Meet Judy

In the late 90’s we landed in Iowa where we settled for 20 years. Shortly after the turn of the century we were blessed to become parents to our first son Ethan followed by our second little guy Eli two years later. As a mom I treasured being home with our boys from the moment they arrived. Having had prior child care experience I decided to become a state registered child care home in Iowa, which afforded me access to numerous classes and resources. I enjoyed putting my newly gleaned knowledge to use in our educational home environment, providing a preschool type of setting to those in my care.

The idea of homeschooling as a personal option was first introduced to me by a church friend. At first I disregarded the possibility, but as time passed and more people and ideas periodically pointed in that direction I eventually decided to seriously and prayerfully consider it. Once the choice to give homeschooling our oldest was made, I quickly learned it was a decision I would not regret. Home educating opened up so many opportunities for our family, especially learning about and growing closer in relationship to God and one another along the way. I wanted our boys to learn about the world through a Biblical lens and this was the ticket.

In addition to learning the necessary academics, we followed a similar path as many homeschooling families do, participating in homeschool co-op, church activities, 4-H, music lessons, sports and more. Acreage life provided many adventures and hands on learning experiences particularly in science and life skills. The boys were able to use their knowledge to teach younger 4-H members, which also gave them experience in speaking and leadership through planning and executing the meetings from start to finish. This is an example of only one of numerous opportunities that started as a singular topic and became a cornerstone that we found joy in building upon.

Through the years I have enjoyed the fellowship and irreplaceable support of other homeschooling mothers and seasoned homeschooling veterans. Volunteering to teach a class, host an event or holiday party, and serve as Field- trip Coordinator for our homeschool co-op have given me immense delight. I also have enjoyed being a preschool director at church and playing on the church worship team, at times with the boys playing too. I had the privilege of organizing a “Guy’s Group” for the boys and a handful of their friends and their dads to gather regularly to do “guy” things like camping, dodge ball, Nerf battles, shooting sports, etc. The camaraderie was a thing not to quickly be forgotten.

Our homeschooling days have come to a close. Both of our boys have graduated and are doing well in college and working as interns in their respective fields of interest. I am humbled and thankful to be on the consultant team at Rainbow Resource Center. It is my hope to be able to provide help, support and encouragement to other homeschooling parents along their journey. I look forward to hearing from you and I will do my best to share helpful knowledge and experiences. I can be reached at consultants@rainbowresource.com or by phone at 888-841-3456.

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Choosing Curriculum the FAMILY Way describes six key factors in choosing curriculum that meet the needs of the student, teacher, and family alike.