Initially, many parents wonder about how the physical space should organised. Should they build a classroom and expand the family home? Don’t worry about that. While some families do opt for a room dedicated to learning, for most it is not a necessity. So, see what works best for your family, your possibilities, and your budget. A separate room makes it possible to leave current projects in place, and this is appreciated by some families. However, others will prefer to work at the kitchen table and tidy up before meals. Storage space can be set up close to the workplace. To give just one example, it is possible to place school supplies in a few kitchen cupboards, instead of storing little-used dishes.

Here are some reading suggestions to help with the : 

Organization of your home

• https://www.developgoodhabits.com/simplicity-declutter-organization-books/ 

Organization of your time

• Time Management from the Inside Out, Second Edition: The Foolproof System for Taking Control of Your Schedule — and Your Life, by Julie Morgenstern

Organizing your meals

• Fix, Freeze, Feast, 2nd Edition: The Delicious, Money-Saving Way to Feed Your Family; Stock Your Freezer with Ready-to-Cook Meals; 150 Recipes, by Kati Neville & Lindsay Ahrens

ACPEQ members have access to more suggestions in their Member’s section

In reality, the most important thing to do when planning your school is to choose the teaching approach, or combination of approaches, that best suits your goals and your family’s life. Feel free to explore several of these approaches and imagine how they might work for you. Also know that you don’t have to keep an approach if you find that it doesn’t work well in your situation.

One of the advantages of home-schooling is that children’s talents and interests develop fully as they are given time to explore them in depth. Different learning styles determine the pedagogical approach chosen (working in individualized workbooks, project-based learning, etc.) — “Tailor-made” for your child, what could be better?

Of course, the number of children, their ages, and their involvement in daily tasks influence the choice of pedagogical approach. If a new baby is expected, it is important to know that home-schooling allows you to fully savour this moment. Planning more projects and independent reading with other children can ease the transition. With homeschooling, parents can use the available latitude necessary to develop their children’s autonomy. Identifying “non-negotiable” aspects that are understood by the child and reinforced by the parents is also part of the learning process. Children imitate each other but are not all alike, so avoid comparing children to each other. The speed of learning is unique to each child. Health challenges, both for parents and children, can also become an education in itself, enabling concrete learning about respect for others and their well-being.

Here are a few pedagogical approaches, namely un-schooling, Charlotte Mason’s literary approach, thematic or unit teaching, interest-led teaching, the classical approach and the more traditional school-at-home. There are many others (Montessori, Forest School, eclectic approach, etc.)!

• For more information, we invite you to explore the Homeschool Today website, which offers a very detailed overview of the various teaching approaches. https://homeschool.today/ 

The child plans and organizes his or her own activities and learning in his or her natural environment. No fixed schedule. Multiple resources are available (i.e. many books). The parent becomes a mentor by responding to the desire to learn when the child shows interest and aptitude. For more information, here are two titles by John Holt:

• How Children Learn, by John Holt.
• Learning All the Time, by John Holt. 

Learning is done with “real books” (not textbooks) and through life experiences. Formal education is aimed at the acquisition of reading, writing and mathematical skills. For all other subjects, learning takes place through contact with multiple resources, such as walks in the forest, visits to museums and the reading of classical works. Storytelling and narration of complete book passages are part of the approach. Discussions on the readings lead the child to draw his or her own conclusions, allowing the development of critical thinking .

• There are sites that work to make this method known, including the following :
  • https://amblesideonline.org/,
  • https://simplycharlottemason.com/what-is-the-charlotte-mason-method/, 
  • https://thejoyfilledmom.com/new-to-charlotte-mason-start-here/

• For those who would like to read Charlotte Mason’s writings here are some titles :
  • https://www.amblesideonline.org/CM/  
  • Home Education, by Charlotte M. Mason
  • A philosophy of education, by Charlotte M. Mason.
  • Parents and children, by Charlotte M. Mason
  • School education, by Charlotte M. Mason

The subjects are integrated and revolve around the same theme and/or character trait. For example: “the sense of order” will exploit the theme of space, the classification of plants, the seasons; “being attentive” will focus on the ear, music, birds, etc. The themes can easily be chosen according to the children’s interests and passions. It is simply a matter of adding a math program and some tools for grammar and syntax as it is very easy to integrate English or other languages into the projects. It promotes multi-age learning as well as curiosity and critical thinking in children.

• Unit Studies Made Easy, by Valerie Bendt
• https://fiveinarow.com/
• https://konos.com : For several years now, the “KONOS” program has been a well-loved resource, however, it is becoming difficult to obtain some of the titles required for this course since it is not recent.

The principle is similar to thematic teaching, but the child chooses the theme himself according to his passions and interests. This is an interesting approach for a child who is unmotivated or who has lost the desire to learn.

Until the age of 16, the classical approach favours learning the tools of the “Trivium”. These tools are the skills of language and thought, with which all subjects can be approached. This approach is divided into three phases:

6 to 10 years: the Grammar Stage phase includes learning to read and write, studying Latin, developing observation, listening and memorization, reading classic books in addition to a basic mathematics program.

10 to 12 or 14 years: the Dialectic Stage includes independent and abstract thinking, debate, the study of Latin and sometimes Greek and Hebrew, reading essays and critical works: in short, interpreting history.

Ages 14 and up: the Rhetoric Stage leads the student to express what he or she thinks, both orally and in writing, in an eloquent and persuasive way.

“Is not the great defect of our education today—a defect traceable through all the disquieting symptoms of trouble that I have mentioned—that although we often succeed in teaching our pupils “subjects,” we fail lamentably on the whole in teaching them how to think: they learn everything, except the art of learning.” ( Dorothy L. Sayers, The Lost Tools of Learning)

It can be difficult to find a ready-to-use curriculum for this pedagogical approach. More often than not, you’ll have to do a lot of research and build your own curriculum.

• The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home, by Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer
• Tree of Life School. https://treeoflifeathome.com/: This is a classic Christian curriculum.

Usually, this approach consists of completing a number of books and/or workbooks according to a pre-established timeline. The child works according to a predetermined schedule to eventually develop a certain degree of autonomy. Not suitable for children who need to move and/or touch to learn. Distance learning courses also fall into this category. Exercises are provided, with a schedule for work and handing in assignments.

• ACE/ECA (Accelerated Christian Education School of Tomorrow) ($)https://www.aceministries.com/
• Seton Home Study School (English Catholic course) https://www.setonhome.org/
• Khan academy https://www.khanacademy.org/