homeschooling yet, but we will be beginning preschool for my eldest in about mid-sept, I’d say. I’m soo excited! As a second generation homeschooler, I can honestly say one of the things I look forward to is improving on what my parents taught me, and making the h/s experiance even more wonderful for ly girls. :)I love that h/s allows for my kids to be home with me. I really enjoy my children, and look forward to learning along side them.
My daughter is currently 2 1/2 and I have just started homeschooling using the ABC Jesus Loves Me curriculum. So far she loves it. I want to homeschool permanently because I only have the time on this Earth with her. Also, I remember learning things in school that I believe are wrong. However, if I said so, I was punished. Another reason I want to homeschool is to be able to teach my daughter things that are valuable, not that all schooling is invaluable because honestly any school is better than no school. Yet, I never learned to balance a budget, cook, clean, or garden in school and I find all of those things to be a necessary part of being an adult. And if we cannot afford private school, then she won’t be immersed into the Bible in public school like she would be at home.
I am a mom of 7 at home, 4 in public school. I work part time from home & truly have my day brim full of “to do’s” in raising, nourishing & nurturing my large family. And yet, the desire & hope to be able to home school my children will not leave my heart! My question, is how to sanely & effectively accomplish all of the many things in my day, while homeschooling? How do other work from home & large family moms do it? I would love insight & support in knowing how to effectively make all of this work.
I LOVE homeschooling my kiddos…and my favorite part is that I get to spend all day with them!
I was unable to home school my older kids due to being a blended family, but am considering it with our nearly adopted 2 1/2 year old. I would love the flexibility of our schedule and my ability to be really in tune with what he is learning.
Ok where do I start. I have been homeschooling my oldest off and on for 3yrs (K-3rd) the reason it has been off and on was due to a domino effect of bad things that has happend (crazy stories) I am very discouraged to be honest! I now am starting my second child w/ kindergarden and it has been extremely tough. I also have a 2yr old and 1yr old. I am not enjoying homeschooling at all in fact I dread it! I’m sorry to sound so negative but it’s just been a rough ride so far! I do realized how blessed I am to be able to do this but so far I feel like a failure. I often think of putting them in public school but it’s just a thought I know there is no way I could possibly do it! I couldn’t bear the thought of the horrible things they would hear and learn. Any encouragement and advice is totally welcomed!
I wish I had the perfect words to encourage you Julie! All I have is, with God’s help, you CAN do it! You and your children will be blessed by your efforts! I am only in my 2nd year (well, first half considering that I only got through 1/2 of the curriculum for Kindergarten) and I can so relate to not enjoying it on some days…most days. Some encouragement that I got on my curriculum’s forum when I asked the question, “How far behind is too far behind?” (I was ‘supposed to be 3/4 of the way through the school year but was less than 1/4) was that, if your kids enter college without knowing how to read or write, then you know how far behind you are! In other words, there is liberty for us homeschooling mamas! Not that we can just lay around all day and read to our kids (on some days, having this option ROCKS!) but that we can go at our own pace, at our kids own pace! And when bad things and crazy stories happen in our life, there is liberty to slow school down (or even stop) and deal with life! So be encouraged!!
I plan to home school because I enjoy being with my kids and want to be able to teach them life skills, biblical studies, and character traits. We can go at our own pace and be creative in our learning.
I home school for many reasons, but the main one is because I feel called by the Lord to do so 🙂
My kids aren’t actually “old enough” for school yet. But even with my oldest being only 3 1/2 years old I am considering homeschooling. Right now she already knows more than the average kid entering school! The 2 things I worry about when considering homeschooling is 1. that she won’t listen or respond to me as her teacher 2. that she won’t have the chance to participate in extracurricular activites such as band, drama, choir, and sports. These things were so important to me when I was in school that I want her to have the same opportunities.
Also, how do manage homeschooling and having babies around at the same time?!?
I am blessed to have just begun our 4th year of homeschooling – I now have a 3rd grade girl, 1st grade girl, Pre-K son, and twin nursery school girls – wow, that looks intimidating in writing. Praise God He does it all and I just get to enjoy the ride!!! What do I love about it? Some days, nothing – so we take a break & cuddle & read more Little House on the Prairie. But, praise God, Most days, EVERYTHING! Getting to be this involved in my children’s lives is a privilege and, by God’s grace, He’s drawing their hearts to love Him first and foremost. What more can I ask for?! And I am thrilled to continue on this journey as long as He directs me to!
We are considering homeschooling for our children because we want to continue to educate them at home with our values, culture and to spend more time helping them develop into the people they are meant to be. One question is, are there many homeschooling SAHD out there? My DH is definitely motivated, but like most newcomers, isn’t sure where to start.
I homeschool for many reasons. One of the biggest is that I LOVE being able to go at the pace of each of my children and their interests and abilities. I guess I just answered both questions in one answer! haha. Another thing that I love about homeschooling is that I get to see my children grow in their knowledge and understanding of whatever we are learning. As I am teaching both of my older children to read right now, I get the privilege of being front and center as they put together the concepts and sounds of reading and I get to see their beautiful and excited faces as they exclaim to me, “I’m reading mommy!”
I homeschool because I enjoy how it gives us more time together and I desire to give my kids a solid foundation in following the Lord. I’ve been doing it for six years now. I still have a lot to learn. God has used it a lot to refine and change me.
I wish I could home-school, but we leave on French island and its illegal right now. I will still keep educating myself on the subject since my oldest is only 4, and is just stepping into the system. Since birth I have made sure my kids are introduced equally to four languages, and that will stay even if it takes my last drop of energy. Don’t want to judge anyone, but I think I have learned more at home than in any school I ever went to. Thank you Mommy.
I will be homeschooling my kids (ages 6 and 3) for the first time starting next week…I’m very excited! I decided to homeschool for a few simple reasons; 1) I like for us to stay together, grow closer and learn as a family, 2) I don’t desire the effects of negative socialization in public school, and 3) we can have so much fun learning together, why would I want it any other way!?!
We are starting our first year of homeschooling this year. We decided to homeschool for several reasons. We like the flexibility, the chance to teach our children in a positive and affirming environment, and the ability to maintain our close family. It was probably the hardest decision we’ve ever made, but the best! You only get one chance with your kids!!
My children are not school aged yet (22 month old and 2 week old). I’ve been considering homeschooling for tons of reasons and have not come to a conclusion yet, primarily because my children are still pretty young. One reason I’m considering it is to control what they’re learning and how they’re learning it. I enjoy education and I enjoy learning so that’s naturally a desire I have. I also have a million questions. One would be, how do you decide what approach to start with? Start with a curriculum or interest-led learning or find our city’s homeschool association and go from there?? Getting wisdom and thoughts from a variety of experienced homeschool moms, like this book, sounds awesome!
This is our 8th year homeschooling. I enjoy being with my children and watching them learn as I learn with them. I wanted to avoid all of the negative things you mentioned about socialization in public schools. Most of us have been there and can’t imagine ever wanting that for my children. I love hearing about the experiences of other homeschool familes because it is not always easy, but it is always worth it!!!!
I’m hoping to homeschool because i want my children to have an excellent education that includes travel and exposure to other cultures ….. and be free from the confines of standardized testing and one size fits all curriculum! Can i do it?? I hope and pray i can!!
I would love to homeschool my children but don’t yet due to finalcial constraints (I have to work, though work from home so I am with my children before and after school). The main reason why I want to do it, and why I WILL, somehow, make it happen (God willing) is because I miss my children terribly when they go to school. I love spending time with them, and watching them learn, learning with them, experiencing their curiousity and interests develop. My biggest question though, when I do embark upon it, is how will I balance the needs of my kindergarten age son, and my second grade girl? I am still working on figuring that one out!
I am nervous about the environment that public school is offering my kids, but I’m not sure I can be the teacher and mom to them. My son is in highschool and I am afraid I’m incompetent to educate him.
I am considering homeschooling for several reasons. I would love to be able to spend the time with my son, I really don’t want to have to worry about school districts, school ratings vs where I must live, etc. I also would like to deter the negative aspects of public school socialization and pressures with ore positive influence that is much more controlled in the home school setting. And finally I want my son to have a religious schooling background and can not afford private schooling nor do I necessarily agree with all of their teachings where I have no input. One of my biggest concerns, beyond “can I really do this?”, is that I am a single mother who must solely provide our household income. I have scoured the web for work from home ideas so that I may be able to do this but haven’t really been able to find something that will actually pay the bills. Are any of you in the same boat? What do you do? So, I would love to win a copy of this book, it looks great, and I can use all the help I can get!
We are homeschooling this year (using Classical Conversations) and I’m super excited about learning all of the stuff my daughter is going to be learning, particularly the history.
I have a 1 year old son who I have been on and off thinking about homeschooling when he turns 5. I would love to win a copy of this book so I can read more about other’s experiences. A question I have about homeschooling is in regard to how parent’s keep their kids social with other kids. Also, have parents found that their children grow up to be overly mature or socially awkward because of homeschooling.
My husband and I chose to homeschool our children because we felt the Lord leading us to do so and we wanted to obey the Lord. My son is entering the 5th grade and after four years of home education and two in public schools, we love not having to reintegrate our son (the oldest is the only one who attended public school) into the family structure after returning from school. I love that we get to teach our children based on our Christian values above all else, and my sons love being at home together. I also love that my children love being around me and appreciate being at home; often when we go places they are ready to go home after a while.
I stayed home this year to be with my 4 and 2 year olds, and I am planning on homeschooling my son next year for kindergarten. He is high functioning autistic, and can read encyclopedias and use the information in conversation later, so being in a class learning how to read would not be good for him. His drs keep saying he needs the social interaction, but I was a teacher and I know that public school is NOT the best place for him. It was truly only by God that I am able to stay home now.
we are considering homeschooling because our children are gifted, and could be better able to pursue their passions with us. how does one challenge the gifted learner, especially when their gift is not your own?
I am supposed to start homeschooling my three girls 6, 4, and 2 this fall. I was homeschooled and know how beneficial it can be, and just how it helps retain a childs natural love of learning. Yet I am still struggling with the HOW is this supposed to work out with all the other things that need doing around here? Plus, we just found out that we are expecting #4 and I am not feeling well or capable. My question is, how does one get it all done, especially in those pregnancy or new baby seasons that are very full as it is ?
M.T.
I want to encourage you to go for it. Those things you feel you “need” to get done around home, well the important things will get done and the rest of it will fall away as you find it’s not necessary to be done daily or even weekly.
I’ve homeschooled through 3 pregnancies, so I promise it can be done and two of those I was sick the whole pregnancies. It absolutely can be done! The fact is, you are not going to get it all done and that’s ok.
We recently made the decision to start homeschooling our three children and I have loved making the transition. What I love about it so far is the opportunity to get to know my children on a deeper level. Also I am now intimately aware of what they are learning and how well they are learning it. I am no longer at the mercy of school schedules and reports from teachers to tell me if my kids are succeeding or struggling. I am also very grateful for the opportunity to include character building and biblical studies into their daily learning activities. My children did very well in the public school setting and I am thankful for the amazing foundation of learning that their teachers have established in them. I look forward to having an active role in seeing that they continue to grow and develope into the amazing adults I know that God intends for them to be.
I decided to homeschool because God definitely told us to. That said though, I was jealous for my kids’ time. I wanted to be the one they spent the most time with and thus learned from. I pray that they will develop the love for the Lord that I have and always walk in His ways.
I was given the opportunity to “test drive” home schooling when I worked as a nanny. My own mom always said that children always learn better from experiences, which can so naturally be a part of homeschooling. I clearly remember from my educatinal psych classes in college the charge to teach to “every learning style in the group.” what better way? I consider it for my own children as a source of stability; our lifestyle requires us to move every 2-3 years.
I homeschool because we were in the middle of moving to a new town the last 2 years and didn’t want our son to have to move schools so many times.
I am very interested in homeschooling for several reasons: we don’t feed into a great school, I feel a lot of public school time is spent on prepping for tests, and I want to be able to incorporate our faith. I do not currently homeschool because we are dealing with some major life changes all at once, and I feel like my son’s school would end up getting put on the back burner when his frenzied momma can’t handle everything going on at once!
We are homeschooling our 7 year old for the 3rd year now. We love it. However, we have an 18 month old now…and I would like suggestions for keeping little one busy while schooling the older one. 😀
We are just beginning to homeschool this year with a first-grader, kindergartener and a pre-schooler. I am very excited but also feel overwhelmed. I am most concerned about our schedule and finding time to get everything else done, like cleaning the house. Any suggestions?
I would really love to read this. Our daughter is in her last year of public elementary school and we are really struggling over what to do about middle school. Private? Public? Home school? We’re so conflicted. Looking for clarity, from the Lord and would love to read about other families experiences homeschooling. Thanks for the chance to win!
I love homeschool because it is real life and I can testify to God and his wonders, wisdom, love…all of his character. My children are different than public schoolers as I was told yesterday: my children are loved and are ones that an older lady we “adopted” loves to spend time with.
We have homeschooled for 6 years now. We homeschool because the Lord lead us and you don’t say no to God!! What I love about homeschooling is that we have flexibility (being a military family that’s very important), I know without a doubt what my children are learning. I love that I can see my children’s strenghts and weaknesses and can address them immediately vs a teacher getting back to me after she/he’s eventually noticed there’s a problem.
Most of all, I love that I get to spend all my days with my children. I get to be the one who hears them read their first words, solve their first math problem, first sceince experiment, learn their first history lesson, etc. It’s such a blessing. It can be challenging, but the blessings override any challenges!
b) Why you’re considering homeschooling (if you don’t yet) and one question that you have
Reason:
When I have my first child (soon!) I plan to homeschool. There are so many reasons that I even consider it, but the two most important are 1) lots of quality time with my children, 2) the children will receive an excellent education because they will be taught by someone who has their best interests at heart, rather than busy teachers, who are often forced to prioritize conformity over learning.
Question:
It appears that many of my questions will be answered by the book :), but one question is how early mama should start to work on reviewing for herself higher level math and physics as preparation for teaching/testing the more advanced high school lessons. Of course there are curricula out there, but I assume that I will be interested in tweaking them at least a little bit, so I would want to be fresh on the material.
I would love to read about each families experience. When I first became a mother (of one) I was determined to homeschool. Now that I am due with #3, the 3rd in four years, the idea really scares me, but I still feel compelled. Thanks for the giveaway!
I recently left my teaching career to stay home with my daughters who are 1 and 3. We are doing home preschool at this point, and I am so motivated by the learning and fun we are having together. I most love the freedom to explore topics that we are interested in and the close attention I can pay to their learning experience. I do have some time before I have to make a formal decision about homeschooling, so I am looking for all of the information I can find at this point.
I have the typical worries of someone in my position: Will I be able to teach them and expose them to all they need to know? Will I choose the right curriculum? How will I explain this to my family and friends so they understand? Will my girls regret that they didn’t have a typical school experience? What if I can’t keep up with homeschooling? How will I get my husband to agree with me if he doesn’t already? And on and on… 🙂
My kids are currently enrolled in a private, Christian school in our area and while we are very pleased with what they offer, I am drawn to the flexibility that homeschooling affords. As a busy family, the freedom to schedule according to your families time table as opposed to the schools tempts me.
But, I’m not sold on the idea yet. Education is very important to me and I want my children to have every door open to the come graduation time, so they are free and able to pursue whatever they desire. So, my question is, how to homeschooling families of teenagers deal with college/university requirement and ensuring your children are well prepared for post-secondary? I ask this because in reality, very few (none?) of the homeschooling families I know have children in university or have continued their own education if homeschooled themselves.
We’re hoping to start homeschooling the next year or two, though we are beginning unofficially this year with our three year old, but definitely more in an unschooling way. I think what I want most is to help my daughter meet her full potential in a way I believe isn’t possible in a traditional classroom environment.
We homeschool for the absolute freedom it gives us in scheduling, curriculum and every aspect that we want.
My favorite thing about homeschooling: easy, the time I get to spend with my children every day!
I have a 2 year old son and a 4 month old daughter and have just begun to perhaps start maybe thinking about schooling options for them. I grew up in public schools and had a pretty good experience but I do remember being exposed to non-age-appropriate things that I would rather my children not “learn”. I have also seen family friends who were homeschooled, and liked some of what I observed but didn’t like how other families carried it out. I would like to learn more about the nuts and bolts of how to choose curriculum, how much prep time it would take for me to teach them said curriculum, how I would get “it” all done while teaching them, etc. Reading about the experiences in this book would be very helpful to me.
I am considering homeschooling for my daughter in the future (she is only 18months right now) because the benefits of having her home with me and being able to help her to get the most out of her education seem so much better than the public school education that I got as a child. My biggest question is just whether or not I will be able to have the time to plan lessons to effectively teach my daughter what she needs to know. Right now it all just seems a bit overwhelming. I would love to read this book to gain more insight into the world of homeschooling.
My sons are 4 and 2. Having been a public school teacher, I am seriously considering homeschooling my children. I could never imagine subjecting my kids to the things I heard and saw in my middle school classroom. Even though I was a teacher, I feel inadequate to homeschool, completely ill-equipped. My question is: how do you balance it all and maintain your sanity? We are praying through this, but I need more information. Thank you for contributing to this book!!
We want to homeschool our daughters to help give them a biblical world view and keep the Bible and Christ as the most important thing. Right now I’m looking into the types of homeschooling and what is required. My oldest will be 4 in December and we are looking at starting preschool or kindergarten in the fall.
I am considering homeschooling my 3 year old twins because we live in a terrible school district and I want so much better for their education. Along the lines of socialization, I also want to keep my kids away from so much of the negative things I was subjected to in school.
I am planning on homeschooling my children with the hope of establishing a good Godly foundation. I also want to be the main person influencing my children with the help of God and my husband….who better to teach my children than their mommy who loves them so much and wants the very best for them?! There are many things that scare me about homeschooling though such as; am I capable, will they listen, will I hold them back at all, will I be patient enough, can we afford it, will people think we are strange, etc. I would love a copy of this book to find some encouragement. Thanks so much for offering it.
This is our second year homeschooling. My children are in first grade this year. We love exploring the world together, reading and just enjoying being together. One of my favorite parts is seeing my children’s personalities and gifts emerge.
I homeschool because I believe the Lord has called me to it, and I love it because I love spending time with my kids, loving and learning together!
We started homeschooling 4 years ago when we received clear direction from the Lord and knew we were charged with teaching and disciplining our little ones. We do love it…..and most days even smile about it. It brings me joy to hear my kids questions, watch their search for truth, and experience the “light bulb” moments in their life.
We are considering homeschooling because I was a public school teacher and after I saw how things are done both socially and academically, we decided homeschooling will be the best choice for our family. How do you homeschool multiple children at different grade levels?
I’m considering homeschooling. One of my questions is how to manage different levels and how to entertain/include toddlers while working with your other children.
We homeschool in order to teach our children what is most important in life- to know and love God, and to love others as well. I love the opportunity to teach them about our loving Heavenly Father as I teach school subjects. I also love not missing out on all of these special moments of their too- short childhood, but nurturing a relationship with them, and between our whole family all day long. I love to see their eyes light up when they figure something out, do well on a test, or learn something new and exciting.
We believe that the family/home is the center of discipleship…and home educating our children goes hand in hand with keeping it the center!
I am going to start my oldest in a more scheduled pre-school at home this monday. She is very excited but I am more concerned about how to keep her attention. We will only be working for about an hour at a time but I have 2 younger child who will probably distract her a bit. My question would be how do you keep a 3 1/2 year old’s attention to complete a task while having younger children playing near by?
I love that, though we are in the midst of a major move, my (very young) children do not have to adjust to a new school!
My husband and I are considering homeschooling one day because of the socialization issues you mentioned in your interview, and because we feel we can give our kids a better, more personalized education at home than they would get at school.
My question would be: How do you balance your roles as teacher vs. mom? Do you separate those roles during school time vs. the rest of the time?
I just started homeschooling and so far I love that I can work at my son’s individual level and pace for each subject. I also like not having to follow the school’s schedule.
We have been homeschooling for 5 years. I love that I can control the socialization they receive. I also love the flexibility. We had an opportunity to travel across the country 3 years ago, so we made it into a home school field trip. It truly was one of the best trips we have ever been on, and it could not have happened had they been in public school.
I am considering homeschooling because I want my child to have a Biblical worldview and I’m concerned about negative aspects of socialization.
I’m considering homeschooling our girls (they are 3 and 1). One of my questions is how do I schedule our days when I feel like everyday is so different?!
Hi! I have a 2 1/2 year old and a almost 7 month old. I just decided to homeschool Officially thanks to encouragement from the awesome book “Educating the Wholehearted Child” by Clay and Sally Clarkson. So good! I want to homeschool because I want to ensure I am giving my children the strongest possible spiritual foundation. I feel it is my biggest responsibility as a parent. But, let me tell you, the lazy conformist in me DOESN’T want to homeschool! It sounds nice to dump them somewhere for most of the day and have someone else take care of teaching them the things they should know. Too bad my heart and conscience tells me “no!”
Oh, my question. how do you handle more than one kid’s school work at once?
I plan to homeschool my daughter starting next year for kindergarten. I can’t wait to spend time teaching her about all the things she is interested in. I love seeing her desire to learn at this age! My biggest question is how to balance home responsibilities and the needs of a younger sibling with the time and energy needed to homeschool well. Thanks!
We have a 5 yo son in pre-K and 7 yo daughter starting first grade at our local waldorf school. We love the school but may not be able to afford it much longer. I am also beginning to wonder if we could provide the environment we need without all the carpooling, financial and other things tugging at us. So I am now exploring homeschooling as a viable option. My biggest question is whether our children will respect me as their teacher the same way they respect me as their mother?
I love spending time with my children and teaching them the value of God’s Word!
We are homeschooling to best fulfill our son’s academic needs as well as give him a foundation of a Christ-centered worldview.
would love to win! thanks for the advice! my question is simple yet so difficult — where do i start?! 🙂
My oldest is only 21 months but we are considering home schooling for various reasons. Number one is the current state of our public education system. We may not be able to afford or even find a really good private school that meets all of our requirements. There are also values I want my children to learn. We are very unconventional and don’t really like the idea of our children learning things from teachers and peers that don’t line up with the Bible as that can be confusing for young children being taught otherwise at home. My biggest questions are: Can I do really do it?, and Where do I begin?
I can’t wait to homeschool.. I have a 17 month plus girl now.. My biggest question/concern is how to balance teaching several children all of varying grades!?
I was homeschooled myself and am now homeschooling my 3 children (11, 8, and 4). I think the thing I love (and fear) most about homeschooling is the influence I get to be in my children’s lives. This is both wonderful and terrifying. 🙂 I love that I am the one to lead them to Aha! moments and get to be an example of the grace of God covering my imperfections even though that can be challenging at many times! 🙂
We homeschool because we felt led to and I love being able to spend more time with my children and explore life together.
We homeschool because we felt it was what the Lord wanted us to do. But then we found out that our son has Tourette’s Syndrome and we were so grateful that we were homeschooling him!
We home school because I wanted to be able to have more influence in my child’s life. I love how schooling becomes a part of life, not just something to add on.
I’m looking forward to starting Pre-School with my son….how do I know WHAT to teach??
We homeschool because my children want to, and what I love about it is that they like it so much! My daughter (who did well in public school and got along with everyone) said, just the other day, “I never want to go back to public school.”
We are considering homeschooling because we want our son to be taught with Christian values, have far fewer of the really negative and character zapping exposures in today’s public schools, and to help his health issues with nutritious, home prepared meals. I had never thought of homeschooling before so now that it’s closing in on reality, I’m feeling quite overwhelmed and unsure where to even start or if I can teach him what he needs to know. Would love a shot at the ebook giveaway to help get us started
I’m considering home schooling because I want to be able to have more input in my child’s education. My question – how can I teach him to learn discernment without the difficult situations that classroom teaching would bring up?
Flexibility!!
I am considering homeschool for my 12 year old (7th grader) and eventually my 17-month old when he’s ready. After 7 years in public school, my son can recite facts; but when I ask him how he made a decision or a conclusion, he can’t tell me. he hasn’t been taught to think critically. He can’t communicate his logic. That really worries me. Further, he is strong in math, but really struggles with writing. I feel as if he’s pushed along with the flow of things in writing instead of receiving the additional help he needs.
I also have 2 step-daughters in college. They both went to public school and in high school, it seemed like it was a daily battle to protect their hearts and purity. The battle was eventually lost and they gave in to the many peer pressures. They are imporoving, but through it, my husband and I realized the scope of the battle for our children and put a plan in motion where I can stay at home with our boys next year and homeschool.
I have many concerns. I fear my ability. I fear choosing the wrong curriculum. My question for you is: How did you determine your child’s learning style and subsequent curriculum?
My husband is from South Africa and we have been married for 9 years. When living in South Africa we operate our non-profit organization which helps impoverished families and their children living and/or dealing with HIV/AIDS. While living in Canada, we fundraise, work to save more money to go back to Africa, and have recently had two babies, now ages 4 and 2!
We want to homeschool for many reasons…our children were put into our hands, we want them to know their Creator and we want them to know who their Creator made them to be! We want them to love learning, love each other, and love spending time with our family…which will in their future translate into loving people (or so we hope!) The list goes on, and on, and on : ) While travelling back and forth between Canada and Africa, ‘school’ will be a constant, in our home, one thing that is ‘stable’ for their lifestyle.
My one question would be ” CAN I DO THIS!?!?!?!” LOL Can I teach grade 5 math? Grade 9? Can I teach science, french, etc. etc….? We are planning to create another baby very, very soon…and I am extremely sick while pregnant. Can I take care of myself, grow a baby, have a baby, and school my children?
Good thing God has more faith in me than I do. That’s all I can say.
Thank you for being such an inspiration.
JayCee
I chose to homeschool for numerous reasons…first and foremost…I could not fathom the idea of not being with my kids for the majority of the day (6+ hrs). It did not seem natural to me. I want to be the main influence in their little lives…and I knew I could not do that if I was away from them all day during their formative years. Another big push was reading the book “Hold Onto Your Kids” by Dr. Gordon Neufeld (love him). It made perfect sense to me…the whole peer orientation versus parent influence…I knew that homeschooling was something I had to try. The final reason I decided to homeschool is because I know God planted that seed in my heart. I knew it from the time my eldest was 3 yrs old. It’s just something I had to listen to…and we’ve never looked back!!!
I am not homeschooling now as I have a 4 year old and a 1 year old but I do plan on homeschooling. To me there is no other option. I was home schooled. I think it is the best because your children are home with you getting the best education they can. I want them to know Jesus and have a biblical world view and I don´t want them to have to subject to our school system.
My husband and I decided to homeschool for several reasons – we are less than impressed with our nation’s institutional schools, we are concerned over school safety, and we wanted to be able to incorporate our faith in what our children would be learning. {More of my story is shared on my blog, Holistic Homemaking – http://www.holistichomemaking.org/p/homeschool.html}
I would love to win this book! Thanks for hosting!