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Continuing Education for the Homeschool Mom

The homeschooling mom is ALWAYS learning.

Not only are we learning at a break-neck pace to follow our child, we’re also trying to stay abreast of methods, philosophies, child development, and more.

There are “tried and true” resources, and then there are also new resources being published constantly.

It can all be overwhelming - to the point of debilitating. Too many choices = too much confusion.

This post will outline for you how I approach continuing education, and some of my favorite resources. I don’t promise that is an EXHAUSTIVE list of all the latest and greatest (or even all the tried and true), but I DO promise each resource has been used and loved by me throughout our 12 year journey in home education.

I do know this: don’t try to skip this part of your homeschooling life. You owe it to your children to be the very best homeschooling parent you can be!

Continuing Education for the #Homeschool Mom

Continuing Education for the #Homeschool Mom

For me, continuing education has always been the grout of my homeschooling life - it fills in all the cracks. I’m always searching for time in my day when I can learn something new.

Podcasts, books, and in-person connections are the three best ways I’ve learned throughout our homeschooling tenure.

The easiest way for me to do this when my children were little was through podcasts. It’s easy enough to pop in your earbuds while making dinner or folding laundry - (you can leave one earbud out so you can be present if someone needs you)

I don’t have many, but those that I DO listen to I love and listen to faithfully.

Favorite Homeschool (and learning) Podcasts

Simply Charlotte Mason Podcast

Homeschool Conversations with Amy Sloan

Simply Convivial: Pep Talks for Homemakers & Homeschoolers

Homeschooling 365 Podcast

Read Aloud Revival Podcast

It’s Not That Hard to Homeschool High School Podcast

And, if you’re feeling like geeking out a bit and have more time, I recommend these:

The Literary Life Podcast

Classical Stuff You Should Know

Homeschool Books for Continuing Education

At the risk of inundating you with so many books, I’m limiting this to just TEN books.

You may even want to invest in these books (maybe one a month?) and add them to your library. I find them helpful to read during the summer because it always reinvigorates me and helps me remember my WHY.

During my first year of homeschooling I was in a wonderful book study group - facilitated by more experienced homeschooling moms. If you can find something like this, it is such a blessing. If you can’t find one - maybe ask an experience mother you trust if they would like to lead a group?

I’m also always filling up notebooks with what I’ve learned. I will look back at these notebooks for ideas - and taking notes while I am reading really helps cement the ideas for me.

Brainstorm With Your Tribe

For several years I had a trusted group of friends with who I could learn from and share ideas.

We were on the same page for our children and could share what had worked and what hadn’t worked. We could share resources (easing the financial burden). This “in the field” learning is probably the best by far!

Nothing compares to a personal connection - and now that our world seems to be opening up a bit more we can get back to gathering with friends.

A Final Thought About Continuing Education

And - one other important thing: be sure your family knows that you will need time and resources to fulfill your calling as a homeschooling mother.

This might mean a weekend away on a retreat with friends. It might look like dad taking over dinner time and bedtime routine once a week so mom can escape to a coffee shop to read.

It might mean the kids watch a movie once a week during school time while you sit down to read or listen to a podcast.

This time for continuing education is important, but YOU are the only one who can make it happen. Train your people!

What has been your most successful way to keep learning as a homeschooling mom?

Do you have a book, podcast - or something else you’d like to share?

Leave it in the comments below!

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How to Avoid Curriculum Overwhelm: Easy Steps For Choosing Homeschool Curriculum

It’s that time of year when the whole homeschool world is buzzing about which curriculum they will be using in the coming year.

Maybe your initial thought is; “But, we aren’t even finished with this year’s curriculum! I can’t even think about next year!”

And then it begins, the endless rabbit trails and overwhelms of homeschool curriculum research.

I think we can all agree that having so many options at our fingertips is a blessing! However, even as an admitted curriculum junkie like myself, the overwhelm can get quite intense.

It’s not a bad thing to think about the upcoming year unless it causes anxiety or disrupts your current school year. In that case, it might be best to wait until you finish the year before evaluating what to use for the next one!

How to Avoid Curriculum Overwhelm: Easy Steps for Choosing #Homeschool Curriculum

Over the years I have found the best way for determining our plans for the upcoming school year is by doing a quick evaluation of our homeschool.

Here are things to consider when choosing homeschool curriculum… this is intentionally SIMPLE!

What is your goal?

Determining your goal for your homeschool is probably the most essential question.

For example, my goal for our homeschool is to go beyond just academic focus and to foster a learning environment that involves our whole family and allows our faith to be the center. This simple statement just told me:

  • Academics are important

  • Family style curriculum when possible

  • Faith-based is important

Once you have determined your goal, move on to the next step.

What worked? / What didn’t?

Did something work really well? Keep it or tweak it to make it work even better.

Is there something that flat-out didn’t work well for your homeschool this year? Toss it for the next and evaluate why it didn’t work so you know what to avoid the next time around.

Ultimately, our children and our families are unique. If something didn’t work well that works well for others, that doesn’t mean you failed. You have to find what fits your home and children best. (That’s the beauty of homeschool, isn’t it?)

Another factor in determining what did or didn’t work may be due to your children’s very specific needs. This leads us to the next step.

How to Avoid Curriculum Overwhelm: Easy Steps for Choosing #Homeschool Curriculum

What are your needs?

Consider your children individually.

I have a child with dyslexia so obviously, I will be choosing components that offer specific methods for him.

This same consideration goes for specific learning styles or methods of learning. Do I want a heavy literature focus, a more traditional approach, or even an online option?

These are all things to determine as well as how teacher intensive I would like it to be.

When we keep our eyes on our family’s needs and goals, it can help us to avoid being distracted by the newest, the best, or the most doted on curriculum out there.

Finally…

What is your budget?

This is a deciding factor that is extremely personal. For some families, money may not be an object. For others, it may be the very first thing to consider. Regardless of where you stand on the budget topic, I think we can all agree we don’t want to waste money on impulse curriculum buys.

When purchasing, my last step is to write down each of my children’s names with their subject choices and electives underneath. This process helps me to see the “big picture” so I can ensure I haven’t planned too much or too little for each of my children.

As a mom of 6 little ones, this list can get pretty lengthy (and if you’re looking for tips for homeschooling multiple children, I’ve got you covered!)

How to Avoid Curriculum Overwhelm - Easy Steps for Choosing #Homeschool Curriculum


Ultimately, choosing curriculum is not a simple process; there is so much heart and thought behind our choices.

While it can be wonderful to get ideas from other homeschool moms, it truly comes down to what is best for YOUR family. Give yourself time, space, and grace to make this decision.

You don’t have to go through all of these steps in one sitting, take your time to prayerfully consider them. My hope is that these steps aid in the process of evaluating and choosing curriculum for your homeschool and most importantly, help you to beat the curriculum overwhelm!


This post is from our contributor, Megan.

Megan is a homeschool mom of 6, wife to Jon, former public school teacher, and follower of Christ. Homeschooling and homemaking are areas that the Lord has drawn her to be passionate about and it is her desire to be as intentional as she can in both.

She enjoys cooking, reading, gardening, history, and hiking in the beautiful mountains of East Tennessee. In her spare time, she is also a content creator for her YouTube channels Pennies and Salt , as well as her website, Pennies and Salt.


Curriculum Picks from Homegrown Learners:

We have used and loved each of the following curriculum providers/products.

Nothing is recommended on Homegrown Learners unless we have firsthand knowledge and experience with the curriculum!

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How to Avoid #Homeschool Curriculum Overwhelm