Homeschooling is all about the "B" word - Balance. I admit, for years I floundered at this task of finding the balance between educating my children well, working part-time from home, being a stay-at-home mom and wife, and not losing it all in the process. Somewhere in the mix I found my Happy Medium Homeschooling approach.
What is happy medium homeschooling? It is what works for our family. So many times we hear the questions: What kind of homeschooler are you? How do you homeschool?
To me these are almost as ambiguous as: What kind of person are you? or How do you live every day? It is all about finding that happy medium. For our family there is no box of curriculum that would suffice, no one catalog from which to order a set of books. We also do not consider ourselves as unschoolers, as it leaves us wanting something more. Eclectic is perhaps the term best describing our style, and our family in general, but not many people outside of the homeschooling arena are familiar with this term. And for me, eclectic sounds too sterile, too aloof. Thus I've reached this point of happy medium.
My Homeschooling Approach
As different as our children are, it can be difficult to find resources that suit them all. I like to take a unit study approach for some topics because it can give the family a central focus. Then I can make sure that everyone has activities that suit their interests and abilities. Each year we have taken a specific topic to thread throughout the year with either a fun introduction or culminating event. We have studied ancient history, then taken the kids to Chicago to see the King Tutt Exhibit at the Field Museum. We spent a year studying our own wonderful U.S.A., then took the kids on a road trip to see the great Wild West. Amazing! The kids also like Amanda Bennett for her unit studies in download form, as it is a change of pace and they have their own computer time, and have chosen their own topics, like Horses and Baseball, for a fun change of pace.
Much of the time I manage homeschooling like I manage the kitchen. I don't always follow a recipe, instead going by the tastes of my family and trying to incorporate everyone's likes into one meal. Some days there are rave reviews, other days the leftovers stare us in the face, asking, "What were you thinking?"
When I was a child, I always envisioned my future with a demanding career, possibly married, possibly with 2 kids. Then life took over and here I am with that demanding career known as stay-at-home-work-at-home-homeschooling-mom, definitely married to a wonderful man, definitely with 2 kids (plus 2 more), contributing to a grand total of one dad, me (the mom), 4 amazing kids, 1 dog, 2 cats, and 3 (at last count) fish. All of this leads to my typical greeting when people enter our home. "Welcome to the chaos!" It is almost always loud, always busy, almost always friendly (hey, we all have our days), and always home.
To learn more about our homeschooling adventures and my journey as a WAHM during it all, visit my blog at Happy Medium Homeschooling.
Looking for a homeschooling support group in the Mankato, MN area? Visit us, the Mankato Area Home Educators (MAHE)!
What is happy medium homeschooling? It is what works for our family. So many times we hear the questions: What kind of homeschooler are you? How do you homeschool?
To me these are almost as ambiguous as: What kind of person are you? or How do you live every day? It is all about finding that happy medium. For our family there is no box of curriculum that would suffice, no one catalog from which to order a set of books. We also do not consider ourselves as unschoolers, as it leaves us wanting something more. Eclectic is perhaps the term best describing our style, and our family in general, but not many people outside of the homeschooling arena are familiar with this term. And for me, eclectic sounds too sterile, too aloof. Thus I've reached this point of happy medium.
My Homeschooling Approach
As different as our children are, it can be difficult to find resources that suit them all. I like to take a unit study approach for some topics because it can give the family a central focus. Then I can make sure that everyone has activities that suit their interests and abilities. Each year we have taken a specific topic to thread throughout the year with either a fun introduction or culminating event. We have studied ancient history, then taken the kids to Chicago to see the King Tutt Exhibit at the Field Museum. We spent a year studying our own wonderful U.S.A., then took the kids on a road trip to see the great Wild West. Amazing! The kids also like Amanda Bennett for her unit studies in download form, as it is a change of pace and they have their own computer time, and have chosen their own topics, like Horses and Baseball, for a fun change of pace.
Much of the time I manage homeschooling like I manage the kitchen. I don't always follow a recipe, instead going by the tastes of my family and trying to incorporate everyone's likes into one meal. Some days there are rave reviews, other days the leftovers stare us in the face, asking, "What were you thinking?"
When I was a child, I always envisioned my future with a demanding career, possibly married, possibly with 2 kids. Then life took over and here I am with that demanding career known as stay-at-home-work-at-home-homeschooling-mom, definitely married to a wonderful man, definitely with 2 kids (plus 2 more), contributing to a grand total of one dad, me (the mom), 4 amazing kids, 1 dog, 2 cats, and 3 (at last count) fish. All of this leads to my typical greeting when people enter our home. "Welcome to the chaos!" It is almost always loud, always busy, almost always friendly (hey, we all have our days), and always home.
To learn more about our homeschooling adventures and my journey as a WAHM during it all, visit my blog at Happy Medium Homeschooling.
Looking for a homeschooling support group in the Mankato, MN area? Visit us, the Mankato Area Home Educators (MAHE)!