Most of you probably know that we have chosen to homeschool our family, and a lot of you are probably wondering why! I know it is not the 'norm', although there are a surprising number of families doing it...we have 10 or more families in our small church alone (whom we have formed a co-op with that will be meeting weekly to learn, sing, dance, praise and worship, 'socialize' with, and have fun)! I can't tell you exactly when we started thinking about homeschool, but I know it has been brewing in our hearts for a long time....probably since Noelle was 3, or maybe earlier. We feel like this is God's plan for our family. Here are some of the reasons why we are excited about it:
*We get to be together! I feel blessed to be the mom of three awesome kids, and am excited that I am the one that gets to teach them, answer their questions, learn with them, cry with them, love on them, be their friend, and help them grow closer to Jesus (Noelle and Elliott both asked Jesus into their hearts this summer!) They are growing up so fast already, and I don't want to miss a minute!
*My kids get to be best friends! You can watch almost any show on tv, even kids shows, and see that society pushes siblings apart...big sisters are supposed to be annoyed with little brothers, not include them, not listen to their ideas. I get to help them develop their relationship, learn how to get along... how to give and take. Which is what they will need to learn to help them be the best friends, spouses, and parents that they can be when they grow up! Now don't get me wrong, we are not by any means perfect in this area....but they are learning! It blesses my heart so much to hear them imagining together, working out problems, and learning how to share.
*I get to tailor their education to their needs, learning styles, and interests. My kids LOVE to read books...it's always been a favourite way to spend time together in our house. We are using the
Five in a Row curriculum which totally revolves around books! They have chosen a bunch of classic stories, and we read them and base our math, science, history, geography etc. around which story we are reading that week! It seems to make learning so relevant.
*They get to be kids! We can take walks, go to the park, bake together....the opportunities for learning, and fun, are endless! I'm not ready for them to grow up too fast.
*"I don’t want my children to grow away from God. They need to develop the tools to live for Him while they are still young. They have years to defend their beliefs, I just want to take a few years to help them learn how to do so." (taken from
this article)
*They get to learn with, and from, kids of all ages! We are so excited to be a part of our homeschool co-op, called Heartland. The families that are participating are so wonderful, and I am so excited to have such wonderful role-models for our kids! Older kids and teenagers who love and care for their younger siblings, call adults 'Mr' and 'Mrs', have amazing manners, are following God....I love it! We are very much looking forward to our times together.
I am not trying to say it is for everyone. But it is funny how when you tell people you are homeschooling, you get a lot of questions about why you are doing it, how your children are going to be 'socialized', etc.....so now you know why we feel passionate about doing it! I feel certain that God is going to continually equip me for this process....he already has blessed us so much, and we know this is His will from our family. One short story to illustrate this point: I was at the local hardware store, and was making small talk with one of the cashiers, and she ended up giving me boxes of curriculum (the exact curriculum I was looking for) and books (hundreds of dollars worth)! For FREE! God is so good:) I love the way He continually surprises me. I felt like He was just showing me how much He loves me and wants to bless me. Thanks God!
If you have any questions about homeschooling, feel free to email me! I am just learning...and have so much more to learn, but I'd be happy to share anything I know with you!
beckyjanemills@gmail.comCheck out
this website for great learning activities
