Homeschooling can be QUITE the adventure. We've learned the organizational strategy that makes it work for us, as well as the homeschool curriculum that has made this a successful year for both me and my kids. And I want to share with you some of the resources that we've used along our journey.
I love reading and learning. As I mentioned in my previous post, reading is one of the most important steps in becoming my kiddos’ best teacher. I also have a stack of homeschool parent books on my bookshelf waiting for me to dive in to!
Plan Your Year: Homeschool Planning for Purpose and Peace by Pam Barnhill
Better Together: Strengthen Your Family, Simplify Your Homeschool, and Savor the Subjects that Matter Most by Pam Barnhill
The Call of the Wild and Free: Reclaiming Wonder in Your Child's Education by Ainsley Arment
Homeschool Bravely: How to Squash Doubt, Trust God, and Teach Your Child with Confidence by Jamie Erickson
The Read-Aloud Family: Making Meaningful and Lasting Connections with Your Kids by Sarah Mackenzie
The Brave Learner: Finding Everyday Magic in Homeschool, Learning, and Life by Julie Bogart and Susan Wise Bauer
Teaching from Rest: A Homeschooler's Guide to Unshakable Peace by Sarah Mackenzie and Dr. Christopher Perrin
Curriculum & Books
We have used selections of several different curriculums to create our learning plan for the year. We're finding that these selections meet the needs of our kids and align with the schedule and structure that I am able to provide. I take into account my personality and teaching preferences along side the needs of each of my kiddos.
Both the teacher and the student should be feeling like we can excel! So much in life is learning as we go, and as I give myself grace to learn as I go with my kids, we find that we joyfully meet the educational standards required to progress from grade to grade. We have really found our groove this year!
As the kids grow and as I gain more confidence and experience, I am sure that our homeschool items, supplies, and curriculum will ebb and flow as needed. I like this kind of flexibility. Here's a sample of this books we used this year for our curriculum and unit studies.
Timelines of Everything by DK Smithsonian
Farm Anatomy, Nature Anatomy, and Food Anatomy by Julia Rothman
Story of the World, Text Bundle Paperback: History for the Classical Child: Ancient Times through The Modern Age by Susan Wise Bauer
The Old Farmer's Almanac for Kids
Everything You Need to Ace English Language Arts in One Big Fat Notebook
Children's Illustrated Thesaurus
Workbooks and Other Resources
In addition to books, sometimes workbooks and other resources are the best tools to round out everyone's learning experience. I was feeling very intimidated and challenged by the task of teaching writing. Then I found IEW (Institute of Excellence in Writing) and wow, are we all loving it! There is a teacher who the kids find engaging, funny, and very clear. I enjoy sitting with them as they complete each lecture and seeing where I can help reinforce the skills.
With Teaching Textbooks I have been able to easily assess where each child has strengths and where they need my closer assistance to master a skill. Some other workbooks and resources that we've been loving to learn with this year:
Evan-Moor Building Spelling Skills
The Good and The Beautiful Handwriting and Typing
Gather ‘Round Unit Studies are just wonderful! The workbooks and lessons and extra resources are over the top. We love learning all of this together as a group and we are constantly chatting about what we are learning together. I look forward to using Gather ‘Round for many unit studies.
Homeschool Community
For me as a homeschool mom, the community of other homeschool families has been so rewarding and enjoyable. Social media has been a wonderful tool as I connect with other moms. Everyone shares book recommendations, tips for scheduling, where to find specific resources and general encouragement. What a beautiful community to belong to.
Don't forget to check out my full list of Homeschooling Must Haves!
Pumpkin Spice Bars with Maple Frosting
Perfect Flour Tortilla Enchiladas
Tips for Starting a Small Garden at Home