Leeanna Howard, a homeschool mother of six, wants her children to grow up in the country. She’s also learned a few things about homeschooling multiple kids.

“God really worked on my heart,” Leeanna said. She and her husband, Kyle, wrestled with the decision to homeschool their children. They prayed, discussed, and prayed some more for about three months, going back and forth until finally making the decision that, yes, they would teach their children at home.

“We didn’t know anything about homeschooling at all when we started this,” Leeanna said. “But putting our trust in the Abeka curriculum has given my children the opportunity to grow up here on the farm.”

Leeanna lives in Senoia, Georgia, a small town south of Atlanta, on a cattle farm owned by her parents. “We built our house a year ago,” she said, “ because we wanted our kids to grow up in the country.”

Leeanna’s favorite part of homeschooling is being able to do their school work in the morning and then have the rest of the day to be able to go outside and play. On the farm, that could be riding horses, running around, or playing outside in the mud. Anything to just be a kid.

“I keep reminding myself that I’m being the good influence on them,” she said. “We are really reaching them not just reading, writing, and arithmetic, but the foundations of character and just learning to get along with each other.”

Speaking of getting along, Leeanna also has some great insights about how to homeschool a lot of children. Her advice is to focus on the older ones, who are doing lessons on a daily basis, but give the youngsters attention too because that’s what they’re craving. “They just want to feel like they are part of the homeschool journey,” she said.

For Leeanna, homeschooling isn’t just about school. It’s about having the opportunity to spend each day with her kids, shaping their hearts and minds.