Today I received a catalog from Rainbow Resource Center in the mail. There’s just something about getting a physical catalog that makes shopping feel so much more enjoyable. I love flipping through the pages, highlighting things that catch my eye, and scribbling notes in the margins for future reference. I have a terrible habit of circling or marking something, only to forget later why I thought it was so important in the first place. That’s why I appreciate having a physical copy—it lets me jot down exactly what I was thinking in the moment, so I don’t lose track of why it stood out to me.

Don’t get me wrong—I appreciate how quick and convenient it is to browse online. But there’s just something about holding a real catalog in my hands that feels different. Maybe I’m just ‘old school.’

Anyway, when I first flipped through it, I thought, Great! I’ve just started figuring out how we’re going to kick off the school year, and now this catalog is about to derail all my plans because I’m bound to find a million new things I want the kids to learn right away. Who would’ve thought I’d have too many curriculum ideas I feel are important for the kids?

At first, school seems so cut and dry: here are the subjects, here’s what we’re learning. Read this article, complete this worksheet, cram before the Friday test to get an ‘A’—and then forget everything two weeks later.

That was pretty much my personal school experience. Okay, maybe two weeks is an exaggeration, but you get the point.

When I started looking into homeschooling and exploring different curriculums and subjects I might want to include, I was honestly mind-blown. I know that sounds a little silly, but let me explain.

We often associate schooling with a structured curriculum. We know there are core subjects we take year after year, and as we get older, we get to add in a few “extra” classes based on our interests. But let’s be honest—the fun stuff usually takes up maybe a quarter of the school day, while the rest is filled with the things we “have” to do just to pass and graduate.

It seems we’ve been programmed to think of schooling this way. But that’s the agenda of a traditional school—not homeschooling. Homeschooling is different, and it’s taken me some time to think outside the box and realize that learning doesn’t have to look like that.

The beauty of homeschooling is that we, the parents, are the teachers. We have the freedom to teach whatever we want, whenever we want, and for however long we want. Honestly, I couldn’t fully wrap my head around that when I first tried to plan our school days. I found myself looking at my kids’ previous school schedules, trying to recreate something similar for our upcoming homeschool year—because that’s all I knew.

*BREAKING NEWS*
Homeschooling is nothing like going to a traditional brick-and-mortar school.

You don’t need to cover seven different subjects in one day. You don’t need to cram everything into a rigid schedule. You can focus on one subject at a time, or start with one and slowly add more as you and your child adjust, without feeling overwhelmed by a brand-new routine.

You get to do what works best for you and your child.

Now, you might be thinking:
“But how will they get into college? How will they learn the right subjects, the right way, and as quickly as kids in traditional school? Won’t my child fall behind if we don’t cover multiple subjects every day?”

All of those thoughts literally went through my mind when I first read about how “laid back” homeschooling can be. But the truth is, so much of what we learned in school wasn’t really necessary for adult life (unless your career happens to require that specific knowledge).

So, as I’ve been working on “deprogramming” my brain (which is still a work in progress—I catch myself slipping back into traditional school thinking all the time), I’ve been trying to focus on subjects that will actually help my kids in adulthood, instead of just filling our days with information they’ll forget or never need.

This is exactly why I decided to go with an eclectic homeschooling approach. I like that I’m not locked into one set curriculum, which is great because, as much as I love those “bundle deals,” I don’t always want to teach everything that comes with them. It feels like such a waste to spend money on resources we don’t end up using.

With the eclectic method, I can mix and match different resources that fit our needs, try things out, and adjust along the way. I’d hate to spend a lot on something we all end up dreading. I’m hoping that once we’re more “seasoned” homeschoolers, picking out curriculum will get easier!

For now, I’m grabbing my pen and highlighter and diving into this catalog to see what I can find. What about you—what’s been working for your family? I’d love to hear about your favorite lessons and resources. We can use all the help we can get!