Simply Domestic

I shared this on instagram a few days ago and thought I should share it here and expand a bit. As I scroll social media I have noticed so many families are homeschooling this year. I don’t just mean the ones who are doing virtual learning because of Covid but the ones who have withdrawn their kids from school and taking over their education. As a veteran homeschool mom of 23 years, this makes me beyond happy. Homeschooling was one of the very best decisions we made for our family. We decided to homeschool when Taylor was 4. She’s 28 now…so it was at a time when no one had heard about it and most people (even our family) thought we were crazy! Now that 2 out of 3 of our girls have children of their own, they are both planning to homeschool. (We homeschooled all the way from birth until their high school graduation.)

I want to share a few things that helped our family.

1. My goal was to teach my girls God’s word, to love Jesus, love to read and to learn to think for themselves. It’s so important to have a goal when you begin because you will hear lots of opinions and you will see so many different families doing different things. But if it doesn’t line up with your family’s goal…don’t pursue it! There are sooooo many great things out there…you don’t need to pursue all the things!
2. ⁣Create a culture of honor and respect in your home. If your child is struggling to obey or honor you or their siblings, it’s okay to pause the lessons and work on character and making sure they listen, obey, and respect each other. Taking time to do this now, will make things much easier as the year progresses.
3. You don’t need to re-create school. My first year we had a school room. I even had my kids stand every morning to say the pledge. I’m not saying that was bad or that a school room is bad…but I was recreating “school” instead of an atmosphere of learning all the time! My mindset was very much about the institution of school. “School” isn’t just between the hours of 8-3, you are always learning and teaching. We ended up doing our school on the couch or kitchen table most of the time.⁣
4. Have fun! These are the best days! Give yourself and your kids grace. If you are having a bad day, go outside. Take a break. Go for a walk. Pick up a good book and read aloud! Reading aloud is the one thing that my girls will always remember!! I heard a speaker say one time that all you need is a library card and a good math curriculum!! (Our library stopped carrying the classics and exchanged it for books with a worldview of witchcraft. Be careful with what your kids read.)

A friend mentioned that they wanted to homeschool but they were worried that they wouldn’t teach their kids everything they need to know. I believe every person thinks that when they begin. You may not teach them everything they need to know, but I know that God made you the parent and what He calls you to do, He will equip you through it. It is okay to learn along with your child. I heard someone say that homeschooling was like a hammock. You are supplying your child with the foundation (like the rope in the hammock.) There may be some holes but you are laying the foundation for your child to love learning and to think for themself and that will sustain them in life. There are so many resources now, that if there is something that isn’t your gift (for me it was Science) you can get an online course or hire it out!!

By request, I will be adding my favorite books for children this week. Stay tuned….

Hey mamas, I’m wishing you all the best.