Homeschool Prep for the Fall

While many people choose to homeschool throughout the year to maintain a sense of routine and structure in their home, there are some who take the summer off. I do a mix of the two. Since moving into our new home almost 2 months ago, I have used our "learning days" to provide my kids with a sense of familiarity and routine. It is has given us a chance to explore new curriculums and resources and get a sense of our surroundings in our new town.

This post will be followed by my podcast episode about how we choose to homeschool for those who are new to my page/my life!

So today, I took the kids to our local library's story time which was quite fun and interactive. It was our first time and we all loved it. I was impressed to see how many pairs of parents were at the gathering. While I wonder what these parents do for a living, I am thoroughly impressed that they are both able to make time for their family.

Anyhow, after story time was over, I saw a couple sitting near us and the dad had on a local Physical Therapy clinic t-shirt. I saw it and immediately wanted to introduce myself. I asked him if he was a Physical Therapist and he said that he was not and that the t-shirt was one his wife had received after finishing her 6 weeks of PT at that clinic. Smooth marketing tactic! We then introduced ourselves and got to chatting. His wife asked how old the kids are and what school they would be attending in the fall.

To be quite honest, I have received this question often and it always hits me right in the gut. Why? Because the people pleaser deep down inside of me so badly wants to say that the kids will be at the local public elementary school. Because that would feel easier and I would feel like I belonged in this new community. My old favorite line used to be "We are currently homeschooling, but are considering sending them to public school next year once we get settled." But the new Taylor doesn't choose a path of ease. She bucks up and stands proud of the choices she has made because these choices come from a very intentional and passionate place.

So I answered their question with, "we are homeschooling this year". And right after those words left my mouth, I started to say "but I think we are districted for..." and then I couldn't remember the school. And at the same time I started to say this, she said "oh my goodness, our friend who just left story time homeschools and my other friend is starting to homeschool and I have been thinking about it and it feels so right and this might just be my sign". Holy crap. I subconsciously took the biggest sigh of relief. She was inspired! I advocated for myself, stood tall and proud and actually inspired someone. Who knew I could be myself and still be respected? I know this sounds silly, but I am slowly unraveling all of the social conditioning and beginning to trust that who I am deep down is someone who others will appreciate.

So that was pretty cool. It also felt nice to hear that so many families are choosing to homeschool. Like I have said before, it is not for everyone and I 100% respect this and honor this. If homeschooling your children brings feels AWFUL and your first thought is "hell no" because you have absolutely no interest, listen to that. But for those who have considered it and think there is no way because it feels way too overwhelming and cumbersome and too against the grain, I am going to show you how we are tackling it this year. I felt all of these things, but I also enjoy a fun challenge. My first challenge was getting Alex on board with something that I wasn't quite sure about myself. You can hear all about that process in my podcast episode which will be posted above.

This will be my 3rd (ish) year homeschooling. The first year was at the start of COVID and it was super lax because neither of my kids were in grade school yet. I got to experiment with no pressure and see what worked best for the kids. Hannah loves workbooks and James does not. I am a workbook Mom. I love the structure and direction, but I have had to challenge myself in order to keep James engaged. Harbor and Sprout has been amazing for this! I love their resources.

Alright, so now I am going to outline how I am preparing for the year ahead. I like to keep things somewhat simple and allow room for flexibility because there are days where the kids just aren't up for learning (in the traditional sense...they're always learning of course-kids are curious and innovative little creatures if you take screens away and let them roam free a bit).

First up, I have 3 programs on hand that I plan to reference and use.

1. The Good and the Beautiful for Language Arts (kindergarten for Hannah (age 4.5) and 1st grade for James (age 6))

2. Saxon Math (1st grade for James only)

3. Harbor and Sprout-This is not specifically designed for a grade level but instead is a bit more flexible and you can choose which part of each bundle you want to print and use. We chose to do the bee lesson first and the kids love it.

I use the Good and the Beautiful and Saxon Math to stay on track and reference to see where the kids should be at the start of the school year and the end of the school year. Like I said, James doesn't love learning with workbooks so I don't have him do every lesson, but we'll check in every once in a while. If you keep up with the workbooks and your child is able to understand everything in the book, they will likely be far ahead of the state requirements for that grade. This is reassuring for me since I am keeping an open mind and am open to sending them to school in the future (but not now).

Harbor and Sprout is what you make of it. The Bee lesson is comprised of 4 weeks of material and each week incorporates LA, writing, math, geography, science, art and music. It honestly amazes me how creative these programs are. I look at each week and print what feels fun for both me and the kids. You don't need a ton on hand. You can print and laminate or you can do what I do right now and print the pages that you plan to do and then recycle whatever you complete. I do not like clutter! I will keep the more impactful lessons or things that I want to put in their respective grade binder so I can show that my kids are learning (should someone ever question me...ha!) On that note, I have a binder for each child and will occasionally 3 hole punch and add things that they have completed. I am also keeping the completed Good and the Beautiful and Saxon math workbooks.

**Also, if you plan to homeschool, it is important to complete the Notice of Intent (if your state requires this). It can be found by searching online. There is typically a deadline for completing this form.

Our Daily Schedule

We like to have somewhat of a routine. This helps me and helps the kids to know what to expect.

In the morning, the kids play on their own while I do my morning routine (breath work, meditation, journal, print homeschool material from harbor and sprout, workout, etc). My morning routine doesn't always look like this if Alex is traveling.

We eat breakfast and the kids play and get dressed while I clean up

I then set up whatever we plan to do for learning day at the homeschool table. This might be a combination of some workbook and Harbor and Sprout or one or the other or even just some books to read and crafts to free craft with. I lean into whatever they seem to be up for and whatever I have the capacity to handle. Some days they just aren't interested in traditional learning so we sit on the couch, read chapter books out loud and go for a long walk or hike.

I would like to note that I don't do a lot of prep for learning day. I will print some stuff at the start of the week from Harbor and Sprout and then I have the workbooks on hand so each morning, I pull something out and we go for it. Sometimes, I'll do the cutting and prepping with them at the table and it's part of our day. I had this idea that I would prep everything the night before, but that has not been me yet and I want to remove as much pressure as I can on myself. The end of the day is for me time-decompressing, reading, hanging with Alex, sitting on my front porch, etc.

After "learning day" which is primarily in the morning, we go outside for a bit before lunch.

After lunch, we have a 2 hour quiet time. The first 20-30 min everyone is on their own and is quiet. The last 1.5 hours, the kids can quietly play together but I still get time alone. This is not always perfect but having it in place ensures that I'll get some amount of time where I don't have to be as on.

After quiet time, we go back outside, read, free play etc.

Our Weekly Schedule

This is what I am in the process of creating. I want to have activities in place so we can meet new friends and the kids can experience things outside of the home. I like to keep this simple because too many plans overwhelm me and quite honestly overwhelm the kids. I also don't want to pay too much money for these experiences.

Here is what I am thinking:

Kids Museum once every 2 weeks (we are members so we can go whenever we'd like!)

Library story time or activity 1x/week or every 2 weeks

Rock Climbing every 2 weeks

James will have music class once a week

Play dates interspersed

I have looked into, researched and considered joining a co-op but they feel a little too over-committal for me. I like the flexibility of being able to travel and take days off. It can feel like a lot to co-coordinate curriculums/activites, etc. I may change my mind on this at some point but I do not plan to join any this coming year.

If you are new to homeschooling or are interested, there are Facebook groups for homeschool families in most areas and it can be nice to search happenings, activities, etc.

I am feeling excited to get into a routine and I am staying open to removing and adding things as it feels right for us. When I first researched homeschooling and the different curriculums and styles, I was so overwhelmed, but what I've learned is you just start somewhere with a curriculum or a group or whatever feels right and then be open to pivoting as you learn what both you and your child(ren) need.

Comment below with any questions or comments you may have!!

xoxo,

Taylor