A personal opinion on Methods from a friend

School at Home

I think this approach is an outright dangerous.  So many families have a heart to homeschool but when they attempt to apply school at home, it does not work.  Homeschooling and public schooling are two totally different methodologies!  And when you attempt it you end up with angry children and frustrated parents.  Most often families just quit because they just cannot get Johnny to sit at the table and do his math problems.  I do not think Johnny's unwillingness to do his math problems is the problem, it is the methodology.  However, this philosophy feels safer to parents, because it is what we are familiar with being raised in a public school.  But I think the common frustration of this method begs the question of why are you homeschooling?  What are you hoping to achieve?  How are you going to do it?  If you are going to do it the same way as the public setting did it, can you hope for a different result?  Will just adding some scripture study to your day change the results?  Maybe yes, likely  no.

Unit Studies

I like that unit studies follow the interest of the student, there is great value in that.  My kids enjoy this approach, but sometimes it is overwhelming to me because it requires more prep work.  And sometimes it seems more like busy work.  But I think there is away to make this a successful approach to homeschooling.

Relaxed Homeschooling

I have seen several families implement this method.  The parents get the peace of seeing that reading, writing and arithmetic are done.  Then the kids can do what interests them after their school work is done.  However, I have seen frustrated kids and angry parents with this method because workbooks can be boring.  So keeping your self and your kids motivated can be challenging.  But maybe if you found a curriculm that the kids really enjoyed you could be successful with this approach.

Classical Homeschooling

I love this philosophy!  Maybe because I am nerd at heart.  But I would never apply this regiment to a child before puberty hit, they just do not have the developmental ability to do it.  And I also believe that the child must want to do this, not the parents.  Otherwise it will just be frustrating for all.  

Charlotte Mason

I love Charlotte Mason also!  Her "living books", habit training, hands-on science, etc.  Her philosophy that children are people, that all education is self-education, that education is an environment, that education is a life.  She is wonderful!  The only criticism I would offer CM is that she was a full-time educator.  I am not, I am also a mother.  So if I followed her full course, I would be frazzled.  

Waldorf Method

I have never heard of anybody applying this specific philosophy to a homeschool environment.  I do not think there is Waldorf curriculm.  However, I love the principles of Waldorf.  The value of art and music and nature.  Keeping the environment real, rather than artificial.  

Montessori

Montessori's philosophy is great-real things for real learning.  It is more of her philosophy that you would embrace as a homeschooler than her methodology because the method naturally happens in a home environment that provides conversation, exploration and lack of television.  She honors phases of children and desires to provide an environment that will help them complete each learning phase.  The methodology works better with toddler to early elementary.  Although you could use it for older kids.  An interesting thing about Montessori is that she devised her methods for children whose parents where poor financially and mentally to help bring them up to shed with average kids.  She was successful in her endeavor.  But is that your endeavor also?

Multiple Intelligences

This isn't really a homeschool methodology.  Again it is more of a philosophy.  I think that what ever method you choose, honoring the way your children learn is valuable.

DVD/Video Homeschooling

There is great research on the dangers of video learning in a book by Jane Healy entitled "Endangered Minds".  Because of her research I would be very reluctant to use this method of educating.  I can understand some of the benefits of video homeschooling, we certainly love youTube, but I would really be cautious about using this approach.  

Internet Homeschooling

I love internet learning.  I do it often.  But again because of Jane Healy's research I would not use this method for children until puberty and then only sparingly.