Has anybody else every gotten a catalogue from the Rainbow people? I think I might have gotten one last year...or maybe I requested one late last year and so they sent me one this year.
Either way, it looks pretty cute, right? Jam packed with fun things to look through. Just don't look at it from the side. I made that mistake.
Holy Moley!! This thing is bigger than a phone book (does anyone get those anymore?)! My first impulse was to chuck it because there is just SO MUCH STUFF in it, but I didn't.
It did get me thinking about a friend who's just getting started in homeschooling. She's feeling overwhelmed and doesn't know where to start.
When we were talking about it, I asked her if she'd looked into different homeschooling methods and if there was one she liked. Yes, she'd read a little but wasn't gung ho about any of them (by the way, my favorite quick overview is Lisa Whelchel's, So You're Thinking about Homeschooling).
So, where do you start?
I would advise (even though the thought of giving advice still strikes me as strange, I'm still learning...does that ever stop?) thinking about what you like. How organized are you? Do you love to read classics (or wish you'd read more, like me)? Do you like history? Do you love science? Where do you need structure in your life? Or do you need any at all?
After talking, my friend loved the idea of her kids reading classics and using history as her spine (this just means that everything except math revolves around whatever period in time you are studying).
Even after making those decisions, there are still so many options in types of curriculum (or even whether or not to buy "set" curriculum). In the end, what it all comes down to is just choosing. Use something as your guide and PICK (Cathy Duffy's 101 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum would work wonderfully and is a lot less overwhelming than that gargantuan Rainbow Resource catalogue).
I think we'd all like magical bells to chime when we come across that perfect curriculum. You know, the one that our children and we will both love to work through. The one that will teach them just what they need to know and will lead our kids to come back to us one day and say, "You were the best teacher ever, I'm so glad you homeschooled me, I couldn't have ever learned/done/been what I am today without you." Well, I would...but I haven't heard any magic bells yet. Darn.
Just know, that if homeschooling is what you really want, you can do it. Just get started. If something doesn't work, you'll adapt and try again. And chances are, you'll find tons of amazing curriculum that will help you guide your kids down their (and your) unique paths of learning.
Yes, it sounds a little cheesy but that doesn't mean it isn't true.
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