Great thoughts!

Mine are now 20 + 18, and I homeschooled them all the way through. I always considered myself a Classical Unschooler. A few additional thoughts:

It's easier to pull them out the younger they are as they really won't have the framework of "missing school." They'll be used to being at home and blending in with the family. It's doable, when they're in middle school + high school, but know that for every year in school it takes at least a month at home to adjust (i.e. - 7 years in school, will take 7 months to adjust to being home.)

Know that curriculum companies are also businesses trying to sell you products. You don't need to buy new books/curriculum every year. In fact, I'd advise against it. For the high school years, I recommend buying one or two text books for Math and English Grammar and working through those books multiple times, instead of buying more books. The first year you go through the book, aim to do a quarter of the lessons. The second year, start at the beginning at then go half way through, etc. The third year, try to finish it all. The concepts don't change. There is no such thing as 6th grade math. Multiplication and division are the same if they're being done in elementary school or in Algebra 2. I highly recommend completing Saxon Algebra 1/2 many, many times. This set both my kids up for their college math better than any of the Advanced Math they had. Easy Grammar 180 Daily Lessons is phenomenal, too. I tutor ACT Prep and both Saxon Algebra 1/2 and the Easy Grammar lessons give students a more than adequate base for that test.

Read aloud to your children every day. Start young and then keep reading. My husband and I read aloud to our children well into high school. (We'd still do it, but they're never around. 😉) My daughter is helping to nanny some school-aged children in our neighborhood, whose parents think they have high educational standards. They never read aloud to their children. My daughter has told me more than once, I don't even think they have any books in the house. Do it when everyone is fresh, first thing in the morning if possible. Don't put it off until all the other work is done, because all the other work will never be done. Read out loud, then pause periodically and have your children narrate back to you what is happening.

If you read aloud to your children and do some Math every day, your children will turn out fine. Trust me. Some days we even did less than that, and mine are fully functioning adults.

Look into dual-enrollment programs if your state offers them. We're in NC, and NC has THE BEST community college partnership. My children had (will have) their Associate's Degree by the age of 19, which transfers into any 4-year NC school. Most of their first 2 years of college was free. My son is now finishing his 4-year degree while working fulltime (since he has his AA) and his tuition for the upcoming spring semester was $1840! That's it! And, he was able to pay for it, in cash, since he's working.

Middle schoolers + high schoolers want friends -- a peer group of their own. If your children are involved in activities not stemming from school (dance, martial arts, community theatre, working, church, club sports, co-ops, 4-H, etc.) they'll be fine.

If you have any questions about high school curriculum, or transcripts, please reach out. I have helped dozens of families write transcripts and complete college applications through the years.

Great thoughts!

Mine are now 20 + 18, and I homeschooled them all the way through. I always considered myself a Classical Unschooler. A few additional thoughts:

It's easier to pull them out the younger they are as they really won't have the framework of "missing school." They'll be used to being at home and blending in with the family. It's doable, when they're in middle school + high school, but know that for every year in school it takes at least a month at home to adjust (i.e. - 7 years in school, will take 7 months to adjust to being home.)

Know that curriculum companies are also businesses trying to sell you products. You don't need to buy new books/curriculum every year. In fact, I'd advise against it. For the high school years, I recommend buying one or two text books for Math and English Grammar and working through those books multiple times, instead of buying more books. The first year you go through the book, aim to do a quarter of the lessons. The second year, start at the beginning at then go half way through, etc. The third year, try to finish it all. The concepts don't change. There is no such thing as 6th grade math. Multiplication and division are the same if they're being done in elementary school or in Algebra 2. I highly recommend completing Saxon Algebra 1/2 many, many times. This set both my kids up for their college math better than any of the Advanced Math they had. Easy Grammar 180 Daily Lessons is phenomenal, too. I tutor ACT Prep and both Saxon Algebra 1/2 and the Easy Grammar lessons give students a more than adequate base for that test.

Read aloud to your children every day. Start young and then keep reading. My husband and I read aloud to our children well into high school. (We'd still do it, but they're never around. 😉) My daughter is helping to nanny some school-aged children in our neighborhood, whose parents have high educational standards. They never read aloud to their children. My daughter has told me more than once, I don't even think they have any books in the house. Do it when everyone is fresh, first thing in the morning if possible. Don't put it off until all the other work is done, because all the other work will never be done. Read out loud, then pause periodically and have your children narrate back to you what is happening.

If you read aloud to your children and do some Math every day, your children will turn out fine. Trust me. Some days we even did less than that, and mine are fully functioning adults.

Look into dual-enrollment programs if your state offers them. We're in NC, and NC has THE BEST community college partnership. My children had (will have) their Associate's Degree by the age of 19, which transfers into any 4-year NC school. Most of their first 2 years of college was free. My son is now finishing his 4-year degree while working fulltime (since he has his AA) and his tuition for the upcoming spring semester was $1840! That's it! And, he was able to pay for it, in cash, since he's working.

Middle schoolers + high schoolers want friends -- a peer group of their own. If your children are involved in activities not stemming from school (dance, martial arts, community theatre, working, church, club sports, co-ops, 4-H, etc.) they'll be fine.

If you have any questions about high school curriculum, or transcripts, please reach out. I have helped dozens of families write transcripts and complete college applications through the years.