Why do we homeschool?

How many times have I been asked that question? Way too many to answer! The reality is, I’m constantly thinking of new reasons as to why we do it. But at the heart of it are a few simple things.

1. We believe that time spent outdoors is a right of childhood, not a privilege.
2. We want to raise life-long readers.
3. We want to be able to meet our children’s individual needs.
4. Time. With my husband’s work schedule and the school schedule where we are, they would only see their dad for about an hour every day.

I have many other, small and large reasons. But, it really boils down to that. We want them to have time as a family, spend time outside, read and love good books (not stress about testing), and have a curriculum that fits their needs.

What kind of homeschoolers are we?

Eclectic, I would say. We lean Charlotte Mason, but are not strict. Just as we eat dessert on Sundays, we believe in some twaddle as dessert reads. I know not everyone agrees with that take, but that’s our approach. Mostly quality, living books with some fun, lighter reads sprinkled in for fun.

We also enjoy some aspects of a classical style. Unit studies make me happy. And sometimes we even use workbooks. I know. I know. To homeschool jail with me.

What curriculum do we use?

We use Catholic Schoolhouse as a loose spine. We’re not affiliated with any group, just use it ourselves. You’ll notice that we spend several weeks per “week” of CSH. We like to deep dive and spend more than a week on it. Sometimes three to five weeks. However long it takes to get to a point where they’re really grasping everything.

We use their outline and I plug in several books for each topic. We’re also using the Tuttle Twins History and Golden Book of American History this year. I tend to pick one or two history areas to focus on at a time.

We use Logic of English for language arts. Each girl is in their own level. We supplement with Word Roots, printables, and books about concepts. We use The Good and The Beautiful for math and add on games and extra worksheets for more practice as needed.

We do everything except math and language arts as a group. Phita’s school primarily consists of physical therapy and speech activities. She also sits and listens as well!