Want to homeschool?

I often get asked by others how to begin homeschooling. Many Military families are turning to this alternative because of our unique position that our spouse's job puts us in- frequent moves (sometimes to not very nice areas), having to find rental homes on short notice or only being able to keep a lease for 1 year and having to move again even though you are in the same area, a spouse that may be absent for at least half the year and overseas assignments where culture and language may be a challenge. Our family loves this adventure but it does come at a cost. My children always seemed to be the new kids at school, they also always seemed to be either ahead or behind in subjects depending on where we moved to. In Denver my son was doing great and within learning standards for school. From there we moved to Mississippi where he was ahead in all subjects but he was found to be behind in both reading and math for our move to Florida.... all of this was within a 3 1/2 year period!

To begin homeschooling, I suggest for the parent to first think of the reason why they want to homeschool. Is it because of frequent moves? Do you feel your child needs more one on one instruction? Is it due to bullying or problems within the school? Are you feeling called to homeschool due to religious or other moral  reasons? By answering the question "why" you will find the answer "how" because you can tailor your homeschooling to what YOUR family needs.

Next, find a curriculum that works for you. Don't be afraid to try many different styles- you may be shocked to find that what works for one child may not work with another. I personally am not big on only going with one curriculum. I have three kids and those three kids have three different learning styles and three different ways that motivate them. I guess I would be what is considered an eclectic homeschooler, meaning we have a modge podge of learning resources that we use.

Our core curriculum happens to be Time 4 Learning, designed by Compass Learning. I love it because it is a complete curriculum, it is portable, easy to use for both kids and parent and it is fun. During our big PCS to Japan all I had to bring was my laptop and the kids were able to complete their schoolwork everyday using T4L. In addition to T4L, we do supplement with other things throughout the year and I would love to share them with you so you can see just how diversified our family is!

• Squidward keeps a free writing notebook that he writes in everyday to build his writing skills
• Handwriting without Tears is used by my younger ones, both manual script and cursive. I love the letter building blocks and practice blackboard.
• We have done family unit studies before on the subjects of whales and food and enjoyed learning this way very much.
• I use Math U See to reinforce the learning objective in T4L in a way that the kids can use manipulative to actually see and physically do the math.
• Maps, globes, story cubes, chapter books, picture books, the internet, children's encyclopedias, flashcards, art supplies- all things that the kids are able to freely use at any time.
• I am also thinking of adding in some Winter Promise science activities, a company that takes a Charlotte Manson approach.

Also keep in mind that homeschooler do not necessarily have to do a normal 0800-1500 M-F school week with summers, federal holidays or mid year breaks- you can actually choose when you do school! We have been known to take a few days of during the week and go visit someplace cool (like Tokyo) and school on the weekends or we school in the evening. We have also been known to get up early in the morning, completed school and had the rest of the day to have fun! To outsiders, it must look like we never do anything but I can assure you, even in "non school" activities my kids are learning. Having a flexible schedule also allows us to spend time with The Chief when he is home, something that doesn't happen too often during this assignment. I remember how sad I was when we first arrived and watched the ship pull in but there were not many kids there to welcome their parent home because it was a school day. I couldn't imagine sending my kids to school for the entire day knowing that their Mom or Dad has been waiting so long to see them,and the kids are wanting nothing more than to see their parent. Just this last week, The Chief pulled in very unexpectedly and we ended up taking the day off of school to spend time with him, we just made it up after he left. I love this kind of freedom and think it really does help us become a happier and stringer family. Working through normal public school breaks also allows us to travel when others aren't which usually means less crowds and cheaper prices, plus we can usually tie any kind of travel into some kind of lesson plan! The options are unlimited!

Lastly, if you feel drawn to homeschooling, just do it! Give it a try and be willing to listen to your kids. Be willing to bend the rules on what you think school is. Try to be flexible and try things that may be new to you! Just keep in mind that it will take a little time for you and your kids to adjust and find what works for you. Also, it is ok if you don't have great days! Nobody is perfect and you aren't expected to be. There will be days that your kids don't want to school and days that you don't want to teach- it is ok and completely normal. Our move here was very stressful and the first few months in our home was pretty hard- both mine and my kids patience was shot and it took us a while to find our homeschooling groove again. There were days I wanted to throw in the towel but we stuck with it and it all worked out.

I would love to help you if you are interested in this option for your family. I can refer you to many resources that have helped me in the past too :)