*Disclosure- I received the Bookshark Curriculum in exchange for sharing our homeschool journey this year. All opinions are my own.*
Let me be honest with you. When my Husband and I came to the decision to homeschool our son, I was scared. I had a lot of reservations- mostly about whether or not I thought I could actually do this. Coming to that decision was not easy, and I was stressed even thinking about getting started. I was overwhelmed before I even began. Where did I even start?
That was when I came across Bookshark. I was intrigued. Literature based? Yes please! We are already a family of avid readers, and my son always picked up a lot from listening to me read. He learned his alphabet from listening to me read Dr. Seuss’s ABC book. (Over and over and over- I could recite it from memory in the car!)
While we are a Christian family, I was also happy that Bookshark is a secular curriculum. I wanted to teach our son based on what other kids are learning, and we’ll be able to teach him our religious beliefs alongside it. Instead of making that the main focus. It just made more sense to me that way, especially since I grew up in public school.
The final kicker for me was the fact that the curriculum is a 4-day FULLY PLANNED OUT program. With the help of the Instructor’s guide, the lesson plans are done for me. It only takes me about 15 minutes of prep time each week to get our lessons set up. It’s ridiculously easy! Of course, I can change things around and teach it how I want to, but if the thought overwhelms you, (as it definitely did me in the beginning) it’s all planned out for you. You cannot screw it up. Which, honestly, was my biggest fear. Those 4 days are filled with fun lessons and reading, and our 5th day is spent taking sports, field trips, or visiting grandparents and getting real-life lifeskills. It’s wonderful! And I never feel like we’re not teaching our son enough. He’s learned so much more than I could have ever even imagined. It really has eased my mind, knowing that this was definitely the right decision for our family.
So, if you’re a homeschool newbie like we were this year (now I kinda feel like an old pro!), I honestly believe that Bookshark can be such a great choice for your family. It takes out the guess work. It makes homeschooling feel easy, instead of like the burden that I worried it would be. Instead of work, it is FUN. My son and I both look forward to learning- together. This year I’ve even learned things that I’m pretty sure I didn’t know before, or had long since forgotten.
Watching the wonder in my son’s eyes as I teach him has been such a blessing.
If you’re scared to begin this journey- let me tell you that you can 100% do this. No one comes to this decision easily, sometimes skeptical family members can make it even harder. But, once they see how much your child is learning, they will change their tune. Almost everyone I know has. And for that, I am forever grateful to Bookshark.
As always, if you have any questions- feel free to email me or ask them in the comments. I am happy to share what I’ve learned, and what has worked best for us.
Check out what subject package we used for Kindergarten (minus the math and handwriting).
See how we Homeschool on the Go.
Or how we set up our learning area.
