How to Start Homeschooling Part 2 Homeschool Methods

today we are going to introduce the most common homeschool methods so that you can get better idea of what you want your home school to look like we have lot of information to cover so let's get started welcome to kids learning for life that's Jenny Stacy and we're two homeschooling moms we're here to help families teach kids the joy of learning because learning doesn't just happen during school it happens throughout life welcome to part two in this how to start homeschooling series if you haven't already we recommend that you go back and watch part one in figuring out why you want to home-school before learning more about the homeschooling methods there are so many different ways to home-school and figuring out which method works best for you and your family is really important you may find you connect with one of these methods or maybe even several and that's okay if you know which methods you connect with most it will help you better navigate the vast amount of information there is out there about homeschooling up first the traditional method this is the typical method used in schools translated into homeschool form this method requires the use of textbooks routine testing lectures and can be very teacher directed the curriculum is split up by subject and grade level so if you have multiple children they will each be doing different textbook for each subject this is good option if you value structure and guidance since the curriculum lesson plans are usually followed to tea scheduling for the traditional school method is typically scheduled around school calendar year with summers off you might be interested in the traditional method if you want your kids to remain on traditional school schedule and stay on track with their peers in the regular school setting next Charlotte Mason this method relies on the use of classic literature and nature study to tackle the various subjects the Charlotte Mason method teaches that children learn best by doing and emphasizes the importance of narrating what they have just learned this method recommends having solid routine to increase discipline and scheduling lessons sparingly so that your child will stay interested you might like this method if you enjoy reading fine arts and natural science and think that these are important subjects to teach your children all this is good way to introduce good discipline and good communication skills even if your children are still young another home-school method is unit study this method is student interest lead and focuses on one topic at deep level over multiple subject areas this allows students to dive deep into topic and gain mastery of it one example of unit study can be the topic of Dinosaurs you can teach history by teaching about when different species of dinosaurs roam the earth along with math by using dinosaur counters when you're doing your addition and subtraction problems with your young child and also science by telling student that dinosaurs were reptiles and what makes reptile reptile and lastly English language arts by reading different books about dinosaurs and writing projects with dinosaur themes in mind this method can be great for families who have multiple kids of multiple ages you can teach all of your students one topic and then differentiate the assignments that you give your students to match their ability level the classical method is based on this idea that children hit these different learning stages at different ages with specific skills to be taught at specific ages this method encourages families to make learning fun and focuses on literature and language even recommending teaching Latin this is because the classical method emphasizes larger worldview and wants you to foster sense of selflessness and virtue in children you might enjoy the classical method if you want to foster lifelong love of learning while also holding your child to high standard of learning you might also enjoy it if you want to instill deep appreciation for the arts and language although all core subjects are considered highly important for well-rounded education next is Montessori the Montessori method encourages individuality in each student allowing each student to seek out knowledge for themselves in this method it is likely that each student will have different lesson plan based on their interests it is highly encouraged to customize child's lesson plan based on their individual needs and wants play is highly valued and it's recommended to keep books educational toys and even art supplies within the child's reach to ink courage active play there is no traditional curriculum used in Montessori since gaining practical life skills is valued above textbook learning you may want to pursue the Montessori method if you value your child having good foundation in sensory awareness and practical life skills once they master those then you can move in to mastering academic studies next is Waldorf Waldorf is similar to Montessori in that it allows the child to take the lead in their learning and play while also not incorporating textbooks at an early age the key difference is that Waldorf emphasizes fantasy and imaginary play as opposed to concrete life skills imaginary play is highly encouraged in scene as the way for children to develop and learn in the waldorf method the parent directs the learning and is there to instill harmony and spirituality this method is great for families that are looking to instill sense of creativity while also educating the mind body and spirit of the child the last homeschooling method we will cover is unschooling this method is the most freeform of all of the homeschooling methods we have mentioned and is completely the opposite of the traditional method that we had mentioned earlier unschooling does not mean that child is not learning they are just more free to decide when and what to study with unschooling there is no set curriculum or standards to tell you when child should learn specific topic or subject it is the parents responsibility to help provide information give resources and provide opportunities to help encourage the child's learning the main component of unschooling that makes it different than the other methods is that children are encouraged to learn when they are able and ready there you have it the most common homeschool methods if have to classify my own personal style I'd say it was combination of Charlotte Mason and classical because really value and enjoy the arts I'm also trying to incorporate some strong discipline and routines in my children's education we've been reading classic literature this year lot and next year we're even going to be incorporating Latin which I'm really excited about what do use DZ well definitely think that I'm those homeschoolers that would identify as eclectic really like lots of different pieces of all the different homeschooling methods and so kind of take different pieces and put them into my own home school if had to narrow it down would say that I'm more closely relate to unit studies because really enjoy being able to find one topic that really interest my kids and be able to incorporate all of the subjects into that topic so what home-school methods are your favorites are you more of an eclectic home schooler or do you favor one style over the rest let us know in the comments below if you'd like this video be sure to LIKE and subscribe to get more homeschooling content just like this you can also find more resources in the description below on each of the homeschool methods that we have discussed as well as our free hard at how to start homeschooling note guide you can find all of these resources at our website at kids learning for life com see you next time