Why We Chose to Homeschool: A Look into Our Decision, Concerns with Public Schools, and Curriculum 

I think you will be happy as long as the kiddos go along with it. I homeschooled a grandson that I inherited due to his mother's death while she was pregnant. He was saved, but only weighed 2 lbs. There were lots of trials. It will be 24 years this Nov. I schooled him until 7th grade, and at that time he wanted to try public school. He says he learned more at home than he ever learned in public school. I gave up my nursing program to invest in him. He tells me everyday how thankful he is and how much he loves me. He is very successful today. I'm sure your girls will excel at home. I'll be interested to follow how they like it.

So glad you decided to do homeschooling We have been homeschooling our youngest granddaughter from kindergarten. Since her dad and his new flavor of the month wanted her to attend public school, but the school she would attend has a D- rating, and that is not excepted for education. She does attend a Bible based teaching two days a week that is taught by retired teachers that believe what is being taught is lies and mind controlling. She is in third grade now and loves it. Proud of you

I was dragged into homeschooling my daughter kicking and screaming--chronic illness is not something the public school system deals well with. It was bumpy for awhile (newbies at the 9th/10th grade mark!!) My best advice--give yourself grace for the first few months; there's no "behind" in homeschooling. It will take awhile to adjust and figure it out. Within a year, you'll realize it's the best decision you ever made and you'll (likely) decide to keep doing it! Good luck!

Jessica at Three Rivers Homestead has homeschooled her children for years. I’m sure she is a great resource.

I’ve been homeschooling for a few years and it’s the best thing I’ve ever done for my children. I pulled my daughter out at 3rd grade and within a month her spirit came back to life. It’s a blessing that I’ve been able to do this. Great books you’re using… I’m going to incorporate some of them. Absolutely loved this.

IM SO GLAD you made this video. we have been thinking about it giving the fact our town has already had multiple lock downs and shooting threats. Thanks for sharing that you also decided to home school. I will be showing this to my husband.

We homeschool our daughters, as our older sons went thru thr public schools. Best decision we have ever made. My oldeast daughter has Juvenile Rhemotid Arthritis and her treacher (who had my sons and had been teaching for 15 years) told me that she didn't know how to help her. My daughter hands would hurt when it was damp or cold out and she would have trouble writing. I went home from that meeting and told my husband we were pulling her. Never loooked back! Have used many programs love Master Books and The Good and the Beautiful. You are doing the right thing with your daughters. It will take time to find what works for your family I am sure you will do wonderful! We found a wonderful Homeschool that does field trips, usually 1 day a month. That has been a blessing too.

I applaud your decision to home school. I retired from teaching 14 years ago. I believe we have gotten wiser in recent years in understanding what's best for kids. If I were a young mother today I would do what you have done.

You two got this, homeschooling your kiddos ! I have been homeschooling for 4 years. I pulled my son out of a private school. While there are hard days, homeschooling is the best decision I have ever made for my son. Plus the time with your kids goes so quick. So enjoy the process & allow yourselves some grace in the process.

Oh my GOSH! I would take this to a higher authority. That behavior of asking if the child WANTS to homeschool(or whatever!), is how children get taken from families via CPS. You owe the school system NO explanation for your decision. I would definitely become a member of HSLDA this year...in case you hear from the public school again. That is not okay. I've been homeschooling for 21 years, and you would not believe the stories I hear about local school overreach in regards to homeschoolers. Some of it is just not knowing the homeschool law...some is definitely more "nefarious". Anywho...lol😂...I'm so excited for you guys! You will love it, and there are lots of homeschooling groups on FB, etc..who are a wealth of knowledge and inspiration. You will ALL do great!! ❤

I'm so proud of you for making this choice. I home schooled my Autistic grandson. From second grade until his senior year. He was nonverbal when we started . He requested to ho to school in his senior year. He wanted to walk the stage with others and he did that. Obe of my proudest days .

I was homeschooled growing up and like you didn’t love it but I just missed the social part of public school. I have been subbing this year and while our schools aren’t exactly like you described there I am wanting to pull my kids out and homeschool them even more than I wanted to before. Congratulations on taking that step and thank you for the encouragement!

Good for yall! I homeschooled for several years, and it was such a blessing to our family. We currently do a private school/ homeschool hybrid (2 home, 3 at short day school) and love it. Set realistic expectations, don't feel pressured to recreate "traditional school" at home, and give yourselves and each other grace through the adjustment. There will be tears-- by all, lol-- but it can be such an amazing experience!

“I cannot in good conscious put my kids in our public school system knowing it goes against everything we teach at home” This part got me emotional. We just enrolled our kids in public school for the first time after homeschooling last year. Homeschooling was always the plan, then I made a really quick rash decision to put them in school just a few weeks before school started. We are in the process of pulling them out now. Thank you for sharing your story. This made me feel not as guilty for enrolling them and quickly pulling them out.

We've been homeschooling for 7 years, and I have Never regretted my decision to take them out of public school! We also really liked the school they went to, it was the school my husband and I both went to but I knew this was not what I wanted for my family, my son is also very smart but was making horrible grades in school, especially in math, I took him out in 6th grade and within 2 months he was doing high school math at home, you know your children better than anyone and you are the best teacher your children will ever have !

Congratulations on your decision to homeschool! I was a public school educator before deciding to stay home with my littles. We sent my son to kindergarten and he was having panic attacks at drop off! I had always thought about homeschooling but as an extreme "rule follower" and "people pleaser" I was afraid to do it because I didn't know any one else who was doing it and it didn't feel like the "proper" thing to do. But after that kindergarten year, I just wanted to keep my babies close so we decided to homeschool and it was the best decision we've ever made. It is hard! And some days are just plain defeating! But I'm so happy and my kids are so happy with the way things are now. We also resonate with the Charlotte Mason style of educating and your rhythm and curriculum sound a lot like ours! I think you have a great spread and balance for your kiddos! My favorite project that we did last year was practicing using a ruler to measure planting beans around a bamboo teepee. The kids had a cool fort for the whole summer and my little 1st grader measured and grew everything himself! It was a magical first year for us. I hope you all have a blessed first year as well❤

I sent both my children to public school. Now they are in their 30s. The country and things are definitely different now than they were when my children were young. I’m very proud of you and your husband for taking charge of your children’s lives and trying to make things work. Like you said some people don’t have that luxury and they have to choose public school. The girls look happy and you are at peace with your decision. That’s all that matters. Good video!

You made the right decision to home school. My sister did homeschooling and it was great. Glad you are teaching cursive as that is very important in signing documents. I know public schools are not teaching cursive anymore. Many blessings on your new adventure with the girls. Looking forward to some updates with the girls. You guys are awesome!

Just graduated my last baby last year from homeschooling! Our first baby went to public school for kindergarten and that was enough to know that type of environment wasn't for us! Give yourself grace and don't make it harder than it needs to be knowing you've already taught them the hard stuff- how to walk, talk, eat and use the restroom! Homeschooling is life schooling! Blend it in naturally and enjoy every moment! It goes by so fast! So happy you are on this adventure of making memories while learning through life. From one homeschool 24/7 together family to another (local to you btw) THE DAYS ARE LONG BUT THE YEARS ARE SO SHORT... enjoy it all!

Three Rivers Homestead would be a wonderful resource, she has one starting college

Good for you! Our school system is totally broken. I helped my daughter-in-law homeschool my two granddaughters We started with pre-school and they both went to college. It was a privilege to be able to enjoy being a grandmother and teacher. We went on field trips and learned so many things together. Thank God for teacher manuals! My DIL attended a conference just for parents discussing homeschool curriculums (each summer). They had classes and vendors where you could check out the different styles and ask questions. Each girl had a different style of learning and Carol was able to discuss this with the curriculum vendor so she could properly choose which curriculum would be best. My granddaughter are now in their mid twenties and we often talk about the experiences we had. There was a lot of social interaction as we belonged to a group of homeschoolers. My one granddaughter took voice lessons and she was in so many plays. The other learned piano and we went to many recitals. It was a wonderful experience and my advice would be to check around and see if a parent could buddy with other parents to create a homeschool community. I can't imagine teaching in a classroom style but I can imagine teaching two or three children at the same time. Hope this helps. Mary Born, ND. Also, besides being able to attend to bodily functions, the girls were able to eat nutritious food and have water whenever they wanted to.

My daughter used the same botany and chemistry books. My granddaughter loved it. You're right there are so many choices of curriculum. Take your time the first year, be willing to make changes if needed. You all will be blessed.❤🙏

Many prayers for your new adventure!

We are also kind of CM but nature school on Fridays and we love the heart of Dakota. The first half of the year is Bible history and the second half is American history and they’re all super fun picture books have a five year old and we’re new to homeschooling too!

We have been using apologia for science also and math. My middle daughter is a hands on learner and is in 3rd grade. Masterbooks is a great place to start for new homeschooling, and it is very Charlotte Mason style. We use not grass history. If you have a struggling reader or with dyslexia All About Reading and All About Spelling is amazing! Another great place to get unit studies is Gather Round Homeschool.

I am a second generation homeschooler and although it was my whole schooling career, its a whole new level when it comes to being the teacher and so I feel very much like a newbie as well. I had a great experience with homeschool growing up which has influenced my choice to do it for my own kids. My oldest is in the 1st/2nd grade level and we are using the Charlotte Mason philosophy as well which we love! It sounds like you guys are doing great! Best of luck for the 24/25 school year for you all!

Good on you. I'm A former public school teacher turned homeschool mom. It's not easy but most things that are worth it take work.

I am so happy to hear you are homeschooling! I have homeschooled my grandson going on 5 years now. It’s the best decision we’ve made. We do a Christian based curriculum and love it! I also take him to a homeschool co-op at our church every Friday. I’ve been able to teach classes for art, sewing, gardening, botany, and first aid. It’s been a true blessing for us both. Hang in there! You will always have good days and bad days, but everyday will be full of love, faith, and family, building strong bonds with each other.

As an educator my philosophy is “ Play = Learning “ from pre-k through adulthood. If we think about it when we are expected to sit behind a table/ desk it is hard to keep my attention, but if learning is fun we excel! Good for you!

There is a wonderful podcast Called to Homeschool and it has helped me so much in my homeschool journey with my son. I also love The Good and Beautiful curriculum.

We have been homeschooling since 2012. Our oldest was completely homeschooled until last year. We all knew college wasnt going to be his thing, so his Junior year of HS we decided to let him go to the county trade school. He only does the trade classes, then finishes up his other lessons with us. May God Bless you on your journey ❤

Y’all are so full of Grace and so strong and encouraging. I truly admire you ❤🙌🏻✝️🕊️

We are in the same boat! Love that you shared this. We have been attending a farm school it’s great for a lot of reasons and allows us flexibility to do more focused work at home. We love Charlotte Mason blended with unschooling approach. We are living in a very different education system and world than when I attended public school in the 90s. There is so much room to be creative with learning (thank you internet). Would love to hear updates on your homeschool journey!

We just started the Yellow book in Learning Language Through Literature. This is our first year using this program and we are loving it.

❤homeschooling!! We are now in our 15th year homeschooling, have graduated one with four more to go. It's not always sunshine and roses but I wouldn't trade a single minute of it. Spending this time with our kids has been our best decision ever. We are very eclectic and live on a farm, so lots of outdoor learning going on here🐮🐔🐏🍎🍇🍓

I do NOT intend to be critical or be the odd ball out here, just sharing another perspective from a sister in Christ. :) We’re in our 5th year of homeschooling, I have 3 boys, one a baby, and in the beginning of our journey my oldest son used to geT SO anxious during times drills. I realized that tthat was an opportunity for discipleship and character building. It’s so good to learn to control ourselves under pressure. As adults, our children will need to learn how to handle pressure. Now a few years later, we pray beforehand and talk about “staying cool” under pressure bc he knows his facts. Now he isn’t afraid of tests or speed drills and We’re able to translate that life skill and trusting God in moments of pressure like David did before Goliath. It’s been a very beautiful journey. Y’all are doing a great job and I’m so glad for this season y’all felt lead to homeschool. Our homeschooling verse hung in our school room is “Psalm 34:11, Come O children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.” Many blessings to you as you do this! Ps.. we’re also in Arkansas 🤍

I have homeschooled from the beginning. I have zero desire to have my kids worry about testing. My kids get to learn at their own pace, one teen is in college courses at age 15, another is dyslexic and neurodivergent and were going at his slower pace. We have been blessed with all the possibilities that homeschool gives us as a family.

❤ My husband and daughter are teachers in public/private schools, but I LOVE the idea of homeschooling! During the school year and over summers I led homeschool on top of public school making mornings about animal/plant husbandry, book work afterwards, cater to the weather and opportunities each day - free museum day, at least one day trip every week - Charlie loves to cook so math is easily put into recipes and June is creative so remember to build art into her learning! ❤❤❤

We were thinking about homeschooling back before Covid happened. Covid gave us the push we needed to get started and we’ve not looked back! It has brought us as a family closer together ❤ It’ll be challenging, but it’s SO worth it!

Love you guys, and you are absolutely making the right decision. I was a single mom. I didn't have this choice. But if I did I absolutely would have home schooled my children and I could have as I have a degree. I totally wish that. I could have home school. My grandchildren, but my kids are not of that mindset as they went to public school.

We are a blended family. My two older girls are 27 and 24...my bonus babies are 12 and 14. When my girls went to school (albeit not that long ago) it was different. Now, with Jackson and Addison, it has become a nightmare. Over the last few years they have been exposed to extreme bullying and many more things that have affected their ability to just go to school and learn. Not to mention the uptick in violence/threats of violence in our schools. I too have many opinions on schooling and teachers getting involved where they shouldn't be...but that's for another day! Right now, we do not have much of a choice because we all work full time. I pray for the ability to just bring them home someday, and I pray for you guys and this new journey! 💛

Yay! I am so excited for you guys! I am a second generation homeschooler. I have a son in 3rd grade and my daughter in 1st. This year we found a Christian biased co-op and it has been the best decision I have ever made. Every week we get together and the kids have made soooo many friends and I have too! Something I honestly never expected was how wonderful it has been for me. The support, the love, the advice. It makes me cry just thinking about it. Do it!! You are both doing such a wonderful job. Truly. You realized the problem, you trouble shoot and you address it. You did that!! Please give yourself grace to learn as well throughout this process. You will have good days where everything clicks and then the very next day everything feels so off. But isn't that life? Don't ever make it feel like it is a reflection on you. It definitely isn't. Reading, writing, and math are our daily focus then we tuck in the other topics to round those out and we have a beautiful, learning system and my children are excelling academically and socially. Don't ever fear your parent heart. God will give you what you need through the resources available to us in this free world to do our jobs at the best of our ability. You got this! I am happy for you and will always be in your corner to cheer you on! Wahoo!

Congratulations! You guys would probably enjoy the Tuttle Twins books. They're a really great read for any age and teach so much helpful information that's sometimes left out of the public school system. We have all the readers and the two history books, and highly recommend them.

I have loved you guys since you first helped animal sit for Jess and Miah. I cried when I found out you were going to be taking over their homestead in Arkansas. I was so happy that good people would be stewarding what they started. I am also a public school teacher in NC. I came to this career late, in my mid 30s, and this is my 21st year. I have taught 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades. At the beginning of every year there are always preassessments we have to do to determine where students are so that we can create a plan to help them. That may be why students were given videos to view. The teacher was probably doing 1:1 assessments and needed students to remain on task while they worked with individuals. Where I am now, we have a curriculum for math and reading that doesn’t allow for the kinesthetic and naturalistic learning I believe is good for our children. Children do need to be moving around and getting involved in nature. I try to make this better through the field trips we offer our students. I still am not allowed to do what I think is best, but I stay because the children in my neighborhood who have no other choice for education, need me. Above all I preach and teach about being kind to others and showing empathy because we never know what some students may be going through. Not everyone can learn on grade level, but everyone can learn to be nice to each other. Luckily, I live in a rural community. Based on the make up of my class each year, we may talk about what Jesus would do. Every once in a while, we get students from another country, but I can always have them think about what their higher power would want them to do. It is a fine line, but I do it. I understand why you decided to homeschool. I love you guys. Now and always!❤

So glad to hear about the home schooling. There are other homesteading families that do the same. Three Rivers Homestead have always home schooled their children and she's expecting #9!! Also, Answers in Genesis has really good curriculum for home schooling families too. Next time let us know, we love to help wherever we can. Hug all three for me, love y'all. You've taught us so much! God bless!

This makes me so happy. When the Lord blesses us with children, I hope to be able to homeschool. I’m so skeptical of what the public school system will teach my kids and how they will be treated. I’m so happy for you guys! You are amazing parents 🥰 keep up the great work. Your babies will remember the memories forever.

Homeschooled all 3 of our kids, and two out of the three went to college. We don't regret at all and would do again.

Congratulations on coming to a satisfactory solution for your kids. I’m sure this will work fine, and they will love it.

I’m just wrapping you in my thoughts with hugs and love. What a gift you have given your family.

Thank you for acknowledging the privilege of being able to make the decision to homeschool. I appreciate your honesty.

Congratulations! We are in our 5th year of homeschooling. My children had attended private Christian school prior to starting our homeschool journey. We gravitate towards the Charlotte Mason style learning as well. It is more in line with how we learn as adults. Never in my adult life have I opened a text book and then taken a test to demonstrate mastery. Now that said, my son is in 8th grade and taking Algebra with integrated geometry and there are quizzes and exams. In junior high we did add science tests to our Apologia science. We have a lot of discussions and spend much of our day reading. Once they hit 6th grade my children start writing papers weekly. In seventh grade they write their first research paper and this year we have added writing responses to literature. All this is to prepare them for career and possibly college, should they make that choice. We use Sonlight and it has been a great fit for our family. The language arts follows the same philosophy as Learning Language Arts Through Literature. We take each year as it comes. This year we added co-op (well more like tutor based learning taught by professionals). Both of my children take art taught by an artist and my son is in robotics, which is taught by an engineer. Customizing learning based on their skills and interests, focusing on mastering concepts before moving to the next concept, and having a natural learning environment that focuses on Christ, character, and life skills are our primary reasons for homeschooling.

Yay!!! How exciting!! You will be fine, it can be challenging but so worth it. Once you get in your own rhythm and see the difference it makes, you will not want to have it any other way. We started in 2020. Good luck to you!preach it sister!❤

It's lovely to see the kids happy , wish wee had home schooling growing up , I hated school , just look how happy your kids are , yous are amazing parents , hope all works out , 😊 xx

Congratulations! You will fall into a routine before you know it. We always kept a short record of what we did each day just in case any questions should ever arise. This also gave us a count of how many days it took us to do the year. 😊 I know everything is different from state to state.

I applaud you, for your decision. I am glad that you are the parents who prioritize your children. Bravo ❤

I’m so thankful and happy for you!!!❤❤🎉🎉🎉🎉 my word I’ve always wondered why you didn’t and knew this was exactly where you would end up! So proud of you!😍😍❤️❤️

We are also homeschooling for the first time this year (5th, 3rd plus a preschooler and toddler at home) using a Charlotte Mason curriculum called the Alveary. Our kids were in a great Montessori school and people thought we were crazy for pulling them, but the more that the kids share about school that they hadn't shared before the happier I am that we pulled them. Way to go making the hard decision. You aren't alone 😊

AMEN!!! You made such an amazing decision! I am a homeschool mom of 14 years so far and I will never send them back for all the reasons you mentioned and more!! The school system is NOT for our kids!!!

Congrats on making the leap in to homeschooling. Covid started our journey!! Hugs to all of you

Please continue share videos about homeschooling and how you are managing schedules with a business, school and homemaking PLUS also running a farm. I am in that situation and struggling to meet all those needs.

We use mostly Master books! I'm so happy for your family!

I’m in a similar boat… last spring, I started feeling like we were on the wrong path. I never expected that we would homeschool but so far, it’s going good! I feel you in the “we don’t know what we are doing yet!” 😂 Thank you for being transparent. Prayers for your family. ❤

Teaching Textbooks has worked well for my girls. We love the paper books 📖

Hey y'all, CONGRATULATIONS on making a decision!!! Public school worked fine for me because I was very smart I was an A student all my life and I even skipped the second grade. Now my son was very smart but had such little confidence and he was an absolute perfectionist and would tear up papers because of a mistake rather than erase it because people could still see the mistake was there. We knew he needed to go to a Baptist school starting from Kindergarten. The number one item on the school supply lists for every single grade was a King James Bible. This is what they learned to read from. They taught phonics which I had a worked for me. By the second grade all these kids were reading sentences like according to the scriptures by using phonics. President Bush was on TV spouting how He wanted every kid to be able to read see spot run by the third grade and that was a joke to me. The very first lesson to learn was personal responsibility. No one in the public school has ever heard of this idea, wow what a concept, editorial comment. They were still trying to figure out how apes evolved from human beings and worms evolved from birds ect. Every person and family will need to do what is best for every single kid. Brother and sisters may need different tools and lesson plans. So for all y'all still making decisions just pray about it and listen for answers look for clues. If your child's best interests and God's will being followed all will go well. God bless all our school children esp the ones that are struggling.

I homeschooled both of our kids through there highschool years and My daughter started in Middle school when she didn't want to go to public school anymore and was ready to start her homeschool journey. Best decision ever and wish I would have just started them both from grade school. Good for you for pulling them out of public school. I have worked in the schools for many years and it is getting harder and harder to try to teach kids with the larger classes and keep them all engaged. Too many kids don't take school seriously and that takes away from the kids who do want to learn. My DIL is a new teacher and she is starting to see what I have been telling her. I pray for the schools but also pray for the ones who want to be able to homeschool to be guided in that direction. All kids learn differently, bless you for doing what is best for your kids with their learning styles. They will be so successful. Remember if the day is a rough day that it is ok to just go out into nature and let the kids soak that up and then get back to the school work the next day if that is what it takes. Nature is a really good place to teach and it doesn't feel like a classroom

Haven't looked through any of the other comments to see if anyone else has suggested it, but I have just started kindergarten with Gentle and Classical for my oldest, using their Primer curriculum, and we're really enjoying it. Two others I seriously considered were Gather Round's preschool / kindergarten options, and also My Father's World's kindergarten. I may still switch over to My Father's World sometime in the future, but for now I'm really liking the richness of the Gentle and Classical curriculum

What helped us when we first started homeschooling was advice from another homeschool mom: Have a motto/goal that you can fall back on for when things fail you (and they will fail you) so you don’t just throw up your hands and quit. For example, our Mission Statement is: I will use my mind for solving problems and my soul to be benevolent, which will help my entire person to become the best unique me! The idea behind this mission statement was for our kids to have a problem solving, empathetic/giving attitude, and being true to themselves. That’s what we wanted for our kids. So if something wasn’t/isn’t serving those 3 things, we would pivot and try something else.

You won’t regret it! Love that y’all made this decision ❤

Best choice you ever made i think. Will be Praying for your family. You both can do it. We all have good/bad days and so do kids even babies. Keep on doing what your doing, its great !❤

You’re such great parents! You know your kids best ❤ I feel public school teaches kids to be a cog in the wheel instead of free thinkers. If I had it to do over I would have homeschooled from the beginning ❤

Good for you!! I wish I could have had the opportunity to homeschool my kiddos. In today’s world I definitely would!! Kudos to you!!

Homeschooling is tough! We homeschooled both of our children after attempting public school. Not going into all the details that lead us in that direction. Our kids are now 32 and 27, and they are very productive members of society. They have AMAZING jobs and first and foremost they are accountable for their actions. I can go on, and on, and on. Just remember this, you will be questioned by many people, friends, and family "why," ......you never, I repeat, NEVER have to explain WHY you are doing what you do!!! Rock on!

Glad to hear that you are homeschooling your girls! ❤

Congratulations - I love all of your curriculum choices! For fourth grade you've got quite a well-rounded, full plate of learning adventures! I was a homeschooling mama for almost 20 years - the hardest, most rewarding job I have ever had! It's a challenging calling that will drive you to your knees in prayer - both in praise and in entreating God for wisdom and direction. Some words of wisdom shared with me that I'll gladly pass along - 1. Home education is the ultimate IEP - learn your child's learning style and gear your curriculum to your child. 2. Don't be married to a curriculum - if you end up hating it and your kids do too, just move on to something else. Don't feel guilty about wasting money - just move on. You can sell it if it makes you feel better. 3. Mid-course corrections are good - adjust as needed. Every season presents different challenges - and you can make school at home work around those. 4. The Rainbow Resource catalogue is a tremendous resource. 5. Don't compare - yourself, your kids, your choices. Just don't compare. It's never positive - either you'll be riddled with self-doubt or filled with pride. 6. If your curious about a typical secular course of study for each grade this is a free resource - www.worldbook.com/typical-course-of-study.aspx and lastly ... homeschool co-ops are really a wonderful support for both parents and children. It's always nice to know you are not alone - and it's especially helpful for new homeschool mamas! Enjoy the adventure!

Fellow homeschooling mama here🤚 Congratulations! My eldest is an adult. My advice is to prioritize relationships. Also, kids under 8 don't need formal lessons. Lot's of what you're doing is the way! Plenty fo outdoor time in nature, read alouds, time with mom and dad, exploration. The curriculum will never matter. They will only remember how they felt. Relationships over all.

The kids look so happy and so do you all! Good job guys! The only thing that popped into my mind is using my father’s world curriculum. It’s charlotte mason based. They have synergy guides to make it so all ages are doing the same curriculum for a bulk of the day then older kids switch for math or spelling or whatever and the younger kids do to. And they have stuff for real littles as well.

A Gentle Feast is a great comprehensive curriculum that coordinates multiple grades. She provides book lists for each subject. I have littles so I like doing school work with meals and snacks to keep everybody’s mouths and bodies busy and focused!

As a previous home schooling mom I recommend finding a homeschool enrichment group in your area. It will help your children meet other homeschoolers so they can have social interactions too.

omg this just makes me want to cry for those kids. I'm praying for your journey getting started with this. We don't have kids yet, but when we do this is definitely something we have considered. Thank you for sharing this ❤ you guys are both doing amazing and much such great leaders for your 3 kiddos

My oldest is autistic and I knew when we started Kindergarten, there was no way he would do well in our public school. We love homeschooling!!! I have grown so much as a parent and even understanding myself better through homeschooling the past almost 2 years. My son loves math, is on his own pace learning to read, and gets to spend everyday with his siblings!

Nailed you as a Charlotte mason mama from a mile away 😉

If you judge a fish by how it can climb a tree....... One of my children had chronic health issues, and it made me have to put her in online school. She was a junior in high school and graduated in three months because she could do it at her own pace.

For some reason I thought you’d homeschooled before! We’ve been homeschooling the last five years too… 4th and 1st grade this year. It’s NOT EASY but best decision EVER. We do the Charlotte Mason style as well, our curriculum is the Good and the Beautiful.

CONGRATULATIONS ON THE BEST MOVE YOU COULD EVER MAKE, REGARDING YOUR INVESTMENT IN YOUR CHILDREN!!!! ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤ 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏 GREAT JOB ON YOUR PROJECTS, GIRLS!!! 🥰🥰🥰🥰

Thanks for sharing this very helpful I just never knee all this was out there just never know where to start!!

I’m not judging the teachers heart or motive because that’s for the Lord only but the actions to take her aside and question your decision and ultimately you authority as her parents, sound all the alarms and all the red flags. Happy you made that decision and are at peace with it! We are currently homeschooling our youngest two (5 and 4). I have no advice as I’m barely hanging on because I also work full time but by the grace of God, that will change before next year. Thank you for sharing the curriculum and website you used. I’ll be checking that out for next year!

Real Cool History for Kids, is a great history podcast put out by Angela O’Dell! She wrote the math curriculum that y’all are using! Give yourselves buckets of grace for the first few years as you get it figured out! Love Campfire Curriculum’s Geography!

The good and the beautiful has worked for my family! My kids are doing so well using the curriculum.

Girl we are in the same level/same books with Ambleside online this year. I am loving these books and so are my kids. We are following the AO schedule exactly and adding Christian Light Education for math, good and beautiful for language arts (using it only for phonics for my youngest learning to read and for grammar and their shared parent/student readings for my oldest) it’s the best! We do map work, nature journal, and book of centuries for geography, history, science and art. We’re using Abeka for cursive and TGATB for typing. Ugh. Best year ever. Best life ever. Thank you Jesus for letting me raise and educate my own babies 🙌🏻

I am so happy for your children you two made this decision. I live in the Netherlands and it's not allowed to home school here. The system broke my two daughters, because our vision about how kids should develop (which is comparing to yours) was not compatible with the testing system of school which kids reduces to persons reproducing the asked answers and behaviour. Now my children are young grown-ups. Still so talented, but full of anxiety, low self esteem and doubting if there's a place for them in this world Almost daily I regret I didn't move to another country (which is a big decision ofcourse) where homeschooling was allowed. You are so right by saying the food system is broken but also the school system. Wish your family all the best with exploring this new adventure of healthy education.

My youngest daughter made the choice to Homeschool & it’s been fantastic for their family. Wonderful online programs available as well. In my opinion it’s a better education & flexible to meet everyone’s needs.

Congrats family. I myself pulled out 9 yr old son out in January of this year and we “deschooled” and are starting our first year of homeschooling. I just keep telling myself and my son I’m learning and we can learning together n it’s deff been one day at a time, I feel I’m all over the place and slowly getting there. We researched and ended up trying out the BJU press homeschooling online and I help teach along with his online program. It’s a Christian based program which is what I wanted. Public schools here where I’m at in FL have gotten sick and out of control and this year alone so far is so bad so I’m so glad we listened and researched and took the leap to try this out with our last child :) best of luck to you all and me 😉😉💪🏼💪🏼🙏🙏🙏 we got this

Loved this conversation.. hope you all have a great school year😊

🍎 I can’t speak for your childhood but I can say from watching your channel for years, whatever style or un-style your mother used…it worked. Look at you. 🎉You soar in whatever situation you’re placed in and/or you choose. Sometimes you realize, you don’t need to be “schooled” you just need an opportunity to explore. Do t get caught up in the curriculum and just learn with love. I chose to homeschool 19 years ago and just graduated my first still in the home school setting. Schooling at home looks different for everyone. 📚 👩🏼‍🏫

My sisters and I survived public school, mostly because my Mom was extremely involved and always knew what was going on in our classrooms. The administration trembled when she walked through the doors. They knew our beliefs and some teachers did try to challenge them, but we were so strong in our faith at home that we were able to counter them and for this reason, they knew that we were sharp as tacks. In 8th grade a teacher called himself “omnipotent” and asked if anyone knew ew what that meant. My sister said “Yes, but you are not omnipotent. There is only one who is omnipotent and that is God.” He challenged her on her faith 9n many occasions.

I was homeschooled and have home schooled my 13 children. If June is not reading yet y'all check out a book called Teaching Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. It is the best book ever. Also I bet you would love the Good and The Beautiful curriculum. Y'all enjoy the journey and don't be afraid to switch gears if something isn't working.

Jill I homeschooled my daughter through graduation. If you have any questions or want some fun ideas for the girls let me know. I didn't know you were homeschooled. You are going to be amazing at this part of your journey

SOOOOOO agree with 💯 of what you said! We pulled ours out this year also!

As a public educator, I had to laugh because I get "in trouble" because my kids are rarely at their desk working. I told admin, that the desks just get in the way of learning. Yet I have some of the highest test scores. So they can explain that.

Probably the best decision any parent can make. ❤ I pulled out my kids in 3rd & kinder. They're now both in college. (private christian) The time flies, and it's easier than most people assume, especially with all of the homeschooling resources available now. Early on, I read "A Well-Trained Mind" by Susan Wise Bauer, which convinced me to use the classical education method. I used that as my main homeschooling resource for many years.