I’m guest posting over at The Purposeful Mom today as part of her Spring into Summer series!  Head over to Jenn’s encouraging site to find my post on Four Essential Items for Frugal Kids Summer Activities.

If you aren’t familiar with notebooking, there is a great deal over at the Notebooking Fairy!  Jimmie is currently offering her extensive eBook Notebooking Success for an introductory price of $5.50.

Here’s some info from her site about notebooking:

For far less than the cost of a single workbook, Notebooking Success teaches you a learning technique that is applicable to all academic areas for every student you teach regardless of grade level.

Notebooking Success will answer these questions:

• Am I using notebooking to its fullest potential?
• How do I know if my children are really learning?
• What is notebooking?
• How do I use notebooking to help my children learn and to remember what they learn?
• What should I expect from different ages?

You’ll also get three bonus files (50 Things to Put in a Notebook, General Notebooking Pages, Grade Specific Reference Sheets).   This looks like quite an extensive and complete manual on notebooking!   You can get Notebooking Success here.

I have to admit, I have tons of bubble recipes in my files…and I’ve never made one of them.  That changed this morning!  Now that I know how easy it it, I’m kinda embarrassed I’ve never made my own bubbles before.

Many of the bubble recipes I have use glycerin, but I didn’t feel like buying any glycerin.  I was happy to see I had a bubble recipe without glycerin!

Bubble Recipe (Without Glycerin)

• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup dish soap (Dawn works well)
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup

1)  Put all ingredients in a large cup, plastic jar, or other container.  Stir SLOWLY.

2)  Blow BUBBLES!!

You can easily double, triple, or even quadruple the bubble recipe!  Check out our Body Part Bubble Pop for a fun variation on bubble-blowing.

After the “Why do you homeschool” question, the next question I get on a regular basis is “How do you start homeschooling?“  While this is not an in-depth, step-by-step list, here are several suggestions I have to get ready to homeschool:

How to Homeschool:  Six Ways to Get Started

1)  Visit families that are homeschooling.

I think this was the most beneficial step I took when I first began homeschooling.  If you can, try to visit several families with different philosphies.  You’ll soon see that everyone has a unique approach and ideas.  I think most homeschoolers enjoy visitors and love to share what’s working for them…and what hasn’t worked so well.  Ultimately, you need to make your own decisions, but it’s so helpful to have someone who has already been through those first few years to offer advice and encouragement.

2)  Find out the homeschooling laws in your state.

Every state has made specific laws dealing with homeschooling.  One of the best places to find the current information is on the HSLDA website (find your state on the map and click it).  You’ll be able to download information for your specific state.

3)  Research homeschool curriculum approaches.

Here’s the thing I love about homeschooling:  There is no *right* way to do it.  Because I was trained as a teacher, I’ve actually had to “unlearn” quite a bit!  Instead of making our homeschool into a miniature public school classroom (which I sometimes still have to remind myself not to do), we have freedom to approach education differently.  There are so many approaches to curriculum, it takes some time to figure it all out.

Here are just a few of the more common curriculum approaches to homeschooling:

• Traditional:  This is the typical textbook and worksheet-driven approach.  It systematically leads children through a prescribed scope and sequence.  If you like structure, this may work for you.  It might be a little more difficult to do when you are teaching several children of different ages.

Find out more:
BJU Press
Rod & Staff Publishers

• Classical:   This approach is based on the educational philosophy of the Greeks and Romans.  It focuses on the Trivium — three stages of learning.  The first part the child passes through is the grammar stage.  They move onto the logic stage during middle childhood.  The final passage is into the rhetoric stage.

Find out more:
The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home by Susan Wise Bauer and Jessie Wise

• Unit Study:  This form of education seeks to combine all subject areas into one theme.  For instance, your child may be fascinated with butterflies, so your math, reading, art, science, P.E., etc. all come back to butterflies.  I use units (or themes) quite a bit with my younger girls.  It’s easy to find something they are interested in and build activities around it.

Find out more:
Unit Studies Made Easy by Valerie Bendt
Unit Studies by Amanda Bennett
Five in a Row by Jane Claire Lambert

• Unschooling:  This approach believes children are stifled in a school-type environment.  Instead, this method relies on a much more natural and relaxed approach to learning.  While implementation of this approach varies from family to family, you can find out more about this by reading the works of John Holt.

More Reading:
Teach Your Own by John Holt

• Charlotte Mason:  An educational pioneer in Great Britain, Charlotte Mason’s key ideas were “living” books, short lessons, narration, and nature studies.

Read More:
Ambleside Online
Simply Charlotte Mason
A Charlotte Mason Companion by Karen Andreola

• Eclectic:  This approach combines aspects of various approaches.   This is my own personal approach!  I take a few thoughts from Charlotte Mason, throw in Unit Studies, use some flashcards for basic facts, and do some unschooling (a less intimidating term might be “delight-directed”) in the afternoon.  Each day looks different — although I do use My Father’s World (which combines various philosophies, too) as a basic guide for each day.

4)  Read some great books.

Educating the WholeHearted Child — Third Edition:  This is my absolute favorite book on homeschooling.  Of course, I adore Sally Clarkson, but I loved this book before I even read any of her other books or met her in person!  If you can only afford one book on homeschooling, this would be my recommendation.  I reread this book every year.  It inspires me, and I find something new each time I read it!

The Well-Adjusted Child: The Social Benefits of Homeschooling:  The number one question most homeschoolers face is the “socialization” question.  This book puts that question in a new light.  What does is really mean to be socialized?  Is true socialization really found only in schools?  I’m always encouraged when I read this book — maybe I’m not really “ruining” my children! 

100 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum: Choosing the Right Curriculum and Approach for Your Child’s Learning Style:  Although this book is several years old, and there are quite a few new curriculum options since it was first released, I still love the way Cathy Duffy leads you to find the best approach for each of your children as individual learners.  There are helpful charts, questionnaires, and more (I recommend the print version and not the Kindle version).  This is an extremely helpful guide for figuring out your teaching style, your child’s learning style, and your philosophy of education.

5)  Attend a homeschool convention.

If you have the opportunity to attend a homeschool convention, you should!  I would, however, recommend attending with someone who has been before, because you might be extremely overwhelmed on your own.  The first time I went, I couldn’t believe the rows and rows of curriculum options.  I felt like running away!!

The easiest way to find a conference is to ask the homeschooling families in your area if they attend one.  If not, you can probably just Google (or use your Swagbucks search page) to find one near you.

I truly believe everyone should attend a convention.  The ability to view the curriculum is one big reason I recommend it.  Another great reason is to be encouraged and equipped by the workshops and guest speakers.  At the end of our homeschool year, I often feel tired…and sometimes even discouraged or burnt-out.  Attending a conference never fails to reignite my passion for home education!  It’s also so encouraging to see how many other families have made the homeschool choice, too!

6)  Find some support.

You’ll want to get connected with other homeschool families as quickly as you can.  So often, people feel isolated and they start to wonder if they’ve made the right decision.  This can be a challenging time — especially if you have family members or friends who are already critical of what you’re doing.  You can begin to doubt and think it would be much easier to go a different route.   In many communities, you can find a homeschool support group, playgroup, or co-op of some kind.

 What questions do you have about how to start homeschooling?

Coming up next week:  A Day in Our Life (Scheduling Your Homeschool) & Organizing Our “Classroom”

Before I begin, let me just tell you that I’ve held out on sharing this post for almost a year!  I never want to alienate any of my readers…and I worried a little bit that this post would make someone feel uncomfortable or offended or even angry.  Please know that no matter whether you homeschool or take your child to private or public school, you are welcome here.  I understand if you think I’m crazy or weird.  I think that sometimes, too!  My intent is not to make anyone feel guilty or leave you thinking I believe everyone should do what we are doing.  This is where God has led us for now. 

Would I love for you to consider homeschooling?  Well, yes I would.  It’s been a real blessing for us.   Do I think everyone should homeschool?  No, I don’t.  But if the only thing holding you back is fear or the feeling that you just can’t do it, I want to reassure you.  I’ve had quite a few questions over the past year or so about why we are homeschooling, and I wanted to address them specifically for our family.

If you had told me seven years ago, I would be teaching my children at home…I’m pretty sure I would’ve laughed in your face.  I attended public school as a child.  My college experience included earning a degree in Elementary Education.  I taught in several schools before the girls came along.  School was my life.   

But somewhere along the line (after my oldest daughter was born), I began to feel uneasy.  I reflected on my time in the school system.  I didn’t like what was happening there, but I didn’t really see any other options.  I knew we couldn’t afford private school.  And then….

God.

Yes, God.  He brought all kinds of amazing people and books and resources into my life.  We began to seriously ponder whether we could actually undertake this difficult task of homeschooling our children.

After studying and praying, I knew without a doubt, we had to do it.

Here are just a few of the reasons why we homeschool:

1)  Life is short.

I’ve shared about the loss of my dad before.  Although I was angry at the time, I’ve since been able to see the gift God gave me through my dad’s death.

Here’s the deal:  His death gave me perspective.  My dad was two days shy of his 50th birthday when he died, and I began to look at my own life differently.

I don’t know the length of my life.  Will I be around one month from now?  50 more years?

Time is short. Already seven years of my oldest daughter’s life have gone by. I can’t rewind time and I can’t get it back, but I want to make the most of what we have together.

Remember my mission statement?  Part of it says, “I will be a whole-hearted follower of Christ and glorify Him by shepherding the hearts of my children.”  It also says, “I will be a whole-hearted follower of Christ by stewarding wisely the time and resources God has entrusted to me.”

At this point, our family believes we must invest the precious time we’ve been given — and give our children a firm foundation.  Yes, I’ve had to “sacrifice” many things I’ve wanted to do.  Yes, I would love to have more time to myself.  Yes, I would love to write a book and write curriculum and take music lessons and speak to groups and have a clean house and cook more exciting meals and spend more time with my friends and on and on….

But…

I don’t have all the time in the world.

I have right now.  And I believe I’m called to pour myself out for my husband and our three little girls.

2)  Homeschooling *forces* me invites me into relationship with my children.

I really hesitated to put this in here, because I’m afraid it might be misconstrued.  Please don’t read this the wrong way.  I genuinely love and care for my girls…it’s not like I have to be forced into loving them.  There are just moments when relationships are hard — when parenting is hard.

For instance, I butt heads constantly with one of my daughters.  Some days I think I would love to send her to school — just so I could have a break.  It’s at these moments I realize how valuable homeschooling is for our relationship.

If my girls were away from me for 8 hours a day, I’d miss the character and heart issues that need dealt with (in them AND myself).  Being with my kids 24-7 means we have to find solutions and grow together!  We’re *forced* into building a strong relationship.

In The Well-Adjusted Child, Rachel Gathercole mentions “the detachment snowball.”  This term was coined by Dr William Sears in The Baby Book.  She says, “According to this idea, the more time parents and kids spend apart, the less parents know and understand their kids; the less responsive, respectful, and communicative both parents and kids become; and the more time both need away from each other.”

I don’t want that to happen to my relationship with my children.  All too often, I’ve seen a similar progression in children as they go away to preschool, elementary school, and middle school.  By the time they are teenagers, they want nothing to do with their parents. 

I’m thankful that homeschooling invites us to a deeper relationship with each other — and I’m grateful for the time we have to work on it!

3)  I’ve been given a great gift.

I went to a conference last summer and listened to the challenging Voddie Baucham.  He made a comment (actually several of them) that stuck with me…

“Just imagine someone coming to your house, knocking on your door, and asking for the keys to your brand-new car.  They tell you they’re just going to use it during the day, but they’ll return it to you in the evening.”

Are you kidding?!!  That would be crazy…I’d never do that!

Are not our children much more valuable to us than a car?

Yet, we turn our children over to a teacher we’ve met once and let them be influenced and molded by them for hours each day.

Now, do not think for a second that I am bashing teachers!!  I know there are excellent teachers in my community, and there are excellent teachers all across the nation (I hope I was one of them)!  I know how challenging it is to teach and the rewards are often few and far between.

But because I was a teacher, I also know that there are many teachers whose hearts are not in it.  They’ve grown cynical.  They crush instead of inspire. 

More than that, they don’t share my values — and even if they do, they can’t teach them outright in the public schools.

My girls are gifts.  They are little sponges….and I can’t stand the thought of them losing the curiosity they possess and the desire they have to learn and create.

I know what they love.  I know what they struggle with.  I love them more than anyone else ever could.  Ultimately, God has made me responsible for training and discipling them.

I don’t feel I can abdicate that responsibility to someone else for hours and hours each day.

4)  Schools are not a good fit for *most* kids.

I personally loved the “school” part of school.  I was good at it.  It fit my learning style.  But I would say I am the exception rather than the rule.

Many schools I’ve seen (and been apart of) attempt to make cookie-cutter people.  They desire uniformity.  They quash creativity.  They have an agenda.  They leave children with wounds.

I’ve seen kindergarteners come to school excited and exuberant.  Nine months later, they leave hating school and learning.

It’s extremely sad.

Unfortunately, there are plenty of other reasons schools are not a good fit for kids:

• Bullying
• Violence
• Peer-dependency
• Early exposure to alcohol & drugs
• Sexual experimentation
• Disrespect for adults

Children are growing up too fast too soon.

I will do what I can to guard my children’s hearts.  I love the analogy that they are like newly-sprouted plants in a greenhouse — they need special care right now.  I’m not going to stick them out in the elements and expect they’ll be able to survive.  They need time to grow deep, strong roots.  It’s my job to nourish them, to protect them, to give them the guidance they need to grow.  Soon enough, they’ll be transplanted outside of our “greenhouse”!

Right now, my children love to learn.  They feel safe.  They talk to me about everything.  Home is a pretty good fit for them.

5)  We teach as we live.

When you are one-on-one with a child, you can accomplish “schoolwork” in an abbreviated amount of time.

We don’t have to wait for the other kids to finish their work.  We don’t have to spend time moving from one location to the next.  We don’t have to go at the same speed for everyone.  We don’t have to deal with tons of discipline problems.  Our on-task time is probably more in just a few hours than what children in school accomplish for the whole day!

This frees up our afternoons — for music, cooking, playing outdoors, visiting, serving, or other creative pursuits!  We’re involved in local classes, sports, Girl Scouts, and various other community activities.  When family members visit from other states, we can take off and enjoy their company.  We can “do school” in the evening if necessary — or even on the weekend (yes, we have)!

Life is education.  Education is life.

*****************************************************************

I realize that homeschooling is not an option for everybody.  Please do not take my own personal reasons as judgment on what your family has chosen to do!  Again, lots of you have asked, and I just wanted to share why WE homeschool.

Truthfully, there are hard days.  There are days I want to give up.  There are days I think I’m just pretty much crazy.  There are days I blow it.

However, the blessings far outweigh the hardships.  I cannot even imagine my life without these three little people with me most of the day!  If homeschooling is something you want to try or you’ve been considering, you can do it.  I truly believe that!

Questions?  Comments?  Please feel free to voice your opinion and share your thoughts!  This can be an emotionally-charged issue, so I do ask that we keep our comments kind and respectful!