Our featured mom for this week is Ms. Daisy Virtudazo. I met her online when she bought some of our used books last year.
I have 3 kids aged 6, 5 and 2. Our homeschooling journey is just a year old, we started last year for Kindergarten and Preschool when my son was 5 and daughter 4.

Why do you want to homeschool your children?
Being a former teacher myself, I know how children are taught in school and how they learn, and it’s not what I want for my children.The experience we had on our first year of homeschooling also made my conviction to homeschool stronger.

We are relaxed- eclectic homeschoolers. Our learning philosophy is a mixture of Charlotte Mason, literature-based, unit studies and interest -led philosophies of learning. We also use some textbooks and workbooks as guides, most of which I got second-hand or from Booksale and National Bookstore.
Since my kids are still young, I just focus on the three R’s and most of our time are spent on reading quality picture books which we also use to study about science, geography, social studies,etc. Special thanks to the folks at Learning basket for introducing me to Before Fivein a Row and Five in a Row.
I try as much as possible, to follow my children’s lead and not worry too much about what society dictates they should be learning.
Are you enrolled in a DepEd accredited homeschool provider or others? Which one?
No, we are independently homeschooling at the moment. We are enrolled with Homelife Academy in the US for grades and record keeping purposes.
Going the independent route is what works best for us, at least for now but we’re not closing our doors to the possibility of eventually enrolling with a local provider in the future.
Until when do you plan to homeschool your children?
I plan to homeschool them for their elementary years, but then it’s not set in stone. We might end up homeschooling until they reach high school or if the kids decide to try regular school, then we’ll give it a go. My husband and I evaluate and analyze our family’s current situation, and then we decide what would be best. Though we have long term goals, we’re still taking it a year at a time.

Can you share one lesson you’ve learned over the years about homeschooling?
We are a relatively new homeschooling family and we will definitely learn a lot more as we go along this journey.
Every homeschooling family is different. Never compare. Do what’s best for your family.
When it comes to curriculum materials, start with your child not the catalog. Take a moment to talk and listen to your child. You’ll soon learn what interests him, what sparks joy and inspiration. Be with your child and you’ll discover how he learns. Do this and you’ll be guided on what materials to use.
To read the rest of this series, check Heart and Mind of a Homeschooling Mom.