Which Homeschooling Method Do We Follow?

After officially deciding to homeschool our children, we of course were left with the question of which method we would use. Even if we leave a lot open-ended for the kids to develop in their own time, we still need some sort of method to follow. Having no structure at all would most likely lead to a mess (for us, anyway).

One day, I came upon the Montessori Method. I don't remember exactly where I heard about it, but I practically fell in love with it; it sounded exactly like what I wanted for my kids. It is child-led, which means that concepts are introduced as the child expresses, in one way or another, that he is ready to progress.

We even found a private school near us that had a preschool program. We toured the school and knew that our daughter would be happy there. They followed the Montessori Method, but not so strictly that she would be at risk of turning into one of the horror stories we had heard about (think of an 8-year-old not being able to write her own name after years of her Montessori teachers letting her paint all day because that was what she wanted to do…*cringe*). But, of course, then we saw the tuition rates, and our bubble was promptly burst.

So that led me to research Montessori homeschooling, which I was pleasantly surprised to find was, in fact, a real thing that people do.

My only concern was that it wasn’t a method I was confident in long-term. Eventually, I felt that a formal curriculum would be necessary for teaching and learning more complex concepts.

After some poking around, I discovered the teachings of Charlotte Mason (CM). This method calls for no formal education until age six, and until then, there is a lot of play-based learning. The more I learned about this method, the more I realized that (at least for the early years) it’s very similar to the Montessori Method. One big difference, though, is that CM incorporates a lot of Christian elements, whereas Montessori is decidedly secular. Montessori actually seems to favor structure in the early years more than CM does. (These are not the only differences, of course, and if you're interested in either method, I encourage you to check your local library for the works from either one; both are typically available!)

What I further discovered is that there's a Charlotte Mason inspired, but Catholic-based method out there, too, called Mater Amibilis. I think this is what we will end up trying once our oldest is ready for formal lessons.

With all of this in mind, my husband and I officially made the decision to use a combination of the methods until the day it becomes clear we need to make a change.

So for now, our days are filled with outside play, read-alouds, singing, and praying. Here and there we discover a new work on our shelf and learn how to use it. My kids are learning about good self-care habits and how to slice their own banana at snack time. They feel independent and are gaining confidence. That's really what I'm aiming for: giving them the self-confidence that will carry over into the rest of their lives.

xoxo Christi Lee