Posted on by mamaleotashomeschool

What I learned teaching my children to read

Mama Leotas Homeschool, Homeschool Mom, Homeschooling, Florida Homeschool, Learn to read, Hooked on Phonics, Explode the Code

You see this guy? Well that’s my baby, the youngest of five kids. Sometimes I think he got the best version of me as a mom. Let me explain…

When I first started homeschooling, I literally had no idea what I was doing. Our oldest sons had started their education in public school so they already knew how to read, write, and do basic math. There is a seven year gap between them and the three “littles” as I like to call them.

I’m pretty sure I had a panic attack the moment I realized that I had to teach them how to read. How in the world was I going to do that? Thankfully reading came easy for my daughter and she picked it up quite quickly just going through the Hooked on Phonics books. Then we got to our fourth son and boy was that a challenge! I’m pretty sure we were in tears on a daily basis. But hey, he had to learn how to read by first grade, right? Well, he was reading by the end of kindergarten but we were all miserable during the entire process.

Mama Leotas Homeschool, Homeschool Mom, Homeschooling, Florida Homeschool, Learn to read, Hooked on Phonics, Explode the Code

Now enter our “baby”. I did what I’d always done, kindergarten at five years old. And for the most part, he liked it but when we got to reading, that was a whole other story. He just could not catch on and then came the tears again. I remembered a podcast I heard about boys and reading and that they typically take longer to learn how to read and that it will just “click” around eight and nine years old sometimes even later. As scary as it was, I decided to give it a shot. I wasn’t going to push my son to read…we weren’t going to do any traditional reading lessons at all. I was simply going to read to him and let it happen naturally.

Children are made readers on the laps of their parents. 

Emilie Buchwald

One day while watching a foreign film with the kids, my son started reading the subtitles out loud! We were all stunned and just looked at him in shock…he could read! He was around eight years old when I started him on reading lessons. We did Hooked on Phonics and Explode the Code. By the time he was nine he was reading chapter books. Now at age ten he is reading beyond grade level and his comprehension and retention is impressive as well! I’m thankful I followed my instincts and took a more gentle and natural approach with him. We are all happier for it!

I hope this post encourages you. Drop me a line or a question, I’d love to hear from you! ❤️

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

I’ve decided to homeschool, what now?

Mama Leotas Homeschool, Florida Homeschool Mom, Homeschoolers, How to Homeschool, Homeschool Family, How to Start Homeschooling, Homeschooling, Homeschool Encouragement

Congratulations! As overwhelming as you may feel in this moment, I promise you it is the best decision you could make. I remember back when I first started homeschooling and how lost I felt. I didn’t know where to start and felt scared and in over my head. In this post I will share with you three things I did when I first started homeschooling.

One of the most important things I did was research my state’s homeschool laws. Each state varies in their requirements to legally homeschool your children and if not followed, can result in your children being reported as truant. You could end up in court and the judge would decide if you could continue homeschooling, or if he/she felt you were negligent, could actually force your kids to attend public school. I don’t say this to scare or deter you, it’s just important that you are fully aware of the homeschool laws in order to protect yourself and your children. The best resource I’ve found where you can find all this information is at the Homeschool Legal Defense Association‘s website. You can also look up each individual state’s laws at this link here. HSLDA is pretty a much a one stop shop for all things homeschool. Their website is filled with valuable tools and information to get you started on your journey. You can read more about their mission here.

“From the day you became a parent, you also became a teacher, and you are equipped to teach your child.”

Anne Campbell

Once I knew what was required for me to homeschool in my state, the next thing I set out to do was figure out what to actually teach them and what curriculum and books I needed for each of my children. I have to be honest here…I had no idea where to start but after quite a bit of research, I came across a gem of a book called Home Learning Year by Year: How to Design a Homeschool Curriculum from Preschool Through High School by Rebecca Rupp. I love this book because it is a great guide to everything you need to teach your children at every grade level. It includes subjects to be covered within each grade, standards for knowledge that should be acquired by your child at each level, recommended books to use as texts for every subject, and much more. I loved how each grade level was broken down by chapter and easy to find. Each year I would simply tab each grade of my kids and refer back to the book as needed throughout the school year. Keep in mind that this is guide and not meant to be followed to the letter.

Homeschool Mom, Homeschoolers, How to Homeschool, Homeschool Family, How to Start Homeschooling, Homeschooling, Homeschool Encouragement

Finally, we come to the third thing I did in the beginning which was read all the homeschool blogs I could find! I’m guessing that is how you stumbled upon this post yourself. I absolutely loved (and still do) looking at other mom’s homeschool rooms and reading through the different books and curriculum they recommended. I would spend hours soaking it all up like a sponge. I must advise though, be careful of falling into the comparison trap. No two homeschool families are alike so don’t expect yours to look like the next ones or mine for that matter. Each and every one of us are created with special gifts and talents and that is what makes homeschooling so much fun and unique. You know your children better than anyone and there is no one better than you to decide what they need.

“The most important work you and I will ever do will be within the walls of our own homes.”

Harold B. Lee

Well there you have it! These are the first things I did when I decided to homeschool my kids 12 years ago. These activities paved the path for me and gave me confidence to start on my own homeschool journey. I was encouraged by all the resources and was even more sure that homeschooling is what I’ve been called to do. This all led to choosing curriculum and books, setting a schedule, organizing and setting up a “classroom”, planning out an entire school year, etc. All of which I plan to cover in future blog posts. I hope you choose to stick with me as I share all the things that have helped me as well as the things that didn’t. I am thankful you are here! ❤️

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

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

Let’s start from the beginning…

Mama Leotas Homeschool, Florida Homeschool Mom, Florida Homeschool, Homeschool, Homeschooler, Homeschooling, Sky Photo, Sun in the Sky, Caleo Photography

Homeschooling my kids is not something I ever imagined myself doing. I attended public school as a kid so it was the only thing I knew. In fact, when I first started homeschooling, I aimed to duplicate the very institution I yanked my kids out of.

I remember it like it was yesterday. I received yet another call from the school about my son’s behavior. It was the fourth one that month alone! I was finally fed up and told the principal that I was withdrawing my son that day. Of course I was met with pushback and was told that wasn’t necessary. That they could get him the “proper” help he needed. I politely told them no and that it was my husband’s and my responsibility, not theirs, to help him.

There were only two months left in the school year when I brought my son home. Initially I only withdrew my second son from school as my oldest wasn’t getting into trouble and had decent grades. I had no idea what I was going to do but I knew I needed to address the behavior most importantly. I decided he needed to “earn” the right to even do school since it seemed he took it for granted.

I set up a strict schedule of indoor and outdoor chores. He cleaned bathrooms, washed walls and baseboards, deep cleaned the kitchen, mowed the lawn, amongst other things. By the end of the week, he was begging me to hit the books! Since it was the end of the school year (and I didn’t actually know what I was doing), I spent the remaining months getting reacquainted with my son.

To be honest, this was probably the toughest part. He went from being gone from home nine hours a day to being home all day.

Let’s park here for a bit…

This hit me in the gut and broke my heart. I didn’t know my son. He had been exposed to things and behaviors at school that were not acceptable in our home. I raised my kids to know God, we went to church every Sunday and midweek as well. Our family was very active in church and we volunteered too. We were “doing” everything “right”. So I thought.

I cried out to God and prayed for guidance. I felt the Lord lead me to read the book of Nehemiah. He spoke very clearly to my heart that there was a crack in our foundation and that we needed to rebuild. God proceeded to walk me through the book of Nehemiah and that became our guide to rebuilding our home. There was no doubt I needed to bring both my sons home and homeschool them. I needed to be more purposeful in their upbringing and not just assume biblical morals and values were being instilled because we attended church. We needed to actively live out Deuteronomy 6:6-7 which says, “these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.”

“Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” Jeremiah 33:3

Our decision to homeschool was met with much opposition. From family, to friends, even leaders in our church disagreed with our decision. I was told I wasn’t “qualified” to teach my kids because I was a high school drop out and didn’t have a college degree. I was told by the youth leader that my kids needed to be in public school because “they needed to be witnesses of Christ”, (they were 12 and 11 years old).

Despite all the negativity, I pressed forward. At the time I didn’t know how or what it would look like but I trusted God to lead us. It didn’t always look pretty but I stayed faithful to that which He called me. Many times I felt like a failure but I stayed the course. Now looking back over the last 12 years, I am confident we made the right choice. When I think of all the time I have with my kids versus had they been in public school, I wouldn’t trade this for anything. That time with them has given me the opportunity to bond with them in a way I honestly don’t think would have been possible if they were gone nine hours a day.

“Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.” Philippians 3:12

Dear friends, if you have kids in the public school system, please do not think I am saying “homeschool is the only way”. While I am a strong supporter of homeschooling, I recognize that it’s not for everyone. If you get anything out of this post, may it be a reminder that as mothers and fathers, we have a higher calling for our children. That our time with them in our homes is so short and so incredibly precious. Cherish every moment with your children while they are young as time flies by so fast and we are not promised tomorrow. I strongly urge you to live out Deuteronomy 6:6-7…I can assure you it will be the best decision you ever make for your children and your children’s children. ❤️

Posted on by mamaleotashomeschool

Hi there, I’m Cynthia!

Mama Leotas Homeschool, Florida Homeschool Mom, Homeschool

Hi, I’m Cynthia! I started this blog to encourage and be encouraged. I’m a high school dropout who had the “audacity” to pull her kids out of the public school system and homeschool them with only 9th grade education.

When I first started homeschooling, I felt overwhelmed, lost, fearful, and intimidated by all the “qualified” homeschool moms I encountered. Over the past 11 years of homeschooling 5 kids (2 of which have graduated) I have learned so much about my children and myself.

I’ve learned that homeschool does not need to look like public school and that our homeschool doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s either. I’ve learned to forgive myself and feel proud that I’m one of the few that have chosen the courageous path of home education. I’ve also learned that I can learn alongside my children and that I don’t have to know everything in order to teach them!

With that I welcome you to my little corner of the world! I hope you feel encouraged and loved! ❤️

Posted on by mamaleotashomeschool

I am doing a great work.

“I am doing a great work and I cannot come down.”

Nehemiah 6:3

My decision to homeschool my children was met with much opposition. I was very active in our church at the time serving in several ministries and I had to make the tough decision to step back…a lot. I ended up losing some friends in the process.

Few people supported my decision to homeschool. I don’t really blame them as I had my own doubts as well. I honestly had no idea what I was doing in the beginning. I just knew that the Lord was directing my steps.

If I could go back I would tell 30 year old me, “You got this mama! Stay the course! You and your children have a bright future ahead of you. And the amazing relationship you have with them is worth all the uncertainty you feel in this moment. Don’t give up! Press forward!” Y’all I would be my biggest cheerleader!

I’m so thankful I never gave in to my doubts. I’m so thankful I stayed the course. I’m so thankful I pressed forward!

Do you need a cheerleader today? Well you got one! Let me be your cheerleader! Whether you’re currently homeschooling, thinking about homeschooling, or even just struggling with motherhood. “You are doing a great work!” ❤️