THANK YOU for watching & for your love & support-- it means the world to us! Q U E S T I O N S W E C O V E R : Why a dedicated group to simple homes & homeschools? 1:33 Meet Angela Braniff from This Gathered Nest 3:09 Meet Lisa from Farmhouse on Boone 4:09 Am I REALLY capable of teaching my kids? 4:44 People are criticizing my decision to homeschool, what now? 7:13 I have a social child, won't they miss their friends? 8:28 How many days & hours/ week do you school? 10:22 What if I have no room for a homeschooling space? 14:02 How do you balance work & homeschooling? 17:24 I worry my kids won't listen to me? 20:07 Reframing what homeschooling actually looks like. 22:36 What if my spouse isn't on the same page with me? 23:47 Find details about the group here: www.ithinkwecouldbefriends.com/2020/07/26/simple-homes-homeschools/
@@cynthiajohnson8463 I'm a homeschooling veteran who taught our only child from K - 12th grade. Unfortunately homeschooling an only can feel like you're a unicorn when you're surrounded by larger families. The key is to be intentional about integrating your child with others. For us that meant joining a local co-op, being active at church and even opening our home to other homeschooling activities. I taught classes at my home. Homeschooling an only child also means you have freedom that other homeschooling moms don't have. For instance, I wanted my daughter in a co-op, so I started one. We would take school on the road and spend the day at the Barnes & Noble Cafe. A little study, a little wondering through the stacks. My dear daughter is now 26, married and looks at her homeschooling experience fondly. God bless you on this journey!
As a Mom who pulled her child out of public school to homeschool I have to say our first year of homeschooling was a nightmare because I was "Mom", not his teacher so he rebelled at first. Once I figured out his learning style it was a whole different story. The first year is a year of trial and error so give yourself and your kids lots of grace and if something isn't working change it sooner rather than later. We just graduated our second and last child from homeschool. Can't wait until our grandbabies (have a 3wk old and 1 yr. old grandsons) are ready for us to help homeschooling with them.
Melissa Cassey thanks a lot for your comment and for sharing your experience. You make me feel much better and give me the confidence that I can do this!!!
As a director of a large homeschool group, I was expecting to not agree with what was going to be said. Pleasantly surprised they gave excellent advise to help out families to homeschool. Especially of not trying to bring school home. Your home should be filled with laughter, reading excellent books and a safe place to learn. For those concern with socialization just remember there are quirky kids in public, private and homeschool. I found that most homeschool kids are able to interact with all ages younger, older and even with adults, because that is real life. After high school we are never with the same age groups again at college, work or friends. Thank you for sharing and I just adore your channel.💞
Oh my gosh! The whole socialization question is so astounding! We homeschooled for 20 years and that was the #1 question! With a smile, I would answer - "well, which socialization are you talking about - the sex, drugs, gangs, social bullying? Or is it the tons of adult time that homeschoolers get over their counterparts by interacting with multi-generational contacts in the community?"
My kids make friends wherever they go. As homeschoolers, they could not afford to be snooty, picky, or cliquey -- they had to learn to get along with whomever came into their world 😉. That said, even in college they remain very close to their old CC classmates who are now back home from colleges all over the country.
Yes! Homeschooling is not "school at home" and that's a blessing. Freedom and flexibility are wonderful. You get to see the light bulb moments in the midst of confusion.
We have quite a few home schooling moms in our church. And I've been impressed with their children. They're smart, sociable, well-mannered, helpful, and kind. These kids stand out. They're alert. Aware of their surroundings. Not looking down at their phones. Ready to give a helping hand when needed. Especially to the older crowd. For this day and age, it makes me proud and gives me hope. So, God bless home schooling moms and dads. I support you 100%.
That's so encouraging! Back in the day, our church was not supportive of our decision. Then the little kids grew up and left the Lord while ours steadily grew in their faith. Now many are regretting not bringing their own kids home. Mine are sinners, just like theirs, but they have the capacity to think for themselves rather than blindly accept what society or their peers say.
I enjoyed this live chat very much! I've homeschooled for 18 years and you covered some new to homeschool concerns wonderfully. It's so good to see seasoned homeschoolers encouraging and stepping up for those just beginning. I have 3 children... the oldest is about to receive her Master's Degree in December, my middle is in her second year of college, and my son is entering 9th grade. For us, it was what God called us to do. It hasn't always been easy, but God has brought many blessings in the journey.
Our granddaughter was bullied everyday at public school. Her parents decided to home school and she flourished. She just graduated high school with high honors from a STEM academy at age 16. Be encouraged and move forward.
Don’t forget the God factor. A family devotion to start your day is such a blessing down the road. Character stories are a great way to learn without having to make the mistakes themselves. God will cover it all with grace.
I am a 70-year-old grandmother, who would have loved to have had this option when my two boys were growing up. We had issues with starting grade school in one state, then moving only to find out we were "behind" and the district insisted we hold the boys back a year when they were in 5th and 6th grade (many of their classmates were a year older, it had mostly to do with developmental stages, nothing to do with learning). It was extremely hard on them emotionally. The next year we lost their Dad in a work accident, which just compounded everything. On a positive note, they have grown to be good, kind, responsible adults/parents/spouses...but how sad they had to be subjected to that. Later in life, I had met a number of home-schooled kids and found them to better mannered and more able to carry on a conversation with adults than their public schooled counterparts. I am so happy it is more common these days to give parents a choice. What wonderful resources we have now! God bless the three of you for starting this to help other mothers who are conquering the home school option! I will send prayers your way!
Linda, I'm sorry to hear about you lossing your spouse. Sounds like your boys did, are great later in life. I hope that you have a great weekend, enjoy the rest of your day. Blessings to you.
When we were home schooling...the socialization question was HUGE!! It ended up being such a non-issue!! Our goal was to raise a "lifetime learner". Mission accomplished!
I was homeschooled and LOVED IT!!!! One thing I appreciated was that I wasn't separated into a classroom with just my peers. I didn't feel any social boundaries and was able to comfortably talk to and make friends with people of all ages. I was able to advance at my own pace and had so much more time for my creative interests and passions. I am constantly amazed by women who homeschool their children and cheer on anyone considering it!!
I loved this video! ❤️ I’m a homeschool graduate and now a homeschool mom of 10 and 11 year old. I answer many question with... homeschooling is like most other things in life, you get out of it what you put into it ☺️. How will your kids be socialized?? Well, if we stay home all day in our jammies and only ever see the mail man then yes... we may be under socialized! 😂. But if we go to homeschool groups, lessons, clubs, field trips, and play dates we will be soo socialized we won’t know what to do with ourselves 😁
I homeschooled our two girls who are grown now and doing well. Watching this video made me nostalgic for those days. It wasn't always easy but so worth it. We used Sonlight mostly and the read alouds created wonderful moments of discussion and cuddling on the sofa. We still talk about some of the great books we read together. This group you have put together will be such a blessing to many.
We home schooled our 4 children beginning in 1985 and continuing until our youngest son graduated in the mid 90's. All parenting has up days and less-than-up days, but our overall experience was extremely positive. The "nay sayers" in our world predicted dire outcomes, none of which happened. Our children have each excelled in their chosen professions and are now happy, productive adults raising their own children, some of whom are now young adults. I'm very grateful that we chose to follow that road and just deal with all the challenges, they were well worth every momentary difficulty. I remember the best times vividly!
We homeschooled our daughters throughout their school years. They are now 31 and 26. They are well "socialized", did well in college, and they are successful in their careers. Our greatest joy is that they are wonderful women who love God and their families. Homeschooling is the most valuable thing I have ever done. You will never regret your decision. ❤
Some names that got me into homeschooling: John Taylor Gatto, John Holt (authors, but you can find clips of theirs on TH-cam) Zara Fagen from Minimalist Homeschooling (blog) and Shelley from There's No Place Like Home (TH-cam)
This is so great!! We homeschooled for 12 years with a mix of co-ops, tutorials, and then finished the middle and high school years in Classical Conversations communities (excellent value). The kids are now in college and doing so well, both in life and as college students. I'm still working as a teacher in the homeschool community because it's so rewarding, and I love the kids and families. Because of the pandemic, we are being flooded with inquiries. Wonderful! It's not easy, but easy is not a part of any parent's world. It's harder at the beginning, but families find their way. I can say wholeheartedly that it was the best decision we've ever made. My kids are resilient, kind, well spoken, and are poised to be lifelong learners. I wish you the very best on your journey.
I left my career and just started homeschooling right before Covid due to behavior issues with my son. I’m with you on it has to be simple! We are focusing most on character building. I love this idea so much and love each of you! Big fans! Minimalism is my big thing! It has to be simple!!! We just can not afford the monthly fee. I will continue watching y’all here on TH-cam. 💗
Tom hit the nail on the head! We homeschooled our daughter (although my hub and I were public) and you don't know how many people have be shocked that she was homeschooled because she can carry on a conversation, looks people in the eye and has great people skills! She's an RA in college now and isn't afraid of tackling new situations. I believe allowing a child to be themselves, work at their own pace, and develop their interests etc... helps lay a foundation of confidence. Excited for you!
We were always done by noon too. Extroverts find friends, introverts find more balance. We didn’t have a homeschooling space, rather each child had a homeschooling box for their individual work, and I had my box for what we all did together (eg Latin, History, RE) .
Home school moms ROCK👍🏻❤️ 30-40 years ago home school moms were mainly on their own, but in the last decade the home school families have group activities. My granddaughter’s Floridas co-op is 200 strong, Covid -19 has put a damper on outings but they still keep in online. Most kids get much more support at home than they get in a public school. I also feel the homeschool kids are so much more knowledgeable and level headed. I think the pressure of getting a project completed within a certain time limit the public school gives causes a lot of kids give up and not try when maybe an extra hour or day of study on the subject they ace it.
We homeschooled our now adult daughters from kindergarten all the way through. We did some online classes, co-ops, hybrid, dual-enrollment, CLEP exams, and live classes throughout the 18 years of our journey. Every year can look different, and every child gets an experience that works for them. We loved it. It wasn't without hard times, but I wouldn't trade those years for anything. All the best to you as you begin this new journey!
I just watched because it's one of your videos, Dawn. It was very interesting, and a lot of things to think about. I remember when my children were school age, there was no way I would have homeschooled them, as I did a terrible job when I subbed as a teacher at their school. I loved the statement about being their mother - who is the first person to teach them to do everything, from the beginning of their life. That was huge. I probably would have done fine! Wonderful video!
I'm so excited to know you are starting a homeschool group! When we started homeschooling, our kids were in 5th, 2nd, and kindergarten. We had some family/friends who were supportive and many who were not. We researched homeschooling for 2 years before making the final decision to keep our kids home and still felt like we didn't know what we were doing. This year will be our 6th year of homeschooling and I can say, without a doubt, it is one of the best decisions we've made for our family.
My son fought reading too, but loved Harry Potter and the books were way above his reading level and overwhelming in size. So I went to the library checked out the Audio book version with the book so he could follow along and it kept him interested without overwhelm and still learning and this started when he was in 3rd grade! Worked Awesome.
My daughter did not learn to read until she was 9. Then she flew. Now she finished her first year of college with straight A's and is an excellent writer and speaker. If we're patient, they learn it all.
Such an inspiration you ladies are! There are so many positive parallel stories that supports your journey that I can tell you hands down that home schooling your children is a exemplar to today's public school system.
My sister has and still is homeschooling her 5 kids since the late 1990's. The oldest already is out of school and in a job at 23. The youngest is in 6th grade and is my son's age, 11. Their kids are anything but weird or awkward. They are trendy, have lots of friends even those that go to public school from their church, very social, smart and hardworking! Though homescooling isn't for me I am very proud of my sister and her kids! She and her husband, who has always been so supportive of her, are awesome!
Such a cool collab! Can't wait to see Dawn rise to the challenge of making videos about minimalism in Homeschooling. Our oldest is 10 and I've been homeschooling since she was in PreK. So glad I'm not the own for a loop in all this madness.
Love you Dawn and Angela, too! Lisa is new to me. We are on our 2nd year of homeschooling and are always looking for other minimalist homeschooling mamas!
My Dad was a cropduster and my Mom would load his plane. My sister and I would ride with my Mom to the airports and once she loaded up my Dad's plane we would have school. Homeschooling is very flexible. I also remember learning about the 13 colonies and we actually got to go visit them! Hands on learning is awesome! Vacations can be field trips. I have 4 kids and homeschool 2 so far and we've gone on trips to the Creation museum and the Ark Encounter, so much fun!
So excited for you Dawn. I've homeschooled my 7 kids for the last 20 yrs. We love it and wouldn't have done it any different. We love Angela and her family. Homeschooled kids know how to communicate and socialize with all ages. We care for my 84 yr old mother-in-law also. You can do this. Super special. Thank you ladies.
That is also 100% my husband! We are teetering in the edge of the homeschool decision right now, specifically for our youngest who is deaf. If there will be any mask wearing at school, we will be keeping her home.
@@EmeryShae My husband is so glad we did it. He was really self conscious of it at first BUT when our oldest learned to read (excelled) he was blown away. Then he realized how much overall freedom it gave us. We go on vacation in the fall!! Then our best friends made the jump last year (after they had actually made fun of us for it) and they are totally hooked as well!! This year is a great "excuse" - take advantage of it lol.
Angela Hagemeyer I have always wanted to homeschool, but my husband was not on board. So my kids have been in public school for years. My oldest is going into grade 10, and then I have three girls in grades 8, 5, and 2. I worry that the transition would be brutal. But I’m open to it.
Just a word of encouragement to anyone struggling to get their husband onboard with homeschooling. Mine was dead set against it when I introduced the idea to him. It took some time and patience. I gathered a huge TH-cam playlist with resources showing him the benefits and examples of other families who had success with it. He agreed to let us try it as a trial and 3 years later we are still loving it! Also, 2020 really helped to make homeschooling more mainstream and I am so grateful for that! Thank you for this video! It is a wealth of information for new homeschooling families!
Would love to see your journey shared some day somewhere other than facebook for those who aren’t on FB. Love your videos and perspective- always thought you would like homeschooling and ‘fit the bill’! ❤️
I didn't home school, but my children got the best of two worlds! School provided what I didn't, and at home I did the rest! I was constantly ready (in a fun way) looking for ways to educate and teach my children, all day! I read lots to them! All subjects! They learned all morals! They were first in my life over anything! They are very well reported on and very intelligent! Not to mention empathetic towards people and animals. So I feel it depends on a lot of factors whether one home schools or sends them to school, either way if done correctly it can be a success when parents are fully involved !
Due to life long health problems, I was home schooled for the majority of my school age years. Just a note for parents who choose to do homeschooling this year: be patient, be firm, and make it fun!! If your child struggles with a certain subject try to make it fun. If they struggle in Math, find new ways to help them understand it. If they struggle with language arts or not wanting to write, ect, find things they enjoy and have them write about that. Take breaks as often as you must while still sticking to a schedule. Perhaps work on their hardest subject first then go to easier ones so it's out of the way for the day. If you're looking for a curriculum that's Christian based, try ABeka Academy. They were the ones I used. They are harder learning, but if you choose to get their dvd classes, they are pretty good. I hope this helps someone :) Sincerely, Someone who was homeschooled
I admire you ladies! Keep doing what your doing! You definitely will be a great help to other families even if they will not be homeschooling right now. Food for thought!
I am 61 and sooooo glad my two girls are passed schooling age during this crazy time. In all honesty I was suffering PTSD while I was raising my girls as a single Mum, and made many, many, many terrible parenting mistakes (a story for another time), which have had ongoing repercussions for them. I don't think I could've coped with adding homeschooling into the mix. I know my girls would not have coped well either, with me as their teacher. All power to you, the parents who take on this role, voluntarily or otherwise. You are amazing and I tip my hat to you all.
First of all I have nothing against home schooling. My kids and granddaughters (now in their 20's) all went to public schools. They were all taught manners, making eye contact, respect, integrity, kindness and moral values at home and grew up to be strong productive adults. It is not the school's responsibility to teach kids that. My kids and granddaughters socialized through sports, school clubs and volunteering. They all tend to have older friends and my granddaughters found most of their peers immature, with no drive or goals and still do. If your kids don't listen to you, be firm with them. The most important word you can teach a child is " No". If my kids or granddaughters argued with me after telling them "no" I would ask them "What part of "no" did you not understand, the "n" or the "o"?" and the conversation was over. Guess I am just an old school grandmother.
I think you are exactly right, and it does reinforce what the Angela said - it is not a school's responsibility to 'socialize' a child. (However, I do think schools have an opportunity to reinforce these values.) The fact that your family achieved this in the home is testament to this.
Some of these things are difficult to enforce when someone else is caring for your children for 8+ hours a day. When your children are with you more often, you have the great privilege to have more influence on them.
I have just started watching Minimalist Mom and love your ideas. then I watch this and am SOOOO delighted. I love homeschooling! I Homeschooled for 29 years all of my typical children , (6) but not my girl that has Downs Syndrome *( that was above my ability) I just graduated my last, this June 2020 .! It has been a wonderful rewarding journey. Am so excited for you new moms that are willing and dedicated to do this , especially those who are transitioning from public school. The children will do fine! and you will have the opportunity to have a closer relationship with them as teacher/ Mom. That was a very special part of homeschooling for me, along with having Bible class about each day. Another perk we get is we learn other important things including life skill things that most public schools do not teach or only skim through. I taught anatomy with one son, - We learned it together. I taught economics to most of my students. 60% off what my last child learned in his full yr class I did not know at the beginning of the class- we ended up going through a college textbook on economics before we were done (was a great book By S. Ritenour). For Health class, we learned many new things about food nutrition that have not been put in health textbooks yet! Lots of perks!
We homeschool (5th and 2nd grade). I tried one curriculum with my then K5 and it was good but she was bored. I met a mom at CFA and she said she used Heart of Dakota. I looked at their website and love how literature based it is. They have a sample week on their webpage. Their customer service is great. Their goal is for your child to work more independently as they get older. My daughter reached this level for most subjects this year. It's amazing. It's super simple and little to no planning time (after the beginning of the year prep- which is very little). This is been a wonderful fit for my family. You can pick your own math and Language arts or use what they recommend. I've liked what they recommended so just kept going with it. I never wanted to homeschool but tried it with my daughter and it clicked and we haven't stopped. I love the flexibility of homeschooling and being able to slow down a subject when needed. A co-op helps so much. Socialization isn't hard to find if you are willing to look for it (church, sports, neighborhood, parks etc). I have friends who use classical conversations, one that used Life with Fred (math). So many great options out there it can get super overwhelming. I use a milk crate type container (wal-mart) with hanging folders and store each grade in that so I can carry it and put it up easier in a closet. We do school at the dining room table sometimes the front porch. My husband wasn't sure about it at first but now very glad we are homeschooling.
Don’t have kids, but love the idea of a homeschooling group. You work so hard. Love to see you and Tom doing your things together! Good luck on this new challenge!
These are three of my favourite women on youtube! Thank you all for coming together to promote such healthy aspects of life; large families, homesteading, homeschooling, and minimalism. Love it! This is so inspiring to me in raising my growing family
What a great resource for brand new homeschoolers. I wish I had a resource like this all those years ago! I love your content Dawn and hope you will share your journey on your channel. We’ve homeschooled from the beginning. This year I’ll have a 16,13 and 10 year old and look forward to our new adventure this year after 12 years with Classical Conversations. We started our own co op and are really excited about it. Even though I’m a veteran homeschool mama I am looking forward to watching how you incorporate minimalism into your homeschool and home. It can be tricky to keep things simple and organized with so much living and learning happening 24/7 under one roof. 😊 I love the principals in the book Minimalist Homeschool. Also The Read Aloud Revival and Brave Writer communities are worth checking out. Best wishes on your journey. 💗
Such an incredible combination and wise powerhouse you 3 are. We have been homeschooling 6 years and I agree with all you have been saying. I wish I could join your facebook group but our budget will not allow it especially with Canadian exchange, but I will pray that you are all a huge blessing to each other. It will be a dream community that so many people need especially in this season.
Love this video! We homeschooled our boys for many years. This is great advice that you are hearing here. Relax and have fun with your kids. It is a precious time in your life that goes by oh, so quickly!
Truly enjoyed watching this! As a teacher I love how homeschooling was discussed here because I do think it is a great fit for some families and can really meet the needs and learning style of children in being more hands on and flexible! So I totally agree and think homeschool is a great option :)
LOVED this video! We're a hs family, minimalist from Australia & we thought we'd give DE a go.. it's not what we thought it was... So! next year back to HS it is. Glad to stumble across this video, find new mom's to follow & get a little inspiration.
I love this what a terrific supportive idea! What lovely women you found to partner with! So happy for you! We have been u schooling for 4 years now - going into year 5 - my sons are 9 and 11. We are so much happier now and it has been a blessing for us. I love watching your family and journey thanks for sharing you inspire me. I have minimized my home bc of you and I now have the mental space and energy to accomplish so much more and be more present in my life. I also love your sunday posts with your sister! You are impacting this world and I know it is a lot of work. Thank you.
I never planned on homeschool, I was really scared. However my husband was my best cheerleader. My mom was great too, my other family memebers were not thrilled. However they all came over and started homeschooling. Both sides of our families homeschooled and have been to college. Have jobs and started there own business. 11 years later I am done! Having women of like mindedness kept me going. It's wonderful that you have a group to bounce things off of one another to learn from each other! I had a co-op and it made a world of difference in my life.
This has been an extremely inspirational vlog. You ladies are truly women of the new millennium!!! Everything discussed was from a place of high motivation and extreme emotional intelligence. Your responses to the very pertinent questions hit the nail on the head every time. In a public school system where so many life skills have been phased out, it’s a breath of fresh air to know there are people like the 3 of you who are committed enough to change things up.
You ladies are so blessed to have each other. We began homeschooling in the early 90s and felt like outcasts. And we sooo wanted to be seen as normal people!! 😂. We did make a few connections but nothing like this that you have. My children are grown and living very beautiful lives and I am so grateful we chose this path. However, I need to add that we re-evaluated our homeschooling every year and knew that we could do something different if we chose. Nothing was locked in.
I taught in a tradional school setting for many years & 3 of my sisters homeschooled & we all used the same curriculum called Abeka. It's put out by Pensacola Chirstian College & it's a wonderful structured curriculum if you need that vs going in several different directions.
Yes, I have one in high school and one in a university...I've homeschooled since kindergarten and found this curriculum exceptional for preparing my oldest for college and my youngest for high school. You will enjoy homeschool a lot if you make it simple for you (one curriculum for all subjects) and then dig in! :)
Abigayle Estep I have to agree I was really apprehensive when I first started homeschool. But I tried to keep it simple. I started with a Timberdoodle set. It’s very self explanatory and walks you thru everything and includes all subjects. You can take subjects out you don’t want to use before purchasing the kit as well. They also include a free online program to help map out lesson plans for the year. Super helpful!
There are lots of homeschool families on TH-cam Ashley grace and grit, my busy bees and me Ericka, Amy maryon homeschool in North Carolina, our tribe of many, etc. Don't get discouraged, we as parents know what our kids need. We know how to teach them. Like Angela said we have been teaching them since birth. You got this. I really enjoyed this video but I'm not on FB so if you could find a way to share somewhere else too. Many would enjoy it. God bless you all. Happy homeschooling.
I’m in my third year of university as an undergrad. All of my classes are online and so I am living at home instead of on campus. Idk if that counts as home schooling but I am taking classes from home 😉. I have my space all set up and I’m very excited.
Well our kids are less interested in what everybody else owns or is acting. Our kids are showing more respect in our family and are wanting to live more like Christ did. They are kinder and more compassionate to others. When our son was in school we took him out in gr2 he was me me me mine and it’s ok mom if I don’t like what you say I have rights I don’t have to agree with your rules. After 6 months away from school he wants to help out around the farm and not fight with his sister. Our then 16yr old cared so much what the world and school kids said. Now she cares what the Bible says about her worth. She is 19 still tells us what she is doing tells us how much she loves us. She and her boyfriend enjoy going to church together learning how God wants their relationship to develop. She even went to talk to a priest she respected (he is married with older children Ukrainian Catholic) to ask for relationship advice because she didn’t agree with everything we said about her boyfriend. Instead of going to her friends she picked someone she respected that is married 25yrs for advice. Our homeschool community is a warm caring group where kids want the best for each other and if they don’t get along they go to other kids in the group to work things out not crying to mom to fix it. We are being taught to raise great husbands and wives not just kids that will adult one day. This is just our experience with homeschooling in Alberta Canada.
Thank you for asking that last question. My husband isn't on board because he says I'm taking the kids away from their friends. I did try to provide examples of other families we know who are going to homeschool. I also help take care of my mom who is disabled and immunocompromised. I don't feel that it would be safe for us to be around her if the kids are going to public school everyday. Unfortunately, he doesn't see the importance of that. We're still waiting for our district to release their virtual option, so hopefully that will happen soon and he can look at that as well. Thanks!
I homeschooled all four of our sons when homeschooling wasn't the thing. All college graduates and in careers. This makes me wish for those days again.
I am so excited to see that you all are homeschoolers now! You are my favorite lifestyle TH-cam and now I can add you into my fav homeschool channel!! Tom is totally right, homeschoolers are more "socialized" to all age groups. We have been doing it from the get go, now on year 5, would not change that decision for anything!! You can totally do it and your WHOLE FAMILY will be happier for it. God bless and don't sweat the small stuff!!! Give yourself grace this first year, and phew 2020 is full of extra challenges so don't get too caught up in it being perfect. God bless!
Homeschooling, at least for my family, was the idea of applying what you learn to real life, not just sitting in a classroom learning about abstract concepts that for young kids don't really tie to real life. As a homeschool child I have memories of climbing up into a tree with my math book and my pencil, feeling the sun and the breeze while working helped me focus. Or my mom would take us out to the garden, we would sit down next to the flowers blooming and draw them out in colored pencil (art), then we identified each part of the flower (science). In high school I also had a lot of control and say in how and when I worked: I took college classes for some subjects, I worked, and I had courses I had to study on my own. It really taught me to be self disciplined and manage my time, which has served me very well in college and in my career.
I never considered home school. After watching this video I almost regret I didn’t. Loved hearing the different perspectives. Interesting to hear your home is 1500sq ft as I always envisioned it as smaller than mine. Actually larger as mine is 1100sq ft. I intentionally select a small home because I would fill a 10,000sq ft home if you gave it to me. Also, we will be empty nesters next year, so another reason to move to an even smaller home. We had a 700sq ft apartment when we got married and the stress of home management exploded when we moved to our 1500sq ft house. I learned then that larger homes mean less time with family. Love the videos!! Thank you for sharing so much with us.
I have been talking with my daughter abt homeschooling my granddaughter, she is 3. Thank you so much for sharing this informative video. Best one thus far.
Ladies, I'm so proud of you all. I home schooled my now 24 year-old son and it was the best decision - no, the second best decision - the first one being turning him over to our Heavenly Father to raise him right! It was at home that we learned he has ADHD that we originally medicated, but that bought us (me and him) time to get a handle on it without meds, which we eventually did. Teacher wears a different hat than mom, but both are worn with love. Good luck and Gods grace to you all. Hugs from the Southern California desert, MK 🤗☀️🌵
Before my child was ever conceived its been in my heart to homeschool. I even went to college for early childhood education but know now that was just a stepping stone. My child starts homeschool in a couple more years so Ive been looking at A Gentle Feast Charlotte Mason inspired, faith based too. I'm always open to knowing about other curriculums as well!
I haven’t even completed the whole video, but I am so excited for this collab. I love that I follow all 3 of these women and began following all of them for the most random different reasons. Most recently Angela when I watched how she packed a carry on but her personality made me stay. To see them collab with one another shows that I’m on to something. I have an only child and I want her to interact with other kids and home school meet ups are an awesome solution. It sucks because COvID kinda through a wrench into it.
Also another family that has great homeschooling content is youtube channel Our Tribe of Many with Pastor Solo and his wife Sarah who have 10 kids. Thank you for sharing!!
Love all of these beautiful amazing women !!!! So excited to see this happening !! Thanks for taking the time to share and spread your wisdom 💕 Good luck this year Dawn!! I will be praying for you and your family :-) you will do amazing ! Also, we are very minimal and manage very well homeschooling :-) I have 2 children ... give yourself grace this year and remember it’s all just a season of life 💕
As a “retired” home educator I think this video is full of great advice. My kids are now 39 and 41. We home schooled from 4-5th grades up. In the beginning it was due to my husband’s deployment in the Gulf War. I also found that the less I copied “school” the better things worked. Ditched having a school room early on. Re the “socialization” concern....children learn good social skills from adults who have some, not from peers who usually do not. Totally agree that HSchhol kids are much more comfortable with an unlimited variety of ages, etc. after all, these are the ONLY time in which we interact with only peers of our age group. In real life we will possibly marry, have friends, co-workers and neighbors who would not have been in our same grade. Our schedule was MWF during traditional school year and T Th during the summer. Our children took ownership and responsibility for their education early on. That was a benefit when they faced college...which both have graduate degrees (BTW). I also quickly learned to ignore the “age appropriate” standards. Children all come customized, not standard! 😂. I found each had their own speed for each subject. One day while doing a spelling lesson I had the thought, “ who decided that spelling these words must be learned during this year?” My oldest came from Resource Room and my youngest came home out of Talented and Gifted program. They both did great as long as I stayed chill and just kept a good environment for learning, asking questions and not being afraid of having a flop here and there. Enjoy! Theses will probably be your very best years with your kids and will build solid relationships within your family for years to come.
I’m so excited for you!! 😊❤️ We homeschooled our kids and loved it! I highly recommend listening to Sally Clarkson’s podcast, At Home with Sally, and reading Sally and Clay Clarkson’s books. Educating the Whole Hearted Child is excellent, and Sally has a new book coming out, Awaking Wonder: Opening Your Child’s Heart to the Beauty of Learning. She and others are going to host a free virtual conference later this month. I can’t say enough about how helpful this podcast is to all families, but especially homeschoolers!! ❤️
Welcome to homeschooling! I am in my 34th and last year of homeschooling 8 children. I would not trade it for anything. God's blessings on you and all new homeschoolers!
That was an impressive discussion. Questions were answered in depth that I would have found hard to articulate even now Speaking as a homeschooling veteran from the nineties, who did both homeschooling and traditional schooling with our four kids, before internet and cell phones, and when homeschool not common, and was still illegal in some states. You're off to a good start!
Joanie Jorash I was homeschooled for the majority of my school years. On things like math, my parents made use of online classes like The Potter's School, and I also took an intensive writing course through them that prepared me for college writing. Most of it was curriculum my mom bought. She had us read lots of books as well as do our regular subjects. We had lots of other homeschooled friends. But generally if you find books written TO the student, for high schoolers anyway, things will be much easier for you because your kids can do certain subjects on their own. We You'll be great!!
I don't have children but this seems a worthwhile group that many could participate in. In NYC, for so long you couldn't AT ALL because of their guidelines. Thankfully for this opportunity to do Zoom or Google, etc. It doesn't to belong to others to critize others because....its NOT their children and family!
I have an adult daughter who is 24. Unfortunately, I was a single mom and did not have the option to homeschool my daughter. Had I chosen the right lifestyle, things would be very different with her today, I think. I support families that choose to homeschool. I am still not married and I am a fully committed Christian now (3 years now). Because of the challenging times we are in, I have a lot of time on my hands, I am currently asking God, how I can serve families etc. with my time. I have a heart for sharing the Gospel and strong Christian families. So if any ladies in this group can share ideas with me as to how I can help, I would be extremely appreciative for any input.
Do you know another language that you could teach? Or maybe a skill like sewing, drawing, playing an instrument, etc? You could advertise to do special courses in a subject you're familiar with. Or offer child care for homeschool mom's or act as a chaperone for homeschool field trips. You could get to know some of the homeschool families in your area and ask if they need anything you can offer to do. Of course this all depends on the Covid restrictions in your area and what you are comfortable doing. Zoom and Skype would be great to use for teaching a skill or language while staying at home.
I’m laughing! This is so great! If I can be honest, I thought it was a little bit WEIRD you weren’t homeschooling your kids yet! Lol - but seriously, love and hugs and support towards you and your family!
Homeschooling is scary when first starting. Once you get over being scared and are able to take the naysayers with a grain of salt, relax and enjoy the journey. You will find you are more than capable of schooling your child in a loving and supportive atmosphere. Enjoy !
You just gave me a great idea. Match and science is the kitchen. Art is going to by in another room and reading on the couch ect. So that my kids have different options. Thanks for this video. I am getting so much more confidence.🌸
Thank you ladies for this conversation, yes and Amen to all your comments. I am a mum of four and officially homeschooling two of my children and soon to be three children. Age 9, 8, 5 and 2. (In Australia) I have home schooled from the start as I noticed that children who were home schooled were so impressive in many different ways. Not to say that kids who aren’t homeschooled are not impressive- of course! It was just a confirmation to me that kids can turn out very well educated and mature through home schooling. Through the ups and downs of life, like moving house, renovating houses, pregnancy etc, I can honestly say the simple things in home schooling are often the best. When I needed to put a piece of flat pack furniture together, it was still an opportunity to teach. The times I have tried to knuckle down and tried to mimic a public school environment, the kids have pulled away; why? Because I wasn’t enjoying it and neither were they. However, when I relax and let the home along with all the regular life activities that happen when running a house be the classroom, like cooking and washing the dishes or having breaky. Opportunities to talk - really talk happen and that the gem moments; getting to know my kids heart and mind; what makes them tick and what areas are they really interested in learning. It’s not to say we don’t use books and structured lesson plans - I certainly love those times too and the kids thrive on a regular schedule. It’s just not only limited to books and computers. Every time of the year I am required to report and plan for the home education unit, it’s been such a stressful time. After three official years of home educating, I have entered a new place of peace about it. I have been watching your vlogs for some time now Angela and Dawn (and I will be looking you up now too Lisa) and what I have gained from you the last couple of months especially is that home schooling became stressful because I drifted away from the enjoyment of teaching to ticking all the boxes. I love structure and organization (too much probably), but the kids learn and love school so much better when it’s not a “chore” or something to check off the check list. The learning comes naturally when I present learning as a fun and wonderful thing to do. So just thought I would get in the conversation for once, and say thank you Angela for all your vlogs on home schooling over the years, it’s been priceless really. As you enter a new chapter of new town and home I pray You find peace, the peace that passes understanding. I feel for you because I know what you are embarking on. In 13 years of marriage we have renovated five homes and moved six or seven times. We have finally settled in our ‘forever home’ for the past three years- but it’s a journey hey! Dawn all the very best and God’s richest blessings on you and your family as you enter this new season of life! You certainly are qualified to teach your children, and I expect you will see them grow in leaps and bounds. Lisa, looking forward to meeting you over on your TH-cam channel and I might join fb just to connect with you all at the same time! 💛💛💛 A question to you all; do you have state government requirements (other than being a parent) 🤗 to home schooling? Australia has fairly strict processes to keep us on our toes in teaching our own kids. I don’t recall ever hearing you need to present report cards or planning schedules to government authorities. I have just finished a 35 page report to our state home school unit not including loads of work samples and videos. I am required to submit this each year for each child. 🤪😬💛
There SOOOO many reasons NOT to socialize as in public education. Give them more home/family instilled value systems...less time where they are taught to bully and taught to be mean to one another. Love them up!
THANK YOU for watching & for your love & support-- it means the world to us!
Q U E S T I O N S W E C O V E R :
Why a dedicated group to simple homes & homeschools? 1:33
Meet Angela Braniff from This Gathered Nest 3:09
Meet Lisa from Farmhouse on Boone 4:09
Am I REALLY capable of teaching my kids? 4:44
People are criticizing my decision to homeschool, what now? 7:13
I have a social child, won't they miss their friends? 8:28
How many days & hours/ week do you school? 10:22
What if I have no room for a homeschooling space? 14:02
How do you balance work & homeschooling? 17:24
I worry my kids won't listen to me? 20:07
Reframing what homeschooling actually looks like. 22:36
What if my spouse isn't on the same page with me? 23:47
Find details about the group here: www.ithinkwecouldbefriends.com/2020/07/26/simple-homes-homeschools/
How about homeschooling a kinda of an only 8 yo child? I have two other children, they’re 26 and 20. So yes, he’s an only child!!
@@cynthiajohnson8463 I'm a homeschooling veteran who taught our only child from K - 12th grade. Unfortunately homeschooling an only can feel like you're a unicorn when you're surrounded by larger families. The key is to be intentional about integrating your child with others. For us that meant joining a local co-op, being active at church and even opening our home to other homeschooling activities. I taught classes at my home. Homeschooling an only child also means you have freedom that other homeschooling moms don't have. For instance, I wanted my daughter in a co-op, so I started one. We would take school on the road and spend the day at the Barnes & Noble Cafe. A little study, a little wondering through the stacks. My dear daughter is now 26, married and looks at her homeschooling experience fondly. God bless you on this journey!
As a Mom who pulled her child out of public school to homeschool I have to say our first year of homeschooling was a nightmare because I was "Mom", not his teacher so he rebelled at first. Once I figured out his learning style it was a whole different story. The first year is a year of trial and error so give yourself and your kids lots of grace and if something isn't working change it sooner rather than later. We just graduated our second and last child from homeschool. Can't wait until our grandbabies (have a 3wk old and 1 yr. old grandsons) are ready for us to help homeschooling with them.
Check out jady.a.
She's is very well educated and a former teacher. I usually only watch her videos.
Melissa Cassey thanks a lot for your comment and for sharing your experience. You make me feel much better and give me the confidence that I can do this!!!
As a director of a large homeschool group, I was expecting to not agree with what was going to be said.
Pleasantly surprised they gave excellent advise to help out families to homeschool. Especially of not trying to bring school home. Your home should be filled with laughter, reading excellent books and a safe place to learn.
For those concern with socialization just remember there are quirky kids in public, private and homeschool. I found that most homeschool kids are able to interact with all ages younger, older and even with adults, because that is real life. After high school we are never with the same age groups again at college, work or friends. Thank you for sharing and I just adore your channel.💞
Oh my gosh! The whole socialization question is so astounding! We homeschooled for 20 years and that was the #1 question! With a smile, I would answer - "well, which socialization are you talking about - the sex, drugs, gangs, social bullying? Or is it the tons of adult time that homeschoolers get over their counterparts by interacting with multi-generational contacts in the community?"
Shelly K I wrote nearly the same comments!🥰
My kids make friends wherever they go. As homeschoolers, they could not afford to be snooty, picky, or cliquey -- they had to learn to get along with whomever came into their world 😉. That said, even in college they remain very close to their old CC classmates who are now back home from colleges all over the country.
adviCe
Yes! Homeschooling is not "school at home" and that's a blessing. Freedom and flexibility are wonderful. You get to see the light bulb moments in the midst of confusion.
We have quite a few home schooling moms in our church. And I've been impressed with their children. They're smart, sociable, well-mannered, helpful, and kind. These kids stand out. They're alert. Aware of their surroundings. Not looking down at their phones. Ready to give a helping hand when needed. Especially to the older crowd. For this day and age, it makes me proud and gives me hope. So, God bless home schooling moms and dads. I support you 100%.
That's so encouraging! Back in the day, our church was not supportive of our decision. Then the little kids grew up and left the Lord while ours steadily grew in their faith. Now many are regretting not bringing their own kids home. Mine are sinners, just like theirs, but they have the capacity to think for themselves rather than blindly accept what society or their peers say.
Dawn, Angela, and Lisa!? You gals just made my day and I haven’t even watched yet. Can’t wait!!
Excited to see your homeschool stuff Erica!
THANK YOU Erica!!!!
Lol Erica if you're excited about it so am I! I love that a couple of my favorite youtube friends are fans of each other. :-)
🥳🥳🥳
and Erica!!
I enjoyed this live chat very much! I've homeschooled for 18 years and you covered some new to homeschool concerns wonderfully. It's so good to see seasoned homeschoolers encouraging and stepping up for those just beginning. I have 3 children... the oldest is about to receive her Master's Degree in December, my middle is in her second year of college, and my son is entering 9th grade. For us, it was what God called us to do. It hasn't always been easy, but God has brought many blessings in the journey.
Our granddaughter was bullied everyday at public school. Her parents decided to home school and she flourished. She just graduated high school with high honors from a STEM academy at age 16. Be encouraged and move forward.
J & J so happy to hear this. I worry so for kids emotional health.
Don’t forget the God factor. A family devotion to start your day is such a blessing down the road. Character stories are a great way to learn without having to make the mistakes themselves. God will cover it all with grace.
I am a 70-year-old grandmother, who would have loved to have had this option when my two boys were growing up. We had issues with starting grade school in one state, then moving only to find out we were "behind" and the district insisted we hold the boys back a year when they were in 5th and 6th grade (many of their classmates were a year older, it had mostly to do with developmental stages, nothing to do with learning). It was extremely hard on them emotionally. The next year we lost their Dad in a work accident, which just compounded everything. On a positive note, they have grown to be good, kind, responsible adults/parents/spouses...but how sad they had to be subjected to that. Later in life, I had met a number of home-schooled kids and found them to better mannered and more able to carry on a conversation with adults than their public schooled counterparts. I am so happy it is more common these days to give parents a choice. What wonderful resources we have now! God bless the three of you for starting this to help other mothers who are conquering the home school option! I will send prayers your way!
Linda, I'm sorry to hear about you lossing your spouse. Sounds like your boys did, are great later in life. I hope that you have a great weekend, enjoy the rest of your day. Blessings to you.
When we were home schooling...the socialization question was HUGE!! It ended up being such a non-issue!! Our goal was to raise a "lifetime learner". Mission accomplished!
I always have heard your kids will be as weird as you are no matter where they do their schooling. So we knew ours were doomed from the beginning! 🤪
Love this!! 😂
Heather Cheatham haha!
I have a soft spot for the oddballs. I loved them as a teacher in public school, and I love them in our homeschooling classes.
Lol. Perfect. Our family motto growing up and now was always to embrace our weird!
i have been asked several time how as a homeschooler i turned out normal. This was always my answer. The parents make the difference!
I was homeschooled and LOVED IT!!!! One thing I appreciated was that I wasn't separated into a classroom with just my peers. I didn't feel any social boundaries and was able to comfortably talk to and make friends with people of all ages. I was able to advance at my own pace and had so much more time for my creative interests and passions. I am constantly amazed by women who homeschool their children and cheer on anyone considering it!!
Interestingly, I became a professional public school teacher and taught grades 1 and 3, then homeschooled once I had my own first grader!
I loved this video! ❤️ I’m a homeschool graduate and now a homeschool mom of 10 and 11 year old. I answer many question with... homeschooling is like most other things in life, you get out of it what you put into it ☺️. How will your kids be socialized?? Well, if we stay home all day in our jammies and only ever see the mail man then yes... we may be under socialized! 😂. But if we go to homeschool groups, lessons, clubs, field trips, and play dates we will be soo socialized we won’t know what to do with ourselves 😁
I homeschooled our two girls who are grown now and doing well. Watching this video made me nostalgic for those days. It wasn't always easy but so worth it. We used Sonlight mostly and the read alouds created wonderful moments of discussion and cuddling on the sofa. We still talk about some of the great books we read together. This group you have put together will be such a blessing to many.
We started homeschooling in 1986 before most people even heard of it. I would have loved having this kind of resource.
I admire the OG homeschoolers like you. It was much more of a stigma back then.
We home schooled our 4 children beginning in 1985 and continuing until our youngest son graduated in the mid 90's. All parenting has up days and less-than-up days, but our overall experience was extremely positive. The "nay sayers" in our world predicted dire outcomes, none of which happened. Our children have each excelled in their chosen professions and are now happy, productive adults raising their own children, some of whom are now young adults. I'm very grateful that we chose to follow that road and just deal with all the challenges, they were well worth every momentary difficulty. I remember the best times vividly!
We homeschooled our daughters throughout their school years. They are now 31 and 26. They are well "socialized", did well in college, and they are successful in their careers. Our greatest joy is that they are wonderful women who love God and their families. Homeschooling is the most valuable thing I have ever done. You will never regret your decision. ❤
Some names that got me into homeschooling: John Taylor Gatto, John Holt (authors, but you can find clips of theirs on TH-cam) Zara Fagen from Minimalist Homeschooling (blog) and Shelley from There's No Place Like Home (TH-cam)
Shelley completely ROCKS! 💚
John Holt's books are awesome!
I've homeschooled my kids for 13 years now and I've loved it! You won't regret it!
This is so great!! We homeschooled for 12 years with a mix of co-ops, tutorials, and then finished the middle and high school years in Classical Conversations communities (excellent value). The kids are now in college and doing so well, both in life and as college students. I'm still working as a teacher in the homeschool community because it's so rewarding, and I love the kids and families. Because of the pandemic, we are being flooded with inquiries. Wonderful! It's not easy, but easy is not a part of any parent's world. It's harder at the beginning, but families find their way. I can say wholeheartedly that it was the best decision we've ever made. My kids are resilient, kind, well spoken, and are poised to be lifelong learners. I wish you the very best on your journey.
I left my career and just started homeschooling right before Covid due to behavior issues with my son. I’m with you on it has to be simple! We are focusing most on character building. I love this idea so much and love each of you! Big fans! Minimalism is my big thing! It has to be simple!!! We just can not afford the monthly fee. I will continue watching y’all here on TH-cam. 💗
Tom hit the nail on the head! We homeschooled our daughter (although my hub and I were public) and you don't know how many people have be shocked that she was homeschooled because she can carry on a conversation, looks people in the eye and has great people skills! She's an RA in college now and isn't afraid of tackling new situations. I believe allowing a child to be themselves, work at their own pace, and develop their interests etc... helps lay a foundation of confidence. Excited for you!
We were always done by noon too. Extroverts find friends, introverts find more balance. We didn’t have a homeschooling space, rather each child had a homeschooling box for their individual work, and I had my box for what we all did together (eg Latin, History, RE) .
Home school moms ROCK👍🏻❤️
30-40 years ago home school moms were mainly on their own, but in the last decade the home school families have group activities. My granddaughter’s Floridas co-op is 200 strong, Covid -19 has put a damper on outings but they still keep in online. Most kids get much more support at home than they get in a public school. I also feel the homeschool kids are so much more knowledgeable and level headed. I think the pressure of getting a project completed within a certain time limit the public school gives causes a lot of kids give up and not try when maybe an extra hour or day of study on the subject they ace it.
We homeschooled our now adult daughters from kindergarten all the way through. We did some online classes, co-ops, hybrid, dual-enrollment, CLEP exams, and live classes throughout the 18 years of our journey. Every year can look different, and every child gets an experience that works for them. We loved it. It wasn't without hard times, but I wouldn't trade those years for anything. All the best to you as you begin this new journey!
I just watched because it's one of your videos, Dawn. It was very interesting, and a lot of things to think about. I remember when my children were school age, there was no way I would have homeschooled them, as I did a terrible job when I subbed as a teacher at their school. I loved the statement about being their mother - who is the first person to teach them to do everything, from the beginning of their life. That was huge. I probably would have done fine! Wonderful video!
Pam Boatwright home education is not at all like a traditional classroom. Is\t IS much more like being a very interested mom.
I'm so excited to know you are starting a homeschool group! When we started homeschooling, our kids were in 5th, 2nd, and kindergarten. We had some family/friends who were supportive and many who were not. We researched homeschooling for 2 years before making the final decision to keep our kids home and still felt like we didn't know what we were doing. This year will be our 6th year of homeschooling and I can say, without a doubt, it is one of the best decisions we've made for our family.
My son fought reading too, but loved Harry Potter and the books were way above his reading level and overwhelming in size. So I went to the library checked out the Audio book version with the book so he could follow along and it kept him interested without overwhelm and still learning and this started when he was in 3rd grade! Worked Awesome.
My daughter did not learn to read until she was 9. Then she flew. Now she finished her first year of college with straight A's and is an excellent writer and speaker. If we're patient, they learn it all.
As a veteran homeschool mom I am thrilled to hear so much great advice! All the best wishes on your new ventures, ladies!
Such an inspiration you ladies are! There are so many positive parallel stories that supports your journey that I can tell you hands down that home schooling your children is a exemplar to today's public school system.
My sister has and still is homeschooling her 5 kids since the late 1990's. The oldest already is out of school and in a job at 23. The youngest is in 6th grade and is my son's age, 11. Their kids are anything but weird or awkward. They are trendy, have lots of friends even those that go to public school from their church, very social, smart and hardworking! Though homescooling isn't for me I am very proud of my sister and her kids! She and her husband, who has always been so supportive of her, are awesome!
Such a cool collab! Can't wait to see Dawn rise to the challenge of making videos about minimalism in Homeschooling. Our oldest is 10 and I've been homeschooling since she was in PreK. So glad I'm not the own for a loop in all this madness.
Love you Dawn and Angela, too! Lisa is new to me. We are on our 2nd year of homeschooling and are always looking for other minimalist homeschooling mamas!
My Dad was a cropduster and my Mom would load his plane. My sister and I would ride with my Mom to the airports and once she loaded up my Dad's plane we would have school. Homeschooling is very flexible. I also remember learning about the 13 colonies and we actually got to go visit them! Hands on learning is awesome! Vacations can be field trips. I have 4 kids and homeschool 2 so far and we've gone on trips to the Creation museum and the Ark Encounter, so much fun!
So excited for you Dawn. I've homeschooled my 7 kids for the last 20 yrs. We love it and wouldn't have done it any different. We love Angela and her family. Homeschooled kids know how to communicate and socialize with all ages. We care for my 84 yr old mother-in-law also. You can do this. Super special. Thank you ladies.
Oh my gosh Angela - you hit the nail on the head with the Dad's!! This was my husband to a T. And now 5 years later he LOVES that we homeschool.
That is also 100% my husband! We are teetering in the edge of the homeschool decision right now, specifically for our youngest who is deaf. If there will be any mask wearing at school, we will be keeping her home.
@@EmeryShae My husband is so glad we did it. He was really self conscious of it at first BUT when our oldest learned to read (excelled) he was blown away. Then he realized how much overall freedom it gave us. We go on vacation in the fall!! Then our best friends made the jump last year (after they had actually made fun of us for it) and they are totally hooked as well!! This year is a great "excuse" - take advantage of it lol.
Angela Hagemeyer I have always wanted to homeschool, but my husband was not on board. So my kids have been in public school for years. My oldest is going into grade 10, and then I have three girls in grades 8, 5, and 2. I worry that the transition would be brutal. But I’m open to it.
@@EmeryShae You can do it!!
Just a word of encouragement to anyone struggling to get their husband onboard with homeschooling. Mine was dead set against it when I introduced the idea to him. It took some time and patience. I gathered a huge TH-cam playlist with resources showing him the benefits and examples of other families who had success with it. He agreed to let us try it as a trial and 3 years later we are still loving it! Also, 2020 really helped to make homeschooling more mainstream and I am so grateful for that! Thank you for this video! It is a wealth of information for new homeschooling families!
You are totally qualified. I have been a teacher for 25 years. You can DO it!
Would love to see your journey shared some day somewhere other than facebook for those who aren’t on FB. Love your videos and perspective- always thought you would like homeschooling and ‘fit the bill’! ❤️
Wow! This was so powerful. So blessed to be guided by these three women.
I didn't home school, but my children got the best of two worlds! School provided what I didn't, and at home I did the rest! I was constantly ready (in a fun way) looking for ways to educate and teach my children, all day! I read lots to them! All subjects! They learned all morals! They were first in my life over anything! They are very well reported on and very intelligent! Not to mention empathetic towards people and animals. So I feel it depends on a lot of factors whether one home schools or sends them to school, either way if done correctly it can be a success when parents are fully involved !
Due to life long health problems, I was home schooled for the majority of my school age years. Just a note for parents who choose to do homeschooling this year: be patient, be firm, and make it fun!! If your child struggles with a certain subject try to make it fun. If they struggle in Math, find new ways to help them understand it. If they struggle with language arts or not wanting to write, ect, find things they enjoy and have them write about that. Take breaks as often as you must while still sticking to a schedule. Perhaps work on their hardest subject first then go to easier ones so it's out of the way for the day. If you're looking for a curriculum that's Christian based, try ABeka Academy. They were the ones I used. They are harder learning, but if you choose to get their dvd classes, they are pretty good. I hope this helps someone :)
Sincerely,
Someone who was homeschooled
I admire you ladies! Keep doing what your doing! You definitely will be a great help to other families even if they will not be homeschooling right now. Food for thought!
I am 61 and sooooo glad my two girls are passed schooling age during this crazy time. In all honesty I was suffering PTSD while I was raising my girls as a single Mum, and made many, many, many terrible parenting mistakes (a story for another time), which have had ongoing repercussions for them. I don't think I could've coped with adding homeschooling into the mix. I know my girls would not have coped well either, with me as their teacher. All power to you, the parents who take on this role, voluntarily or otherwise. You are amazing and I tip my hat to you all.
I signed up! I’m a homeschool vet but love learning all things minimalism and homeschool! I’m so excited!
First of all I have nothing against home schooling. My kids and granddaughters (now in their 20's) all went to public schools. They were all taught manners, making eye contact, respect, integrity, kindness and moral values at home and grew up to be strong productive adults. It is not the school's responsibility to teach kids that. My kids and granddaughters socialized through sports, school clubs and volunteering. They all tend to have older friends and my granddaughters found most of their peers immature, with no drive or goals and still do. If your kids don't listen to you, be firm with them. The most important word you can teach a child is " No". If my kids or granddaughters argued with me after telling them "no" I would ask them "What part of "no" did you not understand, the "n" or the "o"?" and the conversation was over. Guess I am just an old school grandmother.
I think you are exactly right, and it does reinforce what the Angela said - it is not a school's responsibility to 'socialize' a child. (However, I do think schools have an opportunity to reinforce these values.) The fact that your family achieved this in the home is testament to this.
Some of these things are difficult to enforce when someone else is caring for your children for 8+ hours a day. When your children are with you more often, you have the great privilege to have more influence on them.
I have just started watching Minimalist Mom and love your ideas. then I watch this and am SOOOO delighted. I love homeschooling! I Homeschooled for 29 years all of my typical children , (6) but not my girl that has Downs Syndrome *( that was above my ability) I just graduated my last, this June 2020 .! It has been a wonderful rewarding journey. Am so excited for you new moms that are willing and dedicated to do this , especially those who are transitioning from public school. The children will do fine! and you will have the opportunity to have a closer relationship with them as teacher/ Mom. That was a very special part of homeschooling for me, along with having Bible class about each day. Another perk we get is we learn other important things including life skill things that most public schools do not teach or only skim through. I taught anatomy with one son, - We learned it together. I taught economics to most of my students. 60% off what my last child learned in his full yr class I did not know at the beginning of the class- we ended up going through a college textbook on economics before we were done (was a great book By S. Ritenour). For Health class, we learned many new things about food nutrition that have not been put in health textbooks yet! Lots of perks!
GOOD FOR YOU ALL YOU ARE ALL AWESOME! GOD BLESS!
We homeschool (5th and 2nd grade). I tried one curriculum with my then K5 and it was good but she was bored. I met a mom at CFA and she said she used Heart of Dakota. I looked at their website and love how literature based it is. They have a sample week on their webpage. Their customer service is great. Their goal is for your child to work more independently as they get older. My daughter reached this level for most subjects this year. It's amazing. It's super simple and little to no planning time (after the beginning of the year prep- which is very little). This is been a wonderful fit for my family. You can pick your own math and Language arts or use what they recommend. I've liked what they recommended so just kept going with it. I never wanted to homeschool but tried it with my daughter and it clicked and we haven't stopped. I love the flexibility of homeschooling and being able to slow down a subject when needed. A co-op helps so much. Socialization isn't hard to find if you are willing to look for it (church, sports, neighborhood, parks etc). I have friends who use classical conversations, one that used Life with Fred (math). So many great options out there it can get super overwhelming. I use a milk crate type container (wal-mart) with hanging folders and store each grade in that so I can carry it and put it up easier in a closet. We do school at the dining room table sometimes the front porch. My husband wasn't sure about it at first but now very glad we are homeschooling.
Yay!!! I’m SO excited for this!! I even got emotional while I watched it. I think this is going to be amazing!
Don’t have kids, but love the idea of a homeschooling group. You work so hard. Love to see you and Tom doing your things together! Good luck on this new challenge!
These are three of my favourite women on youtube! Thank you all for coming together to promote such healthy aspects of life; large families, homesteading, homeschooling, and minimalism. Love it! This is so inspiring to me in raising my growing family
What a great resource for brand new homeschoolers. I wish I had a resource like this all those years ago! I love your content Dawn and hope you will share your journey on your channel. We’ve homeschooled from the beginning. This year I’ll have a 16,13 and 10 year old and look forward to our new adventure this year after 12 years with Classical Conversations. We started our own co op and are really excited about it. Even though I’m a veteran homeschool mama I am looking forward to watching how you incorporate minimalism into your homeschool and home. It can be tricky to keep things simple and organized with so much living and learning happening 24/7 under one roof. 😊 I love the principals in the book Minimalist Homeschool. Also The Read Aloud Revival and Brave Writer communities are worth checking out. Best wishes on your journey. 💗
Such an incredible combination and wise powerhouse you 3 are. We have been homeschooling 6 years and I agree with all you have been saying. I wish I could join your facebook group but our budget will not allow it especially with Canadian exchange, but I will pray that you are all a huge blessing to each other. It will be a dream community that so many people need especially in this season.
I love Angela. So glad you teamed up with her, and now have introduced us to Lisa.
Love this video! We homeschooled our boys for many years. This is great advice that you are hearing here. Relax and have fun with your kids. It is a precious time in your life that goes by oh, so quickly!
Truly enjoyed watching this! As a teacher I love how homeschooling was discussed here because I do think it is a great fit for some families and can really meet the needs and learning style of children in being more hands on and flexible! So I totally agree and think homeschool is a great option :)
LOVED this video! We're a hs family, minimalist from Australia & we thought we'd give DE a go.. it's not what we thought it was... So! next year back to HS it is. Glad to stumble across this video, find new mom's to follow & get a little inspiration.
I love this what a terrific supportive idea! What lovely women you found to partner with! So happy for you! We have been u schooling for 4 years now - going into year 5 - my sons are 9 and 11. We are so much happier now and it has been a blessing for us. I love watching your family and journey thanks for sharing you inspire me. I have minimized my home bc of you and I now have the mental space and energy to accomplish so much more and be more present in my life. I also love your sunday posts with your sister! You are impacting this world and I know it is a lot of work. Thank you.
I never planned on homeschool, I was really scared. However my husband was my best cheerleader. My mom was great too, my other family memebers were not thrilled. However they all came over and started homeschooling. Both sides of our families homeschooled and have been to college. Have jobs and started there own business. 11 years later I am done! Having women of like mindedness kept me going. It's wonderful that you have a group to bounce things off of one another to learn from each other! I had a co-op and it made a world of difference in my life.
This has been an extremely inspirational vlog. You ladies are truly women of the new millennium!!! Everything discussed was from a place of high motivation and extreme emotional intelligence. Your responses to the very pertinent questions hit the nail on the head every time. In a public school system where so many life skills have been phased out, it’s a breath of fresh air to know there are people like the 3 of you who are committed enough to change things up.
You ladies are so blessed to have each other. We began homeschooling in the early 90s and felt like outcasts. And we sooo wanted to be seen as normal people!! 😂. We did make a few connections but nothing like this that you have. My children are grown and living very beautiful lives and I am so grateful we chose this path. However, I need to add that we re-evaluated our homeschooling every year and knew that we could do something different if we chose. Nothing was locked in.
I taught in a tradional school setting for many years & 3 of my sisters homeschooled & we all used the same curriculum called Abeka. It's put out by Pensacola Chirstian College & it's a wonderful structured curriculum if you need that vs going in several different directions.
Yes, I have one in high school and one in a university...I've homeschooled since kindergarten and found this curriculum exceptional for preparing my oldest for college and my youngest for high school. You will enjoy homeschool a lot if you make it simple for you (one curriculum for all subjects) and then dig in! :)
Abigayle Estep I have to agree I was really apprehensive when I first started homeschool. But I tried to keep it simple. I started with a Timberdoodle set. It’s very self explanatory and walks you thru everything and includes all subjects. You can take subjects out you don’t want to use before purchasing the kit as well. They also include a free online program to help map out lesson plans for the year. Super helpful!
There are lots of homeschool families on TH-cam Ashley grace and grit, my busy bees and me Ericka, Amy maryon homeschool in North Carolina, our tribe of many, etc. Don't get discouraged, we as parents know what our kids need. We know how to teach them. Like Angela said we have been teaching them since birth. You got this. I really enjoyed this video but I'm not on FB so if you could find a way to share somewhere else too. Many would enjoy it. God bless you all. Happy homeschooling.
I’m in my third year of university as an undergrad. All of my classes are online and so I am living at home instead of on campus. Idk if that counts as home schooling but I am taking classes from home 😉. I have my space all set up and I’m very excited.
We've been homeschooling for the last 7 years and love it!
We are on our second year and how God charges kids when you home school is Amazing!
How so?
So true!!!
Well our kids are less interested in what everybody else owns or is acting. Our kids are showing more respect in our family and are wanting to live more like Christ did. They are kinder and more compassionate to others. When our son was in school we took him out in gr2 he was me me me mine and it’s ok mom if I don’t like what you say I have rights I don’t have to agree with your rules. After 6 months away from school he wants to help out around the farm and not fight with his sister. Our then 16yr old cared so much what the world and school kids said. Now she cares what the Bible says about her worth. She is 19 still tells us what she is doing tells us how much she loves us. She and her boyfriend enjoy going to church together learning how God wants their relationship to develop. She even went to talk to a priest she respected (he is married with older children Ukrainian Catholic) to ask for relationship advice because she didn’t agree with everything we said about her boyfriend. Instead of going to her friends she picked someone she respected that is married 25yrs for advice. Our homeschool community is a warm caring group where kids want the best for each other and if they don’t get along they go to other kids in the group to work things out not crying to mom to fix it. We are being taught to raise great husbands and wives not just kids that will adult one day. This is just our experience with homeschooling in Alberta Canada.
Thank you for asking that last question. My husband isn't on board because he says I'm taking the kids away from their friends. I did try to provide examples of other families we know who are going to homeschool. I also help take care of my mom who is disabled and immunocompromised. I don't feel that it would be safe for us to be around her if the kids are going to public school everyday. Unfortunately, he doesn't see the importance of that. We're still waiting for our district to release their virtual option, so hopefully that will happen soon and he can look at that as well. Thanks!
Allison Zander our kids actually had MORE time available for friends as home schoolers.
I homeschooled all four of our sons when homeschooling wasn't the thing. All college graduates and in careers. This makes me wish for those days again.
I am so excited to see that you all are homeschoolers now! You are my favorite lifestyle TH-cam and now I can add you into my fav homeschool channel!! Tom is totally right, homeschoolers are more "socialized" to all age groups. We have been doing it from the get go, now on year 5, would not change that decision for anything!! You can totally do it and your WHOLE FAMILY will be happier for it. God bless and don't sweat the small stuff!!! Give yourself grace this first year, and phew 2020 is full of extra challenges so don't get too caught up in it being perfect. God bless!
Thank you ladies ✌🏽💕😊
Homeschooling, at least for my family, was the idea of applying what you learn to real life, not just sitting in a classroom learning about abstract concepts that for young kids don't really tie to real life.
As a homeschool child I have memories of climbing up into a tree with my math book and my pencil, feeling the sun and the breeze while working helped me focus. Or my mom would take us out to the garden, we would sit down next to the flowers blooming and draw them out in colored pencil (art), then we identified each part of the flower (science).
In high school I also had a lot of control and say in how and when I worked: I took college classes for some subjects, I worked, and I had courses I had to study on my own. It really taught me to be self disciplined and manage my time, which has served me very well in college and in my career.
I never considered home school. After watching this video I almost regret I didn’t. Loved hearing the different perspectives. Interesting to hear your home is 1500sq ft as I always envisioned it as smaller than mine. Actually larger as mine is 1100sq ft. I intentionally select a small home because I would fill a 10,000sq ft home if you gave it to me. Also, we will be empty nesters next year, so another reason to move to an even smaller home. We had a 700sq ft apartment when we got married and the stress of home management exploded when we moved to our 1500sq ft house. I learned then that larger homes mean less time with family. Love the videos!! Thank you for sharing so much with us.
I have been talking with my daughter abt homeschooling my granddaughter, she is 3.
Thank you so much for sharing this informative video. Best one thus far.
Ladies, I'm so proud of you all. I home schooled my now 24 year-old son and it was the best decision - no, the second best decision - the first one being turning him over to our Heavenly Father to raise him right! It was at home that we learned he has ADHD that we originally medicated, but that bought us (me and him) time to get a handle on it without meds, which we eventually did. Teacher wears a different hat than mom, but both are worn with love. Good luck and Gods grace to you all. Hugs from the Southern California desert, MK 🤗☀️🌵
Before my child was ever conceived its been in my heart to homeschool. I even went to college for early childhood education but know now that was just a stepping stone. My child starts homeschool in a couple more years so Ive been looking at A Gentle Feast Charlotte Mason inspired, faith based too. I'm always open to knowing about other curriculums as well!
I haven’t even completed the whole video, but I am so excited for this collab. I love that I follow all 3 of these women and began following all of them for the most random different reasons. Most recently Angela when I watched how she packed a carry on but her personality made me stay. To see them collab with one another shows that I’m on to something. I have an only child and I want her to interact with other kids and home school meet ups are an awesome solution. It sucks because COvID kinda through a wrench into it.
Also another family that has great homeschooling content is youtube channel Our Tribe of Many with Pastor Solo and his wife Sarah who have 10 kids. Thank you for sharing!!
Love all of these beautiful amazing women !!!! So excited to see this happening !! Thanks for taking the time to share and spread your wisdom 💕
Good luck this year Dawn!! I will be praying for you and your family :-) you will do amazing ! Also, we are very minimal and manage very well homeschooling :-) I have 2 children ... give yourself grace this year and remember it’s all just a season of life 💕
As a “retired” home educator I think this video is full of great advice. My kids are now 39 and 41. We home schooled from 4-5th grades up. In the beginning it was due to my husband’s deployment in the Gulf War. I also found that the less I copied “school” the better things worked. Ditched having a school room early on. Re the “socialization” concern....children learn good social skills from adults who have some, not from peers who usually do not. Totally agree that HSchhol kids are much more comfortable with an unlimited variety of ages, etc. after all, these are the ONLY time in which we interact with only peers of our age group. In real life we will possibly marry, have friends, co-workers and neighbors who would not have been in our same grade.
Our schedule was MWF during traditional school year and T Th during the summer. Our children took ownership and responsibility for their education early on. That was a benefit when they faced college...which both have graduate degrees (BTW). I also quickly learned to ignore the “age appropriate” standards. Children all come customized, not standard! 😂. I found each had their own speed for each subject. One day while doing a spelling lesson I had the thought, “ who decided that spelling these words must be learned during this year?” My oldest came from Resource Room and my youngest came home out of Talented and Gifted program. They both did great as long as I stayed chill and just kept a good environment for learning, asking questions and not being afraid of having a flop here and there. Enjoy! Theses will probably be your very best years with your kids and will build solid relationships within your family for years to come.
I’m so excited for you!! 😊❤️ We homeschooled our kids and loved it! I highly recommend listening to Sally Clarkson’s podcast, At Home with Sally, and reading Sally and Clay Clarkson’s books. Educating the Whole Hearted Child is excellent, and Sally has a new book coming out, Awaking Wonder: Opening Your Child’s Heart to the Beauty of Learning. She and others are going to host a free virtual conference later this month. I can’t say enough about how helpful this podcast is to all families, but especially homeschoolers!! ❤️
You all are amazing women. God bless you all. Thank you for reaching and teaching. God "equips" in every season of our lives.
Welcome to homeschooling! I am in my 34th and last year of homeschooling 8 children. I would not trade it for anything. God's blessings on you and all new homeschoolers!
I am so excited for this! Thank you all.
That was an impressive discussion. Questions were answered in depth that I would have found hard to articulate even now Speaking as a homeschooling veteran from the nineties, who did both homeschooling and traditional schooling with our four kids, before internet and cell phones, and when homeschool not common, and was still illegal in some states. You're off to a good start!
Joanie Jorash
I was homeschooled for the majority of my school years. On things like math, my parents made use of online classes like The Potter's School, and I also took an intensive writing course through them that prepared me for college writing. Most of it was curriculum my mom bought. She had us read lots of books as well as do our regular subjects. We had lots of other homeschooled friends. But generally if you find books written TO the student, for high schoolers anyway, things will be much easier for you because your kids can do certain subjects on their own. We You'll be great!!
I don't have children but this seems a worthwhile group that many could participate in. In NYC, for so long you couldn't AT ALL because of their guidelines. Thankfully for this opportunity to do Zoom or Google, etc. It doesn't to belong to others to critize others because....its NOT their children and family!
I have an adult daughter who is 24. Unfortunately, I was a single mom and did not have the option to homeschool my daughter. Had I chosen the right lifestyle, things would be very different with her today, I think. I support families that choose to homeschool. I am still not married and I am a fully committed Christian now (3 years now). Because of the challenging times we are in, I have a lot of time on my hands, I am currently asking God, how I can serve families etc. with my time. I have a heart for sharing the Gospel and strong Christian families. So if any ladies in this group can share ideas with me as to how I can help, I would be extremely appreciative for any input.
Do you know another language that you could teach? Or maybe a skill like sewing, drawing, playing an instrument, etc? You could advertise to do special courses in a subject you're familiar with. Or offer child care for homeschool mom's or act as a chaperone for homeschool field trips. You could get to know some of the homeschool families in your area and ask if they need anything you can offer to do. Of course this all depends on the Covid restrictions in your area and what you are comfortable doing. Zoom and Skype would be great to use for teaching a skill or language while staying at home.
I’m laughing! This is so great! If I can be honest, I thought it was a little bit WEIRD you weren’t homeschooling your kids yet! Lol - but seriously, love and hugs and support towards you and your family!
Homeschooling is scary when first starting. Once you get over being scared and are able to take the naysayers with a grain of salt, relax and enjoy the journey. You will find you are more than capable of schooling your child in a loving and supportive atmosphere. Enjoy !
Two of my favourites joining together... yay! Looking forward to adding another in getting to know Lisa 😁
I have watched all 3 of you guys for years! Such a fun collab! I have homeschooled 6yrs now! I have 4 kiddos too
You just gave me a great idea. Match and science is the kitchen.
Art is going to by in another room and reading on the couch ect. So that my kids have different options. Thanks for this video. I am getting so much more confidence.🌸
I'm excited for you guys and this new adventure. May God bless your group and endeavors.
Thank you ladies for this conversation, yes and Amen to all your comments. I am a mum of four and officially homeschooling two of my children and soon to be three children. Age 9, 8, 5 and 2. (In Australia) I have home schooled from the start as I noticed that children who were home schooled were so impressive in many different ways. Not to say that kids who aren’t homeschooled are not impressive- of course! It was just a confirmation to me that kids can turn out very well educated and mature through home schooling. Through the ups and downs of life, like moving house, renovating houses, pregnancy etc, I can honestly say the simple things in home schooling are often the best. When I needed to put a piece of flat pack furniture together, it was still an opportunity to teach. The times I have tried to knuckle down and tried to mimic a public school environment, the kids have pulled away; why? Because I wasn’t enjoying it and neither were they. However, when I relax and let the home along with all the regular life activities that happen when running a house be the classroom, like cooking and washing the dishes or having breaky. Opportunities to talk - really talk happen and that the gem moments; getting to know my kids heart and mind; what makes them tick and what areas are they really interested in learning. It’s not to say we don’t use books and structured lesson plans - I certainly love those times too and the kids thrive on a regular schedule. It’s just not only limited to books and computers. Every time of the year I am required to report and plan for the home education unit, it’s been such a stressful time. After three official years of home educating, I have entered a new place of peace about it. I have been watching your vlogs for some time now Angela and Dawn (and I will be looking you up now too Lisa) and what I have gained from you the last couple of months especially is that home schooling became stressful because I drifted away from the enjoyment of teaching to ticking all the boxes. I love structure and organization (too much probably), but the kids learn and love school so much better when it’s not a “chore” or something to check off the check list. The learning comes naturally when I present learning as a fun and wonderful thing to do. So just thought I would get in the conversation for once, and say thank you Angela for all your vlogs on home schooling over the years, it’s been priceless really. As you enter a new chapter of new town and home I pray You find peace, the peace that passes understanding. I feel for you because I know what you are embarking on. In 13 years of marriage we have renovated five homes and moved six or seven times. We have finally settled in our ‘forever home’ for the past three years- but it’s a journey hey! Dawn all the very best and God’s richest blessings on you and your family as you enter this new season of life! You certainly are qualified to teach your children, and I expect you will see them grow in leaps and bounds. Lisa, looking forward to meeting you over on your TH-cam channel and I might join fb just to connect with you all at the same time! 💛💛💛
A question to you all; do you have state government requirements (other than being a parent) 🤗 to home schooling? Australia has fairly strict processes to keep us on our toes in teaching our own kids. I don’t recall ever hearing you need to present report cards or planning schedules to government authorities. I have just finished a 35 page report to our state home school unit not including loads of work samples and videos. I am required to submit this each year for each child. 🤪😬💛
Oh it’s late here (12am) in Australia and I hit send before checking. Its a tricky read, typo errors and all. Sorry ladies!
Great video! Can't wait to hear your families journey in this next chapter.
I would love an update on what your homeschool routine looks like.
There SOOOO many reasons NOT to socialize as in public education. Give them more home/family instilled value systems...less time where they are taught to bully and taught to be mean to one another. Love them up!
Ginger Strahan I agree. Good social skills can be learned best at home.
Its wonderful being with your children and not missing out 8 or 9 hours a day
So excited y’all are homeschooling! You will love it!