Tell us a little bit about your family dynamics. I am a stay-at-home mom, and Bret has always been very supportive of me in that role. He was originally on the fence with homeschooling, but after doing it for almost three years, he’s a convert. Our parents all live in the area and so we have that support and we’ve made some converts there as well.
How long have you been homeschooling? What was one of the main reasons you chose to homeschool? Our kids started out at Mount Calvary Christian School in Elizabethtown. I didn’t want our children in public school, and Bret wasn’t yet comfortable with homeschooling, so MCCS was our compromise. Then covid hit. We just wanted to shield our kids from everything that came with that. Doing online virtual learning with both of my kids made me realize that I can do this and just maybe make it a more enriching experience specific to my unique kids. So we dove in and found that we absolutely love it and we’re all thriving with it.
In what activities does your family participate? We have done dance, horseback riding, tennis lessons, art lessons, piano lessons, ice skating lessons, Awana, GEARS basketball and softball. Currently we are doing gymnastics, mini ninja warrior, softball, homeschool gym class, and Classical Conversations. We also started a homeschool hiking group, and we organize regular park playdates for Middletown Homeschoolers.
What have been your most helpful resources? Other homeschool moms have been the greatest resources and a huge source of encouragement.
What educational philosophy/curriculum do you follow? We started out traditional because that was my safe space, but we’ve evolved into a more eclectic style as we learn what we like and what works best for our family.
What has been one of the highlights for you in homeschooling your children? I love reading to my kids. We’ve read so much great literature together and have had some amazing discussions come out of that.
What was your favorite field trip(s)? We hosted a reptile show at our house with Jesse Rothacker from Forgotten Friend Reptile Sanctuary. He did such an amazing job! We learned a ton of interesting stuff about some really cool reptiles. The kids had the opportunity to interact with some of the reptiles, and Jesse just made it really fun!
What was one of the funniest things to happen during a homeschool day? I had a giant tortoise walking around my yard during the reptile show and lots of kids taking turns snuggling our chickens. You just can’t beat it. It was homeschool magic.
What have you found to be a challenge in homeschooling? Any tips in dealing with that challenge? Settling on a curriculum is an evolving challenge for me. It’s a learning process, finding what you like and what works. There are just so many great resources available that it can be difficult to settle on one thing. I always bite off more than we can chew because it all looks so interesting and amazing!
What advice would you give to someone who has just begun homeschooling? Ditch the traditional schooling model and enjoy your kids. Connect with them, find out what they love, and dive into that!
