What to do...?

So here I am, on Christmas Eve, working, reading on the computer in stead of ...?  Dad is working tonight, the children are in bed and I forgot to visit the library today.  So onto the computer to read.

And reading through some Facebook comments I realised how overwhelming / complicated homeschooling can seem.

Just look at homeschooling.  There is:

1.  "School-at-home" - very formal curriculums that follow the government regulations
2.  Homeschooling that is more informal but still uses curriculums to suit their needs
3.  Eclectics that use a mixture of methods and curriculums
4.  Classical approaches
5.  The Principal Approach
6.  Unschooling in varying degrees - even Christian Unschooling
7.  .....

There is:

* Delaying academics - Better late than early; 
or
* Accelerated Eduction


There are different ways to follow whatever one you choose with:

* Computer based education 
                                            or

                                                 * Book based education

* Unit studies - with curriculums or on your own
* Themed studies - using the curriculum
* Project studies

And also

• * Lapbooking
• * Notebooking

We use terms like:  UNSCHOOLING or DESCHOOLING (do we understand it ourselves?)

There are different methods linked to different people:

• Charlotte Mason and Guiding Natural curiosity - with a curriculum or without
• John Holt and unschooling
• Jean Piaget and cognitive development
• Rudolf Steiner and Waldorf schools / homeschooling
• Maria Montessori and the prepared environment
• Raymon and Dorothy Moore and "school can wait" and "better late than early"
• and more...

You can use your television    OR   dump it and never do any screen time (even no computers)

And then we talk about formulating your homeschool philosophy, determining your children's learning styles / personalities, and your own teaching style.  

AND SO MUCH MORE

And all this can be very confusing to new homeschoolers; to those who want to homeschool but don't even know where to begin.  It's even confusing for those of use who might have studied the "subject" for some years.

And to those new comers,  sometimes the best way forward is to just relax, enjoy your children, read a bit more... before you decide.

And now that I clarified this for myself, I'm of to Google more methods, people, curriculums....

or maybe I will run away and have a short holiday before the next school year begins in 2012.