I recently received an email with the subject line, “Is it really this simple?”
The real question, though, is probably one you’ve asked yourself. I know I have. It’s this one: am I doing enough?
What does that question mean? Do you know what you are asking? Enough for what? To appease your doubtful parents? To keep up with the Joneses? For your child to get a job? Or to get into college on a full scholarship?
What is your goal in educating your children? What are your goals for your family? Do you want children who love God and family and serve others? Is following the public school format of school all day and then more work in the evening really conducive to meeting that goal?
My husband and I want our children to be educated. We give them a core body of knowledge to remove their ignorance. The curriculum I’ve designed for my own family is one that I believe covers all of the basics and provides an excellent foundation in reading and writing, which I believe are indispensable for any future learning or career. We don’t know what the future will hold for our children, so we want them to be prepared for anything. We want our children to be able to get into the college of their choice, if they make that choice. We certainly would love for them to get full scholarships, but we’re not going to put that pressure on them or ourselves and make that THE goal.
I know I am doing enough. For our family, doing enough is covering the basics thoroughly and giving our children free time to devote to their passions. My children are already pursuing their future work. Because I keep their “school” day short and don’t have them in outside activities, they have hours of free time every day to do what they love. These things, their passions, are what will be important in their lives, more important than their ability to place chemicals on a periodic table or to list the presidents.
There tend to be two groups of parents who ask this “enough” question the most. Those with kindergartners, who wonder why I don’t do addition and subtraction and history and science with the five-year-olds, and those with high schoolers, who are wondering if what they are doing “counts.”
To the moms of kindergartners I say, your children will be able to complete calculus in high school even if they wait until they are in first grade to begin “real” math. Enjoy this time with your kids. Read books together. Google the answers to their questions. Watch videos. Try to relax.
To the moms of high schoolers I say, in some states your child could play video games for four years and you could call him a high school graduate. My state, Pennsylvania, is not one such state. Here are their guidelines for what “counts.” To count as a completed high school course a student can do ANY of the following: complete two-thirds of a textbook, have 120 daily logged entries, have 120 hours of logged study, complete a 10 page research paper, complete a college course, or pass an AP exam. If you follow Easy Peasy, you’ll have 180 “daily logged entries.” You’ll be way ahead of the game.
I wrote the assignments on Easy Peasy for my children. It’s “enough” for our family, but your children are yours, not mine. If this curriculum will help you meet your family’s goals, then use it and be happy with your decision.
There will always, always be someone else doing something different, something more. There have been times in the past when I’ve read on blogs about what other people were doing for school and their kids’ amazing accomplishments and certainly felt lacking. Well, guess what? My kids are turning out pretty amazing themselves. I bet your kids are pretty amazing too.
I’m someone who believes that everyone has genius in them. Everyone has something special to offer the world. I love giving my kids not only a great education, but the time to discover and develop their genius, and I’m teaching them that their gift is something to use to bless others.
So, I leave the question to you now. Is what you are doing enough? What are you really asking? Think it over. Pray it over. And I pray you come out on the other side joyful and at peace.
What an excellent reply to that question that we all may ask at some time or another. Thank you for your hard work.
I absolutely agree. Each parent will know what is enough for their child. Thank you for sharing this with the world!!
Well said. I definitely find myself battling that question, but I always hear the answer from Him, “He gave me what I need to teach the children He gave me.” and then I am once again at peace.
So well said! I am one of those moms of a four year old who is feeling like I might not have enough math manipulatives haha! I really appreciated your perspective!
“He gave me what I need to teach the children He gave me.”
This had me crying! I just love it! This is amazing, clear biblical truth-so encouraging for me right now, thank you.
What a wonderful reply to all of insecure mothers who never planned to home school like myself.
Me too! Homeschooling was something i laughed at one year ago…now due to my 5 year old daughter being fondled by another student (aggressive little boy) and the administration saying there was no evidence, blah blah, etc…here we are. Scary! THIS is amazing, unbelievable, and I just canceled an expensive subscription to another online curriculum! YAY! Praise God! W0000000t!
Laura, I have found myself in a similar situation. My child is in public Kindergarten at the moment and there was an incident where another child was violent. This child punched the teacher and threatened to bring a gun and shoot her. When I and another parent went to the school board about it, it was talked down and pushed under a rug. Then my child was singled out by the administration and questioned. It scared him and I am sick of it. We have made the decision to homeschool and will soon begin our journey. I am getting a lot of help from local homeschooling parents, BUT I am surprised at how many people are downplaying this Easy Peasy curriculum. I keep getting asked if I will be looking at other options to purchase. Why would I do that when this one is free?
I know people discredit EP solely because it’s free. They have the mindset that you get what you pay for. They don’t understand that this is a ministry, and we’re very dedicated to making high quality education available for free to homeschoolers.
We have spent two years trying to figure out a plan for our seven kids because public school was and is no longer an option. This was initiated because of the constant bullying from both teachers and students. We had many conversations concerning what they would be taught if we decided to place them all back in public school, and one concern was the story of evolution vs the creation of the world in Genesis. God vs ape. Our youngest which is soon to be 5 has learned so much from everyone through God. He made his own big boy decision to get rid of everything involving “spider man” (at the time) his most precious possession. He realized that spider man saves the world while fighting off the bad guys, but the Truth is, is that Jesus saves, and He says to love and pray for your enemies. This conviction brought us to our own convictions. It led us to getting rid of many things that we didn’t realize at the time were not acceptable to God. My point is that if Jesus had this much influence on him at 4years old, and Jesus had this much influence on us through Christ using him as a vessel, why would I rip that light away from him by shoving him into a false understanding of life, paganism, ungodly council, and a day taught to not include God. Each of my kids has become so strong in the Lord, I could not imagine being the one to ruin it because of a bad influence of the world’s standards. After talking with my husband last night on how the kids needed some sort of homeschooling concerning their basics, I became overwhelmed. I honestly didn’t know where to start, but how wonderful is our God that this morning I was moved to search up “free homeschooling materials” and EP popped up in a list of several 10 best free online homeschooling programs. I had first seen the word “Christian” then I had seen the link for the question concerning “enough,” and this response became straight-forward confirmation. Everything me and my husband were talking about and concerned for was completely removed in a few clicks. God is so good, that he guided me to you. I know this is Him. Thank you for creating this. Thank you for using your gift to help godly parents just like you. I’m also so very thankful for the encouragement coming from other parents on here. We’ll be joining today. All seven of them. Your all are in our prayer’s sisters.
We’re so glad you found us. We’re thrilled for God to use us to answer prayer and to play a little part in how He’s providing for His children.
Very well said , thank you . We have homeschooled for 30 yrs. and that question comes to mind a lot but if you are following what God has told you to do He’s teaching them anyway . We are just the vessel he is using to teach His children! Pray and stay in His Word He will not fail you!!! Please don’t let others get you off tract.
I just have to say (with tears in my eyes) that I really needed to hear this. This is my first year homeschooling my 1st grader and I have all these expectations of what I think “school” should be. We’ve been struggling for months now. I myself wasn’t homeschooled and I constantly say “Am I doing enough?” So, thanks for the reality check!
I’m new here to your little piece of Homeschool Bliss!! I have been teaching my kiddos for 6 years now, it goes so fast. 🙂 Each kid is different and I have enjoyed the journey with all three of them. Two or tree times a year I will have a minor freak out worried if we are doing enough. And then I remember what’s important and then I can breathe better. 🙂 Can’t wait to take a look at all you have to share. 🙂
Yep that’s what I’ve been doing. 2-3 times a year I have a freak out. So happy I found this site!!
How do we do year end testing?
The testing depends on grade level and you individual state regulations. You can get more information in the support on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Easy.Peasy.All.in.One.Homeschool/
Thanks for this post. I have to refocus myself often on this questions when I’m feeling the weight of comparison. Since we chose to home educate, why do we feel the pressure for our children to compare to those who are not? I’m so looking forward to exploring your curriculum choices. Thank you for putting it out there for us:).
This reply touched my soul and answered my questions, even the ones I was afraid to ask myself. THANK you!
In the midst of the joys and struggles of life, I am overwhelmed with thankfulness to the Lord for faithfully meeting my needs. Thank you for being obedient to what He laid on your heart to share. It was a word that I needed to hear.
I can’t thank you enough for what you are doing! I have debated so many times sending my boys back to public school, but just couldn’t bring myself to do it. All because I would get nervous that I wasn’t doing enough for them. You have taken that feeling away for me. This is amazing!!! My kids enjoy this curriculum even though we are just starting 🙂 AND the bible part is truly the best part of this curriculum!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
WOW!! I love this and will be sharing this with many people. Thank you! 🙂
I will be using easy peasy homeschool starting in June. I’m from NY. So I’m your northern neighbor. Thanks for answering the question I didn’t have the proper words to ask.
Has it worked fine for you? I’m from NY also. Are the requirements for NY the same as Pennsylvania? Or close to it?
After recently having a sour experience with another hs website, we found yours. We believe it was meant to be!! We will finish our First Years as homeschoolers with the other site but will use yours(now ours also =D) for next year
THNX Forever for everything you do for us(the HS community). The world needs better humans and I truly believe that we(the HS community) are helping this become a better world for our children by hs them. Children need to be kids! Children are all about passion, creativity, discovery, adventure, Love… that is was the world needs!! Raising amazing children takes hard work but it’s so simple… and all of our children are AMAZING!!!
I just wanted to thank you for this, especially this very question. I have asked this many times in the last few months and have not had an answer until now. I am sharing this site with several others who have questions about homeschooling and not sure whether they are capable of doing it. I will begin using Easy Peasy this summer with my 5 and 12 year old. Again, thank you and God Bless!!
Life is way to short to be trying to keep up with anyone. Pray about it make a decision and stand firm on that. God gave these children to me for me to raise. Not anyone else. 🙂
EXACTLY! What’s ok for me and my kids might be awful for you and yours–and vice versa. My kids DO NOT NEED what public schools here are offering right now. End of story. I know I’m doing the right thing! Woohoo!
Thanks so much Lee for this reply! I totally agree. Our children are all different! We are all different, with different goals.
My main goal is to raise up children in Christ! If that’s all I do, then I’ve accomplished my goal. God will supply the rest! I use to beat myself up thinking that I wasn’t good enough to educate my children. I use to listen to people saying, that they should be in school. I really felt inadequate! But then I realized all God wants me to do, is guide my children along in Him and He would provide what they need and what I need.
My 15yr old son has been working since he was 12. He loves farming and wood working. He’s been mowing lawns, gardening, raising hens, selling eggs, etc. Now he is working under a master carpenter, doing and learning what he loves. He also just started working with a farmer who sells produce to stores and markets. This is another passion of his. And I must add that he got these jobs on his own. He knows what he wants! I have 3 others that are following their passions as well. God is good!!
I just want to thank you for all you do! And the time and effort and commitment to putting Easy Peasy together for US! God bless you Lee!
I truly believe it’s these passions that will be what’s most valuable in their lives. I believe in giving them a solid foundation, but it’s those things that will really matter.
Deanne – I love this and I want my home/school/family to look more like this – we are way too busy and stressed – kids an me but my heart is to have things more this way for my kids
“I know I am doing enough. For our family, doing enough is covering the bases thoroughly and giving our children free time to devote to their passions. My children are already pursuing their future work. Because I keep their “school” day short and don’t have them in outside activities, they have hours of free time every day to do what they love. My oldest child is already getting paid to do what she loves, which is art. My next oldest is building an online following for his computer work. These things, their passions, are what will be important in their lives, more important than their ability to place chemicals on a periodic table or to list the presidents”. — Ok, I so love this and this is my heart philosophy – could you speak directly to how you nurture this in your children to start discovering and doing what they love to the point of it even becoming income producing now?
All I have to do is keep my hands off. When I try to direct and suggest directions, they end up going the wrong way. I have to remind myself that they know best. For example, my 8 year old loves music, instrumental music. Listens to it for hours. I want him to take piano lessons. He doesn’t want to. I could make him and try to convince him that he’ll thank me for it later, but I know if it doesn’t come from him, he won’t be devoted to it. I don’t completely turn my kids loose to do whatever they want. I think they need the right environment. My kids don’t have access to video games or tv which can be addicting and which would distract from more worthwhile things.
I love this blog post and am grateful to be recentered as to why God chose homeschooling for our family. But in your reply above you say: My kids don’t have access to video games or tv which can be addicting and which would distract from more worthwhile things.” This is where I am struggling because my son’s passion AND talents are around technology, so some of the gaming and screen time endeavors ARE actually leading him to where he wants to go and should go… so my question is, how do you ‘limit’ that? sorry if this is OT and please feel free to reply to me personally if possible and not appropriate for here… thanks again for this amazing curriculum that has served my family well!
Then maybe you would want to put limits around the types of things and the quality of what he plays/watches. My son works on making video games. He continually gets job offers based on what he posts online, but we don’t have video games in our home. Currently we have one day a week where they can play games on the computer during a free time, games that aren’t the school games they are allowed other times. Allowing for your child’s passion is often a balancing act I think, judging what’s a waste of time and what’s helpful. My son used to have an hour limit on the computer, but when I realized what cool things he was making, the time expanded. Since it’s his passion, I don’t have to limit how he spends his time on the computer. He just naturally wants to work on those projects.
We had an opportunity for free piano lessons for two of our children for a couple of years. We were thrilled because they were musical but they just weren’t into it so we stopped. Now, a couple of years later they love music, listening to and practicing playing and singing. I guess it’s a timing thing.
My 8 yr old loves video games and I so regret bringing them into our home😕
Thank you so much! I just had to respond because your attitude is so refreshing and positive. It’s truly a blessing to hear your ideas. You have rescued me. I am eternally grateful for your work I am so impressed by your generosity too. May you be blessed in all you need.
This is brilliant. Thank you for the perspective and direction.
Thank you for this! I so needed to read this today. God Bless you for how you bless so many homeschooling families.
Hi! I am from the Philippines and I have 6 kids. I just want to thank you for sharing your curriculum(wisdom) for the world to see and for someone like me to use entirely for free. I myself after doing lots of curriculum-comparison decided to use EP. Not only will my kids broaden their knowledge but also learns to apply the knowledge they have learned (wisdom). And I am also greatful how you never missed on integrating everything to God. After all He owns everything 😉
I in fact am enjoying your approach. God bless you so much for your unselfish character! You definitely are passing on a Great Legacy to the next generation. Keep up the good work you never know how much God is using you and how much you are touching lives. Thank you for sharing. 😉
Btw, I am just so thankful to you I am sharing your curriculum to other homeschooler moms as well.
I’m crying because all of my worry about the decision to homeschool has now melted away after reading this. You are truly an angel on Earth. Thank you so much for all that you do and providing a free place for some of us who can’t afford to pay $800+ for each child’s curriculum. You are my hero today.
Thank you so much for sharing! EP is such a blessing! 🙂
I am new here and love your outlook and website! I just graduated my first homeschooled child last year and have 4 more to go. I am definitely using your site for my younger two (10 and 8). I also agree that letting them self-direct their lives is completely advantageous. My oldest son made it! He is a well-rounded guy who plays sports, has a job and is attending college in the fall! I have realized that most colleges (if you choose college) are very homeschool friendly. It is not hard at all for a homeschooled child to be accepted! My older kids already have a “college” atmosphere in that they get a syllabus for the week and complete their assignments as they can… on their time. My guys have learned something I didn’t learn until my junior year in college: how to manage time!
I just want to say thank you, thank you, thank you so so much! I have been going back and forth and back and forth just trying to decide which curriculum to use this year. We have used 3 different ones so far and this is only our 3rd year. I saw a post on Practical Homeschooling and saw a lot of people listing Easy Peasy as their curriculum and had to check it out! Again thank you from the bottom of my heart! You have made our lives and days so much easier.
Love this entry. Thank you. <3
Thank you so much for sharing Easy Peasy! I pray God truly blesses you as you have been quiet a blessing to many of us 🙂
Thank you so much for this resource!
As a new homeschooling mom I am looking forward to starting Getting Ready 1 and enjoy my daughter and her journey of learning. I have tried a few different methods with frustration on both our parts and look forward to using this curriculum. Blessings to you and your family!
I can only say thank you for this! I have 8 special needs kids all under the age of 10 and they have never went to a traditional school. We have did traditional home school and for some reason the pressure this year was crazy and God spoke to me and made me say to myself “what are you doing?” I came across your wonderful school and just said “thank you Jesus”! Girl, God will reign blessings upon you for this!!
Thank you <3
Wow! Oklahoma must be one of the strictest states….I just checked HSLDA and here you have to have 180 days of school accounted for!
Many states have to do 180 days of school which is why Easy Peasy is broken up into 180 days. Having to keep attendance is different from having to keep a log of what you did each day, though.
As I’m struggling to teach a 13 yo son who doesn’t like to read, I decided to spend some time on the internet looking at curriculum & came across your site (also came across some rather expensive ones and was really just praying that God would lead me to something useful & cheap). I don’t know where to start and it will probably be quite low down the scale but I’m at peace with that decision and so thankful that I’ve come across your site. I will let you know in due course how we get on – I’ve been homeschooling 15 years and have always struggled with ‘am I doing enough’. Have 5 kids but only teaching the 13 yo & 9 yo daughter now. Thank you! – from Northern Ireland
“Well, guess what? My kids are turning out pretty amazing themselves. I bet your kids are pretty amazing too.” My favorite thing in this post. 🙂 Today was day 1 and my kids enjoyed it! I appreciate your transparency and encouragement to give them the foundation needed. However, allowing them to pursue who and what God has called them to be. Thank you. His Princess~ Charmaine
“So, I leave the question to you now. Is what you are doing enough? What are you really asking? Think it over. Pray it over. And I pray you come out on the other side joyful and at peace.”
I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU AND YOUR SITE EVEN THOUGH WE HAVEN’T BEEN ON SCHEDULE SINCE THE SCHOOL YEAR BEGAN BECAUSE I HAVE BEEN IN AND OUT OF THE HOSPITAL .IT’S ONLY MY DAUGHTER/ GRANDDAUGHTER OF 10 AS OF 25TH OF FEBRUARY .SHE HAS ADD AND IT HAS BEEN VERY HARD FOR HER IN SCHOOL EVERY YEAR AND THE SCHOOL INSISTING ON HER HAVING MEDICATION.. THIS BEING A FIRST TIME FOR ME WITH HOMESCHOOLING I HAVEN’T DONE VERY WELL BECAUSE NOW SHE IS BEHIND AND I DON,T KNOW HOW TO CATCH HER UP BY END OF MAY IF THAT IS WHEN SHE HAS TO TAKE A PROGRESS TEST I GUESS SHE IS A VERY SMART GIRL LOVES MATH ITS MORE LIKE SHE TEACHES ME HOW CAN I DO 180 DAYS NOW FROM FEBRUARY TO MAY IM NOT SURE WHEN SHE IS SUPPOSE TO TAKE IT THIS IS ALL NEW TO ME IT’S ONLY SHE AND I AND OUR PETS I HOPE TO STAY WELL ENOUGH NOW TO GET HER THROUGH AND PRAY FOR US TO HAVE A BETTER MORE ORGANIZED YEAR AND DAYS TO WHAT THIS YEAR HAS BEEN .. I’M 65 & MAYBE NOT THE SHARPEST PENCIL BUT TRYING TO GIVE IT A GOOD SHOT THANK GOD FOR SENDING YOU BLESS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY WHAT COULD BE MORE IMPORTANT THAN THIS. WE THANK YOU .LINDA & AVANNAH
I’ve read this before, and now that we are on summer break, I find myself reading this again. A fresh, positive and encouraging reminder of why we’re doing what we’re doing and that we’re doing just fine!! Thank you!
God doesn’t call the equipped. He equips the called! My church slogan that I hold on to for homeschooling.
This will be our second year at homeschooling. Last year I almost gave up completely. I was lost, feeling as though I failed my son, ready to throw in the towel and put him back into public school. Then one day as a last ditch effort, I began searching the internet again for a good curriculum that was free or really affordable. That’s when Easy Peasy found me. I say that because I hadn’t come across Easy Peasy before when I spent so much time searching and researching, spending money we didn’t have, only to remain hopelessly lost and overwhelmed. Then one day, I came across Lee’s website, and our lives have forever changed. Ever since then I have been able to successfully homeschool my son with focus, clarity, purpose, and organization. A world of burden, hopelessness, and failure has been lifted from me. Easy Peasy has been the dawn of our brand new day. My son is learning, and confident. I’m confident in my ability to help my son succeed now. Gone are the days of being lost and overwhelmed. Easy Peasy came to us just in time, and saved our homeschool. Words could never thank Lee enough for the miracle of her curriculum, and all of her hard work and dedication.
As you can probably guess, I am not a teacher. I have always been in an office career, until the 2012-2013 school year when my youngest son started kindergarten. He had a horrible year. The school tried to label him as a troublemaker with ADHD. He’s just a boy. A five year old, rambunctious, boy. He’s a great kid! The school district that we are in is the worst one in the whole state. He would wake up every morning not wanting to go to school because he was being picked on so much. We would run late every day because he would cry and beg me to not take him to school. It was a heartbreaking fight every single day. Then the truancy notices started to come in and the threats of being sent to truancy court because of all the times we were late to class. Usually only 3 to 5 minutes late, but they would mark him as absent for the day. That’s when we I decided to homeschool.
My husband and I talked about it for some time, then made the decision to just take that leap and do it. I left a 9 year career with the Department of Transportation to stay home and help my son, which I was failing at on an epic level. Truly, if it weren’t for Lee’s website, and the relief from worry that she has brought to us, my son would be going back to public school this year. So with that said, Miss Lee, I hope that God blesses you immensely for your faithfulness, hard work, dedication, and for sharing the blessing of your hard work with us. I thank God for you. I pray that every endeavor that you and your family embark on proves prosperous and overflowing with blessings. Thank you so much. If you were here, I’d give you a huge hug! Now I cry tears of joy instead of sorrow. Homeschooling is a blessing now, and we are learning together!
very nicely put
Re-reading these old comments. I hope you still feel this way! I appreciate people telling me their story because it’s an encouragement to keep on keeping on. 🙂
My daughter (15) and I just started with your site yesterday and you are our new best friend. We were up late last night getting her EP binders ready and now I’m up at 5am, excited about finishing the printables and searching for more. Public school is not what it used to be and I find that very sad that my daughter can’t experience the same as I did. I just pray everyday for the kids that have no other choice. I do not have the means to donate at this point, but you will be in my prayers until the day comes, in the near future that I can donate. Thank you so much for sharing your ideas with us.
You are so awesome! Thank you.
AMEN!!!!
Wow,what a blessing.I have started thinking is it enough.This post has lifted such a huge burden off of me now.Thank you sooooo much for your time and energy that you have put into this,and shared with us.God bless you and your dear family! 🙂 <3
I have thought that also. This is my second year homeschooling. And I was a little concerned about not spending hours on school work. Yet, before I read this post, God brought something to my attention. When attending school, the class size is roughly 15to 20 something. Allow for potty breaks, walks down the hall (lining up, single file), standing in lunch line, recess, and anything else I missed, this takes a lot of time out of just regular teaching time. So, eliminate all that, it definitely won’t take 6hrs approx for school. I teach 4 out of my 5 kids right now. (My youngest is a newborn) And to see the post Lee blessed us with was wonderful. I don’t feel stressed or concerned now that I am not doing enough. Or better yet not following the typical 8am-3pm public school times. I usually start when I have my newborn settled, anywhere from 11:00am on up. I love the flexibility of homeschooling. And how if we want to take our kids to the aquarium and use it as an “school field trip”, on my husband’s day off which is Monday, it SOOOOOOOOO fantastic! If they were in public school, I would have to jump though hoops to take them out of school. So thank you for validating that everything I am doing is what homeschooling is about, EP!!!!
I was referred to your site from a very good friend of mine when I asked her about homeschooling materials and such. I will be using your site as a curriculum. I do appreciate all that is here and the fact that you put it together for us to share and educate our children. You are truly a blessing. I know that the good Lord above is the one who truly showed me this site and now that I have looked on it and seen what it is “made of” I feel a lot better about homeschooling my daughter. She is 7 and in the second grade. I currently have her enrolled on an online site that she enjoys and she is doing very well, but I wanted something more. I have found it. Thank you. Thank you. I so appreciate it. We will be starting on it tomorrow as it is late here and I need some sleep. I couldn’t sleep until I came and did some more research. My children’s education is very important to me and them.
Again Thank You,
Christina from Neosho Missouri.
I haven’t been able to sleep well for several nights now that I’ve learned about EP! I’m just so excited about it. After hours and hours of research online, almost every night (and this is even though I have lots of curricula which we are currently using), my search may have come to an end. Rather, I think, it will be a wonderful beginning! Lee has incorporated soooooo many things which I want for my children too. Another homeschooling mom told me about this site; I had never heard of it before, nor come across it in all my searching, so I’ll definitely be telling others about it. We haven’t actually started yet, as I’m trying to decide if we should jump in now, or finish some things we’ve started, and just start next school year.
Wowza! I just discovered EP, and was up half of last night researching EP. I think it was 2am when I finally dozed off & back up at 6am for work. Low & behold, I’m still up tonight researching & it’s after midnight…not even tired, mainly excited to finish the last 13 A Beka lessons with my 7 grade son, so we can start EP 8. God works in mysterious ways 🙂
I want to thank you so much for this site! It is such a blessing! This is what we needed for our family it is lovingly thought out and put together! Many of our concerns and reasons why are stated in a lot of the comments here. Please don’t ever stop doing Gods work and stewardship. Resting and growing in Gods leadership guide’s each day. Thank you so much!! Blessings to you and your family!
is it enough? I don’t know… I have been doing ep now for about a week with my 7th grader and he seems to fly through it, 2 hours and he is done with everything, the two hours includes 20 minute break. I am jumping to the next year within 7th grade because I am not sure he is being challenged. Has anyone else had this issue so far? Am I taking the correct next step to rectify it?
Every student moves at a different pace. You can do whatever you think is best. Each course should take 20 – 30 minutes in middle school. I want my kids to have lots of free time. I would just make sure your child is not just skimming over or skipping things. You can discuss this with other families by joining the facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Easy.Peasy.All.in.One.Homeschool/
As a certified classroom teacher, I can assure you that a lot of time spent at school is wasted time. When working with children one-to-one or in a small group setting it doesn’t take as long to cover material.
I am so thankful I found this site. We are finishing up our first year of homeschool and I was ready to give up. Now that I’ve found this site, I believe I have the missing tools I need to continue. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
I’m glad you found us. I know you can do it. Maybe you can join one of the Easy Peasy groups on facebook to get encouragement when you need it.
We are so lucky to have found your site! First, thank you for doing all of that hard work. Second, I reads this with my eldest daughter, and she said “That lady sounds like you and Mom!” Your letter read so much like one of our chats with our kids about education that I couldn’t help smiling.
THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Where were you 15 years ago when I started homeschooling? My oldest two are graduated now and I have 5 more children still at home. Due to an unsettling move to a different state, my children have attended a Christian school for the past two years where they have done well, but where we still encountered problems. But the Lord has been calling me back to homeschooling and brought this program across my path (I had literally never heard of it until yesterday). Words can not express how excited and thankful I am! I appreciate your philosophy, the curriculum lay out, the tremendous amount of work that went into building this program, and your heart for ministry. I am looking forward to joining the facebook community too. May the Lord continue to bless and use you and your gifts in such an incredible way!
Fifteen years ago I had only an infant and a two year old. I was working on developing my first learn to read materials, but it would be another decade before I had an audience to share them with. I’m glad you found EP, and I’m glad you are moving back to homeschooling.
We know the Lord’s timing is always perfect, and this is just the right thing at the right time – a true God-send. Thank you for your faithfulness in walking in your calling and being such a blessing to so many!
When God called me to homeschool my son, I was filled with fear and doubt. I was confused with all the curriculum and almost passed out when I saw the cost. I know it was Him who sent me here and put all those fears to rest. Bless you for your ministry!
I’m ecstatic that I found you!! I was completely lost at where and how to start. Your site has answered all of my aching questions. Now I am confident and at peace and know that I can do this. I feel so blessed. I have two boys ( 5 and 7) I am starting this journey with and two older boys who have finished high school (public school). I was confident that I wanted to begin homeschooling jus lacked the know how, especially with the millions of different ways to do it and curriculum. Thanks you so so much for all you’ve done. I thank God for you. I feel free and at peace. God Bless you and your family.
I didn’t know I wanted to homeschool my children until it was time for my daughter to enter kindergarten. It was then that I got a very strong conviction in my heart to teach my daughter and son at home. Fortunately my husband agreed and our families have been supportive.
For the last couple of years we have been using Easy Peasy for my son, 8 and daughter, 10. I am learning so much with them. Starting each day with the Bible lesson helps us remember the big picture and that God is near. The wholesome stories in the lessons we read are so enjoyable and applicable I can refer to them when discussing similar situations that my children and I encounter. The variety of written work and online learning games and activities keep my kids engaged and more willing to learn their lessons. The simplicity of preparing for these lessons and its minimal cost give my family something we treasure, the gift of time.
I generally follow the 180 day lessons in their entirety, just clicking on the kids’ grade level for reading/language arts/math etc. then our choice of year/theme that covers Bible/science/history etc. I think these lessons are sufficient as they are, for my children. Its nice to have the option to freely move up or down levels as needed. If I notice my children struggling in a certain area, we add a little practice as needed and then let it go as they improve. We do a sentence of script, and typing and french language games. We generally take around 3-4 hours a day to complete our lessons, sometimes longer, if they request some of the optional readings, we are improving a piece of writing, or enjoying working on a project together.
When we started to homeschool, we didn’t know how long it was going to last. We gradually learned to adjust our lifestyle to live without my paycheck. At first I worried a bit, but now I look back and see how God has provided in just the right way at just the right time. So, we will continue homeschooling and using Easy Peasy until He shows us otherwise.
Thank you Lee for being willing to put together Easy Peasy, share it, and maintain it. We appreciate it.
Thanks for sharing your story. I’m so glad you are keeping your kids home with you and that you are treasuring the gift of time. 🙂
Thank you! I never thought I would be a homeschooling mom! I quit praying for children at age 35, at age 53 God answered my prayers. We tried the public school, the youngest who is by-racial was used as an example of what African Americans went through when Martin Luther King was alive. Yes we were furious and assured that there would be no repeat. My son two years latter was bullied by another student and was told by his teacher that she never seen nothing and the bullied him herself. Nothing was done. We moved them to private school and our superintendent allowed a convicted abuser access to my daughter after the courts orders of no contact. I was doing a search and found this circculmn. I am so thankful. I was about ready to give up. It covers everything I wanted and did away with me having to build my own. I will be honest I have added my own spelling words and extra math. Both children are now in 4th grade so I believe that is a big help for me. Thank you and may God bless you and your family
I have been on the fence of pulling my second and fourth grader out of public school. I’m trying to prepare as much before I actually do it. I went online looking for homeschool curriculums to use as guides. I’m from NJ; and although we are not required to submit anything to the State; I would still like to be prepared and have some sort of structure. Your website was voted as a favorite on one homeschooler family. My friends and family members do not agree with my reasons to pull my kids out. I know that I shouldn’t let people influence my decisions but it just hurts a little when you have no one cheering you on rather criticizing or questioning your decisions. Thank you for creating this free curriculum!
You’ll find a lot of support in our facebook community. Glad you found us.
Lee I am so very happy that I found this and that you wrote this posting. Reading it I almost came to tears as it really touched home with me. I have other parents that ridicule me because my children aren’t in sports or this activity or that activity. Also, that I am not running around like a chicken with my head cut off taking them to activities. My daughter loves making stop motion videos and has an interest in film industry so she pursues that. My son loves to draw and wants to learn graphic art. We have been paying for homeschool curriculum for years and it has really hurt us financially. So I would kiss you right now if I could! I thank you with my whole heart for being so kind, thoughtful and generous to others.
Bula it how we say hello in Fiji, we have relocated here about 2 years now from California , and I’ve homeschool my kids 3 of them in California but we here we been trying they can only offer to those who reside in the state or private homeschooling is ridiculously expensive and I just resolve to put them in public school. At the school my kids being bullied a lot and one went back home and now decided to come back and I have been looking for a home school program that will fit for our family. Upon reading this I feel so blessed and just want to thank you for making this possible for myself to do this..
I have been looking for a curriculum for my 8th grader. This is a blessing. God is truly amazing! He lead me to Easy Peasy. Just in time. Thank you! Continue to be a blessing to others.
I just wanted to say that I find your attitude refreshing and encouraging. Where were you when I was homeschooling my children? 🙂 I homeschooled my children through high school and two of the three went on to college. One is a computer programmer. The other is an engineer. The third works with children and has for 20 years. That is her calling. I had to create my own curriculum. That wasn’t easy. The youngest graduated high school in 2009. I am gratified this curriculum is available. What a ministry and blessing to those who use it. Keep on doing the work God has given you and you will continue to receive abundant blessings.
That response was absolutely perfect. I agree with your views in your response 100%. If I was not sure in the beginning about which way to go with this I am certain now. Thank you
Thank you so much for this! My oldest is suppose to start kindergarten this year and I plan to homeschool. I have YouTubed everything on how to do it and if I can actually manage to do it, where to start, cost and having 3yo twins. I’m so excited to learn more on this as I feel the public system and many online systems are too much for the youngest kiddos but then I was getting scared maybe he is or will be behind. So much goes through my head and the anxiety gets overwhelming. I have prayed for guidance as public school will not be an option for our family ever and then I found you. Guess my prayers have been answered. Thank you for all you do! I will be sure to pass this along to other homeschooling mommas and let them know it is donation. I’d rather donate to someone who cares and is like myself than a corporation filled with indoctrination😬