Portrait of an Eclectic Homeschooler

If you were to ask me which homeschooling books have influenced me the most, I’d probably mention:

The Well-trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer
The Relaxed Home School by Mary Hood
The Unschooling Handbook by Mary Griffin
A Charlotte Mason Education by Catherine Levinson

If were to ask me what curriculum we’re using, I’d either say, “Oh, we use a wide mix of curriculum,” or, if I had nothing better to do for the next five minutes or so, I’d give you our list. ;-) Just for fun, I’ll give you our list:

• Easy Grammar 2 and 7
• Daily Grams
• Apples Daily Spelling Drills
• Jump In
• Scaredy Cat Reading System Level 3
• Handwriting for a Reason
• Horizons Math 2, 3 and 6
• Spelling Power
• Story of the World (finishing Vol. 1 and starting Vol. 2)
• Truthquest: Middle Ages
• Study of Ancient Rome
• Christian Kids Explore Biology (finishing)
• Christian Kids Explore Earth and Space (starting January-ish)
• Bible Study Guide for All Ages
• Keys for Kids devotional guides
• Latina Christiana
• First Language Lessons Level 3

Do you notice a common thread with the books or with the curriculum? Yeah, I didn’t think so. The only thing that they have in common is their diversity…and our family. We are definitely eclectic homeschoolers, in both our approach and our curriculum. And, it suits us perfectly.

The closest I’ve ever come to using a complete curriculum by a single publisher was the first year that we homeschooled, when I used The Weaver (a unit study published by Alpha Omega), but even then we had to add in math and phonics. And, even then, I knew that we would branch out and become more eclectic as I got more confident about this thing called homeschooling.

An eclectic approach certainly isn’t for everyone and I’m not suggesting that it should be. However, it is the perfect fit for us. We get to take the best from each homeschooling style and curriculum to custom tailor the perfect fit for our family.

From the classical approach, I have borrowed the idea of the four learning stages and a four year cyclical approach to history. We enjoy Charlotte Mason’s thoughts on nature study and reading quality literature. We often follow interesting rabbit trails and things that catch the kids’ interests as relaxed homeschoolers and unschoolers are wont to do.

I don’t want our family frustrated by curriculum that doesn’t quite fit. I want us neither stifled by a style that is too rigid for us nor languishing in one that doesn’t challenge. Instead, I want our family to flourish in the freedom that homeschooling affords by finding that perfect blend of structure and wiggle room. I want the baby bear chair…the one that fits just right.

For many families, that perfect fit comes in the form of a full curriculum from one source. For others, it comes in the form of no curriculum. For us, it has been found somewhere in the middle, with a plethora of choices and sources, and a nice mix of different outlooks on our possibilities.

I often tell new homeschoolers to read books on a variety of homeschooling styles, even if you don’t think that a particular style is for you. You never know what you’ll discover if you’re willing to sift the chaff, taking what works for your family’s personality and lifestyle and leaving the rest. You just might discover the custom-fit, tailor-made homeschool style for you and your family. You never know…someday a few thousand people may copy it and name it after you.

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For more ramblings from this classically eclectic, slightly Charlotte Mason homeschooling mom, visit Kris at her blog, Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers.

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