You have spent an endless amount of time at the library or on the internet, trying to figure out this homeschooling thing. You have asked yourself, "Am I qualified to do this? Where do I get the books from? When and how are my children going to pass the next grade? What about standardized testing? What am I supposed to teach...?” The doubts continued, but ultimately you made the decision to homeschool.
Now you’re asking yourself what’s next after this life-changing decision. Well, to answer your question I have found in my nine years of homeschooling my girls that picking an approach to homeschooling is what comes next. There are different approaches to choose from, the key is finding the one that fits your unique situation. The tried and tested approaches that homeschoolers use are the styles of "unschooling", structured learning, unit studies or eclectic. As a newbie, you must be pondering what these approaches are.
I have found in my nine years of homeschooling my girls that picking an approach to homeschooling is what comes next. There are different approaches to choose from, the key is finding the one that fits your unique situation. The tried and tested approaches that homeschoolers use are the styles of "unschooling", structured learning, unit studies or eclectic. As a newbie, you must be pondering what these approaches are. 
Unschooling
Un-schooling is a lax way of teaching, like letting the wind take you whereever it goes. Un-schoolers believe that you enhance your children when you allow them to follow their own inclinations. You act as a facilitator by giving them the resources they need. Schooling may be present in everyday things. Time may be occupied by library books, worksheets, games or whatever works at the moment.
Structured Learning
This way is for a person who likes schedules and planning. This approach is usually coupled with planning your curriculum or purchasing prepackaged one. This way, plainly put, is like traditional school, but at home.
Unit Studies
Unit Studies is style that is structured but incorporates an un-schooling approach by allowing your child to point the way. For example if your child loves animals you can chose to structure your lessons and activites around mammals. Every subject would be geared around mammals; spelling words, reading books about mammals, science projects, etc.
Eclectic
This is a little bit off all three approaches. You can incorporate whatever you find that is best from the different approaches. You may want a time schedule with each subject but you allow the child to pick what interests him or her. Or, maybe you feel that some subjects must be done in a structured manner, like math, grammar and literature, but feel that other subjects like science and geography can have free range.
Deciding what's next after your decision to homeschool can be a challenging, overwhelming and time consuming task. Whatever style of homeschooling you choose, make sure it is what is best for you and family. Not every approach is for everybody. So do what is comfortable for you and yours.
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