Posted on by mamaleotashomeschool

I’m thinking about homeschooling my kids…where do I start?

So You're Thinking About Homeschooling, Homeschool, Homeschool Mom, Mama Leota's Homeschool, Florida Homeschool, Homeschooling Family, Homeschool Encouragement

When moms reach out to me and tell me they are considering homeschooling their kids, their biggest hangup is fear and not knowing where to start. Take me for example, I had no idea where to begin when I first started homeschooling. I was a public school kid and didn’t even know there was such a thing as home education until I was an adult. Thankfully I had a good friend who was familiar with it as her daughter had homeschooled her children.

One of the first things my friend did was assure me that I was making a wonderful decision and that there were many resources available to homeschooling families. The next thing she did was give me the book “So You’re Thinking About Homeschooling” by Lisa Whelchel. Now I’ve received many books over the years since I began this journey and no other book helped me or encouraged me quite like this one. I actually keep several copies on my bookshelf in order to hand them out when friends tell me they are thinking of homeschooling.

Lisa does an amazing job introducing someone not familiar with home education (that someone was totally me) to the wonderful world we call homeschooling. She explains that there is no such thing as a “typical homeschool family”. That every family that decides to take this “road less traveled” does it for a myriad of reasons and no two homeschooling families looks the same. One of the most important points she makes is one I’ve had to recite many times to people and that is, “I’m not anti-public school. I’m pro-homeschool.”

“Homeschooling allows you the freedom to step off the highway of learning and take a more scenic route along a dirt road.”

Tamara L. Chilver

She goes on to describe her own homeschooling journey and what that looked like. She shares her doubts and concerns when she started and how she overcame them. For a mom who is constantly second guessing herself and feeling like a failure most days, her words offered incredible comfort and encouragement. Reading through what her homeschool looked like filled me with so much excitement that I couldn’t wait to get going!

The rest of the book consists of her introducing you to several other homeschooling families (fifteen to be exact) “to help paint a clearer picture of what the homeschooling adventure is all about”. Do you notice the tabs on my copy of the book above? Yup, those are all the placeholders of every story that spoke to me and encouraged me. Lisa’s book does such a great job of introducing many of the different homeschooling styles out there…Classical, Charlotte Mason, Unschooling, Unit studies, and Eclectic education methods. There is even a chapter that is filled with resources to get you started should you choose to homeschool your kids.

You may be wondering which style I chose. To be perfectly honest, I couldn’t just choose one! Ha ha! Our homeschool consists of multiple styles and our curriculum is pretty much a hodgepodge of all our favorites! From Abeka to BJU Press, to Notgrass, and Well Trained Mind…we have it all!

So, if you’re wondering where to start, read this book for sure. You will either come away feeling encouraged and excited or realizing that homeschooling may not be the journey for you. Whatever you choose is up to you and it is ok!

Disclaimer: Some of the links on this page are affiliate links. That means, I get a small commission if you purchase through this link. I  will only ever share tools and resources I truly love and use. Thank you for your thoughtful consideration.

Posted on by mamaleotashomeschool

The Happiest Man on Earth

Homeschool Family, Florida Homeschool, The Happiest Man on earth, Eddie Jaku, Homeschool Kids

We just finished reading The Happiest Man on Earth- The Beautiful Life of an Auschwitz Survivor by Eddie Jaku. Wow, what a gem of a book! When your thirteen year old tells you it’s one of his favorite books we’ve read, you know it’s good!

Our family has read many books on the holocaust over the years but this one was quite different than others we have read. For example, every chapter begins with a beautiful nugget of wisdom. Some of my favorites are, “There are many things more precious than money”, “You can find kindness everywhere, even from strangers”, “Hug your mother”, and my favorite, “If you lose your morals, you lose yourself”. Eddie Jaku does a wonderful job of weaving hope and wisdom throughout sharing his incredibly tragic experiences in Nazi Germany. In the very opening of his book he says, “Through all of my years I have learned this: life can be beautiful if you make it beautiful.”

I chose this book to read with my children because of the overall message that we are as happy as we choose to be. I’ve taught them from a young age that “happiness is a moral obligation” and “happy people make the world a better place”.

I enjoyed many deep conversations with my kids while reading this book. The most impactful discussion we had was when Eddie was describing the fateful night of Kristallnacht. He says, “If enough people had stood up then, and said, ‘Enough!’ then the course of history would have been different. My son Noah was surprised by what he said and asked me if I believed it to be true. I explained to him that history would absolutely be different had more people fought against Hitler and the Nazis. It opened up a great opportunity to discuss standing up for people and doing what’s right. To be fighters for justice rather than to live a passive life.

I highly recommend this book for all ages especially young children. It is filled with insights on friendship, family, ethics, love, and hatred.

Homeschool Family, Florida Homeschool, The Happiest Man on earth, Eddie Jaku, Homeschool Kids

Disclaimer: Some of the links on this page are affiliate links. That means, I get a small commission if you purchase through this link. I  will only ever share tools and resources I truly love and use. Thank you for your thoughtful consideration.