All Summer Jason and I went back and forth on an important decision: Do we start our oldest twins in Kindergarten this year? Or do we wait a year? 

We went back and forth - because honestly I'm really excited about homeschooling and also totally terrified. We started doing research and came across a curriculum that my friend uses and we got hooked! We got so excited about the curriculum that we decided to go ahead and take the plunge to start this year! 

We are only one week into the school year  - but I think this was a great decision for our family! So while my blog is NOT turning into a homeschool blog, I do get questions about it all the time. So I wanted to share in today's episode all about our homeschooling philosophy and what we are doing this year (and hopefully in future years). 

Disclaimer: I do not believe everyone has to homeschool. I don't think it's the right decision for every family. But it's the right decision for us, this year. So feel free to skip this episode if it doesn't pertain to you! :) 

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What We Value in Homeschool Education: 

Math

Jason's bachelors degree is in mathematics. So it's extremely important to him that our kids have a solid foundation in math. So that IF they choose to continue on into higher education, then they are equipped to do so. 

We want a math curriculum that is fun and hands on, but that also doesn't back down from challenging them. 

Reading

Jason was homeschooling Kindergarten through twelfth grade and I think his mom did a fabulous job with their homeschooling. Most of what we are doing and how we structure our day is based off of what they did and what she has learned through homeschooling 7 children all the way through. 

A ton of Jason's homeschool depended on reading books. Books on all kinds of subjects, science, biographies, history, etc. We have always planned on having a huge emphasis on reading with our kids. As you know, Jason and I both LOVE reading and a large part of our life is oriented around reading. 

Bible

My bachelor's degree is in Biblical Studies so this is a subject that I have been very excited for! I can't wait to incorporate Bible, Church history, missionary biographies and more into our homeschool. This will be a huge emphasis within our daily reading as well. 

Growing a thirst for knowledge in them

A HUGE goal of ours in homeschooling is getting them to LOVE learning and to nurture common sense within them. We want to give them the tools to discover the things they don't know and the thirst to do so. In the young ages, this goes hand in hand with free play and encouraging them to discover and explore! 

All of this has led me to doing a lot of reading about the Charlotte Mason philosophy of education: 

"The Charlotte Mason method is based on Charlotte’s firm belief that the child is a person and we must educate that whole person, not just his mind. So a Charlotte Mason education is three-pronged: in her words, “Education is an Atmosphere, a Discipline, a Life.”

An Atmosphere, A Discipline, A Life

By “Atmosphere,” Charlotte meant the surroundings in which the child grows up. A child absorbs a lot from his home environment. Charlotte believed that the ideas that rule your life as the parent make up one-third of your child’s education.

By “Discipline,” Charlotte meant the discipline of good habits—and specifically habits of character.