Deciding to homeschool was a decision that we made prior to the arrival of our oldest son as it provides so many amazing opportunities for our children!  Three main reasons directed us towards homeschooling.

First, it is such an amazing opportunity to be able to teach our children at home and our ranching lifestyle lends itself extremely well to homeschooling!  Our children can learn alongside us as we operate a ranch business. We spend 3-4 hours in the morning working on curriculum and spend the reminder of the day unschooling on the ranch! Just think of how many hours of valuable learning time and exercise we can achieve while living our lifestyle!

Secondly, I had watched my brother struggle with the public-school system.  My mom, who had been a public-school teacher, helped him every morning and evening with his studies so that he was successful and confident in his studies. At the time, my mom had contemplated homeschooling my brother; however, homeschooling resources were not as easily accessible as they are now and homeschooling was not as common as it is today.

Third, since we live outside of town, our children would be riding a school bus for at least 2 hours per day along with having to wait for the bus after school for an hour during their elementary years.  We didn’t see it necessary for them to spend at least 2 hours a day travelling to and from school when they can do school just as easily at home.

Our Options

I started researching about homeschooling over 5 years ago.  By using the internet, blogs and Facebook groups, I have learned about homeschooling styles and the options and resources that are available. We are all so fortunate to have so many free or reasonably priced homeschool resources available at the tip of our fingers in our own homes.

My mom, having considered the option for my brother, is our number one supporter. With having teaching experience, I can always go to her when I am looking for advice or ideas.   It has been absolutely wonderful to have her follow along with our homeschooling journey.

Our Homeschool Style

I really enjoy many aspects of the Charlotte Mason philosophy, along with using unit studies and the classical approach for some subjects.  We are also constantly learning through “unschooling” while working on the ranch. Therefore, we are incorporating a little bit of many homeschooling styles, also known as eclectic homeschooling.

Other Options

We made the decision to homeschool our children by making sure to consider all of our options.  For some families, homeschooling may not be the perfect option and public or private school may be the more appropriate choice.  We are open to seeing how each child succeeds with homeschooling and adjust as necessary.  However, if one of our children is not excelling at home, we are more than willing to look at the option of the public or private school system.

I am excited to learn alongside our children as we develop and grow together! To be able to see when they figure out a difficult math problem, see a volcano explode or learn to draw is so exciting! As a homeschooling mom, I get to watch it all!  I look forward to having you follow along with our homeschooling journey!

Why have you chosen to homeschool or why not?