What I mean when I say this is my method for schooling my kids? Essentially it is the practice of schooling by use of several tools, styles, publishers, curriculum, methods, etc. I’m not a one-size-fits-all kind of a gal. I can’t simply settle on one pre-fabricated curriculum. The eclectic approach is the easiest method to individualize in order to tailor learning to an individual’s needs.
Often other homeschooling moms want to know how I can feel confident that I will teach my kids all that they need to learn. My answer to that is lists, my friends! Listing the various skill sets per subject puts me in charge of making sure my kids learn all that I want them to learn. Being choosy and willing to mix methods makes it possible for my kids to learn these skill sets according to their learning styles. When I depended on books and curriculums to teach all the aspects of the standards I follow, was when I missed the mark.
When considering math books for my younger kids, I can hardly bring myself to spend the money. Their math is so simple I would rather save money and write my own math problems, instructions, and lessons.
I use several sources for my older daughter’s math course because I follow a set of standards and have yet to find a single book that actually has enough practice problems for each skill I want her to learn.
With the wide array of grammar books available, I’ve painstakingly perused the pages to find the perfect one. Some years I buy one, and other years I predominantly use the Montessori method, which doesn’t require a book.
I love the Charlotte Mason approach to history and science and load our book shelves with living books for learning. I mix large floor maps and globes with a huge time-line, made from butcher paper and our own markings, as we learn various historical details.
I do have a favorite spelling curriculum and use it for both my own children.
For all the extras that I want to include in my children’s school year, I go to my shelves of various books, publications, and curriculum—yes, I’m addicted to school materials—to get ideas for supplementing.
Eclectic Homeschooling is a piecemeal method used by parents like me, who struggle to fit into one single learning/teaching approach. It gives me the freedom to teach as my children learn within the confines of my own choices for them—not some publisher’s.
Lisa Blauvelt (with her family and three dogs, two cats, a horse, pony, donkey, two red eared turtles, a fluctuating number of tadpoles and baby fish, and various other creatures collected by her adventurous boys) puts her education degrees to work at her home in the Deep South. There she teaches not only her own children, but others who come to her home to learn. Her decade long experience in teaching children to read will soon be published as a 476 page guide for parents.
