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3 Tips for Picking a Curriculum that's Right for Your Students

One of the hardest things to do as a homeschool mama is pick the right  curriculum     for our schools. When I was homeschooled, there were a handful of choices. Bob Jones, A Beka, Alpha Omega, and a couple others. Now there are so many choices it can be overwhelming. And let's face it...there's the fear that if we pick the wrong one our children will be forever scarred. So what's a mama to do?

1) Watch your children. How do they learn? Can they learn in a more traditional, workbook approach or do they require a hands-on approach to learning? Are they auditory or visual learners? Kinesthetic? A combination? Once you understand that, you can begin looking for a  curriculum that works to those learning styles.

2) Talk to homeschoolers who have been at it a while and are succeeding. What curriculum do they use? Why? How do they modify it to work in their homes? Ask what else they've used. For example I appreciate A Beka grammar -- it is solid and your student will know how to write when they are done, but I've never gotten the spelling component to work for us. Through asking on Facebook for recommendations, I found a spelling curriculum that is working very well for us. So be open to mixing and matching.

3) Pray. Ask God for heavenly wisdom to know what to do with your kids. And be willing to change it up from year to year. I'm convinced A Beka history and science are the best out there. In part it's because I used them through tenth grade and then got As in science and history in college. But that doesn't mean we don't use other programs, too. My kids just get a double dose of history and science. A Beka is very solid in math, but I also use Saxon especially as we hit the higher grades. But this summer we're going to do a different program for geometry because I noticed my daughter isn't grasping the visuals for geometry. This program emphasizes that aspect. 

Living in the Moment with Our Kids

There are days when being a Mom is absolutely, utterly draining. The days when one child after another comes to me, needy, clingy, and filled with attitude. There are days I'd love to check out -- even for fifteen, uninterrupted minutes.

My son in this photo is 2.5. Yesterday he was a newborn I was meeting for the first time. Tomorrow he'll be six, then ten, then fifteen. My 12.5 year old is knocking on the door to becoming a teenager when I could swear just yesterday she was five and beginning the adventure of school and growing up.

I adore my kids, but somedays being a mother is exhausting. So I take the kids to the library and read a book rather than interact with them. Or we go to the park and out comes my phone so I can catch up on something. And of course, that's the day when there's a challenge to moms to get out of our phones and notice our kids. Ironic timing.

Homeschooling: Is it for you?

It's that time of year when parents thoughts turn toward where their kids should go to school in the fall. For some, their thoughts will turn to homeschooling. How can you evaluate whether homeschooling might be right for your family?

I have often heard my mom tell people that homeschooling is for every child...it's just not for every parent. What she means is that every child can thrive in a one-on-one tutoring type instruction. It simply makes sense. Place a child with a caring instructor who can tailor his or her learning to the needs of that child and the child will learn and excel.

However, not every parent has the discipline, patience, endurance to make homeschooling work. I love my kiddos. Adore them even, but there are still days that it would be a lot easier to send them to a school. Fortunately, my kids would still do fine in a regular classroom environment. Yet we choose to keep them home even as we discuss the options available to us

Why?

• Homeschooling is a calling. It may not be a forever calling...I honestly don't know...but I know this is where our kids are supposed to be right now.

• It allows our kids to accelerate at their own pace. Right now, both school age children work above their grade level -- enough so that it would make it a little tricky to figure out where to place them. Still I also love that there's freedom and margin to slow down when needed to insure a subject is mastered before we move ahead.

• I can make sure my children are learning the things that matter most to you. Yes, I am STRINGENT about the three r's, but we start our day with devotions and Bible. This year we've read from Exodus through I Samuel. We're talking about some hard issues and solidifying their understanding of Old Testament history. That's critical to my husband and me.

• We have the flexibility to plan family adventures and school year round. Yes, even during the summer, I make my kids keep working on certain subjects: primarily math and one other area that I feel needs buttressing. But if I know I'll need to be at a conference a week in September, we start a week earlier in August. Homeschooling gives you the flexibility to take advantage of unique opportunities while still schooling.

If you homeschool, what motivates you? If you're considering it, what appeals to you and what scares you?

What's Your Name?

Today I am so grateful that God takes the names we give ourselves or other's label us and renames us with truth!

Guest Post: Speaking Blessings over Our Kids

I am absolutely delighted today to bring you a guest post from my friend Carey Scott. Her husband and I got to know each other through a small critique group in ACFW when I first started writing in 2005. I'm always looking for new tools and encouragement as I parent my kiddos. Here's Carey:

“Sara, you’re beautiful and smart… and you have Jesus in your heart!  Now go be the light of the world!”

I speak these words to my daughter as she heads off to school each morning. Usually, she smiles at me and says, “Mom, you always say that!”

She’s right… I do.

Why? Because I want to speak blessings into her life. Words are powerful, and when we speak truth and life into our kids, it sets them up for success.

Do you bless your children with your words?