Homeschooling Methods – A Round Up
Have you ever heard someone describe the way they homeschool or their homeschooling method and thought, “hmmm I wonder what that means?” I mean when they use words like “Electic”, “Delight Directed”, or “Charlotte Mason”.
Well don’t worry. You’re not alone.
I’m also a homeschooler. And I use what we call a boxed curriculum. Our homeschool curriculum comes in a box shipped to us by the company (BJU Press in this case). While a boxed curriculum can also have one of the other titles ours is simply a Bible Based Boxed Curriculum.
As the years go by I’ve been learning about a lot of these other ways to homeschool. From friends who also homeschool, fellow bloggers I connect with online and in person, or even just browsing around online.
It’s one of the things that makes homeschooling so special and such a good option. There are so many, effective, ways to do it.
So I thought I would pull together this simple list of different homeschooling methods with links to blogs where various homeschooler describe how they use those methods.
*This is a growing list.
Delight Directed Homeschooling
Delight Directed Homeschooling is where your choices in homeschooling material are led by your child’s interests. Different from letting them choose whether or not to do any homeschool you are letting their interests decide the theme of your homeschool. Things like Unit Studies and Projects are great for this type of learning.
Clarissa at Counting Our Blessings shows us how her family uses the Delight Directed method for their lifestyle of learning.
Lisa Nehring at Golden Grasses shows us how Delight Directed looks on her family. It’s very inspiring.
Over at Ben and Me Marcy has a 5 Part series in Delight Directed Homeschooling.
Eclectic Homeschooling
I know several moms who homeschool with the eclectic homeschooling style. This is where they pick and choose from various curriculum and resources to create a truly custom homeschool for their children. This method of homeschooling can seem daunting but taken step by step it can be very beneficial for your students.
Kym at Homeschool Coffee Break lays out her choices for the new school year and explains what Elcectic means to her homeschool in Mixed up or Eclectic?
Charlotte Mason Homeschool Method
Charlotte Mason was an educator during the Victorian era. The Charlotte Mason method emphasizes good habits and character development. Charlotte Mason homeschoolers work with the individual child’s learning style and interests. All of the core subjects are covered in the Charlotte Mason Method, and an emphasis is placed on classic literature and poetry.
HOmeschooling with Living Books
Living books are where the author has written in such a way to make the subject come to life. Different from traditional text books they can make the subject more interesting for young students. This type of learning style is found under the Charlotte Mason method.
Clarissa West has a great list of Living History books for the elementary ages.
Here’s a nice list of Living Books for Preschoolers by Brittney from Moms Heart.
Unit Studies Homeschooling
Unit Studies is another form of Homeschooling that we have delved into. In fact the BJU program often links up the different subjects for example as we study the states and capitals in Heritage Studies we are also studying the flags in Handwriting (I know I know, Handwriting?). But instead of me telling you about it here are some great write ups on the benefits of Unit Studies and how to incorporate them into your own homeschool.
A World of Study One Unit at a Time is a guest post on the Schoolhouse Review Blog by Dawn Oaks of Double O Farms
Homeschooling with Workboxes
The Workbox System is a way of organizing your child’s work so that they work more independently, understand their responsibilities, and move through the school day in an organized manner. We did this for a short time before moving to DVD school (which is like workboxes in a digital box).
Workbox Wednesday hosted by Jennifer at Chestnut Grove Academy
Confessions of a Homeschooler shares how she does the Workbox System
Structured
This type of home schooling is the closest in style and approach to “regular” schools. The subject matter and lessons are divided into grades, and planning is essential so as to avoid gaps. Every subject is covered each day, and students are tested as in an educational institution. Textbooks and teacher’s manuals on each subject are standard with this philosophy.
Classical
This approach is based on a “trivium” – grammar (birth to age 12), logic (ages 13-18) and rhetoric (high school) – that are said to be compatible with the natural way the child’s brain learns and develops. Classical education involves learning Latin, math, world history, the arts, and science.
So what type of homeschooling method are you using? One of these? Another? Or a mix of several? Leave me a comment and let me know.
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