Welcome to my comprehensive post on all things homeschooling!
I get so many questions on Instagram whenever I talk about homeschooling or show snippets of our day and I do have a homeschooling and curriculum highlight on there with a lot of info… but I thought it would be helpful to share all things homeschooling all in one place. So here we go! Buckle up because this may be a long one, but I’ll try to keep it organized and to the point 
Our Story:
So let’s start with a little summary of why we decided to homeschool- I’ll try to keep this short, but I probably won’t be able to haha. I feel like a lot of my experiences over the years have slowly led me to want to homeschool and here we are… but for many years, this was never on my radar. For my husband, homeschooling was never on his mind- but he has become very open to it and supportive over the years.
+ getting my teaching degree:
So funny story- I actually went to school to be an elementary school teacher. I went through my whole degree program and completed two years of fieldwork in various grades- and right before my last semester, I realized I had lost my fire and I didn’t know if I wanted to be a teacher anymore. The truth is, I loved teaching, but I didn’t love the politics of the public school system, the insane pressure put on students and teachers, and how boxed in teachers are. When I saw these things, I just knew I wouldn’t be happy in this career. At the time, I was 22 and had no intentions of homeschooling my future children- it wasn’t even a thought in my mind. I then switched majors and got a degree in communications and public relations.
+ putting my kids in preschool:
Fast forward 6 years later… my oldest child was four years old and I decided to put him in preschool. I had been learning more about child development, our sensory systems, and emotional regulation as I looked for all the ways I could support my sensitive child… and I thought putting him in preschool might be helpful. And honestly, I was really unimpressed as we cycled through multiple preschools where the teachers, curriculum, and expectations of young children were just so unrealistic, not developmentally appropriate, and made things more difficult for him instead of offering him support. We finally did find a preschool we loved and he thrived in for a bit… but it was then that I realized that a lot of traditional schools are not made for children (in the way we think they are)- but that our society tries to make our children fit into a mold for schools- and I wanted no part of that. This is not to say that there are no good schools out there- my toddlers actually attend an amazing play-based preschool twice a week and it’s been such a great experience for them. But the experiences I mentioned really opened my eyes to the traditional school system and led me to consider homeschooling. Over the next few years, we tried different models of schooling for my son… a traditional university model private school, montessori, play-based/child-led, homeschooling, and we even looked at our local public school. And that’s when I really started to learn that there is no one size fits all approach for education and I started to really consider homeschooling.
+ my own schooling:
And then there’s also the fact that I didn’t have the best school experience as a child in schools either. After high school, I just wanted to move on and forget all about school so I honestly didn’t think about it a whole lot. But as I started learning about the public education system and child development, I realized that I fell through the cracks as a child and didn’t get what I truly needed from school. My husband on the other hand, had a great experience with school and loved every minute of it. But we both have seen how much the public school system has changed over the years and it’s a totally different model now than when we were kids.
I wouldn’t say that any of these things were deciding factors on their own, but all of them combined led us to test the waters and trial homeschool. And here we are a few years later and we are loving it! I don’t know if we will do it forever- if our kids ever want to go to school, we will be open to that. Right now my oldest two (8 & 7) go to a nature school twice a week and I homeschool the other days and my younger two (3 & 22 months) go to a preschool/ mother’s day out program. It’s a good balance for us and I love the time I get to spend with my kids learning with them and they also get to go to a ‘school’ a couple days a week. I don’t know if we will keep this schedule forever, but that’s another thing I love about homeschool is we can change it and make it look however we want, depending on what life looks like in that season.
The Benefits we have seen in homeschooling:
All of the things I previously mentioned led us to homeschooling, but since we’ve started homeschooling, we have since realized so many additional benefits that have just further solidified why we chose this route. Some of these include:
+ the time we get with our children and getting to do life with them everyday
+ getting to have a say in their learning and education
+ allowing them to learn in whatever ways they need
+ delaying formal education until 6-7 and allowing for more developmentally appropriate, play-based learning
+ giving them more time to be outside everyday
+ giving them more time to focus on special interests
My Homeschooling Philosophy:
When I first started looking into homeschooling, I wanted to learn all the things- so naturally, I read about literally every ‘type’ of homeschooling approach on the planet. Charlotte Mason, Unschooling, Classical, Montessori, Waldorf, the list goes on.
At first, I thought I had to pick just one in order for us to really be committed to homeschooling. But the truth is, I think trying to stick to just ONE philosophy actually limits you because it makes you feel like you and your children have to fit into a box. And that’s not helpful for everyone. There’s some principles I love from all of these philosophies and there are some principals I don’t like. So I take what works for us, I leave the rest, and we homeschool our OWN way. And whatever works best for your family is THE BEST WAY.
I would say my philosophy is eclectic. We do a little bit of unschooling, but I also see value in formal studies. We keep everything very play-based, love following our children’s interests, read a lot of books, and love including nature in our lessons.
Choosing a Curriculum:
When I decided I wanted to homeschool, I started looking into curriculums and became very overwhelmed because there are SO many options. I will share what curriculum we use below, but here are some things to think about when you are choosing a curriculum.
How do my kids learn best? What is their learning style?
Do I want to use a religious or secular-based curriculum?
Do I want to use a curriculum that is classified as a certain style or philosophy?
Do I want it to have a lot of worksheets or am a I less is more type of person?
Remember- you can mix and match curriculum too and you can change at anytime. That is the beauty of homeschooling.
Our Favorite Curriculum:
When my son attended a university model school, they used Abeka curriculum and my son and I hated it. Hate is a strong word, but really- it was the worst lol. Or at least it was for his learning style. It was very rigorous, worksheet heavy, and repetitive. I knew that my son learned best with hands-on activities that incorporated play and with short lessons. So I started looking for a curriculum that would match those needs. After looking at so many different curriculums, I landed on Harbor & Sprout and The Good and the Beautiful and we love them! We also recently started using Handwriting without Tears and really like that as well.
Why we chose them:
The Good and the Beautiful is open and go, the lessons are short but interactive, they use manipulatives, and it can be printed online for free! I liked this because it allowed us to trial it, knowing we wouldn’t waste our money if it wasn’t the right fit. Right now we only use the math and language arts, since my kids are still young- but they have other subjects too. I believe that when children are under 10 they don’t need to be doing a ton of formal curriculum- but I do think that creating a good foundation for language arts and math skills is really important. Their curriculum makes this so easy and simple.
If you’re trying to figure out what grade level your child is at, don’t just guess- take their assessment. Their levels don’t always translate to the correlating grade level, so it’s best to just start exactly where your child needs to be. They have a free assessment right on their website.
Harbor + Sprout is a family-style, unit study curriculum and I am absolutely obsessed with it. I actually started putting together unit studies for my kids a few years ago and we loved learning that way, but it was so much work. So when I came across this curriculum, I instantly fell in love and knew it was exactly what I had been looking for. I love it because each unit study encompasses all the subjects and it makes it so simple to dive into a unit-based subject. We use TGTB for our foundational language arts and math and H+S covers everything else! It is quite a bit of printing, but since we do units over the course of 2 months, I don’t really mind. My kids absolutely love this curriculum and thrive with it, so it’s worth it for us! At this point, we don’t do any other formal science or social studies curriculum. Our unit studies cover that really well. We also do so much learning just through reading, watching documentaries, and going to museums/on field trips that I don’t feel we need a formal separate history curriculum at this time. I tend to just follow my kids’ lead. For example, there was a period of time were my boys were really into the world wars so we watched some developmentally appropriate documentaries and checked out some books from the library. At this age, that’s all they need! The unit studies actually cover science really in depth, so we don’t have a separate science curriclum.
You can download a free unit sample HERE. You can shop and use my discount code JESSICAWALTERS HERE.
We also use a few printouts from Treehouse Schoolhouse and my kids play reading eggs on the iPad a couple times a week. This is the only game they’re allowed to play on the ipad- it has really helped them with learning to read!
Frequently Asked Questions:
When do you start formal schooling?
I personally don’t start any formal schooling until 6-7 years old. Maybe at 5, if they’re really interested! But I won’t push a child into formal schooling before they’re ready. I’ve been very inspired by how education is approached in the Finnish and Scandinavian countries and they have a lot of research that supports not starting formal studies until this age. With that said, I think you should always follow your child and every child will be different. My oldest was not ready for formal school until around age 7. He learned so much through play! But my second was ready and wanting to write and do little bits of bookwork at 5, so we started him on TGTB pre-k curriculum then, very sparingly. We just started him on TGTB Kindergarten curriculum this past follow when he was 6.5. Every child is so different, so always do what you feel is best but I think it’s great to be mindful of this.
What do you have for supplies and manipulatives?
I actually have a whole post with my favorite supplies and manipulatives. See that here.
How much time do you spend on school each day?
Only about 2 hours a day, 3-4 times a week right now! Homeschooling is not going to look the same as what it looks like at a traditional school, so it isn’t an all day affair. When you’re teaching your own children and not a whole classroom, school actually only takes a small amount of time. Also remember that life is learning and a big part of homeschooling is that your child can use their free time to learn about their interests and have lots of time for play, discovery, and creativity. THIS is a great guide on how long you should be homeschooling a child per day, based on their age.
How do I find out my state’s homeschool laws?
HSLDA is an excellent resource for understanding your state’s homeschool laws. See their website HERE. I also recommend joining a local homeschool group for your area. Sometimes homeschool regulations and laws can be confusing and talking to experienced homeschool parents in your area can be really helpful and help you find community.
What are your favorite homeschool books?
If you’re just beginning your homeschooling journey, I highly recommend reading:
The Call of the Wild and Free by Ainsley Arment
Free to Learn by Peter Gray
I also want to include the books below. They aren’t homeschool books specifically (actually, any parents could benefit from reading them) but I feel that the content in each book gives really unique insight that will greatly benefit your homeschool journey:
Balanced and Barefoot by Angela Hanscom
There’s No Such Thing as Bad Weather by Linda Åkeson McGurk
Simplicity Parenting by Kim John Payne and Lisa M Ross
The Whole Brain Child by Daniel J. Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson
Hunt, Gather, Parent by Michaeleen Doucleff
The Brave Learner by Julie Bogart
How do you make sure your kids are socialized?
This is one of the most common questions/concerns I see people have when they consider homeschooling. But the truth is- you have full control in how socialized your children will be. Because my kids aren’t in a traditional school everyday, we actually have many more opportunities for them to be ‘social’. There’s co-ops, playing with neighbors, playdates, sports, activities, church, etc. If you are proactive, your kids will be plenty socialized- and I would even argue more socialized than kids in a public school setting where they are constantly told that ‘school isn’t for socializing’ and to ‘stop talking’. Right now my kids are involved with nature school twice a week, a co-op once a week, they take classes at the gym while I work out, and they play with neighborhood kids 4-5 times a week. We probably get out more than the average family because we love to, but if you’re a homebody you can still get the socialization kids need a few times a week.
How do you deal with burnout?
Listen, I’m not going to sugarcoat this. I love homeschooling, but burnout is so real and sometimes it does get overwhelming. However, my why is always stronger than that burnout and the benefits of homeschooling outweigh the negatives that come with burnout. And if they don’t outweigh it for you- that’s okay! Do what is best for your family. I LOVE spending time with my kids everyday- but I also love breaks and alone time when I need them, so we make sure to schedule time for that to happen. The thing I love about homeschool is that you can change your schedule as needed. I was feeling burnt out at the end of 2023 with homeschooling two children and having two toddlers. It just felt impossible and became very overwhelming. So for the last few months, we’ve had our little boys in a preschool twice a week and my older boys at a nature school twice a week on the same days. We also knew my husband would be swamped with work and a training he was doing during these months and I would need some extra support. This has helped me immensely and been really good for them too! Things are becoming more manageable, so I’m actually not doing the preschool for the littles over the summer and my boys will just go to nature school once a week. I’m actually excited for the change and for us to be less scheduled on those days. So don’t be afraid to switch things up or find support or ask your spouse for help. Different seasons require different things.
In addition to this- I just want to say that simple is best and less is MORE. You don’t have to do every single homeschooling activity you see other people doing. You don’t have to sign your kids up for every activity or schedule every part of the day. Remember that simple is best. Honestly, anytime I feel overwhelmed- I ask myself if we are doing too much and if there’s anything we can take away. I think the whole point of homeschooling is to spend time together, enjoy each other’s company, and give your kids time to follow their interests. And if you’re so stressed and scheduled, that you cannot do these things- well then what’s the point? If you are overwhelmed, it may be time to simplify and do less rather than more.
This is probably my longest blog post ever- so thanks so much for reading! I hope this was helpful for you. If you have any other homeschooling questions, leave them below in the comments!
Wishing you the best on your homeschool journey,
Jessica
