My youngest child was born right after I turned 41. I was ecstatic but a little scared—“I’m going to get old when he’s growing up,” I fretted. But with three other kids (12, 10, 5 then) to homeschool, I was busy and couldn’t stop to ponder. Baby just got dragged along to all the kids’ activities. “I’ll deal with that old age thing when I get there,” I thought.
Well, I’m there, and apparently it is time to think about it.
My oldest son has his college degree, is married, and lives nearby. Child #2 graduated from college last year. Child #3 is headed off to college in another state in August. That leaves me looking at the caboose, who turned 13 this week. Back when he was about five years old, he suddenly seemed to realize that I was older than other moms with kids his age. He asked me, quite reasonably, “Mom, when I grow up, will you be dead?” I assured him that I wasn’t that old, and that I would most likely still be alive.
And Then There Was One
Fall of 2021 will be the first time since 1998 that my husband and I will have just one child living at home. Much to my son’s relief, I am still alive at 54, and this will be the first time since 2001 that I will be homeschooling just one child. This should be a piece of cake, right?
But this menopausal mom is no longer sure. So much has changed in the past 20 years. I work part-time. Covid-19 has changed the landscape for all of us in the past year. The internet has changed, the Sonlight History / Bible / Literature selections have changed. I am weary.
So here are five things I am pondering for the duration of this homeschool journey.
1. I can change everything. Or not.
Because of the cost of homeschooling curriculum, we bought and used one HBL at each level and used it again with every child, sometimes bringing in additional books Sonlight added. We did the same with Saxon math. But now with just one child left, I plan to peruse Sonlight’s newer offerings and see about swapping to some new things. The new-to-me History of Science J History / Bible / Literature might be a good fit, for example.
Now that we have done three different routes to post-homeschooling success for the older kids, we can see which of those options, or something else, best fits the youngest.
I will staunchly hold on to our HBL routine as this has been the central piece of our homeschooling, with science, language arts, math, and everything else orbiting around. But we have time to read even more now!
2. I’m paying more attention to math.
Math is not my forte, so this is an area where I feel I dropped the ball with my older kids because I just didn’t do the one-on-one with them required including algebra and higher. Because of this, they all struggled at some time or another feeling inadequate mathematically. The three older kids have all passed the required math to get their college degrees, so God is good, but I am doing better with the youngest by doing more daily checking and working out issues together.
3. We’ll try the famously undone things.
Although we have done lots of great field trips and travel over the years, we will be able to do much more with just one child in tow. I just couldn’t always afford entry for four kids and an adult or two to some activity, so we had to ration our experiences.
Child #4 will get to a lot of these undone things—more museums, concerts, travel, and experiences. He and I are forming a bucket list of everything from National Parks, more science experiments, experiences (like rock climbing lessons), and more Sonlight books that have been added in recent years.
4. I can enjoy it differently this time.
A lot of my past homeschool years are a wonderful blur of Sonlight, AWANA, church, music lessons, youth groups, 4-H, group classes, science fairs, and such for all the kids, but much of that time felt chaotic. I remember once during my morning read-aloud to the kids and I suddenly realized I had “lost” the baby, who had just learned to crawl. I panicked and almost shouted at the kids, “Where is the baby?” They wryly responded, “Mom, you’re nursing him.” Lo and behold, baby was on my lap nursing while I was reading aloud. I was an exhausted mom.
We are much less busy now, I haven’t lost a child in a long time, and Child #4 has a much less stressed-out-about-the-kids teacher. There were so many times I worried over whether my children would
learn to read
get through algebra
do well on the SAT
get into college
grow up to be responsible adults
and [insert typical homeschool mom worries here]
Yet it all turned out well.
These days #4 is the only child who needs much of my time, so we talk a lot about what we read, hear, see, do, and think about. We aren’t in a hurry much, and we like to go for walks or visit our local botanical gardens and nurseries. He tags along on errands and we listen to music and talk about Star Wars, or literary tropes like the tragic hero, or the number of Teslas he counts as we drive. We were working on our summer read-aloud wish list tonight, including some James Herriot and The Perilous Gard by the author of our beloved The Sherwood Ring.
5. I want to finish well.
A year ago, I was unsure of what was ahead. I wasn’t sure I could continue homeschooling, not feeling up to the task. I have asked God for guidance. While no flashing lights have appeared or any voice from heaven has boomed out, I feel firmly that it is what we are going to do. I trust God will provide the ability, the strength, and the direction.
Twenty years down. Just six to go. At this point in my life, I realize that we don’t have to homeschool. We get to homeschool.
Dr. Suess probably said it best: “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” Studies have shown that reading is a keystone skill that will help kids succeed academically and vocationally.
The University of Nevada in a 2010 study found that having access to books at home was as important to a child’s educational success as was their parents’ education level.
Another study published in Pediatricsshowed that reading aloud to children promoted their brain development in regards to language and literacy.
Sadly, fewer children are reading books as the digital world competes for their time. The APA estimated in 2018, that fewer than 20% of teenagers in 2018 were reading a book daily, while the same teens were spending up to six hours a day in the digital world, texting, gaming, and engaging with social media. The trends are concerning, to say the least. How can parents get their children off of their screens and into a book?
1. Make Reading Its Own Reward
I recently read an article in Focus on the Family magazine that demonstrated how not to motivate your child to read. In the article, a mom is trying to get her teenage son to read a book using extrinsic rewards (in this case, time on his phone.) The exchange goes something like this:
Mom: "No, you can't have your phone until you finish that chapter."
Son: "But, mom, it will take forever! Come on! This is so unfair."
Mom: (through gritted teeth) "He has to finish his reading for school. It's good for him!" (picks up her phone to scroll social media as her son reads)
Too often, parents, like this fictional mom, view reading as a chore and fail to show their kids that reading can actually be a pleasurable pursuit. By presenting reading as something their kids have to do for school instead of a rewarding pastime, parents may unwittingly de-motivate their children.
Studies of the psychology of learning support the idea that extrinsic rewards may hamper a child’s long-term motivation. Psychology Today notes that “providing physical rewards, or what psychologists call extrinsic motivation for doing something, undermines the development of any internal, or intrinsic motivation to do the very same thing.” Instead of relying on extrinsic rewards to motivate your children to read, help them to see how reading can impact their lives in a positive way.
Make time to:
model good reading habits.
talk about books together.
help your kids to make connections between what they are reading and real life.
show them that reading gives them knowledge to navigate the world.
2. Build Your Library
A practical way to encourage your kids to become better readers is to provide them with access to great books. An article from The Guardiancites a study that says that a family needs to have at least 80books in the home in order for the children to be average students. Homes with more than 80 books lead to kids with stronger academic skills, with no major benefits being found if the home has more than 350 books.
Three hundred and fifty books! That's a large library. There are so many excellent resources for finding age-appropriate books for your kiddos. Check out Sonlight’s Just Great Books list to get you started.
Research shows that reading out loud influences kids’ brains, abilities, and attitudes about reading. It is possibly “the single most important activity” that parents can do to prepare their children for literacy, according to the Read Aloud 15 Minutes National Campaign.
Personally, I've experienced the benefits of reading aloud during this school year in my own family. As part of our first year of homeschool, we are reading out loud as a family together every night before bed. We are enjoying the time we are spending together while we read books and complete our curriculum. In fact, reading out loud together has been the favorite part of our school year.
4. Make Reading Time Special
There are so many ways to make reading time a special time.
Gather everyone together in a comfortable spot while you read out loud.
Light a candle in the background.
Make hot cocoa and popcorn to share while you read together.
Have your little ones sit on your lap while you read a story to them.
Tuck them into their beds at night and let them hear your voice as they get sleepy.
Let them stay up a few minutes past their bedtime to finish a book together.
If you make reading a special time, you may be surprised to find that your kids are asking you for “just one more story” or are sneaking a flashlight into their bed to read “one more chapter.”
5. Reinforce Reading Skills
Reading together as a family is likely to be the most important step you can take to improve your child’s literacy skills. However, if you want to reinforce those skills with your kids outside of your home, there are many resources that can make reading even more irresistible to your kids. Your local library can be a great resource to find new books, as well as to connect with other young readers through book clubs or reading challenges. This summer, get your kids involved with a read-a-thon or summer reading challenge like this one. If you can’t find a club that fits your kids’ interests and needs, do a little research and don’t be afraid to start your own!
We all want our children to succeed academically. Sometimes, we may not know how to accomplish that goal, but helping our kids to become good readers is likely the most important thing that we can do to help them to meet their goals and dreams. In our technology-driven culture of memes and sound bytes, it is more challenging than ever to engage our kids in important reading. It is not impossible, however. You can create a family culture where reading is not a chore, but an enriching part of your entire family’s life.
As life is slowly returning to normal after Covid-19 upheaval, it’s natural to start thinking ahead to the next school year. We asked families who chose to homeschool in 2020 because of the pandemic about their plans for educating their kids for the coming 2021-2022 school year. We asked:
Have you already decided to keep homeschooling or are you still on the fence about sending kids back to public school?
Is the choice a hard one or an easy one?
What factors are you weighing as you choose?
As we expected, there were some families who are eager to send their kids back to public school or private school. Homeschooling wasn't easy for them, and their children are longing to go back to school.
Plenty of others remain undecided in late April and early May about the fall.
But the vast majority of moms who answered our questions report truly enjoying homeschool to the extent that they want to continue on even when they don't have to because of Covid-19! The pandemic opened the door to an option many of them have never seriously considered. But now with nearly a full school year under their belts, these families have wholeheartedly embraced the lifestyle of home education and plan to stay the course for the next school year.
Here's a peek into their thoughts and experiences.
Families with a Mix of Homeschool and Other Choices
"Kid 1 will go back to public high school. For her mental health, and the sake of normalcy and continuing to work her plan. Kid 2 will stay home, as always. That was always the plan plus Covid-related immune issues. He’ll go to public school eventually, but it’s not time yet." —Jen M. P.
"Kid 1 has been in private high school all year. Kid 2 will join him, as was the plan all along. Kid 3 will be home. Kid 4 is severely/profoundly disabled and will likely return to public school because of his significant needs, assuming Covid is somewhat under control." —Kara P. S.
Homeschooling Works for Us! We're Staying the Course
We will homeschool next year. By God's grace, this year has been very successful in every way. Thank the good Lord!! —Pam S.
"We’ve decided to homeschool again next year. It wasn’t a hard decision for us, since this year had gone well and there’s a good chance that public school will not be quite back to normal yet in the fall. We discovered that homeschool allows us to help our kids manage their learning differences better than in public school. God willing, we hope to homeschool through high school." —Cindy L. F.
"Homeschooling again, for sure! Almost can't imagine sending my kids to school everyday again. (And they were in a great Christian day school!). I love the lifestyle, the pace, the freedom, the relationships being built….and on and on." —Ingrid S.
"I started as a COVID homeschooler. Prior to COVID, I wasn't aware that homeschooling could be done by parents who worked outside the home. Now, after this first year, I am dedicated to homeschool my children for as long as they will tolerate it! Our lives are forever changed by the ability to homeschool, and made so much richer by the curriculum that Sonlight has provided. There has been a lot of darkness associated with this past year, but Sonlight has been exactly that, our sunlight!" —Marcy L.
"We are absolutely homeschooling again next year! This lifestyle change has been fantastic for our family. My son is thriving in school again. My daughter had a fantastic kindergarten year. We have been able to enjoy activities outside our home like karate, swimming, and horseback riding that we didn’t have time for while in public school. My kids are happier than they’ve ever been and even though homeschooling is a lot of work for me, I know it’s what’s best and is also less stress for me. I know my kids are safe, learning, and happy!" —Rachel B.
"We were in public school prior to COVID, and fell into homeschooling suddenly this year. My husband and I both work outside the home and didn’t know how easy homeschooling could fit into our lives. What a blessing Sonlight has been for us! It has been hands down the best year my son (who is gifted and has ADHD) has ever had academically. We plan to finish his next four high school years with Sonlight and feel more positive about his future than ever before!" —Tara M.
"I am 99% sure we are homeschooling again next year after beginning last year due to Covid. The amazing books we have read together have been a highlight of the year. I also feel so much less stressed, which seems odd, I know, considering I could spend most of my days with my kids at school if I wanted, but we are all enjoying the slower pace of life, the mornings where we can take time to make a hot breakfast, snuggle on the couch next to a fireplace with good books, and be done by early afternoon with enough time for my four boys to go outside and play and explore. —Audrey A.
"For us it was an easy decision to continue to use Sonlight next year. My kids have learned so much this year and gained confidence in areas that they started to hate and now love. We have grown as a family and I have learned along side each kid. While the pandemic led us to this path, I know the Lord had this in our future. It feels like we are following what God wants for our family." —Kayla M. D.
"We are absolutely going to stick with it! My child has learned more and grown so much more than ever expected! In school. She was always struggling. Always in the office. Now, she is LEARNING! Socially, I thought there would be a concern but actually, play dates and individual time with friends has helped her to be more sensitive to people. We have more time for fitness and learning household responsibilities. A lot more pros than cons. It had been a great experience for us and I was the world's most skeptical mom. I interviewed upwards of 10 homeschool families. So happy with our choice." —Jodi H.
Homeschooling Again, But with Some Reservations
"We started homeschooling last year because of the mask mandate. We have decided to keep homeschooling. My daughter will be going into 2nd grade and my son will start kindergarten. Very excited and anxious because I have not started a child from the ground up. My daughter got her reading basics in public school kindergarten. It’s an easy decision for us but still kind of bittersweet because my son will never experience “school” the traditional way. For some reason I’m feeling guilty about that." —Erica E. W.
"We began homeschooling last year but had been entertaining the idea before the pandemic. Our children are thriving academically and so we plan to continue on. I’m learning so much alongside my children that I am really looking forward to next year. It was a difficult decision because my children miss their school, however we really believe this is the best decision for our family. We considered that one of our children is above grade level and one slightly below. Neither was served well at school. Once more in person activities are available, they will be able to make friends. It is also much less stressful to be on our own schedule and health-wise, my children are finally getting the sleep that they need. The will be safe, well rested and academically challenged at home." —Tracy N. A.
For sure we will homeschool next year and the next. We already bought our curriculum. My son is so happy with Sonlight. One of his friends from school just asked him if he wanted to come back to school and he answered so quickly, 'No. No, I am not coming back. I love to study at home!!'" —Jenny S.
We're Are Sending Our Kids Back to Public School
"This was an agonizingly difficult choice. My husband and I prayed through all of Lent and decided to send our kids back to school in the fall. I am homeschooling my 2nd and 5th grade sons this year, and we were considering pulling our rising 9th grader for next year. But we have decided at this time it is better for them to go back. We will be utilizing many Sonlight resources next year and in the years to come to supplement their public school education. We are so thankful for this year I have had at home with our sons." —Amy O. R.
"I am grateful for the opportunity to homeschool during a pandemic. 2020 was our first and last year homeschooling. We have 3 ninth graders and 2 sixth graders. For next year I've applied all five kids to a private Christian school that stayed open the entire school year. Kids were public school educated prior to this year. While I made the best decision I could with the information I had at the time, it has been miserable for us. God is sovereign, and I'm eager to see what He accomplishes in our family through this. It was an easy decision, but will be a huge financial hit. Factors that contributed were my and my one son's mental well being as well as the other kids' academic needs. All thrive on competition that was lacking among the siblings."— Kelli C.
"Seems like I will be in the minority here, but this was our first year homeschooling and while I loved, loved, loved Sonlight, we struggled and so (for the sake of our relationships) we are sending the kids to a charter school. I feel like a failure but every single day ended up in yelling and tears from both parties. Wish it had been different." —Melissa W. G.
"CoraJane will not be able to return to in person school until she is vaccinated, hopefully 2022. She will return, not because we don’t like homeschooling. We actually love it. It’s just the best thing for her. We will always be super thankful that Sonlight was available to us. She has learned so much and I believe will be a much stronger student going forward whenever she returns." —Angela G. S.
We're Still Trying to Decide
"I am deeply conflicted about what to do next year with my soon-to-be kindergartener. Her father and I always imagined seeing her go to her first day of school—toting a tiny backpack full of supplies—to a brick-and-mortar classroom full of potential friends (just like her two much bigger sisters did). However, we loved the literature-based, Sonlight PreK curriculum we used this last year. Uncle Wiggly, Milly Molly Mandy, and that naughty Brer Rabbit will be characters we love and remember for years to come! While discovering many more fabulous Sonlight books and characters is a great temptation, I lament over the solitude of homeschooling and am horrified at the thought of teaching a child to read! We’ve already begun trying a phonics reading program and it is so challenging! The debate for school next year continues…" —Amy D.
"I'm a COVID homeschooler. So hard to decide. I like homeschooling: the academics, the flexible time, the bonding, the Bible time, and the values I teach him through the curriculum. But my son is the only child at home, and he is very active and sociable. I doubt co-op is enough for him, even if we feel safe for him to go. So we haven't bought the curriculum, and I'm preparing for both scenarios as we monitor the COVID situation." —Queenie C.
"We are Covid homeschoolers, but all in all loved this year. We hope to return to school in the fall (mostly for socializing) but we won’t if the numbers are still concerning😬. We learned this year that we can do this successfully and enjoyed it as a family. We would definitely consider it in the future if we aren’t getting what we need from public schools. We are also going to continue with some things either way: bible lessons at home regularly and history." —Martha R.
We're Homeschooling at Least One More Year
"We have decided to continue homeschooling our 3 kids. There were a lot of positives that came out of homeschooling that we want to continue exploring. Our plan is to homeschool another year and see how things are going. There has been a lot of growth with all 3 kids and I don’t think we would have seen as much if they had done virtual learning." —Nicole V.
"We will be continuing our homeschool journey for another year. We are just not comfortable sending them back yet in terms of COVID, nor the amount of recovery and figuring out the schools will be having to do. We may even continue homeschool indefinitely after that as well." —Andrea J. B.
"We are continuing our Sonlight Journey for the 2021-2022 school year! We watched how our kids thrived with HBL B and Horizons Math and the decisions was very easy to make. I can’t imagine a different lifestyle for us now." —Katie J. B.
"My husband and I both work full-time in very demanding jobs. I have learned so much about how my first grader learns best and have enjoyed learning alongside him. I appreciate the flexibility that homeschooling provides and that we can study what, when, where, and how we want. Our son has been challenged academically this year, I believe to a much greater extent than he would have in public school, and has been allowed to learn at a pace and in an environment that works best for him. Socialization always seems to be a concern of those who are new to homeschooling or don't know much about it, but he has friends nearby and from church and is active in sports and other activities. I have had to start some new habits and get more organized in order to keep up with everything, but these changes have benefited our entire family. Homeschooling on top of everything else is hard but well worth it, and our lives have been enriched as a result. We will continue to re-assess periodically but for now, we are all in on homeschooling for next year!" — Rebecca B.
"We are doing it again! I still can’t believe we are a homeschool family, but it has been a blessing in disguise. I want to do it through high school, but trying to take it year by year. Almost kindergartener and second grader!!" — Brittany G.
"We homeschooled for kindergarten this year, and we feel it was successful, so we decided to go ahead and homeschool again. We ordered next year's curriculum already!! Also we decided to take it year by year." —Katie B.
More From New Homeschoolers
This is the final installment in the Stories from New Homeschoolers Series:
Of course as advocates of homeschooling, we at Sonlight are thrilled to see so many families continuing to homeschool for at least one more year. And it's a tremendous blessing to know that we could walk alongside these parents and children during the difficult year of the pandemic. But we support every family's unique decision even if that means other options. The key to parenting is your loving involvement, whatever path you take for educating your kids.
Are you ready to homeschool? Like the many moms quoted above, you can do this, too! Learn how to get started.
We sent our kids to public school for the first five years of their education. In many ways, it was a good experience for us. Our kids learned to read and learned their math facts. They performed well on state testing. They had friends and got along well with their teachers. We were set on our educational trajectory.
And then schools sent home a list of rules to keep everyone safe for the upcoming school year.
Masking and distancing and quarantining and pivoting to remote became buzzwords. All of a sudden, public schooling did not seem like a very good option for our family. My husband and I started to look for other options for our three school-aged kids. Homeschooling stood out.
Could Homeschooling Work for Our Family?
Homeschooling has always been an interesting concept to me. As a former public school teacher, I have been curious to see how it might work out in real life.
With Covid, finally, the risks of homeschooling seemed to be less than the risks of public schooling. So I decided to try it for the first time.
Getting Started With Homeschooling
With five kids at home and three school-age children, I set out on the adventure of picking a curriculum and learning our state’s homeschooling requirements.
What seemed so intimidating at first was not nearly as difficult as I thought it would be.
Our homeschooling friends and family were extremely helpful, showing us how to complete the affidavit to homeschool, allowing us to borrow curriculum, and showing us where to find our state’s requirements for homeschooling.
We started our homeschooling adventure in August of 2020, believing that we could have a good year, but not really knowing what day-to-day homeschooling would look like. After a full year of school at home, we are pleasantly surprised at how well homeschooling works for our family. In fact, we are going to continue homeschooling our kids for three key reasons.
1. Homeschooling Offers a Family-Friendly Lifestyle
My favorite aspect of homeschooling has, surprisingly, been the change in our lifestyle. When you send your kids to school, public or otherwise, so much of your life revolves around the school’s schedule.
You base your kids’ bedtimes on when they have to get up for school.
If you drive your kids to school, everyone has to pile in the car twice a day to get the kids at appointed times.
School plays and special occasions and sports make the school experience fun, but they also tend to dominate your family’s life.
With homeschooling, school is part of your every day and can be done when it’s the most convenient for the family. If your family likes to go on a lot of trips or has activities at night, you can be flexible with your wake-up time and school day. Instead of the kids’ school schedule dominating what your family does each day, school is adapted to family life. I have found great freedom this year in the flexibility that homeschooling has offered our family.
2. Homeschooling Can Be Adapted to Each Student’s Needs
Public school has always had the immense challenge of educating large groups of students with various abilities and interests. Because a teacher must teach 20-25 students in a limited amount of time each day, the pace of the class is focused on that of the average student. Students who need more time and support often get left behind, and students who are ahead academically are bored in class.
Homeschooling provides an opportunity to tailor learning to each student’s needs. If your student needs more work on a given subject, you can give him extra time and support. If a student has mastered a concept, you can move on to the next subject or add enrichment activities. Homeschooling provides an individualized approach to learning.
3. Your Homeschool Curriculum Can Support Your Family’s Values
Another blessing of this school year has been the curriculum that we have picked for our kids. We have been schooling all year with Sonlight, a literature-based curriculum that fits our family’s love of reading. The curriculum introduces history, but in both fiction and nonfiction books instead of textbooks. It also includes daily Bible reading, memorization, and some stellar math programs.
Reading the Bible regularly as a family and exploring history and literature together is a daily blessing, and there is no doubt that what they are learning will influence our kids’ worldview for years to come. Being able to explore learning from a faith-based perspective is a luxury that is not available in most school systems today.
I listened to the news just this morning, and the reporter noted that households who are homeschooling at least one child have doubled to 11% of households with school-aged children within the last year. Many parents surveyed are not sending their kids back to school, even when the pandemic is over. Post-pandemic, education is going to be one of those things that will never be the same. It’s not all bad. Families will discover that they can successfully educate their kids at home just like I have!
Summer is usually viewed as a time of freedom from school, where children can spend long, lazy days with nothing to do, but have fun and relax. So, then, why would anyone want to force their children to do schoolwork during that time? Here are some reasons we choose to keep homeschooling through the summer:
1. Summers Are Hot
We currently live the desert where Southern Texas meets Northern Mexico; it’s dry, dusty, and often above 110 degrees. Since living in the pool during the day would result in sunburn, and it’s too hot to do much else except sit around under the air conditioner during the hottest hours of the day, during the summer I have a captive audience for reading a great book or doing a few pages of math.
During the cooler hours in the morning and evening, my children can still do all the things children love in summer, but during the dangerously hot afternoon hours, school is a great way to keep them from getting bored.
2. Summer Affords Time for Catching Up and Getting Ahead
You know that feeling you get when the end of the year is coming up and you miscalculated how many days it would take to get your math book done? Or, you just seemed to get more and more behind in your Read-Alouds as the year progressed?
Here's a solution. Join with those who believe that not every book needs to be finished, and let it go.
Or try to finish up the book at the beginning of the next year before delving into the new book selections. Also, you can do a little tiny bit each day, over the summer, and catch up at a more relaxed pace, and then start the next book so you don’t have to worry about the same thing happening next year.
3. Studies Show Children Lose Skills Over Long Breaks
Many textbook authors know this, and will purposely schedule review from the previous year at the beginning of their textbooks. They know children need to relearn and review past skills before progressing. However, if your child has been practicing reading, writing, and math skills all summer, they haven’t had a chance to lose those skills, and are ready to delve into the new material without review. You just sidestepped summer slide!
4. School Schedules Are Set by People Who Have Never Met Me
The people who decide when school starts and stops at your local school don’t care when it’s best or more convenient for my family to do school. They pick dates based on arbitrary reasons, such as
when they would like to have off
what’s always been done
what’s most cost-effective
But I get to be the person who sets the schedule for my family, so I can take into account
when my vacation would be cheaper
when it’s more convenient for me to take breaks
what is going on in my life
There's no need to let strangers run the show when it comes to my homeschool schedule. You, too, can homeschool all summer long like I do.
5. Summer Schooling Frees Up Days Elsewhere
Having a new baby halfway through the school year? No problem. You’ve already made up days during the summer.
Grandma suddenly gets sick and you need to spend time helping her get better? That’s OK, you’ve got plenty of days already banked.
Your child breaks a leg trying to do stunts on her bicycle? You can afford to take off a few days until the worst of the pain is over, and even have extra time for the extra doctor’s appointments she’ll be needing. No need to stress.
And, most importantly, have you ever experienced that day in spring where you absolutely cannot keep your children's focus,because the weather is so beautiful that you all want to be outside? That's the perfect time to call a sun day (as opposed to a snow day) and head outdoors for fun. School will wait.
What about at Christmas time, when you need to decorate, make cookies, buy gifts, and do a million other small things, and school takes a backseat? Summer school days can easily fill in the gaps for the days you miss.
6. Getting Children Back Into Routine is Hard
Even a break as short as a week can mean bad behaviors and complaining increase. A long, 3-month break often means a lot of resistance and behavior issues until my children settle back into their routine. However, because we homeschool all summer long, I don't lose all of the hard work I put in during the year. Starting back goes more smoothly than it would otherwise.
7. You Can Choose How Much to Do
If doing a full day's worth of work sounds like more than you want to do during the summer, then choose what you would like to do. For example, many parents choose half days for summer schooling, whereas other parents feel half a math worksheet, a bit of journaling, and some reading is more than sufficient.
Sonlight offers great Summer Readers that are even more fun than their usual readers to fill those long hours. Many of these have become family favorites, such as The Terrible Two, Savvy, and Absolutely Truly.
8. Summer Schooling is a Chance to Add in Fun Extras
Sonlight recently released American History Lap Book kits perfect for my son who just finished History/Bible/Literature D. We can assemble the Lap Book over the summer, and get a great review of what we learned without doing a lot of formal studying. Sonlight has Lap Books available for 2 different levels, as well as a Hands-on Kit to go along with the content learned in HBL A.
You can also choose a few different electives, such as art, typing, or computer coding to do over the summer. That's not to mention all those great activities and videos you found online but haven’t been able to get to yet. By using summer to add in all those activities, you don’t have to feel guilty about not getting them done during the year when you meant to.
9. And All Those Books You Haven’t Gotten Around to
I recently discovered that Sonlight has now packaged all the books used exclusively in the 5-day programs into neat little bundles so you don’t have to try to figure out which books aren’t included in the 4-day programs. It’s now convenient and easy to order the missing books, and summer is a great time to add them in. They also have the extra readers bundled up, which make for great summer reading.
It’s a chance to finish all those books that were too much to squeeze into your year, and all the sequels you would love to read but haven’t had time for.
10. (My) Children Thrive with Structure
Our family likes to homeschool all summer long, but a lot of my friends and family prefer to do less because they have a lot of scheduled activities such as Vacation Bible School, summer camps, and summer classes. We work our schedules around those things, but I find if my children have nothing at all to do during the day, they tend to make more mischief and be slightly more destructive than they would otherwise. Children thrive on routine, so a modified routine during the summer helps to corral much of the chaos.
I recently read a blog post that resonated with me. It’s about being content with the curriculum I have, the one I chose for the year, and trusting God with my homeschool.
Of course, I know the value of contentment. After all, in Matthew 6:34, Jesus tells us not to worry about tomorrow (or next school year), and Paul tells us in Philippians 4:6-7 to apply prayer and thanksgiving (contentment) as we rest in the knowledge that God is in control.
However, after reading the post I realized I don't homeschool in faith.
The Homeschool Curriculum Problem
Year after year, I plan, and plan, and plan with worry, coveting, and a bit of excitement at the prospect of new. Some years I want a boxed curriculum, others a design-my-own, and usually I go for an eclectic mix of both.
No matter what I buy I can never leave it as it is.
I tweak pre-planned lessons.
I add unit studies, books, activities, and projects.
I combine classical, traditional, and Charlotte Mason. Instead of one spelling or math program, I mix multiple programs of the current best to be sooth my fear of falling behind or having gaps.
Then I try to add all the extras like art, music, P.E., typing, foreign language, Latin, outdoor time, morning time, quiet time, or whatever someone else is doing that I find irresistible.
Naturally, all of this layering only adds up to stress, unnecessary busyness, unrealistic expectations, disappointment, fatigue, and burn out.
When this happens, I need to pause, take a deep breath, and be comforted by Paul’s words:
"Don't worry about anything; instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus."
Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT)
The Solution to My Curriculum Pressures
It's time to get off the merry-go-round. I have forgotten why I'm homeschooling in the first place. Academics are important to me, but I don't need to follow what everyone else is doing. I want my children to enjoy learning and not groan every time I pull out the latest math manipulatives or spelling program.
I want
to enjoy my days spent teaching my children and not feel stressed or like I'm not doing enough
to do what is right for our family and stop comparing my homeschool with other homeschool families
my children to love reading and the pursuit of knowledge
my children to wonder at God's creation and seek understanding
my children to love Jesus with all their heart, with all their soul, and with all their mind. (Matthew 22:37)
By trusting that God is in control, I can let go and be content with the knowledgeable people who have taken the time, experience, and research to put together a complete curriculum. Only God can fill in the gaps. In faith, at the end of the day I want to close the planner and walk away, not worrying about tomorrow, but start each day refreshed and confident as I open the planner already laid out for me and simply do the next thing.
In our neck of the woods, it has been a long school year, and we’re all looking forward to a summer break. Come June, we’ll trade in our lesson plans for the trampoline, the pool, and popsicles. But because I’m a Type A Mom, I can’t let the whole summer go without some kind of goal setting.
