Homeschooling

I have done some YouTube videos about our homeschool journey and the curriculum we use. I think it’s time to share some of that here. 

If you read the post on Church Hurt, you got a glimpse into the beginning of this journey. 

Homeschooling was never something I thought I’d do. Until we did it. Now I can’t imagine doing anything else. 

My husband and I were both raised in public school. He was raised by a single mom but did have a couple of years here and there in private school. I was raised in a traditional two-parent home. My dad worked and my mom stayed home even when my sister and I went to school. 

My husband and I both assumed we’d both work and our kids would go to school. I always said there was no way I could homeschool. I didn’t have the patience, so I’d just leave that to the professionals. 

Well. God has a way of changing things. 

I had spent two years in community college for medical training. One year as an EMT and the second was taking prerequisite courses to be a registered nurse. 

We moved to Colorado and while we were there God led us to homeschool through a series of events. My oldest had about 6 weeks left of kindergarten and we pulled him from the private school at our church and finished the year at home. That led us to attempt first grade at home, too. It went well. We even completed the year in less time than it would have taken had he gone to school. 

Seven years later, my oldest is in seventh and my youngest is in kindergarten and we’re still homeschooling. Just this week all of our curriculum for the next school year arrived. 

This is what I am called to do and I praise God for it. 

Let’s talk curriculum. 

We use Abeka. 

It is biblically-based and they use the KJV. You can easily not use the Bible portion of the curriculum or use your own Bible if you don’t use the KJV. But for us, this is important. 

Knowing their doctrinal stance, I know nothing will be in there that contradicts the Bible or our personal beliefs. 

Their science and history are taught with a biblical worldview. Mathematics is traditional that is easily taught and learned. 

The entire curriculum offers plenty of reviews and new concepts to ensure mastery.

Language arts is done very well, especially in the early years. They teach phonics from k4-2nd grade to the point my kids are tired of the repetition, but they’re good readers. Reading by phonics rather than memorization is important to me.

In the higher grades, they learn parts of speech the same way, which leads to being able to diagram sentences like a pro. Abeka does teach poetry and literature as well.

While it is not the cheapest curriculum, it is not the most expensive either. 

Abeka offers many options to their homeschool program. 

You can order just the text and workbooks and teach your children on your own. This is what we do. Praise Jesus for answer keys!

You can purchase the same books but also opt for DVDs or streaming. This allows your child to watch a real class for their lessons. With this option you can choose to be accredited through Abeka, meaning they keep your grades, provide progress reports, transcripts, and eventually a diploma if you choose. You may also use the streaming or DVDs without being accredited through Abeka. At this point, we are not accredited through them. 

Don’t get confused here. This is an accredited, legitimate curriculum used in homeschools and private schools all over the world. Your state/county cannot dictate what curriculum you use. 

You may choose to be registered with your local county or an independent umbrella school instead of Abeka. Either way is up to you. 

This is just the route and curriculum we feel led to use in our homeschool.

Other biblical curriculum options are:

MasterBooks, Bob Jones University, Saxon, Sonlight, Apologia, My Father’s World, The Good and the Beautiful. 

I have not used these myself. I know of others that have. Everyone has different wants and needs. Research, ask questions, and pray about what God would have you use. 

I hope this is a help and encouragement to you. If God is calling you to homeschool, trust Him. Just start.

With Hope in His Service,

Heather