Hi friends :)
Happy first day of homeschool for us!
I’ve been wanting to write this post for a while because it is important to me to define our homeschool style. Not just to share, but because it gives me a good sense of who I am as a homeschool mom and how I envision education in our home. I’ve pondered, researched, read, and journaled over the course of the year and I feel confident in where we have naturally landed. If you are interested in hear about our homeschool style, keep reading.
I can really only describe our style as eclectic, relaxed, and unique to our family. I am pulling ideas from a number of philosophies (Charlotte Mason, Traditional, Unit Studies, and Interest-led, to be specific).
I am also aiming to keep things minimal. If you are wondering what a minimalist homeschool approach looks like, Zara Fagen is a great resource and her book Minimalist Homeschooling is wonderful (affiliate link). But what minimalist homeschooling means to me is focusing on what the most important subjects are at any given year and sprinkling in/providing exposure to the rest. For the early years, this will be the three R’s: reading, writing, arithemetic. As the years go on, this will probably shift, but this is what is important for us today. Aside from the top 3, there are also other subjects that we would like to dabble in. This will look different for everyone, but for this season of life, we are focused on nature study (or life science) and a gentle introduction to geography/social studies (state requirement). The beauty of these two? They are relaxed. We are learning them in fun and engaging ways – living books, non fiction books, documentaries, songs, crafts/projects (aka art!) No specific curriculum or workbooks here, just exposure. There will be plenty of time for formal science and history later down the line. This is where the unit study/Charlotte Mason vibe comes into our homeschool… all the books and discussion!
It’s also funny because though I am an EXTREME planner (my family especially knows this), I prefer a relaxed plan for homeschool. I plan a good extent for the year overall (what we will be using for curriculum, nature topics, social studies topics, book lists, etc.) but I generally like to let the day take us wherever it goes. We spend a half hour or less on sit-down work and the rest of the day may be playing outside, building or tinkering, crafting, dress-up, reading, imaginative play, errands, board or card games, library trips, visits with friends/family, or whatever my kids find themselves getting into. If it is a particularly beautiful day, we may put a halt to everything and go to the zoo or aquarium with friends! Play and downtime are priorities to us. I expect the unexpected and go with the flow.
So to recap, the only structured/curriculum-based learning we will be using for the early years: reading, handwriting, and math. Everything else is relaxed! Nature study themes based on the seasons and/or interest and my own social studies plan (aka all the living books covering topics I have chosen based on state requirements). I’d be happy to share what that looks like if anyone is interested. Oh, and of course a heavy dose of reading aloud – give us all the books!!
Just to note: using a curriculum for things like science and social studies/history is not wrong! I just happen to be the kind of mom who wants to pull together my own specific plans at this stage. I feel like once we get into middle school (or maybe 3rd grade), I’ll turn to curriculum, but for now, I like keeping things simple and I love creating my own plans (it’s a weird hobby, right? LOL)
I also expect us to shift and change with the seasons, since we live in a state that gets all four seasons in all their glory. I envision fall to be very productive with lots of outside exploration in the beauty of autumn; winter to be slow and cozy with all the unit studies, indoor projects, documentaries, and books on the couch; spring to be spent outside getting dirty with lots of nature study and interest-led learning; summer to be free to explore whatever, conducting messy science experiments on the patio and full of travel – near and far.
I want learning to look like life and life to be full of natural learning. I want my kids to know that reading is important because once you can read, you can learn anything. I want them to know that math is necessary and it doesn’t have to be boring. I want them to appreciate nature and care a great deal about Mother Earth. I want them to find their passions and follow where their hearts and minds lead. I can’t wait to find out what makes their hearts sing and what lights up their eyes. And I’ll be right here to provide them with what they need to get where they want to go. x
