One of the first things you find when you google “homeschool” is all of the methods that are out there. And it can be quite confusing and pretty overwhelming. Here’s the deal: we think all of the methods offer up pros and cons. And do you want to know a secret? We use them all. So if you are somewhat of a perfectionist and need to understand them all before diving into other resources then this post is for you. (As always, our favorites, or ones we currently use are marked with an asterisk).*

*Classical Method or The Trivium:

The classical method is based upon three parts (the trivium) and has been used for centuries. It is a rigorous language-rich curricula that requires more work and effort from the brain. This is a parent-led style.

Part One: The Grammar Stage

This is based in early elementary years where children are beginning the building blocks to their education. They are learning the facts about each subject in school. 

Part Two: The Logic Stage

This consists of children in upper elementary and middle school years. Less focus on the facts and more focus on the “why” is used during this stage. Here, they learn how to think abstract and use logic within all subjects studied. 

Part Three: The Rhetoric Stage

The high school student will begin here to understand rhetoric. They will use their own voice in writing and speaking and be able to support their thoughts and opinions clearly. They really begin to develop in areas they are interested in. 

*Charlotte Mason Method:

Charlotte Mason was a turn-of-the-century educator known for short lessons and educating what she called the “whole child.” This means the child should educated in body, mind and spirit. She believed in short lessons, nature studies and memorization. This is a parent-led style. 

*Traditional Method:

This is the method used when parents used online schools or boxed curricula to educate their children. It’s like traditional classroom style, just at home. This could be parent-led or teacher-led depending upon the curricula used. 

Unit Studies Method:

Unit studies bring all subjects together to study them from the perspective of one topic or interest. For example: birds. A unit study on birds could look like this:

• Math: adding or subtracting birds in a tree
• Reading: reading books about birds
• Writing: tracing sentences about birds or composing your own
• Science: studying different species, habitats, behaviors, patterns, etc. of birds
• History: biography about a famous scientist who studied birds
• Spelling: bird words on the child’s level like nest, tree, sing or raven, toucan, penguin
• Art: bird crafts, building a nest, coloring different birds
• Music: listening to songs composed about birds or named after birds
• Etc…

You get the idea. All of the “subjects” take on the view of the core topic: birds. But unit studies aren’t limited to objects. They can be ideas or values like integrity or developing self-worth. They can be on children’s literature or histories like The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe or Ancient Rome. Unit studies can be done around skills as well, like sewing, baking or fishing.

This is a good method to take if you have a child who is only into, say, dinosaurs. You can create a curriculum around a subject that interests them so they get excited about learning. It’s also a good method to take when diving deep into history. This is a parent-led style.

Unschooling Method:

This is a child-led style of learning. Parents direct the child based on the interests of the child and do away with formal curricula. 

*Eclectic Method:

Our personal favorite. You pick and choose which methods that suits your needs as a family. This is the approach we often take. You’ll see us sprinkle different methods and resources throughout our site.

Your Homework:

What’s a homeschool blog without a little homework?

• What methods were your educated with?
• What methods are you drawn to when it comes to educating your family?
• How will you incorporate these methods into your daily education?