Building Your Homeschool: Educational Approach, Learning Style, Curriculum & House Rules

As more and more families choose to homeschool, online homeschool groups are a wash in questions about where to begin from new homeschool parents feeling out of their depth, confused, and often frantic about this major step into the unknown. One mistake I often see is that parents are jumping right into picking curriculum before they have created a solid vision for what kind of education they want to build in their homes. My first advise would be to slow down, take a breath, let the kids play, and start journaling. Let your kids have some unschooling time while you discover what you want to accomplish with them, what matters most to your kids and your family, and discover the educational approach is the best fit for your family life and children's needs. Hopefully this post will get your creative inspiration flowing.

Ponder & Journal These Questions to Begin to Building Your Homeschool:

• Why are we homeschooling?
• What is the purpose of education?
• What are our education goals for our child?
• What kind of home environment do we want to build to foster our home education goals?
• When it comes to my child's development as a human begin, what matters most?
• When it comes to my child's education, what matters most?
• What am I able to provide my child?
• What am I uniquely capable of offering based on my unique talents, interests, and abilities?
• How will I incorporate my unique talents, interests, and abilities into my child's education?
• What does my child need right now, and what can I do to help him?
• What is developmentally appropriate for my child?
• Where do you want to be in 4 or 5 years? 
• What skills does my child need to reach their desires?
• How does my child learn best — kinesthetic, auditory, visual?
• What goals should I set for this year?
• What plans do I need to reach this year's goals.

*Husbands and wives should counsel about these things together

*You may need to take time to get to know your child, if you haven’t been homeschooling you may be surprised how much you don’t know about them and their learning style.

I recommend that you and your spouse begin ordering your homeschool using principles taught by Nicholeen Peck in her book: "Parenting A House United: Changing Children's Hearts and Behaviors by Teaching Self-Government"

On Developmental Research: "How Children Learn" by John Holt.

COMMON EDUCATION METHODS & PHILOSOPHIES:

Classical Education: Classical education can be summarized simply as a set of skills (the Trivium) and a core content of knowledge. A classical education is based on the skills described by the Trivium (Latin for “three roads”). These “three roads” are grammar, dialectic, and rhetoric. Grammar skills involve memorization of facts that students will use in later stages of their education, and is the key focus in early education. As children mature, they become less interested in memorizing facts and more interested in understanding them. They have moved out of grammar and into the dialectic stage (ages twelve through fourteen). Finally, when students reach the rhetoric stage (ages fifteen through eighteen) they will be interested in self-expression. They are encouraged to deliver speeches and to teach others what they have learned; compose arguments on paper by refining their ability to write academic essays, and develop the ability to persuade others of the truth of your arguments. The skills of a classical education—grammar, dialectic, and rhetoric—can be applied to learning any new subject. However, the pursuit of a classical education also involves the best ideas of western civilization. Unlike most modern curricula, a classical student reads works by classics such as Plato, Homer, Virgil, and Shakespeare and studies Latin, logic, and philosophy. Some examples of this educational approach are "Classical Conversations" and the "Well Trained Mind."

Charlotte Mason Method: The Charlotte Mason method is a hybrid of classical education ideas and new age applications. It is based on Charlotte’s firm belief that the child is a person and we must educate that whole person, not just his mind. So a Charlotte Mason education is three-pronged: in her words, “Education is an Atmosphere, a Discipline, a Life.” By “Atmosphere,” Charlotte meant the surroundings in which the child grows up. A child absorbs a lot from his home environment. Charlotte believed that the ideas that rule your life as the parent make up one-third of your child’s education. By “Discipline,” Charlotte meant the discipline of good habits—and specifically habits of character. Cultivating good habits in your child’s life make up another third of his education. The other third of education, “Life,” applies to academics. Charlotte believed that we should give children living thoughts and ideas, not just dry facts. So all of her methods for teaching the various school subjects are built around that concept.

The Montessori method: is an educational approach developed by Italian physician Maria Montessori. It has been popular all over the world for over 100 years. The approach focuses on independence, hands-on learning and a thoughtfully prepared environment that allows the child to grow in all the main developmental areas. Montessori Method follows these 7 principles; 1) Play is work, 2) Create an environment of order, 3) Teach a child responsibility & independence, 4) Learn through experience (hands-on-learning), 5) Careful observation of the child to determine their interests and inspire them to learn based on those interests, 6) Freedom within limits, and 7) Respect between child and parent.

"Well Trained Heart" Homeschool Philosophy: This philosophy focuses on first nurturing and educating the heart through the use of art, music, good literature, and nature. In doing this, the child’s heart develops a love of learning, and future learning becomes a love and a lifestyle, not a chore. This philosophy holds that you cannot educate the mind until you educate the heart. To see how this concept differs from the Classics and Charlotte Mason's approaches, you can learn more at their website here.

TJED Homeschool Philosophy: If Classical Education and Unschooling had a baby, it’d be Thomas Jefferson Education. The Thomas Jefferson Education (TJEd) philosophy of education emphasizes mentoring and teaching children how rather than what to think or learn. The goal is for students to develop a love of learning in an atmosphere that fosters their natural ability to reason, question, explore, and experiment. In essence, the educational process becomes more organic as parents tailor-make lessons around each child’s passions and interests. TJEd is a unique homeschooling approach whose focus is on helping children find their true calling in life. It’s much more of a lifestyle than a method or curriculum.

Unschooling Philosophy: Unschooling is an educational philosophy that relies on a child’s innate curiosity and desire to learn. It is a natural way of learning for children based on child-led learner-chosen activities (not following any curriculum) and allows student interests and natural curiosities to drive learning. It’s an alternative to traditional school and homeschooling and allows children to control their own education and trusts kids to follow a learning instinct. The philosophy is based on the theories and teachings of John Holt–that allows children freedom in learning from doing and experiencing away from curriculum or a strict school schedule.

Forest School Homeschool Method: Forest School is an innovative approach that places nature at the forefront of learning. It is a progressive, alternative education model held almost exclusively in the outdoors. It is a child-centered learning process, that offers opportunities for holistic growth through outdoor play and exploration. It encourages child-driven play, exploration and supported risk taking. It develops confidence and self-esteem through hands-on experiences in a natural setting. Its roots reach back to the open-air culture, friluftsliv, or free air life, seen as a way of life in Scandinavia where Forest School began.

Unit Studies Method: This isn't a educational philosophy, but it fits nicely into several philosophies that emphasize the child's interests over a set curriculum. In unit studies, you build an education based on bite size courses that follow your child's interests. If their interested in sharks, you delve into the subject in every direction and usually create projects to solidify the learning into something tangible they can show for what they have learned. Think of a science fair project, but now expand that to any subject under the sun. Unit studies are flexible, fun, creative, and help fuel a love of learning.

Traditional Text Book Methods: Most traditional curriculums are highly scripted and structured. Most have significant book work and/or workbooks. This educational approach is well know and predictable and is most like what most of us are used to from our public school educations. Traditional text book curriculums can make it hard for homeschoolers to make something unique out of their homeschools, but not all. As more and more families choose to homeschool, the homeschool curriculum options have expanded greatly, and with these producers tailoring their textbooks and curriculum to the desires of homeschool families, many are compatible with a variety of innovative homeschool methods and philosophies.

Online Courses & Online Schools: There is a wide variety academic offerings online these days. There are full service online schools that give parents a nearly hands-off homeschool instruction option, but most of these are incompatible with the homeschool methods and philosophies discussed above. A full online school enrollment is much more like doing public school at home, however, there are many online curriculums and courses that are a good fit for more classical and/or holistic approaches to education. Some families use online courses and curriculum in an al-le-cart way. Outschool.com is meeting that niche. Here families can enroll in online unit studies that fit a specific need or interest. There are other types of online tutorials that are used to meet a specific need in an al-le-cart way. Many families utilize online schools like Khan Academy, but rather than using the school for all of their subject area needs, they pick and choose which subjects they want from that online options. Online options have expanded the horizons of homeschool resources and almost every homeschooler today does some part of their education online.

Eclectic: Most homeschools are eclectic, which means that they don't usually stick to one set philosophy, method, or curriculum. Especially those who homeschool more than a couple of years, which may be a tip to families new to homeschooling. It isn't surprising that parents desire to provide their children with customized education, are likely to pick and choose their methods and resources as to best fit each child. Most homeschool families create their own homeschool approach out of parts they pick up from different methods, their own family culture, and their child's unique learning styles.

Some Sound Advice in Your Curriculum Search:

I generally advise new homeschoolers to be careful about choosing box set curriculums that advertise every subject you need for a particular grade in one box, most of the time these purchases come with a great deal of buyers remorse. As you approach curriculum buying:

• Search by subject.
• Look for curriculum and resources that fit your homeschool philosophy & methods.
• Use your child's learning style to guide your choices.
• Ask other homeschoolers what they have liked and not liked about particular curriculum.
• If you can find someone local who uses a particular curriculum you are interested in, ask them if you can drop by and see the curriculum. 
• Attend curriculum fairs.

Curriculums Aren't Always Necessary, Think Outside the Box:

Use read-aloud, study & discussion to help children learn to read, think, and study.
Work on projects together to strengthen bonds and teach children how to develop their talents – garden together, quilt, build something, etc.

Take care of plants and animals.

Get into nature together.
ART is learning, create something together. 
Listening to songs and stories together.
Engage in imaginative play.

Storytelling activities like skits

Do puzzles together.
Read picture books with themes in history & culture.

Read historical fiction.

Read classic literature from other periods of history.
Do unit studies in areas of interest, explore multiple sources: videos, books, museums, hands-on science experiments, etc.

Teachers Have Classroom Management, Homeschools Have Home Management!

Chaos in the home is an antidote to learning, so getting this right is the most important ingredient to building your homeschool. Earlier in the blog post I recommended the book "Parenting A House United: Changing Children's Hearts and Behaviors by Teaching Self-Government", I cannot stress more how important the principles in this book have been to the success of my parenting and homeschool, and not that only, the principles are the foundation of happy family life. Here are a few more important pillars of parenting that will make for a rich home life and an effective homeschool:

• Start everyday with the LORD and no matter what that day brings you will have peace. Don’t be so distracted by the world that you don’t communicate with God & family.
• Boundaries & consequences are essential elements of individual growth and family peace. In the game of family life, sometimes the players will get mad at the ref, but in the end everyone knows the rules of the game and the role of the ref to enforce the consequences.
• When you are trying to “change someone,” control tactics will not work. Provide your child as much choice and autonomy as possible while making the consequences consistent and predictable for all.
• If you are doing too much for your child, you’re “enabling” behavior will be destructive. Children learn helplessness when parents pick up all the pieces of their child's failure.
• Kids need to meet deadlines, show up for appointments, so create daily routines and monthly plans to hold your kids accountable.
• Require boredom!! Everyone needs a time-out on electronics & tasks. At least one hour a day, one day a week, and one week a year – Go without electronics or entertainment!
• Teach them, don’t tell them. Teaching is discovery, it is making tangible connections through doing and thoughtful learning. Telling is downloading information and will not result in learning.
• Yelling is a very dangerous choice for the regular frustrations of parenting. Yelling should be for safety, when you are yelling it should be because someone's life is in danger and the yelling might save them. Yelling and lecturing is a punishment, but it is a very poor one.

*Read my article: "Stop the Homeschool Fights & Instill Independence in Your Child's Learning"

Remember what I said at the beginning, take a breath, slow down, let the kids play, and give yourself time to discover what matters most, what you want to accomplish, and how you want to accomplish it. Homeschool is a journey and there is no need to hurry!

The GOLDEN rules of Homeschool

This blog post came about as an answer to a request that I compile what I, as a veteran homeschool mother and now grandmother, would consider the best homeschool advice for a new homeschool parent. I've written many blog posts about a variety of education topics, and many are specific to homeschool. Most of them contain practical advice on topics that are often the subject of discussion on social media threads, but this post is something special. Here you will read about what matters most. This is not a discussion of curriculum, methods, or specific educational philosophies. These are those golden rules of homeschool that can be applied universally because they are simple true for successful family life.

My Golden Rules of Homeschool:

Comparison is the thief of JOY! Comparisons keep us from what we could be doing because we are distracted by how we think we measure up to what others are doing. As parents we often feel a lot of pressure to have our kids on "grade level," marching in-step or ahead of other kids and/or their public school peers. To get off to a good start in homeschooling, throw out the public school paradigm, including the "grade level" standards and build a meaningful and successful homeschool by starting where your child is at and just start walking the path of education at your child's pace.

The direction you are moving is more important than where you are at the moment. Be patient and encouraging with your kids, and be OK with going slow. Go at your child’s pace and don’t move on to new concepts until they feel comfortable where they are at. As hard as it is for you, it’s ten times harder for your kids if you are frustrated with their pace. LOVE them!! Comfort them!! Feed their interests outside basic reading, writing, and arithmetic; and don’t wait for those basic skills to develop to teach them science, history, art, technology, and any other appropriate subject areas that peak their interest. Use documentaries, read to them, do projects together, get out the house and learn on the go, learn through experiences, learn skills through doing. For some kids the core reading, writing, and arithmetic (one in particular or all of them) may not be enjoyable, for some they may be so difficult that it is a true struggle, and their progress may be very slow. Stay calm! Progress is more important than speed.

Attitude about struggle is going to make the biggest difference in the road to mastery. If they can meet their challenges with cheerful determination they will have the power to unlock their strengths and come to peace with their struggles. You can show them how to be cheerful and patient in the slow going, how to hold on and be calm, how to be at peace with the process. You show them how by doing it yourself. Telling them to be patient, to believe in themselves, and to be calm will mean very little if you aren't patient, if you don't believe, and if you don't remain calm. However, If you face the challenges with the belief that they will learn and they will progress; if you can be patient and cheerful in your teaching, if you can be OK repeating things over and over as if that’s perfectly normal, then you will give your children the encouragement and support they need to do hard things.

Education is about becoming, it’s the lighting of fire not the filling of a pail. When you build your homeschool, when you make choices about how you will structure your life around your children, and what resources to use to reach your goals for them, always keep in the forefront of your mind and choices those things that matter most. In my home what matters most is developing a relationship with God and our family members, and gaining wisdom from God and learning out of the best books. I strive to always put these things first, and then add those academic skills, subjects, and ideas that are of most value to my core principles and goals. Remember what matters most is what lasts longest!
The more we micro-manage our children, the more of a disservice we do to them in their adult lives. It is possible to have standards, structure and consequences, and still be flexible enough to provide your child the autonomy they need in their education to learn to self-govern. The trick is to apply the least amount of force to get the desired growth. For a child turned off from learning, our force and pressure will NOT make it better. Home education is about family life structure, not individual supervision and control over your child’s education. Create structure but let the child manage the details. The end goal of primary education is to develop a person who can govern themselves and become intelligent self-taught individuals. All true education is self-education.

Make your homeschool developmentally appropriate. Don't start too early on concepts your child’s brain is simply not yet ready for. If you wait for the right developmental stage you will discover that teaching a child reading, writing, and arithmetic will not be as hard or stressful for either of you. (Some exceptions for neurodiverse children, but the principle still applies.) For home instruction to be superior to public school, one must first free their educational philosophies from the cage of public school instruction and build a dynamic developmentally appropriate learning environment for their home. In a developmentally appropriate education the question isn't what curriculum to use, but rather what should I teach when, and how should I teach it? What is most important in Early Ed is not a “rigorous” education but rather an enjoyable one. For young children learning should be fun; an education where creativity is cultivated, and curiosity is not squashed. The environment for learning is more important than the curriculum, and teaching methods more important than resources.

The greatest enemy to success in home education, is fear. Fear that you will fail, fear that your kids won’t learn. Kids can feel your fear and they will soak it into their bones… it is utterly toxic! It's fear that makes us impatient and frustrated with the process. I know how hard this is. I have fought the fear dragon for many years. I know that you are dealing not only with academic demands, but personality, aptitude, personal interest, and character development, and some children are going to struggle more than others. Some children will be more contrary and irascible, more despairing, less pliable, or less teachable. Hang in there! For love of them, and in the faith that people grow up and mature, continue setting your quiet yet powerful example, and be there to pick up the work again and again. Listen to me, a mom of grown-up homeschooled kids, they will learn it, they will progress, they will not fail and you will not fail them so long as you don’t give up and you stay calm and carry on.

Homeschooling in Maryland: Umbrella or State Oversight?

This blog post is unique on my blog because instead of addressing universal education and home education topics I am writing just to those homeschooling in Maryland. I have homeschooled in Maryland 7 out of the 10 years I have homeschooled and I field a lot of questions from fellow homeschoolers in Maryland about the DOE regulations that govern homeschool in the state of Maryland. In Maryland, when a parent chooses to homeschool, they are required to notify the state of Maryland of their intent to homeschool. In this notification they declare how they will meet the oversight requirement that they submit to a portfolio review of their homeschool materials, instruction program, and instruction provided. Their options are to choose an umbrella school to be their oversight school, or to submit to the oversight of the county school district superintendent in which they reside. Those new to homeschool in Maryland are often a bit lost as to how to choose between these two options and which is best for them, and I often see new parents asking what the process is for getting started in homeschool in our state. Here is a step by step explanation:

1) In Maryland, I highly recommend you join an umbrella for your reviews, and transcript aid. Most umbrellas use a peer review method to cover the yearly portfolio reviews, which makes the oversight process in Maryland less stressful. All offer some type of direct review with school staff if that is your preference. Also, oversight via an umbrella school gives you the peace of mind of knowing that your privacy is completely protected from any overreach the state may engage in; and we all know that overreach is something governments excel in. I like knowing where my family records are, and I want to trust the organization who is keeping those records; I trust a private organization committed to homeschool freedom over the state. Often, when homeschool families in Maryland enter their portfolio reviews with state personal, they provide far more information and school samples and proofs then is required under COMAR regulations. This begins to shape the expectations that state personal have related to their oversight of individual homeschools. Now, many school districts in the state have begun doing virtual portfolio reviews to handle the increased number of homeschoolers and the work load. They are asking for the portfolio to be turned in electronically. This creates opportunity for the state to keep ongoing electronic profiles on homeschoolers and do far more oversight then is allowed in the COMAR regulations. Using an umbrella avoids all these pitfalls and helps protect your family and homeschooling in general. Beyond those important reasons that I use an umbrella — I’ve appreciated the high-school transcript my umbrella helps me produce.

2) Once your membership is confirmed with your umbrella, fill out your Maryland Homeschool Notification Form, and mail (and email it) to your county school district (their website will have the procedure for that posted). Be sure that the form you are asked to fill out, paper or electronic, does not go beyond asking for the information spelled out in COMAR and reflected on this Maryland State Homeschool Notification form.

3) If you choose not to use an umbrella, but rather to have your portfolio reviews with a designated representative from your county school district, please be very clear about your understanding of the homeschool regulations in COMAR, and for your own protection and the protection of homeschool rights generally hold your county strictly to the regulations.

Homeschooling in Maryland is in a very difficult legal predicament because in our state there are NO laws that ensure parents the right to homeschool. All law related to compulsory education assume the state has the ultimate responsibility for the supervision of all school aged children. The only provisions made for homeschool are made in COMAR — Code of Maryland Regulations, which is the official compilation of administrative regulations issued by Maryland state agencies. — The written regulations regarding homeschool in Maryland are issued by the state board of education and can be changed by a mere change of regulation, a much lower bar than one that would require a change in law.

This regulatory governance of homeschool by the state department of education makes it imperative that homeschoolers in Maryland understand what is in COMAR and hold the line through a strict adherence to COMAR. If we comply to directives that deviate from or change the defined procedures or requirement for COMAR, then we could see the state regulations change under the excuse that they are simply updating COMAR to reflect common practice.

You may ask, why aren’t we fighting to get homeschool codified in Maryland law, or in the Maryland Constitution, in order to better protect our right to homeschool in Maryland?

Understanding the political realities in the state you live is important to choosing the most effective political strategy for success. Starting battles you may not be able to win at the expense of the battles you have already won, may result in losing ground that was hard fought for. It has been more efficient to work to protect the ground we have gained in carving out a place for us in COMAR and hold the line there. MACHE, HSLDA, and Maryland Homeschoolers Hold the Line all work to watch dog the state department of education and mobilize homeschoolers to defend the ground we have.

The best way to retain our homeschool rights in the state of Maryland is to hold the line on those homeschool regulations that are in the books. No more, no less!

For next steps in getting started with homeschool, such as choosing an educational approach based on your child's learning style, building a developmentally appropriate education, and choosing homeschool curriculum browse other topics here at FreedomEd.net.