Jennifer is a mom of three, two boys and a girl all in elementary school. She is homeschooling all three and shares about why they decided that was best for their family, as well as many of the things she loves about it! She gave me a TON of resources below, so be sure to check them out to learn more, and listen to Jen to be encouraged that homeschooling is another great schooling option for a lot of families!

 

Enjoy a plethora of awesome resources and suggestions from Jen:

Books:

• For the Children's Sake: Foundations of Education for Home and School - a great read if you're considering homeschooling.
• A Charlotte Mason Companion: Personal Reflections on the Gentle Art of Learning- explains the main ideas of Charlotte Mason's philosophy of education.
• Teaching from Rest: A Homeschooler's Guide to Unshakeable Peace 
• The Well-Trained Mind - explains the classical method and gives practical guidance in how to do it.
• The Brave Learner: Finding Everyday Magic in Homeschool, Learning, and Life - talks about how to create an atmosphere that encourages and inspires a love of learning.
• Nature Anatomy - a beautiful example of how you could nature journal.
• Truth:78 resources - She is using the Sunday School workbook called To Be Like Jesus
  
  

Top Two things that I have learned that all kids need (after Jesus, and no matter where they go to school) is exposure to nature and to quality books. 

1. Nature: You need to get your kids out in nature regularly to play and explore and get dirty. They need to see rocks and trees and flowers up close in real life. They need to watch a bird flying and appreciate a trail of ants working hard. Nature journaling is a great habit to cultivate in your kids (and for yourself!)

        Instagram: @maandpamodern,  @wildandfree.co,  @farmhouse_schoolhouse  

1. Quality Books: 

We used “Five in a Row” for kindergarten and first grade.
It’s a really fun way to introduce all the subjects using a different picture book each week.

Instagram: @readaloudrevival, @amblesideonline 
Other homeschool accounts I follow: @learningwell, @laced_with_grace_homeschool, @littlewomenfarmhouse, @charottemasonirl, @sally.clarkson, 

 

Also, I forgot to mention "Habit Training," which is one of the Charlotte Mason ideas that I love. She gives great lists of lovely habits that children need to be lovingly instructed in. It really does help them in life if they have good habits. I also love that she encourages gentleness and patience in this training. And to work on one habit at a time.

Charlotte Mason also believed in what she called "Mother Culture," which is time set aside for the mother to enrich herself, whether by reading a good book or learning a new skill. I really want to learn to use watercolors to paint nature, so that's on my list of things to do during my free time each day. I'm not that good at setting aside time for myself, but it's so important for our kids to see us continuing to learn and grow as people who have a variety of interests.

 

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