Happy Medium Homeschooling

What is happy medium homeschooling? It is what works for our family. So many times we hear the questions: What kind of homeschooler are you? or How do you homeschool? To me these are almost as ambiguous as: What kind of person are you? or How do you live every day? It is all about finding that happy medium. For our family there is no box of curriculum that would suffice, no one catalogue from which to order a set of books. We also do not consider ourselves as unschoolers, as it leaves us wanting more. Eclectic is the term best describing our style, and our family in general, but not many people outside of the homeschooling arena are unfamiliar with this term. Thus, happy medium.

See for yourself how much fun 'summer school' can be for the whole family with these lesson ideas for the 2008 Summer Olympics!

Our Learning Path

As different as our children are, it can be difficult to find resources that suit them all. I like to take a unit study approach for some topics because it can give the family a central focus. Then I can make sure that everyone has activities that suit their interests and abilities. Each year we have taken a specific topic to thread throughout the year with either a fun introduction or culminating event. We have studied ancient history, then taken the kids to Chicago to see the King Tutt Exhibit at the Field Museum. Most recently we spent the year studying our own wonderful U.S.A., then took the kids on a road trip to see the great Wild West. Amazing! The kids also like Amanda Bennett for her unit studies in download form, as it is a change of pace and they have their own computer time, and have chosen their own topics, like Horses and Baseball, for a fun change of pace.

Much of the time I manage homeschooling like I manage the kitchen. I don't always follow a recipe, instead going by the tastes of my family and trying to incorporate everyone's likes into one meal. Some days there are rave reviews, other days the leftovers stare us in the face, asking, "What were you thinking?"

Saxon Math curriculum is one of the basics in our house. It offers reliable education that does not overwhelm the kids, but still manages to keep them focused, learning, and improving those all too necessary skills. We also like Spelling Power because the kids all share the same book, but I can tailor the activities to suit their individual levels and learning styles.

Then, there are all of those extras. I dig around a lot. At the library, on the computer, and in our community. There are always new topics we can explore, and new ways to look at things. This leads to our endless list of "Things we want to learn more about". The 2008 Summer Olympics is one of those items on the list. This fall we will look at Michelangelo and other early artists so that we can more fully take advantage of a traveling exhibit from the Vatican which will make its way to Minnesota. It is all about looking around us and doing the most we can to truly learn about our world.