I want a Christian Homeschool Mindset!
The Christian Homeschool mindset is different from just homeschooling. I am Elizabeth Estelle, Homeschool Christian Mom. I not only want to homeschool well, I want to homeschool and live such a way that brings glory to God. I bet you do, too!
How can we do that? Each and every day we need to begin by asking God for His help. He has given us the resources we need to be spiritually successful: His Holy Spirit and His Word. He will help us have a Christian homeschool mindset.
Remember James 1:5, ESV: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” Asking God for wisdom is evidence that we trust Him. (Bibleref.com)
How do we get wisdom? We ask. Every day.
A special thank you to Sara Caldwell for her permission to post her advice for our readers.
Some links in this article are my affiliate links and if you click on them and purchase I will receive a small commission at no cost to you.
And now some advice from Sara for new homeschoolers:
Can I say just how exciting it is to see so many people wanting to start homeschooling? I remember when we started 11+ years ago. Several of my closest friends were homeschooling. I was the lone holdout who said never-ever, don’t even think about it, no way am I going to homeschool. Never say never right?
- How to start?
- Get started homeschooling right with these basics!?
- And of course the number one question, which curriculum?
With that all in mind, I wanted to share a few “Dear Younger Homeschooling Me” thoughts, writes Sara.
- worked on flashcards (letters, colors, math facts, science vocabulary)
- writing letters and addressing envelopes,
- assigning book readings,
- simple science experiments,
- nature walks, and
- any other simple assignments that would have allowed us to “practice homeschooling”.
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A Christian homeschool mindset will lead you to purchase good curriculum. I recommend the 6th grade spelling curriculum from BJU Press Homeschool that uses a nautical theme throughout.
- If I would have practiced homeschooling, I would have realized much sooner that always having the whole house clean before starting homeschooling for the day means homeschooling will rarely get done.
- If I had practiced homeschooling more, I would have realized sooner how invaluable meal planning was to the success of our days.
- If I had practiced homeschooling first I would have realized that individual desks would be impractical for our style and instead, we were going to end up at the kitchen table more times than not. (This help me know where to focus my morning clean up efforts and save the rest of the house for the afternoon.)
- If I had practiced my minute by minute daily schedule that neatly laid out every subject to be covered and activity to be done, I would have found out that general routines give more structure than any strict schedule could ever do.
Homeschool Mindset: Practice First
- If I had practiced my dream of having everyone around the table working with me there to help as needed, I would have realized I can handle working two children max, at any time, tops. I can structure my homeschooling routine much more efficiently now knowing that. (I still use curriculum designed for multiple ages but we rarely do it as a group.)
- If I had practiced group read alouds, I would have realized that group reading was not for this crew.
- If I had practiced homeschooling, I would have realized sooner how to include dad more to divide and conquer the daily goals. (He’s great if handed flashcards to review for 10 minutes with one child, verbal quizzes of spelling words, math facts, etc, or taking a child or two on errands to help calm the noise:) And finally:
- After I had purchased our curriculum, I would come to realize much sooner that I had the freedom to make the curriculum work for us! I could modify it any way I chose in order to make it work for each child that might use it. Not sure if this is helpful but I would love to hear from other veteran homeschoolers some of their “Dear younger homeschooling me” thoughts!
These are great thoughts, Sara. Thanks again.
Do Your Best!
From Homeschool Christian Mom, Elizabeth Estelle. Here is a video version to help you with scheduling. Research shows that math works best in the morning. Other tips below!
Homeschool Schedules: This has to WORK FOR YOU!
Our new schedule didn’t free me up much, but it allowed me to get to meal prep for dinner. Our new 3 rules were: 1) Four subjects had to be done by lunch, 2) One of those subjects had to be math, 3) All school must be done by 5 pm.
[clickToTweet tweet=”My husband and I are insistent that we are not just raising Christian soldiers for the the Lord’s Army– but Special Forces. #goalaccomplish1″ quote=”My husband and I are insistent that we are not just raising Christian soldiers for the the Lord’s Army– but Special Forces.”]
Our Christian homeschool mindset included biblical goals for our children. We want our children to be the leaders for the next generation. Our children had to get all their work done every day and maybe do a little extra so that when we needed the flexibility, we had some work done ahead.
Christian Homeschool Mindset and Schedules: Move Toward Success
So we pushed and pulled and coached and mentored and fumed and fussed them through each class. When one of my daughters was taking Physics, I would watch the BJU Press class with her. I did not always know exactly what the teacher was talking about, but I did have good short term memory so that I could repeat what the teacher said when my daughter was working through the problems later. We made it through the class and she got a good grade.
In New York the regulations that govern non-public education also cover home schooled students. Although some parents do not appreciate the regulations, we are protected by them. And even though I moaned and groaned about doing quarterly reports for my children, I discovered on more than one occasion that a child of mine had not been honest about the amount of school work that was getting done!
To Teach Honesty, Check Their Work
That was my fault, too. As the parent, I should have been checking behind them more regularly. Advanced planning and scheduling also need to include regular checks of our children’s work. It will keep us and them on schedule. And it will teach them integrity.
Whatever kind of schedule you choose, make sure you are giving your children a good, solid education. You never know what the Lord has planned for them. Make sure they are ready! Your Christian Homeschool Mindset will make a lasting difference on their lives now and for eternity.
Bonus!
I post recipes that our family actually eats! Why? Because no matter how good a homeschooling day you have, you (usually) still have to make something for dinner! I hope you enjoy this recipe.
You might also like: Rich Tomato Vegetable Soup to Keep You Warm and Keep Away the Munchies
Warm and Comforting Spinach Artichoke Dip
No More Repetitions with 3 Sanity-Saving Tips to help your homeschool day go better!
I am Elizabeth Estelle, Homeschool Christian Mom, providing timely access to homeschooling answers for moms who have an “I’m stuck” moment during the day.
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