August 21, 2024 – Methods, Styles, and Philosophies

Christine Weller

Choose a Homeschool Method Based on Your Family’s Needs

There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to homeschooling. Each family must decide on the way they want to teach and incorporate the philosophies that are important to their families. There are a variety of methods, styles, and philosophies and, while some choose one way, others may choose to combine them to meet the needs of their homeschooling. 

Here are just a few examples:

Traditional Schooling at Home: This method closely mirrors conventional schooling, using structured curriculums and schedules. It provides a familiar structure, making it easier for parents to ensure coverage of all academic subjects. However, it can be rigid and less flexible in addressing individual learning styles.

Classical Education: This method focuses on three major stages—grammar, logic, and rhetoric. It focuses on developing critical thinking and a strong foundation in classical languages and literature. Classical education is rigorous and systematic, ideal for building analytical skills but may be more intensive and demanding than other methods.

Charlotte Mason: This approach uses “living books,” nature study, and the arts as its main focus. It advocates for short, focused lessons and the development of good habits. Charlotte Mason’s approach nurtures a love of learning and character development but requires parents to source and organize quality materials.

Unschooling: This approach is most unlike the traditional ways of education where child-led learning happens without a set curriculum. Learning occurs through life experiences and interests. Unschooling encourages a love of learning but requires parents to trust the process and be comfortable with a lack of structure.

Eclectic/Relaxed Homeschooling: This way of homeschooling combines elements from various methods and offers flexibility and customization. Parents can tailor their educational plan based on their children’s interests, strengths, and learning styles. Eclectic homeschooling is adaptable and personalized but can be time-consuming and require significant effort in planning.

Each method has its benefits and challenges, and the best approach depends on the family’s educational goals, values, and the child’s individual needs. Understanding these different ways more helps families choose or blend methods to create an effective and enjoyable homeschooling experience.

About the author

Christine Weller has been homeschooling her two boys, 10 and 6, since birth in the lovely province of Ontario, Canada. She is also a mom blogger and children’s book author. She is currently working to support homeschoolers everywhere through various roles at The Old Schoolhouse®.

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Beth Mora

Homeschooling Methods, Styles, and Philosophies: They All Seem So Good!

Every August, year after year, it was the same.

Maybe it was my need for more confidence in my homeschooling skills, or perhaps it was because my social media threads were overrun with posts celebrating every homeschooling style, method, or other philosophy. I could have been looking to kickstart our school year with a fresh outlook. I would sit at the beach, sandals kicked off and toes in the sand, reevaluating how I wanted to homeschool in the coming year. 

They all seemed so good. 

I like classical education and its three-part focus. The early years are spent absorbing facts. In the middle grades, students learn to think through arguments, and in the high school years, they learn to express themselves.

I’m also a fan of Unit Studies, where we focus on one topic or theme at a time, and all subjects are interwoven into the study. We always have so much fun learning together. 

But how could I leave the Charlotte Mason philosophy? Charlotte Mason was a famed educator of the 1800s who developed a method of education that combines a gentle learning atmosphere with short, idea-rich lessons that foster daily habits. It’s brilliant. 

Maybe I should reconsider Traditional Schooling—a textbook approach to learning. After all, I’m worried about educational gaps. 

I sip my iced tea and gaze at the ocean. 

I could explore the Montessori Method, which encourages students to master skills in all subject areas following a sequence that allows maximum development. 

But Waldorf is hands-on and language-based! I like that students learn to use their imagination as a key to problem-solving. 

I should tap into Delight-Directed Learning, which allows my kids to design their education based on their interests. 

I look up and smile at my children building an enormous sand castle. 

I wonder. Un-schooling capitalizes on real-life activities and skills for a fantastic practical education. 

I fill my lungs with ocean air and land in the same spot I did a year ago. Once again, I’m inspired to use a little of everything, and I’m so grateful to God that we get to homeschool another year. I take a moment and enjoy all the good that surrounds me. 

Beth Mora is a staff writer for The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC and lesson designer for www.Schoolhouseteachers.com. She is the creator/teacher-on-camera for Here to Help Learning’s Homeschool Writing Program Grades 1-6, and a homeschool conference and women’s events speaker. Meet up with Beth at Home To Home, one of her favorite places to encourage. Everything she does, whether laughable or heart-gripping, is done to honor her Lord and Savior, Jesus. God’s grace is the salve that has healed her own life and is what she offers liberally to others.

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Hal and Melanie Young

The Secret Sauce of Homeschooling

Often when we talk to new homeschoolers, they say they’re overwhelmed with the choices they have. There are so many methods, classes, curricula, and styles and they all sound like they are the best. One friend says their way is the only way, then another friend says it’s not really homeschooling unless you do it a different way. It seems to be such an important decision, too. This is your child’s education you’re talking about! How can you possibly decide?

Remember that you can change your mind. If you decide on one philosophy or one way of homeschooling and it doesn’t work for your family, you can change it. There’s a great market for used homeschool materials! You won’t even lose all you’ve invested in it.

Remember, too, that what works for your friends might not work for you. Peer pressure is real, especially when you’re feeling unsure of yourself, but while one family finds security in doing what a group is doing, another might feel trapped and bored in a program like that— and that’s okay. One of the huge advantages of homeschooling is that you can individualize it to what each family and each student in the family needs.

So, whether you school at home, unschool instead, follow classical methods, embrace a Charlotte Mason approach, or build your school around unit studies, make sure what you do works for the way your family lives and the way your kids learn. It might even change in different seasons of life or with different kids.  And no, we’re not going to tell you what our own family loves, because this next bit is more important.

Although methods matter, the secret sauce of homeschooling is not found in homeschooling one particular way. The secret sauce is you. Your good relationship with your children makes them want to learn from you. That means not only educating them, but discipling them is much easier. That relationship is going to be what really matters to you when they grow up and leave home. You won’t go wrong if you prioritize relationship.

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Your friends,

Hal & Melanie

About the author

Hal and Melanie Young have been homeschooling almost as long as they’ve been married, and they’re still happy with both decisions! They wrote My Beloved and My Friend: How to Be Married to Your Best Friend without Changing Spouses to encourage their young adults – find out more at raisingrealmen.com.

Are you looking for online learning options or art supplies? Check out the “Products for All Styles of Homeschooling” Resource Guide in the Summer 2024 issue of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine® for great options. Best wishes on your 2024-2025 school year!

Pillar of Hope

Heidi Mosher

These Quick Years

I have a somewhat embarrassing project to tackle this summer. It’s a storage issue. You see, I got in the habit of purchasing four large Rubbermaid-type bins each spring—one bin per child per school year—to store their completed school work in. That worked for awhile, but after seventeen years of homeschooling, it’s just too many bins! My storage area has spilled into the living areas of the basement. It’s not a good look. This is the summer to condense—especially all of the bins belonging to my two graduates. Now that my intentions are in print, maybe I’ll actually follow through!

What I’m not embarrassed about is the investment those bins represent. What tremendous care, research, effort, devotion, challenges, triumphs, hours, mistakes, growth, prayers, relationship, and love. You understand! I’ll equip myself with a box of tissues while I sort through my kids’ sweet kindergarten projects and elementary workbooks and relive years and years of memories. Their once-childish handwriting is sure to bring tears to my eyes. 

Those storage containers hold remnants of just about every homeschooling method there is. You know what though? The kids don’t remember that I was really into unit studies or project-based learning. They don’t care who Charlotte Mason was or that I would have made her my hiking buddy—had Miss Mason and I lived in the same era and continent, that is. The kids probably never realized that classical style wasn’t our thing, or that I dabbled with unschooling for the wildest child.

What I hope they remember is that I viewed each one of them as a gift and handled the treasure of them with care. What I hope they realize is that I wanted to spend the quick years of family life with them. Our homeschool, though imperfect, is my love letter to Kendra, Evan, Grant, and Cassie. 

There’s not a storage bin big enough to hold our years of homeschooling together.

About the author

Heidi Mosher is honored to write for The Homeschool Minute, as it was a lifeline of her early homeschooling years. She is thankful to be the mother of four—two recent homeschool graduates and two who are currently homeschooled.

Developed by nineteenth-century British educator Charlotte Mason, the Charlotte Mason method for homeschooling allows for short, focused lessons, nature studies, living books (high-quality literature), and the development of good habits. It integrates subjects like literature, history, art, and music into daily life, encouraging children to engage with ideas and think critically. The goal is to educate the whole child—mind, body, and spirit—fostering a lifelong passion for learning and a deep appreciation for the world. Explore the Charlotte Mason Learning Center on SchoolhouseTeachers.com to learn more.