Are you a busy homeschool mom who is stressed out because there is always so much to do, but never quite enough time?

Or perhaps you are just diving into the world of homeschooling and not quite sure where to begin?

Or maybe you’re interested in the Charlotte Mason philosophy and hoping to learn more about how it works in real life?

If so, then The Curious Schoolhouse is the place for you.

Come on in! And watch your step – there are probably Legos on the floor.

I have been blogging about homeschooling since 2019, and since that first blog post way-back-when, I’ve learned a WHOLE LOT more about educational philosophies and homeschooling in general.

I’ve learned that, very often, less is more in our homeschools.

I’ve learned that reading aloud is magical for so many unique reasons.

I’ve learned that Charlotte Mason’s wisdom is still applicable today.

But I’ve also learned how NOT to do things.

I’ve learned that when I pile too much curriculum onto my kids, I get stressed and they learn less.

I’ve learned that pushing our children to read before they are developmentally ready usually backfires.

I’ve learned that children are not machines to be programmed, but rather gardens to be tended.

Who is The Curious Schoolhouse for?

The Curious Schoolhouse is for anyone who wants to enjoy homeschooling (and enjoy their kids!) without feeling constantly stressed or overwhelmed.

It’s for any mom who believes there must be a better way besides simply imitating the public school system.

It’s for the moms who want a childhood with more play and fewer programs, a home with more books and fewer screens, and a homeschool with more living ideas and fewer worksheets.

My Resume

I have a unique perspective to help you on this journey! I was homeschooled myself, way back in the 90s, and now have the “other side of the coin” as I’ve been homeschooling my own five children for the past 8 years.

I have two college degrees in piano performance, which included three semesters of piano pedagogy – classes where we dug deep into how children learn and effective methods for teaching them.

However, even more helpful than all my seven years of college was the past 13 years of regular, consistent reading. When my oldest was born I started reading books about parenting, sleep training, education – I even rediscovered my love of fiction! – and I just never stopped. Other hobbies necessarily fell by the wayside as life became busier and my minivan filled up with children, but even in the delirious newborn months I managed to find a few minutes of reading each day.

This independent education opened my eyes to a vision for what education (and therefore, homeschooling) could be – and showed me that many of my instincts were (amazingly) on the right path.

These books gave me courage to shake off the public school image of what education “should be,” and instead focus on who children are and how they learn best. Plus, they gave me the invaluable reassurance – from older moms who had successfully educated and graduated their own children – that this non-traditional method works.

What do you need help with right now?

I’m brand new to homeschooling and need help getting started.

I’ve been homeschooling for a little while and need help simplifying our routine.

I’m curious about raising kids who love to read and using books well in our homeschool.

I’m interested in learning more about Charlotte Mason’s philosophy and how it works.

Fun Story

You may not know this, but we didn’t start out as homeschoolers.

The fall that our oldest son was four, we signed him up for half-day 4K at our local elementary school. He spent the whole school year there, with twenty other four year olds, and had a great time. They sang and made crafts and listened to stories. I visited the classroom and helped out on field trips.

He was more than ready to read, so he joined a group of kindergarteners and caught on quickly – one day halfway through the year he came home and started reading to me from a short chapter book. I was amazed! His teacher was lovely and I felt that the school day was a perfect length.

The next summer, however, I realized with dismay that half-day was not an option anymore. He was supposed to be in all-day kindergarten, and suddenly this whole school thing didn’t sound quite so pleasant anymore. He still desperately needed a long afternoon rest time, and I still desperately needed him at home.

Sure, he could have gone, and we would have adjusted eventually, and it wouldn’t have been the end of the world – but I knew I would miss that time with him, days of his precious childhood that I could never again recover.

That fall of 2018 we took the plunge and pulled him out of the elementary school. I figured we could give the homeschooling thing a try for one year, and perhaps stick him back in school for first grade if we decided it wasn’t for us.

Turns out – it was for us, and we loved it.

A year later, we enrolled our second son in the half-day 4K at the same school, thinking that our oldest had had a good experience there and Son #2 would probably enjoy it also. We endured it for precisely one month before I pulled him out, despite the raised eyebrows of his teacher and the quizzical glances of the principal and all of the doubting comments I received.

“You’re going to do what? Hmmm. Interesting…”

Turns out – I realized that by being gone at school, he was missing out. He was missing out on the beautiful books we were reading and our play time outside and all of the sibling relationships being formed and so much more.

Public school was simply too great a price to pay and I couldn’t do it any longer.

None of our subsequent children ever set foot in a public school.

A Few More Fun Facts

I’m a believer in Jesus, and if you’re not, you should be! Don’t worry about homeschool or parenting or literally anything else until you’ve got that figured out. If you’re curious about what that means, this short video is an excellent explanation.

My husband has put up with me for nearly eighteen years now and he is the best. We married young and will soon reach the age where we’ve spent more of our life married than not married, which is mind-blowing!

Our life is not exceptional, our children are far from perfect, and our homeschool is a continual work in progress.

Our house is often quite messy and I don’t believe in folding socks.

But I want to share our struggles and our successes in the hopes of encouraging others in their homeschool lives, and reminding us all of the joy of a life with more books and less screens.

For privacy purposes I sometimes refer to my children as Big Brother, Middle Brother, Little Brother, Little Sister, and Baby Brother. These are not in fact their actual names.

Do you have genuine questions? Sincere concerns? Snarky comments? Email me anytime at [email protected] – I’d love to hear from you.