I have a confession.

I am not a notebooker.

There, I said it.

I am also not a unit study person.

Whew, this feels good!

I like using textbooks. (Shame of all shame)

Glad that's off my chest.


Seriously, it has taken me over 10 years to find "my niche" in homeschooling. I have gone from one thing to another to another to another, searching for that perfect fit for my children and I. Just when I thought I found it, it stopped fitting for another child. So I'd switch to something else, and start the cycle all over again.

I discovered Cindy Rushton about 2 years ago. She made it all sound so easy. So we notebooked. I have, probably, no less than 20 notebooks on our school shelves in various states of completion. That is probably where they will stay until eternity. I wanted to notebook. I wanted my children to want to notebook. They were all excited when we bought the supplies, but less than excited about making the notebooks. I still want to notebook, I still want to school the way Cindy does, but I have come to the realization, I am not Cindy Rushton.

We did unit studies way, way, way back in the beginning, and it worked well for about 2 years. We loved it. Then I had two more children. Then the boys started growing up. Then we stopped unit studies. I had thought about doing the Prairie Primer with my two girls this year. I have the book, and got the Little House books and some supplemental books and was all set to go. What happened? We listed to about 3/4 of the first little house book on tape, and that was it.

A church in our area donated to our church (full of homeschoolers) a LOT of Abeka textbooks and materials. I finally had the chance to go through it last night and came home with several large stacks of books and teacher guides. I'm set for the next several years in several subjects. Abeka is a great curriculum. I spent years looking down upon it, because I had read it was better not to use it or any textbooks.

Guess what? It's not about the curriculum. It's about the time I spend with my children while they are learning. I read aloud from the textbooks, and the kids love it. I discuss what they are learning and they are thirsty for more. And I don't have to find the next book to read, it's all right there in the text.

If you are a new homeschooler (or an older one, for that matter), find what fits you. If it doesn't fit, you won't use it, or you will use it and everyone will be miserable.

Abeka is not so bad! (And neither is notebooking, unit studies, or whatever works for you)