All About Homeschooling

Why We Choose to Homeschool 

We’re all about helping our kids to find what they’re passionate about and allowing the freedom to pursue those things as part of their education, not as something that is being done on top of their education or instead of it. 

Just one of the things that was foundational for how we wanted to homeschool was really igniting a love of learning. That’s at the heart of everything we do. We want the kids to love to learn and then to find their passion and God given gifts. If they can love to learn and have that passion, they can learn anything and do anything in this life.

In one of my favourite homeschool books “The Call of the Wild and Free: Reclaiming the Wonder in Your Child’s Education” there’s a quote by Clay P. Bevferd- “You can teach a student a lesson for a day but if you can teach him to learn by creating curiosity he will continue the learning process as long as he lives”. 

That’s exactly what we want. We want to create an atmosphere where learning is a lifestyle where children choose to learn because they enjoy it and where what they learn goes deeper than just a bunch of facts. It becomes embedded in who they are and where they’re going with their life because it’s something that ignites their passion. 

Homeschool Style

The beauty of this homesteading & farming lifestyle is that it’s providing ample opportunities for the children to work alongside us, learning in some unconventional ways that don’t look like schooling.

The early spring to late fall is a busy time for us in the gardens, caring for animals, and preserving food. This creates the opportunity for our children to have hands-on experience with science, math, physical education, social studies, and team building. 

 

In the winter things slow down a bit. This is when we concentrate more on the textbook side of education like reading, writing, and arithmetic- that little bit of structure on the fringes :)

This is where I feel it’s important to discover your homeschooling style. I consider ourselves to be eclectic homeschoolers as we pull from almost all of the different styles. Here’s a great video on the topic: Discover Your Homeschool Style.

Choosing Curricula

I have used many different curriculums over the six years we’ve been homeschooling. I have 5 children ages 11, 9, 7, soon to be 5 year old and an almost 8 month old baby. Four school aged children means providing multiple opportunities for different learning styles and seeking a curriculum to meet each specific need. 

We’ve gone from full curriculum packages one year to fully unschooling the next. I think we’ve now found our sweet spot somewhere in the middle of those two polar opposite approaches. It can often take a while to find what works best for each child, it’s just a normal process to go through in the homeschooling world so I don’t stress over having to switch up curriculums at times. 

Below I will share the different curriculums that we use in our homeschool. Keep in mind that every family is unique. What works for my family may not work for yours. I only share this as inspiration and not as advice. If you’re considering homeschooling I hope my thoughts can help you gain ideas for what you want to do, or maybe even solidify something you DON’T want to do! 

Maybe you want to homeschool but for whatever reason you feel you don’t have enough time for it. Not to worry, there are amazing full online programs. I’m actually considering outsourcing math for my math minded child. 

Reading- We are firm believers in reading as the first foundation of learning. Once a child can read, it will entice them to explore and learn other subjects. The program we have used and will continue to use is All About Reading. 

This program is an intensive phonics program. It uses the Orton-Gillingham methodology and is very interactive and multi-sensory. The open and go lesson plans are scripted and easy to use and highly effective and only takes 20 minutes a day. 

They have hands on activities for those who are more tactile, they have a lot of auditory components and visuals. We absolutely love it! It’s also a highly effective way to teach struggling readers and kids with dyslexia which is something we’ve struggled with in our home. 

We also use a program called Explode the Code.

Ambleside Online has a great booklist if you need ideas for readers or read alouds.  

In the winter Tim reads to the kids in the evenings (the benefit of not having TV, otherwise we’d be watching it). Last year we finished up the Little House on the Prairie Series and got about half way through the Little House: The Rose Years Series. Our local library didn’t have the Rose series but were able to get them through their interlibrary loan system. I think the Little Britches Series is up next :)

Other reading curriculums to check out:

Logic of English Foundations (similar to AAR) 

Dianne Craft’s The Right Brain Reading Program (great for kids with severe dyslexia/autism and other learning challenges)

Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons (if reading comes easily)

CLE’s Reading Program

I have to mention Freedom Homeschooling. They’ve compiled an extensive list of the best free homeschool curriculum. 

Spelling- All About Spelling and after level 3 we switch to IEW’s Phonetic Zoo

Some other spelling programs to check out: Spelling You See, Spelling Power

Handwriting- We’ve used Handwriting Without Tears and really liked it. To keep costs down we now just print off free handwriting practice sheets.

Logic of English’s Rhythm of Handwriting is what we have used to introduce cursive. 

This year I got the two oldest a cursive joke book. I figure if they’re gonna have to learn cursive why not make it fun :)

Writing- At present we take a Charlotte Mason inspired approach to writing. I teach writing based off the book Know and Tell: The Art of Narration by Karen Glass. In a few years I may use IEW Structure and Style with my two oldest children. 

Grammar- Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW) -Fix it Grammar

Math- We use Christian Light Education for math in the early years. It’s great at building a strong foundation and helping kids with math facts. It’s also inexpensive, which is a plus. The lessons are laid out to teach in an independent format, which is also high on my list of priorities.

I have a struggling math student and the best combination I’ve found is CLE as the main curriculum while using some of the games from Math with Confidence and Time4MathFacts for extra daily practice. 

For my math minded child who really excels in math, along with CLE we use Beast Academy (online program) for more advanced problem solving and critical thinking. This coming year this child may switch over to CTC Math but he has not decided yet.  

Games the kids play (for hidden math practice)

Monopoly
Sum Swamp
Shut the Box
Yahtzee
Qwixx

Some other popular math programs to check out:

Math with Confidence (I love this program but it’s too teacher intensive for me)
Math Mammoth
Saxon Math
Singapore Math
Math-U-See
CTC Math (online with some pen & paper)
Teaching Textbooks (fully online)
Zearn (online & free)
Easy Peasy (online & free)
BJU Press (online & workbooks)
Learn Math Fast- Tim is slowly going through this with our math minded kid…it teaches very good mental math skills. It progresses very fast so maybe not the greatest for younger students.

Science- We’ve used lots of different resources in the past. This is just what we’re using for this upcoming year: Creation Standard (Earth’s Foundation), Christian Liberty Nature Readers, No Sweat Nature Study Podcast, Nat Theo Podcast, and lots of books the kids choose from the library. 

My two oldest listen to the Weston A Price Podcast with me. 

Bible- I like to use Not Consumed for Bible Studies. We’re currently working our way through My Brother’s Keeper Sibling Bible Study. 

I found this company a few years ago when I was at my wits end with a bad attitude coming from one of my kids. I actually put our homeschool on hold as we went through some Not Consumed resources and Laying Down the Rails. 

The two oldest also use CLE Bible Curriculum. 

Tim reads the Bible after supper and the children are asked to narrate a summary of what they’ve heard. We feel there’s a deeper understanding this way instead of just asking questions. Lots of great discussions can come up and I’d say it’s my favourite time of the day. 

Music- The 3 oldest children are taking voice and piano lessons from a local music teacher. 

History & Geography- I do not use a curriculum to teach these subjects. I take a Charlotte Mason inspired approach here where the kids learn through reading living books (and audiobooks) and topics are often interest lead. 

Currently my oldest two are reading their way through the Imagination Station series. It teaches history and good morals (which makes me happy) in a story format that my kids can’t get enough of. Adventures in Odyssey is another favourite. 

A homeschool mom I follow on Youtube takes a similar approach so I’ll share a video here→ Teaching History WITHOUT Curriculum 

Sonlight has great booklists for history. We did a few years with their full curriculums but it just wasn’t the right fit for us.
  
*I don’t believe the truth is fully told in mainstream history so we do bring in some other age appropriate resources.

I’m not sure what topic to put the Tuttle Twins under so I’ll just leave it here. 

Art- Freedom Homeschooling has a list of free homeschool art curricula for all grades which we like to use.

The kids taking a free art lesson from Yellow Spot:Sun- Picasso’s Rooster. Their masterpieces are on display at a local restaurant - The Iron Rooster lol.

Kindergarten- My oldest Heidi is teaching Johnny this year. She’s going through the Christian Light Education Kindergarten Books with him. She’s also using Five in a Row that I used to teach her when she was his age which is so special to her.

Five in a Row can be very expensive if you buy all the books new. Try your local library and if they don’t have them ask if you can get them through the interlibrary loan. 

Favourite homeschool channels I’ve learned from:

The Eclectic Homeschooler
Simply Charlotte Mason

Life in the Mundane- (curricula/resources for special needs)
Living with Eve

- (former teacher & homeschool evaluator + special needs resources)
Joyful Noise Learning

Science Mama (her channel isn’t about science! lol)

How to Homeschool

Blessed Homeschool

Simply Learning Together (we take a similar approach to teaching writing)

Seven In All

Our Homeschool Plan

eSchooled with Amanda Melrose (online curriculum)

Calm in the Chaos Homeschool
Pennies and Salt

Interest Lead Learning

I have honestly been so amazed at what my kids have learned when they’ve had that time to pursue those things that they’re interested in. I like to get all the textbook work done before lunch so the kids have the afternoons for pursuing their interests and natural gifts. From learning about different countries to learning all about whittling. When the interest sparks I capitalize on it and provide the resources needed for them to teach themselves. 

I’ve also found that field trips to places my children are interested in have inspired them to try new things. For example, after we visited a place called the Trading Post my daughter became interested in furs. 

She looked up some how to videos and then started skinning and tanning her own furs. She wants to make boots/hats/mitts with her furs. She asked to take sewing lessons to improve her sewing skills so I found a local sewing school that she’ll get started with in the fall. For my older children I’m often times less of a teacher and more of a facilitator. 

Final Thoughts

Homeschooling is such a joy and a blessing to us. There’s nothing quite like learning alongside your children and I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. I just want to leave you with another quote from The Call of the Wild and Free:

 “there’s a quiet voice calling out to us, nudging us to see our children for who they really are, inviting us to give them the freedom they truly desire, the freedom to learn and grow at their own pace, to follow their passions and see where they go, to explore the world without an agenda, we might not have all the answers, doubt will creep in at times, but we know our children, and we know the right path for us. I know you’ve heard it too, you wouldn’t be reading this book if you hadn’t, it’s the call of the outdoors, the call of childhood, the call of more time as a family, the call of wonder and adventure stirring inside you to do something different, to be someone different, so here we are, the ones who have answered the call, the call of the wild and free”.

 I love this so much! That’s what it’s all about. Thank you for reading this! 

If you have any questions please feel free to send a message. And I’m happy to arrange a playdate and we can chat all things homeschool.  

I hope your day is blessed!

Angela Bakker