What if... I want to homeschool my kids but I'm afraid and don't know where to start?
Part 4 of 4
Hit the Books
Finally!! Here’s the part you’ve been waiting for—the part where you get do the homeSCHOOLING.
But why wait so long? Why is it Part 4 of 4??
By learning what your state law requires, you make curriculum decisions that fulfill those requirements. You want to choose homeschool curriculum and materials (or unschool activities) that keep you in compliance with your state law.
By establishing a routine, you will know how much time you have available during the days and weeks. You’ll have an idea whether or not you want to school year round or according to a schedule that more closely follows the public school year.
By making homeschool connections, you’ve gained a valuable resource, so use it! When you meet people who have homeschooled for years, ask them which curriculum they’ve loved and which curriculum they’ve hated…and why. Ask them if they have used curriculum for sale. We’ve yet to meet a veteran homeschool parent who doesn’t have a storage closet filled with used curriculum they’re happy to unload!
Then — before you spend any money, think about your educational philosophy. What you want in a curriculum? Do you want to call all the shots with an eclectic or unschooled approach? Do you want something structured where you can open a box and have all the lesson plans laid out for you? Do you want an online curriculum or one that requires very little screen time?
Whatever you decide, remember what we said about relationship being the most important thing. Work with your children, not against them. A boxed curriculum with lots of screen time may be great for you and terrible for them. Keep in mind that what works for one kid may not work for another…and that’s okay!
It’s also okay to get to October, decide you really hate a particular book, and kick it to the curb entirely!
Most importantly, just relax and have faith in the process. We know it’s hard when you can’t see the end result and it looks so far in the distance, but trust us on this. Up until a couple of hundred years ago, almost all education took place within the home setting. Parents didn’t send their five year olds off to be educated by someone else.
Take heart, you can do this!
Kids won’t learn everything they need to know in one day, or one week, or one month, or one year, or 13 years of schooling, or in college after that.
And that’s okay, too. Because if your primary focus as a homeschooling parent is to encourage their curiosity and nourish their love of learning, they will grow up to be lifelong learners.
For lifelong learners it doesn’t really matter which curriculum they followed, whether or not they learned to play the piano, or if they speak fluent French. What they will know is learning new things is fun — and sometimes challenging — and that’s what learning is all about.
Happy Homeschooling!