I asked Naomi about their homeschooling journey and what advice they’d give to other parents thinking about taking the same leap. Here’s what she said.
We want to teach them about entrepreneurship, and to encourage and facilitate their individual interests and passions.
We wanted to homeschool so that we could set the curriculum, rather than the state. There are so many great resources to choose from that we think are far richer than what is offered in the school system.
Education shouldn’t be a one-size-fits-all approach, as many state-run systems make it. We can tailor our curriculum to the child and emphasize those areas they really enjoy and excel at.
Inspired by the Charlotte Mason method, we love to read “living books” aloud to the kids. We love the natural learning that takes place through reading a lot of different, rich literature.
As we live on a hobby farm in the country, our children are often outside in nature. They play alongside us as we work to take care of our large garden, animals, and land.
We want them to have plenty of time and freedom to play, be creative, and make up all kinds of imaginary games.
We also really love incorporating a lot of Montessori inspired, hands-on activities as part of our homeschool curriculum.
It is a joy to learn alongside them and see their curiosity and interest in different subjects. I love that I can give them the resources and time needed to support and facilitate their interests.
We really appreciate the freedom of homeschooling—to travel when we want, to spend more time with extended family and friends, to explore any subject that captures the children’s interest.
We enjoy being part of our local homeschool community and meeting up with other homeschool families each week for sports, field trips, play dates, and dinners.
We love that we can encourage and foster a love of learning in our kids.
Another challenge early on was being overwhelmed by homeschool curriculum choices. But after envisioning what style we really wanted for our homeschool, it wasn’t hard to find a curriculum that matched that vision.
The only resource we struggled to find was a kindergarten-level French workbook for beginners. The answer was to make the product ourselves! (OurKiwiHomeschool.com/product/kindergarten-french-workbook/)
You will be able to provide the learning environment and type of education tailored to each of their needs. Figure out the goals for your homeschool and what you’d like it to look like. Then find a homeschool curriculum to match those goals.
You want your kids to love learning, so above all, have fun and enjoy the process.