Home Schooling, Ain't No Foolin'

So, other than being very passionate and passionately convicted about my spiritual walk with Christ, I also home school my kiddos.  I've been doing this for six years now, and someone reading this, as they contemplate teaching their own children at home, might assume that I have a smooth go of it by now.  But, let's not forget what happens when we assume.  Um, we make assumptions.  

No.  I don't have an easy go of it at all, and it is partially (read: all) my fault, my idealistic, perfectionistic fault.  You see, I want my kids to love to learn, to really love what I put into their hands each year.  So, I comb through the internet and read, read, and read some more, to find the perfect philosophy and the perfect historical and biographical texts for them for whichever time period we're concentrating.  

Except it and they don't exist.  Nope, no perfect philosophy.  No perfect books.  And, definitely no perfect teacher here!  As a matter of fact, nothing is perfect 'cept the saving blood of Christ.  So, after a whole lotta wrestling with God over the plans I have for [His] children, we start there.

We lay a foundation of His Word, and let the rest fall into place by His leading.

Now, I'm not saying that we don't do anything after reading our Bibles unless a thunderbolt strikes.  We do.  But, school is only a tool to bring about the will of God in each one of our lives (momma included and especially), and not a master to whom we bow our necks.  And, I wanted to preface my sharing with you what we use as a part and parcel of this tool with why we do what we do and by which Spirit we are enabled.  There.

So, here goes:

I use a Charlotte Mason approach to our home school, and I follow the curriculum recommendations of Ambleside Online almost to a T, replacing a few books for which I find richer alternatives and adding more books as the kids' individual interests dictate such a need.  

For example, I find M.B. Synge's Story of the World series much more exciting and inviting than Hillyer's History of the World ((plus, it's free to read online--a big hug for my budget!)).  My biggest boy, especially, eats the formerly mentioned series like candy, declares history his very most fave subject, and begs for "just one more chapter" e-v-e-r-y time.

Also, my kids love natural history and any and every book about nature: plants, animals, and creepy crawlies, too.  So, they read with gusto more books each year in this area.  Again, my biggest boy batters me every night, as I tuck him in with my love and a prayer, with questions I cannot answer, like, "How many bones are in a whale's skeleton?" or "How many species of snakes are there in the world?"  Man, I love the library (and the internet)!  I stopped faking genius long ago.

Overall, Ambleside's selections are rich in content and able in the formation of goodly habits and godly character.  It lovingly supports us mommas and papas as we endeavor to live out the command to train up [His] children and to impress His Living Word upon their hearts.  Unlike many texts written today that assume God does not exist, the selections of Ambleside declare in unison that He does, placing brick upon brick over the foundation we lay with His Word.  And that's the point, right?