Successful Homeschooling Made Easy Review
Stephanie Walmsley, author of Successful Homeschooling Made Easy, has worked hard to create an online course for homeschooling moms in order to help us navigate these challenging waters! I was given a subscription to her 26 week Successful Homeschooling Made Easy course for the purpose of this review, and I’ve had the opportunity to complete 7 of the lessons, as well as a bonus lesson.
I love the design of her course. Stephanie sends a new lesson each week, and encourages moms to find a quiet spot and settle in with their favorite beverage for a little focused time. It’s nice to have an excuse to sit down for 20 minutes. 🙂 🙂
From what I’ve experienced thus far, while her lessons can be helpful for any homeschooling mom, they seem like they would be the most helpful for a mom (or dad!) who is new to homeschooling, or for one who is perhaps struggling a little.
This course is encouraging to me, because it reminds us to keep things simple! Some days, I get a little stressed out at the THOUGHT of a strict schedule, so I was a little wary when our first lesson jumped into scheduling. My fears were unfounded, because Stephanie has a way of addressing scheduling that offers a little structure yet lots of flexibility and breathing room. Her aim is to REDUCE stress in the home, not add to it! She suggested basic yet insightful questions to help us develop a schedule like “What time does your family get up on a weekday morning?” and “Do your children tend to concentrate on schoolwork better in the morning or afternoon?” She’s definitely not about “one size fits all!”
Stephanie encourages moms to focus on the basics in the little years – something I wholeheartedly agree with, as it goes hand-in-hand with classically educating our kids. She recommends building in time for reading and writing, math, and reading aloud. She also offers fabulous simple ideas on how to do this, for various age levels, WITHOUT spending $500+ on a packaged curriculum.
I need math made easy and I imagine you do too! Stephanie’s entire second lesson is devoted to the topic of math, and how to teach it without going mad! She emphasizes the hands-on side of math, offers 12 questions to consider when developing a curriculum, and delves into ways to teach math with life experiences.
Lesson three is for the mom who is transitioning a school-aged child to homeschooling. I haven’t had this experience, so I can’t speak to how helpful the material is practically. However, Stephanie brought in several moms who have had personal experience to speak to this for you!
Stephanie wants us (if we choose) to homeschool for the long haul! She doesn’t want to see any parent give up because we get discouraged and worn out. This next lesson is devoted to giving us staying power in our homeschooling journey.
Future lessons go on to equip us in areas like choosing curriculum and creative ways to keep the house picked up!
I LOVE this line:
This is a brilliant idea and an excellent example of the strategies this veteran homeschool mom has to share! Join her online mentoring course by visiting her site: Successful Homeschooling Made Easy and clicking Join Now! Each month is $10, or you can get 20% if you pre-pay for the entire course at one time ($48). Happy homeschooling!
