Homeschooling

Homeschooling has come a long way since the 1980s. Of course, we know that originally home education began way before then. In the United States, the first homeschools began within the families of the early settlers. Children learned important life skills along with reading, writing, and math. During this time period, children learned from their parents and older siblings. The main focus was the family unit, establishing good morals and values. It wasn’t until the 1980s when the successes and benefits of homeschooling became more evident therefore gaining the attention of the media. During that time the media began running stories about the growing homeschooling phenomena.

Growth

Homeschooling began to grow. As it made a widespread reach, books began to be printed and research was documented. By the mid-1990’s the number of home-educated children had grown to 600,000. Fast forward to 2019 there are now approximately 2 million who are now embracing this lifestyle. These numbers are according to the National Household Education Surveys Program also known as Parent-NHES. The modern movement of homeschooling is becoming more widespread and socially acceptable. As we continue to embrace home education going into 2020 and beyond it is important to make meaningful connections. We are currently seeing an increase in homeschool networks and groups. Some of those groups are found locally and some are online. One thing they all have in common is that they are vital to your homeschooling success. With safety concerns on the rise and the increase in local school district rules more parents are opting to give homeschooling a try. Single parents are also turning to homeschool more often right now. I want everyone who reads this to understand they are not alone. There are many single parents who desire to homeschool and maybe just need to know it’s possible! I am happy to share my wisdom with you to help give you hope 🙂

Community

You know that adage, “it takes a village to raise a child?” I believe it’s completely true. However, not all communities are equal. With all the crazy indoctrination going on in the public school arena and society as a whole, we need to establish, connect and join like-minded communities. The healthy consistent fellowship of others is necessary for homeschool parents and children alike. A robust community should include engagement, encouragement, and a safe place where you can ask questions. It should be a place that you can go to and vent when you need it and have others who understand the struggles you have. They understand because they have once been there too. They receive you with open hearts and arms and do not make you feel condemned. We all need help, encouragement, and support for this homeschooling adventure. Life is better when we have people to share it with. The good the bad and everything in-between is embraced in a vibrant, healthy community. If you are looking for a supportive online community you can join ours here!

Reasons to homeschool

Creating a list of pros and cons can help establish a solid mindset for you. Deciding on homeschooling doesn’t rest on the fact of how your friends and extended family members see it. It’s a personal decision that only you will eventually conclude of. So ask yourself, is the right thing for your family? Only you will know this answer. Grab a pen and paper and begin to ask yourself the following questions. Do your children need more one-on-one attention? Do they learn better in quiet surroundings? Maybe your children need more opportunities to direct their own learning. Does your family enjoy learning and discovering together? These are just a few questions to ask yourself as you begin your homeschooling journey. One of the main reasons people chose to homeschool is to have the ability to pass down morals and value systems to their children. As parents we know our children best, we know and understand what they need most. Depending on your unique situation and season homeschooling may be the best thing for your family even if at times it feels scary. That’s why I am here to help you. Not only do I offer a free online community but I also offer homeschool consultations for those who need a little help getting started. To schedule, a free 30-minute consult email me at sweetsavvymamma@gmail.com

Connecting with your child

The single most important thing you can do when starting this homeschool journey is to reconnect with your child. If your children have previously been in a traditional school they will need some time to decompress. Switching from traditional schools to homeschool life will take time. It’s important to know what to expect so the transition will be smooth. We have to think about what the child was accustomed to during a typical school day. They were used to rushing and having to focus on one subject for about 45 minutes and then hearing a bell ring and switching gears to then focus on another subject for 45 more minutes. All of this with a bunch of commotion happening around him with other kids who may or may not be behaving in class. This child who to the hustle and bustle may be feeling kinda lost after being homeschooled for the first few months. This is completely normal. Up to this point for the child being home most likely meant holidays, summer vacation staying up past bedtime, and sleeping in late. When starting a homeschool lifestyle it’s really important to develop a structure but not so strict of a schedule that it doesn’t allow for creativity and spontaneous learning experiences.

Setting up homeschool

The most beautiful thing about homeschooling is the flexibility of scheduling. Understanding this concept is going to help you come to grips with the fact that some days will be wonderful and other days will be less than promising. Depending on your unique parenting season and what’s going on in your life at the time you may actually go a few weeks without doing any formal school at all. Life happens to all of us and it’s important to give yourself tons of grace. Whatever you do try to stay out of panic mode! Being stressed out because of comparison will not help matters it will only make things worse and it will cause your joy to wither up and die. So my advice to you when setting up your homeschool structure is to do it in a way that works for you and your family. Take it from someone who has experience in this area. I was the PTA president at my kid’s public school before starting this homeschool adventure over 7 years ago! When we first began I was trying to duplicate traditional school at home and that only left us stressed, miserable, and wondering if I was completely losing my mind. I do not recommend trying that method. I recommend starting slow with a library card and visiting the library once a week to start. During times of social distancing, you can check out books online via your local library’s website. Start a morning routine of breakfast time, family devotional, and maybe a nice walk in your neighborhood or a few minutes of backyard playtime. If your kids are super active turn on a bit of music and let them dance while you prepare the food. Setting up structure doesn’t have to be drab and boring.

Flexible scheduling makes it easy

We have tried so many different ideas for scheduling over the past 8 years of homeschooling. Most of them sounded good but then when it came time to implement them they flopped. This was true until we tried block scheduling. Once I implemented it everything seemed to run smoother. Setting up homeschool with this type of scheduling has worked so well for us. Now that my kids are older they have taken most of the responsibilities themselves. ( with reminders of course!) Using a block schedule is simple, flexible, and can be used no matter what the ages of your children are. Sounds like a no-brainer right? To use this block-type schedule, you will need to think about things you must do every single day. Starting with basic things like what time will you wake up, what time will your kids wake up? What time do you usually eat breakfast, lunch and then finally dinner? Starting with these simple tasks that you do daily will help to create your blocks of time. Scheduling meals is a wonderful starting point because everyone has to eat! Start simple and add a few subjects in between meals. This will help you to divide up your day. Here are some examples:

• Breakfast, Devotional, Outdoor time, Math
• Lunch, Reading, English, Afternoon Chores, History
• Dinner, Family Time, Nighttime Routine

Now it’s all up to you! I hope you have found the information helpful. Let me know if you decide to give homeschooling a try. Reach out to me at sweetsavvymamma@gmail.com and let me know 🙂

Happy Homeschooling,

xoxo- Krissy