I'm not quite sure how it happened. And yet, here I am. Staring at small stacks of beautiful and fresh curriculum books. It makes me want to sharpen pencils. And, I don't know, recite the Pledge of Allegiance or something.
I've hinted very briefly at the fact, but today, I'm finally coming out.
Y'all. We're officially home schoolers.
I know. How predictable. A farming family who's “going back to the land”, with all those kids, deciding to homeschool?!?
Hardly breaking news. Someone grab me a bonnet! But I think there's good reason so many in our circles find themselves doing the same.
We live amidst the most wonderful classroom ever created.
This type of lifestyle, this homesteading, lends itself perfectly to teaching. The opportunities are endless.
Want to learn basic math? Easy. Let's count the eggs and record them for the day.
Want to learn algebra? Perfect. Let's calculate how much hay we need for winter. Or how many pounds of chicken we've harvested and how long that will last us.
Want to learn to read and write? Let's read and write about the farm. Let's read about the animals that we raise and the trees that we grow. Let's read the back of the seed packets and write in our gardening journal. Let's immerse ourselves in great literature of our choosing.
Want to learn history? Let's study old agrarian practices and learn through literature.
Want to learn science? Are you even KIDDING ME? Let's talk about seasons. About bugs. About compost. About birth. About salt. About anatomy. About plants. About fruit. About dirt.
Want to learn about the birds and the bees? Frankly, that one sorta teaches itself around these parts…
This is it. This is what I want to teach my children.
I've never been one that adheres well to schedules where someone is telling me what I have to do and when. I guess that's one of the reasons I love being an blogger and entrepreneur. I like to feel inspired and do things on my own time. Schooling is very much the same.
Now that Stuart is only working part time (he's also attending graduate school in Classical and Christian Studies), he covers a lot in the morning with Miss Thing. Both she and Owen help him feed, water, and care for all the animals. Then, Georgia helps me make breakfast. After that, she'll prepare her schooling and we'll work on what we feel like working on.
Sometimes it's phonics.
Sometimes it's writing.
Sometimes it's reading “The Language of Flowers” or “Alice in Wonderland”.
Sometimes it's listening to Daddy play the guitar and dancing along.
I mean – come on – the girl is 5. She shouldn't be sitting in a classroom 8 hours a day. And so, instead, we fill our days with farm chores, gardening tasks, food preservation, cooking, lots of reading (a large variety of books!), and playing.
Georgia and Owen have established a colony on the farm they call “Nutwag”. Nutwag is a gathering place where they linger for hours – gathering sticks, stones, bugs, and chicken feathers. They'll pretend they're dinosaurs. Or chase the pups around the property. They make mud pies. Fight. Hop into the piglet's pen. Dig trenches in the wood chip pile. Ya know. Nutwag stuff.
After Nutwag time, the littlest Elliotts find their way to nap time (after a good scrubbing) and Georgia and I hang out to practice our French.
No – I don't speak French. But I want to. So what better way to learn? It's been a fun undertaking with Georgia and I'm continually amazed at how quickly she picks up the new vocabulary. Sometimes it involves audio CDs. Other times it includes coloring. And even other times, it includes turning on ‘French Cafe' while we straighten the house.
I say all this not to ramble, but to demonstrate the beautiful flexibility we're able to embrace with homeschool. We aren't on a schedule. We aren't filling our time with event after event after event.
We're living. We're memorizing scripture. We're reading. We're playing. We're learning. And we're tucking our little ones under our wings and teaching them along the way.
It may not be forever – I can't really say. But for right now, this is a beautiful addition to our full, farm lifestyle.
And for those interested, here's what we're vaguely using this year:
- BOB Reading Books (these too!)
- Charlotte Mason's Nature Study
- Professor Toto's French Curriculum
- Genesis to Malachi Covenantal Catechism, Harry Van Dyken
- Institute for Excellence in Writing, Beginning Arts of Language
- Burgess Animal Book
Wishing you and yours a blessed school year, whatever that may look like!
And Amen.
Congratulations on the start of a beautiful, exhausting, rewarding, stressful, learning experience. Oh, wait you homestead. So you know what I am talking about. I am finishing my 18th year this school year with my last child. I homeschooled through babies, toddlers, and all different grade levels. I may be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, but I wouldn’t have traded it for the world. I may have been sleep deprived half of the time, but I loved every minute of it. Enjoy learning with your kiddos. You will be seeing and learning old things through new eyes. It is magical.
Yes! What she said…..
I can’t even begin to pick a “best part” of homeschooling. I’ve been homeschooling my 4 children for 10 years. My oldest is a Sophomore in HS. My youngest is in 3rd. I love learning with them. I love being with them. I love homesteading. I love being home.
Congrats!
That is fantastic! I wish I could have lived your entire life, when I was your age. I think I am living it vicariously, through reading your blog. Good job, momma. You make me laugh and you make me cry. 🙂
Ah!!!! May I just say…..you have breathed a breath of fresh air into this weary Mama’s heart! This is my 6th (oh my word!!!) year of homeschooling. I have a 4th grader, 1st grader, 3 yo, and our 9 no old. The last month I have been super stressed about not getting all of their ‘schoolwork’ done. I told my husband I was the worst hineschool Mom EVER!! He told me that every day when he comes home, the older girls are holed up reading somewhere, they have chores, are learning about life cycles of animals (just did our first AI attempt on our Jersey cow), read about science and history, help in the kitchen, etc. He was more than pleased with their ‘education’. Thank you for making what I have been looking at as a failure look more like the success it really is!!!!
Good for you! (And the kids!)
It is so much fun to learn along with your kids! Not easy, but well worth it!
Oh how wonderful! Nutwag!! Perfect!
I love real life applied learning, it’s something kids don’t get at most schools. I just began the homeschooling journey this year with our 5 year old and so far it’s been great. Being 31 weeks preggy I couldn’t imagine packing up all the kids twice a day and driving to town to get them to school. Our forest backyard & homestead has been the perfect learning ground and it’s not hard to come up with educational opportunities based on what we’re doing that day.
I look forward to seeing how your homeschooling goes 🙂
Ahhh this makes me so happy! So excited for you! I think homeschooling will fit your family and lifestyle perfectly. As you described, you have so many opportunities built into every day for teaching and learning–it will come so naturally, as it should. What a blessing for you guys! Can’t wait to see where this new adventure takes you. 🙂
We went back and forth many times on homeschool vs. public school for our five year old. In the end we chose the public school route, at least for now. I look forward to hearing how your school year progresses.
Congrats! It is a wonderful life, we absolutely love homeschooling 🙂
I am so happy for your family! I home schooled and Loved Charlotte Mason ! I also love the freedom of homeschooling! My daughter home schools and her nine year old has home schooled their now 5 year old herself for a couple of years, making up worksheets and crafts! Enjoy this time and don’t feel compelled to Do Public school at home. Love this news!
I have to say, I was just waiting for the day you would start homeschooling! I knew it was coming. Haha, it just naturally follows all the self-sufficiency stuff! 🙂
Best of luck to you! I would like to mention,one of my favorite homeschool resources is called Life of Fred math.
Check it out, it is not your typical math curriculum. My kids all LOVE it, begging for Life of Fred time. Even on days off.
God bless you!
Ya, team Elliott! Homeschooling is awesome! 🙂
I LOVE homeschooling. I didn’t think I would, and sometimes it’s hard, but I LOVE having my kids home. My 4 year old is dabbling in Kindergarten this year, because we can. We have no set “You have to learn this”, we just do what we can.
We also took up a new “language” this year and are studying American Sign Language. It’s been really fun and the kids love it.
Yaaaaaaay!! This is truly a wonderful way to teach and learn and experience. We do the same and have never looked back:-) Will be looking forward to future posts about your journey, Also my girls and I love your new cooking videos and have already tried every single recipe, so super tasty, thank you for being such an inspiration to us.
As a retired teacher and having been in public education for 29 years, I have become a huge advocate for homeschooling. I only wish more people knew what goes on in public schools. There are hundreds of wonderful teachers who literally are sacrificing hours, days, energy, money of their own for their students in their class. The problem is that our government has complicated the educational system to the point where teachers aren’t allowed to teach students how they need to be taught but are forced to teach what someone in an office somewhere tells them to. I felt so bad for my students the past few years of teaching, but my hands were tied. I left 2 years before my retirement kicked in because my time was better spent with my family. But, that’s my soapbox…enjoy your children everyday in the most wonderful classroom in the world!
I too am a teacher and these are the exact reasons why we will start homeschooling our children next year when our oldest begins kindergarten.
So awesome! This is my 7th year homeschooling my kiddos and I would never go back. Neither would they! Ha ha! In fact, my 11 year old has asked to be homeschooled for college 😀 I have a 10th, 6th, and 3rd grader this year. We started the opposite of you in that we started homeschooling THEN moved to a farm. The two seem to go hand in hand:) We have followed Charlotte Mason’s simple, yet incredibly rich and timeless principles for 5 of our homeschooling years. I love it. The kids love. Enough said. I taught my youngest to read with the McGuffey readers using CM’s methods of teaching reading and he learned really quickly and is an excellent reader. If I could offer you one bit of advice as an experienced homeschooler, it would be to ditch #5 the IEW stuff. Too much for the tender ages and they don’t need it. CM didn’t start formal grammar until like 3rd or 4th grade. She just focused on reading and copy work while they were in the younger years. And you know what? This was genius! By the time they start grammar, they have picked up sooo much from their reading and copy work already that it’s almost ridiculous how easy it is for them. I highly recommend reading her first volume “A Philosophy of Education.” She is very verbose but her thoughts on education are amazing. There is also a summaries version done by Leslie Noelani Laurio if you prefer a cliff notes version. Enjoy your beautiful journey!
Shaye,
I’m so excited for y’all! I’m a senior in high school this year & it’s been kind of a struggle for me to accept that I won’t get to experience this type of education myself – I am homeschooled, but I was in private school from 5th grade to 10th grade, so it’s not the same. but I am very blessed with the way I have learned. 🙂 this is the exact way I want to teach my children. what a blessing farm life is, in many ways!
Yay! I home schooled my oldest for his senior year. At three and a half he learned to read with the Bob books and it was all over from there. He reads a lot. Gotta love that. BOB books are awesome, I have kept them and shared them with four other kids since then. They are all readers now.
I know you will do great! We use Classical Conversations! Classical education is wonderful. I do wish I had been taught that away, so I’m learning now:) Prayers for a great year from Alabama!
I am a kindergarten teacher for a public school. I constantly tell parents that, although I’m their child’s school teacher, parents are the most influencial teachers. Children learn just as much, if not more, at home while participating in every day tasks. Every day life offers innumerable, meaningful learning opportunities!
I homeschool my six children and I love the all about reading all about spelling program it teaches you to spelland it is awesome I also used Abeka DVDs. A couple of my children have trouble with spelling and when I use all about spelling they don’t struggle in spelling also my oldest child only had one level of all about spelling in kindergarten and he is in 4th Grade now and he is reading on a fourth grade level. It is so awesome and wonderful to homeschool our children I was homeschooled for a few years and I absolutely love it I remember playing kickball with my mother and siblings for our break.I also made a home run and I looked down at my foot after I got back to home base and I saw the way my foot bleeding and I started crying because I saw the blood I cut my foot on the sharp rock as I was running and didn’t even know it I will never forget that as a child we have only one acre of land and we have about 30 chickens one peg + 1 goats and were planning on getting some meat chickens and eventually getting some more goats and we want to milk goats and have goats for meat and we have a garden every year
Have you been to a public school lately? It’s disgusting. 80% of the time the teacher is correcting poor behavior, 15% they are bribing the kids towards better behavior (usually with candy or tickets FOR candy) and the remaining 5% is actually teaching…for those that bother to listen. The kids are not engaged and the classrooms are too large for teachers to work one-on-one, leading to “volunteers” who end up teaching a portion of a lesson. Worse, teachers are unempowered and are dictated a one-size-fits-all curriculum and teaching style. I am not blaming the poor overworked and underpaid teachers here. This is a government issue. On top of that, the cruelty and peer pressure that exists in these prison-like environments is enough to wonder how any child graduates with a sense of “self”…not to mention confidence.
I can only imagine how exhausting it must be to homeschool, but I only WISH I could do it myself (divorce situation). You are doing the best thing for your children with the greatest gift you can give them. I admire you!
So Awesome Shaye! We are in our 3rd year of homeschooling and our budding first year as homesteaders! Right now we have a blank canvas of 5 acres, I so enjoy every one of your posts and am inspired to dream through them as we plan our little plot of Heaven! Thank you for your transparency, your honesty, your love and your wit!
Shelby
You and I have different philosophies in many ways, but I can wholeheartedly agree that an organic type of learning is best (especially, especially for such young children). I’m so heartened to see that your family is enjoying it (and learning french from age 5 is a REALLY, REALLY good way to get her started on languages. bilingual children will pick up other languages faster, and it’s an incredible gift that you can give her !
I loved every hard and sacred minute of our 11 years of homeschooling . . . God bless yours. Well worth the effort for those of us who don’t see life in schedules.
Thank you for sharing with us, Shaye! It may feel “predictable” or “hardly breaking news,” but it’s inspiring and good to hear about others who are choosing a homeschool way of life. For our family, I very likely may end up homeschooling (8 hours of sit-down school for a 5 year old???). But I’ll have to push against my 3-year-old who at the moment thinks school must be the best, most amazing, friend-filled festival ever.
I think this is great. I never considered home schooling until I started reading about homesteading, on your bog and elsewhere. I want a big family as well and think there are so many opportunities to teach (and learn yourself) from having a self sufficient farm. That being said, my only concern is the socialization aspect – sharing, embracing different types of people and personalities – do you have any idea how you will be addressing that?
Socialisation starts in the family. Kids need a solid base before they are introduced to situations outside the safety net provided by family.
Example:
Your kids won’t know the appropriate/Godly behaviour when meeting a disabled person for the first time unless they have been taught in the home the values that need to be taught in order to appreciate each individual to whom he really is… How God sees him.
If kids are dropped off at some ‘socialisation event’ with other kids with roughly the same amount of ‘not know-how’ on their clocks, kids are left to their own devices to figure out what’s appropriate. This often leads to bullying and peer pressure situations which could have been navigated more cleanly had they had some ‘backgrounding’ in secure loving relationships that teach solid behaviour at home.
Unlike school, the real world is a place where kids are taught to live and love all ages and cultures, it gives more opportunities for interaction than jailing them with their own age group to learn how to manipulate their way to the top. In the home we live daily, the lives our kids are going to need to live as adults. They are never socially awkward. They just see through the hurt and manipulation driven peer group behaviours and adapt easily as adults. So don’t worry, just live… And lead by example. Kids learn quickly.
I often wondered why you didn’t homeschool, so this is really exciting to read AND it’s helped reading what so many others have written in the comments along with the comments of those with much experience within the public school system. I am a young mom with a two and a half year old and an 11 month old, looking forward to having more (Congratulations by the way!!) and I’ve been going back and forth between the two for a couple years now. Early I know but I’d like to prepare and learn as much as I can, pray and make the right decision. So happy for you and I look forward to hearing how it goes! May the Lord bless you and your family in this change!
I’ve only just found your blog(searching “how to butcher chickens” of all things during my late night pregnancy insomnia sessions), but I love it so much. We are such kindred spirits. Come to southern VA so we can meet, won’t you? 🙂
I was raised on a dairy farm and homeschooled until 8th grade. Not only were my academics ahead of my classmates when I went to public school, but my common sense, self-sufficiency and work ethic that related to all things INCLUDING my education were head and shoulders above even some of my teachers. I am grateful for that experience. Now that I have four beautiful children Earthside with me(and one more on the way!) whom I have homeschooled from the start, I am so excited that my husband and I are finally at a place where we were able to buy a home in the semi-country on one little acre to begin our own mini homestead. The things my children learn at such a young age just from LIVING, gardening, outdoor exploration, and caring for animals is immeasurable. Thanks for being a valuable source of information and inspiration.
We’re in our second year with home education. I have five (3 are school-age) Our path to get there looks different (I wrote about mine too) but I feel strongly this is where God has us, for now at least. I wouldn’t change this time with them for anything. While it’s not mainstream, there are many, many families who do and write about it and offer encouragement and ideas. I follow some great feeds on IG that offer different kinds of schooling ideas. It’s a really supportive growing community.
I was never blessed with the miracle of having my own babies but I know one thing for sure. If I had been, I would have wanted to replicate your family’s lifestyle, with love and gusto. I also want to say that I admire the way you pen your thoughts. Your sense of humor reminds me of me! May the blessings and love of our Lord sustain you in all kinds of trials and in the ho-hum minutes of each day, for each day is a blessing. Happy Autumn!
why do i not see any men here doing homeschooling?
Oh how I wish we could meet you one day! Your posts describe our life and homestead so closely! We are doing CM philosophy with our kiddos; the oldest is 6. This post was very encouraging to me and I am inspired by your laid-back attitude with life on the farm. Keep bringing the encouragement and real-life posts. We love them!
It’s funny, but you were in my thoughts while I was working on our own homestead over the weekend. I was actually wondering if you would be going the homeschool route. Like so many others have said, it naturally fits into the lifestyle you have chosen for your family. My children are 9, 7, and 3 and we have been homeschooling for 4 years now. We have been working our homestead for 1 year this month! Both have been great adventures and we are all learning together as we go. You will make mistakes and at times it will be SO hard. Don’t give up. It’s worth it. I came across the following quote a few years back and it has pulled me through many breakdowns ;0). I now have it printed, colored by my little artist, and hanging above their bookshelf:
If you lack knowledge, go to school.
If you lack wisdom, get on your knees!
Knowledge is not wisdom.
Wisdom is the proper use of knowledge.
-Vance Havner
Both homeschooling and homesteading have had me on my knees more times than I can count. I can’t say that we are all the wiser, but He is working on us!
You will continue to be in our thoughts and prayers as you embark on this new adventure. May God bless you.
I look back with so many good memories of homeschooling when my 5 were younger like yours. 🙂 One is a momma now to a 1 yr old, 1 is almost graduating college with her Associate in Music, 1 is working his hiney off making pallets in a mill and my youngest 2 daughters are taking a half day at the local jr and sr high while homeschooling the other stuff at home in grades 8 and 10.
I really dont know where the time went…just yesterday we were baking cookies for math and drawing letters in baking dishes filled with rice.
Homeschooling rocks! (And it works.)
For mamas worried that while homeschooling might be fun, it might somehow ruin their kid’s future: here’s something to assuage your fears.
My mother home schooled my brother and I. He graduated from the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business with a degree in accounting (and he now has a great job), and I’ll be finishing a B.S. in Horticulture in the spring, along with my husband. My brother and I LOVED home school. Every minute of it. We dabbled in private school for a year or two early in our education (Shaye, does Covenant Academy sound familiar? Haha, my mom tells me that Stewart’s dad was… I believe the headmaster when I was there? [It was a long time ago, haha!]) but home school was just too much fun. Home school is what made me a self-motivated learner, an inquisitive person, and instilled in me a love of learning.
My husband and I will be headed into a career in floriculture and greenhouse production after graduation. (Building up our homestead on the side though, duh.) 😛
So excited for you Shaye, but even more excited for your littles! They’re in for a wild and amazing education.
Wow, this is one of the most touching, beautifully written posts I have ever read! It literally brought tears to my eyes. I’m not sure I have ever heard anyone sum up all that homeschooling is so wonderfully before! I was blessed to have been homeschooled K-12 and looking back, wouldn’t have had it any other way. I’m now going on 3 years post-graduation, and this post took me right back to those lovely, play-filled grade school days! Two thumbs up to you because this — this is what homeschooling is all about. 🙂
I was just reading your “Five Tips” article and think that so much of that applies squarely to homeschooling.
Mine are 16, 14 and 10 now and we’ve never taken a traditional approach – we’ve done what we could at each stage of our lives, for each child; we’ve learned from experiences (and mistakes); we’ve sought out locals in the know (and gleaned much from being face-to-face); we’ve reminded ourselves (or had our wise and growing kids tell us) to CHILL OUT; and most importantly, we’ve learned to go slow.
Despite our unconventional (grandparents’ eyebrow-raising) path through life and education; we have smart, savvy, knowledgeable, socially-capable, independent, passionate, EASY-GOING teens who are close to one another and open with us as they grow into amazing (beyond anything I could ever claim credit for, but y’all know I still do) adults.
So, enjoy the journey…and when things get hard, remember your own tips and this last one from me: Step aside! The hardest lesson you’ll ever learn is that the biggest obstacle to your child’s education is usually YOU!
I’m so glad homeschooling is going so well for you! Our 5 yo is in public school Kindergarten and loves every minute of it, and even full-time Kindergarten only lasts 6.5 hours, and that includes lunch and 2 recesses, music class, etc….so I think it’s important to state that some public schools are amazing, and no one “sits for 8 hours,” at least not in any Kindergarten I’m aware of.
So happy for you! My hubby and I are both veteran homeschoolers so homeschooling out kids was kind of a given (along with the whole homesteading thing). We have 7 kids but only the oldest 4 are “school aged”. Of course, they are all always learning through everything we do. ???? Good luck! I know you’ll do great!
My ‘students’ are now in their early 20’s. So many things I thought I failed at, some I would definitely do different if God gave me a ‘do over’. But Ladies, the joy that comes now when they tell me things I had forgotten or didn’t realize that they loved and plan to do with their families! You are leaving a lasting legacy based on love!
Oh Shaye, this is why I LOVE reading your blog!! Makes me laugh, makes me happy for you, makes me remember many happy years of home schooling my own dear children. Loved this post and love you – your real, simple, beautiful faith and life. You are exercising your gifts well!
AMAZING Shaye!! Your blog and your family continue to amaze me with how you are growing – learning about everything God has graced us with! I finally have my wonderful homestead – but my “babies” are growing up and leaving the nest. I hope and pray we have provided them with the tools to continue this wonderful journey called “living” and giving thanks every day for their blessings.
God Bless You Shaye!!
Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful! We homeschooled our boys through Jr High and High School, two of which will be starting college this summer. During a time of hind-sight doubting, one of my sons told me that staying home to raise them was the most important job I could have done. It made me cry, still does when I think of it. They are really good, decent young men and I thank God for them. Enjoy this life you’ve been given! 🙂
Congratulations!! Best decision we ever made was to begin homeschooling way back in 1988. A few more kids later and here it is 2016 and we just began our 29th year of homeschooling…..our youngest is in second grade, so we’ve got a good while to go! Blessings to you as you continue on the most important journey.
Homeschooling is a fun ride!
I am looking for a review from someone who has actually used Professor Toto’s foreign language curriculum. I saw it on your homeschool bookshelf and wondered how you liked it and how effective it was teaching the kids and how far does it take them in learning the language? Any thoughts on the material would be so helpful! Thanks!