Our journey to homeschooling started over a year ago. I'm not entirely sure where I picked up the idea. It's so popular now that it really could have been anywhere. Wherever it was, I'm glad I did. Since then I have looked at several curriculum plans, planned out multiple years, read many blog posts, and found a lot of convincing studies on topics that concerned me. Through this process I slowly narrowed down a few choices for Preschool (there are many more I've looked at that only cater to older children).
- Calvert. This was the first option I found. I loved how interactive their curriculum seems to be, but it didn't seem to involve much reading. It's secular and very expensive.
- Sonlight. This is a big brand used mostly by Christians. They put the emphasis on literature and include multiple stories and poems to read every day. There are a lot of optional activites that go along with the stories. It's $325 for the Pre-Kindergarten year.
- The Learning Box. I have a friend in my ward who told me about this a few months ago. There are different sized boxes (a 3-day, 5-day, and younger 3-day) that include lesson plans and almost everything you would need to do crafts. It's very interactive. It is expensive (the cost of sending a kid to an in-home Preschool) but it is cheaper if you pre-order for multiple kids. There is a base price of around $50, and every child after that is an extra $5 (just for craft supplies).
I looked at all three way too much. They all have pros and cons. I eventually decided to go with Sonlight with a few changes. The optional activites have become a must, and I'm adding at least one craft project a day. You can see the first three weeks worth of curriculum online and I've scoured Pinterest for craft ideas to go along with the books and stories scheduled. Hopefully we will have a package on our front porch by tomorrow and we can start next Monday.
There are a lot of reasons why the homeschool idea stuck with us. The biggest reason is cost. $325 for a year (not including crafts and a few activity costs) is hard to beat. Around here in-home programs are around $60 a month, the school district programs are $80 a month, and most private Preschools start at $100 a month. Another big reason is being able to start Michael when he showed interest in school, which now he does. He asks everyday when he can start Preschool. Because of his age he would normally have to wait until next fall, but this way he doesn't have to. Other reasons include: he sleeps in late and still needs a nap in the afternoon making morning or afternoon Preschool difficult, Elli can join in instead of crying the whole time he's gone, he can build up his attention span slowly instead of being expected to instantly pay attention to a teacher for an hour+, he has people close to his age to socialize with at home, and I don't believe kids really learn how to socialize by being around a bunch of other kids their age who don't know how to socialize.
For now the plan is just Preschool, but we will see. I'm not against homeschooling later on if one of our kids doesn't seem to be excelling in public school. We'll just take it one day and one year at a time.
