Saying Goodbye to my Ideal Homeschool Year

After the stress and heartache of infertility and loss between Little Man and Baby Girl, my husband and I were DONE with having kids. God must have chuckled a little at how set I was, and 4 days after Baby Girl turned 1, I got a positive pregnancy test! Thinking about how hectic life will be with a first grader and 2 under 2, I really wanted to simplify school for this next year (you can read how I am simplifying life, here). Please don't take this as I am simplifying, or lessening his education, rather, I am waving the white flag of surrender to the ideal homeschool year I thought I wanted.

What does that mean exactly?

It means no fancy curriculum with elaborate activities.

It means finding more curriculum that can be done independently.

It means saying goodbye to activity filled, book studies.

It means there may not be trendy, Pinterest worthy bookshelves and bulletin boards. No perfect baskets organized by what we are studying that day, having planned it all in advance (and let's be honest, for me that wasn't happening anyway!)

What it doesn't mean:

It doesn't mean boring textbooks.

It doesn't mean long study hours or even slapped together lessons.

It doesn't mean we won't have a fun filled, nature rich, amazing year!

One of the beauties of homeschool, is the ability to tailor curriculum to fit your child and your year. This is what homeschool will look like for us this year. Next year might be different, but it will for sure be exactly what we need for that year. Please don't beat yourself up, or give up, if you've found that the perfect homeschool year you saw on someone's Instagram feed isn't happening for you. Know that they have their not so perfect days, and maybe even not so perfect years!

What has worked this year...and what hasn't

No one likes to admit defeat, but sometimes you have to acknowledge that things don't work, to be able to go forward. Today I'll be sharing what I have loved about this year's curriculum, and what isn't working. Next week I'll share what I am planning to change for next year!

What's working:
The Playful Pioneers: Here you can find my previous post all about this wonderful curriculum. Although I am changing things up, it DID work for this year. I loved it so much, that when it's time for Baby Girl, and Baby #3 to start school, I will be reusing it!

A Reason For Handwriting: You can click here for a more in depth review. Little Man's handwriting has come a long way from the beginning of the year, and it's mostly thanks to this curriculum. Even though we only do it once or twice a week, it has really helped Little Man. He loves the coloring sheet that comes with it, and it is probably his favorite subject of the day.

Explode the Code: It took a while for it to grow on me, but Little Man's reading has really developed using this curriculum. I still think there are a few changes I would make, and it isn't Little Man's favorite thing, but it has worked in terms of his reading level.


What isn't working:


Basically it's just one thing-Math I hate to admit defeat but here it is:

Saxon Math 1: I think I started on the wrong foot when we chose to do Math1 instead of the primer. It had worked well for my siblings, but Little Man was a bit younger than they were, since his birthday is in September. The teacher book is pretty intense with the amount that the parent is involved, and there is normally activities, drills, AND a worksheet. I have broken these up to help him not get frustrated or tired out, but it's made for slow going through the curriculum. We will finish maybe half of the course work by May. Little Man has been successful in understanding the concepts, but I just don't feel like this is the right fit for his personality, or how our life is right now (young toddler, and about to add a newborn). Stay tuned to see what I've chosen for next year!

I want to add that just because something works or doesn't work for me and one of my children, doesn't mean it will be the same for you! I just want to share my experience with you, to hopefully help you with your own curriculum choices. For my mom, and many others, Saxon 1-3 was the perfect choice, but for me I just don't feel like it's been as successful as it should be.

Gobblet Gobblers: A Strategy Game from Timberdoodle

 Gobblet Gobblers is an adorable, strategy game from the company Blue Orange. The game is designed for ages 5+. It takes tic-tac-toe to a whole new level! My son giggled at the funny faces the game pieces made, and was quick to figure out how to gobble up his opponents.  My husband also enjoyed this game. He teaches UIL chess (he is a middle school teacher), and he loves strategy games.

Little Man was excited to set up the colorful game pieces, and picked his favorite color for his team-blue. He wasn't as observant the first couple of times he played, but he quickly learned to watch what moves his daddy was making too!

The maneuvers of the game can take a few tries to perfect, but even my 5 year old learned how to set a big piece out, so he could gobble others' pieces (honestly, his favorite part!). He also learned how to move the pieces on the board. I really love how this game teaches kids to think ahead, and observe their opponent.

The one con: My husband stated that the game pieces were a bit tricky to get exactly back in the box. He felt a better alternative would be a little drawstring bag or something similar. That is the only downside, and I highly recommend this product!

On a different day, my son asked me if I would sit down and play with him. To me, that's the true test of a great game. One that gets asked to be played with over and over again are always the best ones! Momma isn't quite as strategic as Daddy, so maybe that's why he asked for me! ha!

To find out more information on this game, click this link. While I received this free in exchange for my review, my opinion is 100% mine. This is a perfect game to complete a thinking skills curriculum, or to just have around the house. I love games that feel challenging and fun for both little ones and parents alike!


I have also added in my Amazon Affiliated list, other games we love that can be played with the whole family!

Let's Play Animal Bingo: A Game from Timberdoodle

Let's Play Animal Bingo, is a game from Banana Panda, geared towards toddlers. As your child goes from toddler to preschool age, you can transition to playing the game different ways, as suggested on the back of the box. My little girl is 16 months, and needed the simplest set up to be able to figure it out. She was able to put the pieces on the boards, and more often than not, correctly!  I was given this product in exchange for my review, but I am sharing my honest opinion.

 There are 6 large cards with 4 animals printed on each (and 4 tokens to go with each card). Each card has bright colors and large enough pieces for little hands. Because Baby Girl is so young, I set the 4 pieces that went with each card nearby, so that it would be easier for her to figure out. Once your child has mastered that, you can move on to ideas like, laying out all the tokens and having your child find the correct card, or even as advanced as a memory match game!

 I love the endless ideas you can have with this. It can help teach animal names, sounds, etc. You can comment on what the animals are wearing (several have party attire on their token), habitat, and the colors of the animals. This is such an amazing vocabulary building activity, as well as a motor skill builder!

The tokens and cards are made out of thick cardboard. They seem durable, but my Baby Girl will be the true test! She has a way of figuring out just how durable a thing really is.

I do highly recommend this product for toddlers! We will begin a very simple 'tot school' and I see this fitting in very well!

To check out more about this adorable game, click the link here!

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My Thoughts on The Playful Pioneers

As we near the end of our homeschool year, I thought I share with you what has worked, what hasn't, and what I plan to use for Little Man's 1st grade. During this series, I am even sharing what I plan to do with Baby Girl, as we delve into a bit of 'tot school'. Today I am sharing how I liked our main curriculum, The Playful Pioneers by The Peaceful Press.

The playful pioneers explores the writings of Laura Ingalls Wilder and you go through most of the Little House Books, including Farmer Boy. The curriculum follows a more Charlotte Mason approach, which is something I enjoy. I love reading living books that the whole family can enjoy. With everything that's going on right now, my husband is at home and he is also enjoying our read aloud time in the morning.

 Things I like about the curriculum:
Little Man has learned so much! There is a lot of science and history covered in The Playful Pioneers. We have made earthworm habitats, studied bees, done science experiments and more! We've read books about some of our founding fathers, as well as other cultures and places. Little Man is only 5, which means he hasn't grasped it all, but that brings me to the next amazing thing about this curriculum.

He will enjoy going through it again in a few years. When Baby Girl and the other little one on the way get old enough for this curriculum, Little Man can go through it again. I can add things to make it more in depth for him, but he can still enjoy the Little House books and activities we have gotten to do.  This means that this curriculum is pretty economical!

 Some things I've tweaked or would change:

There are A LOT of activities in this book. Some involve expensive supplies, or things that are simply above his understanding. We have had to skip a few things, but I don't feel like it's lessened the impact of what was learned.

There are also A LOT of recommended books. I have found Youtube to be a great resource in finding the books read aloud, but there are some that I simply can't find. While I love collecting books, it would cost quite a bit for me to purchase each one. If you can't find the book on Youtube, or the library, then you can tweak it like I have. For example, this past week we studied Alexander Graham Bell. I didn't have the book, and I couldn't find it read aloud. What I did find was an old animated cartoon about him. I have used Magic School Bus episodes, and other resources to cover things that I didn't have the book for.


Other notes on the Curriculum:
So much watercolor! I made a school supply list at the beginning of the year, and we have used up most of the art supplies! My son loves all things painting and coloring, so this is perfect for him.

We also enjoyed the printables. Some were a bit above his level of writing and reading, but he enjoyed coloring a picture that went along with what we were reading.


Overall we have enjoyed this year. We ARE changing things, but it isn't because we haven't loved what we've done this year (I will address this in a week or two). Do you have any questions about The Playful Pioneers? Be sure and comment or if you follow me on Facebook or Instagram you can ask me there!

Detailed Weekly Plan for a Spring Themed Unit Study

If you missed it, I gave ideas for a Spring Themed Unit Study, as well as a Butterfly Unit Study. With being stuck at home, and my husband being on 'spring break' now instead of in April (he is a public school teacher), I decided to take a spring break, but not completely get rid of learning activities (we need things to do in the morning besides watching Disney +!). Today I want to share my schedule for the week, and exactly what we will be doing. If you want to know how our week went, be sure to follow both my Facebook and Instagram accounts to find out! Yes, we are technically doing 'school' during our spring break, but making sure everything is so much fun!

Monday: Ladybugs and Telling Time

Book: The Grouchy Ladybug
Math: Kumon Telling Time Book
Phonics: Find the Sight words! (using a ladybug counter or other bug counter, find the sight word I read and place it on the corresponding index card.)
Art: Pop-up paper ladybug
Science: Look at the bug section in the Nature and Farmer Anatomy books

Tuesday: Bugs

Book: Bugs for Lunch
Math: Bug counter activities (patterns, addition, subtraction)
Phonics:
Art: Invitation to play making bugs
Science: Pick an animal from back of the Bugs for Lunch book and study it. Look at an Insect book during quiet time.

Wednesday: Butterfly Life Cycle

Book: A Very Hungry Caterpillar
Math: Measuring Caterpillars+ Days of the Week (these activities can be found in the literature unit by Simply Learning)
Phonics: Wednesdays are normally for handwriting, and he loves to do it! He will do 1 page in A Reason For Handwriting book.
Art: Salt paint a butterfly (draw butterfly outline in glue, and let kids pour salt and shake it off. using watercolors, let your kids paint the design and let it dry.
Science: Do a life cycle craft
Bonus: pancake caterpillars for breakfast!

Thursday: Weather

Book: Magic Schoolbus Inside a Hurricane
Math+ Art: Addition clouds
Phonics: Watercolor 'magic' sight words (use blues to make it look like a sky!)- use a white crayon to write words we are learning. Let your child paint over it and reveal the hidden words!
Science: 2 activities from the Mason Jar Science book. We are making a mason jar barometer, and a tornado. If Little Man is interested in more, you can make a fun water cycle activity using a storage bag.

Friday: Gardening
Book: Seeds
Math: If weather permits, use things in my flower garden, or in the yard to make different patterns and shapes. You can also use seeds for counting and adding.
Phonics: Since we will hopefully be outside, use sidewalk chalk to spell words we have been working on. Draw flowers, fruits, and veggies around it, to make it more fun!
Art: Use the things you collected in the yard to make an art collage!
Science: Plant a Sunflower
Bonus: Learn about farming. We have books and puzzles that he can look at and do during quiet time. We may do some research on baby chicks and raising chickens since this is an interest of his right now.

I am putting together a spring themed basket with even more books and activities than I mentioned today. Be sure you are following me on Instagram to learn more! Also, if you follow me on Pinterest, I am adding pins to my Spring time unit that includes even more ideas that you can do. If you decide to create your own unit, I would loved to be tagged and see it! I am also doing a little basket and having spring ideas for Baby Girl. You will also find this on Facebook and Instagram.

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Spring Cleaning: Links to Printables, Easy Recipes, and more!

Spring cleaning was on my list this past week, even before I knew all the craziness that would be going on. I am still planning on making an IGTV video, sharing with you my favorite cleaning products, but just be aware you may not be able to get them for a couple of weeks. Today, I am letting you peak into what I've done this week to get my house freshened and cleaned. Get a free Spring Cleaning Checklist from Bits of Bri (you must subscribe to her email list to get all the printables). Check out more on her blog and Youtube channel for cleaning motivation. I'm not sponsored to say that, I just enjoy her content!

I am also sharing how I used just a few ingredients to make 30 min or less meals. This made it easy to serve healthy meals at the end of a tiring day!

Monday: I started with my front room, since that's the room that everyone sees. This was not a room on the checklist, but my goals for each room was dusting from ceiling to baseboards (ceiling fan/light fixtures, walls, pictures, baseboards), dust bookshelves, tidy the room, and finish with a really detailed sweep and mop of the floors). I changed heavy coats to one light jacket for each family member, and set out our outdoor blanket now that the weather is getting warmer.  For supper we ate salad with all the fixings. Spring greens, grape tomatoes, boiled eggs, croutons, bacon and cheese; yum!! Supper hack: Prepare the ingredients as you prepare your kid's lunch, so you are only having to clean up once. That evening just pull everything out and you have an easy peasy supper!

Tuesday: I quickly did the bathroom, since it was a small room in the house. It was a warm sunny day, and our homeschool group had Park Day on the calendar. Heavy cleaning would have to wait! Sunshine and warm walks were done instead. Still, I was able to do a good cleaning of the bathroom, and dust the cabinets and walls.
I also want to add that I decided not to do any minimizing  or organizing inside of drawers and cabinets. That will come later. To get the most momentum and ability to finish the rooms in a couple of hours (or on this day, much less) I needed to only focus on the cleaning aspects. 
For supper, we had tacos, using more of the tomatoes, lettuce, and cheese. For an easy taco seasoning mix: garlic salt, salt, pepper, cumin, and cajun seasoning. I also like to add cilantro to my taco and fajita dishes, but my hubby isn't as much of a fan. Meal planning at the beginning of the week, really helped not waste ingredients that can work over a number of days!

Wednesday: I tackled the Living room. I thought this would be a fairly easy task, but it was a much bigger mess than I realized. It was truly embarrassing the amount of junk we found under the couch cushions!
The living room, as well as Little Man's room, are two areas of the house I really like to enlist the help of Little Man. Because there aren't many breakables and plenty of things he uses as well, I get him to help with distributing things that didn't belong, to their proper rooms. I also got him to help with wiping things down.
That evening we had Skillet Chicken and Broccoli with Annie's Organic Mac and Cheese (our Favorite kind!). I only had a few pieces of chicken, and to make it stretch further, I cut it into thirds, seasoned it well, and cooked it until just done before throwing in broccoli. I added Parmesan on top and it was so yummy! Good seasonings for this dish are: garlic salt, basil, thyme, salt and pepper. I add a little butter and toss the broccoli and chicken to make it extra tasty. 

Thursday I was unable to do any spring cleaning, as I had errands to run for my family. We ate out that night with another couple, so I also didn't do any cooking!

Friday: I decided to tackle my room. IT WAS BAD! Too often it's the catch all for the rest of the house, and while I get ready in the mornings, my daughter loves to find things to pull out and play with. It took the entire day, but I got it looking so much better. That day the weather was nice, and I opened a window to let fresh air in.
My tip for an overwhelming room, is to take one section and complete it at a time. It allows momentum to build as you see the tasks get completed and the room clear.

Since we did takeout that evening (we normally don't eat out that often, I promise! haha!) I want to share a less-than-30-minute berry cobbler with you!

Easy Berry Cobbler
1 cup berries of your choice 
1 cup sugar (plus a little more to cook with the berries)
1 cup self rising flour
1 cup milk
1 stick of butter
Add berries and a few tablespoons of sugar to a saucepan and cook until sugar is disolved and fruit begins making it's own juices
While that cooks preheat oven to 350F. Add butter to glass 8x8 pan and let it melt while the oven is preheating. Mix flour, sugar and milk in a small bowl or large measuring cup. When butter is melted, pour flour and milk mixture in the dish and then 'plop' spoonfuls of the berry mixture in to make the 'cobbled' look. I actually am not sure how long it takes to cook. I would assume about 20 minutes. Our oven needs to be replaced, so I have to adjust the temperature and time to accommodate our oven. 



Obviously my house isn't done yet, but I will be continuing to clean (and sanitize!) throughout next week. Check back on my Instagram for more stock-up easy meals and cleaning motivation. I will be sharing my favorite cleaners on there as well!

Edited to add that I have teamed up with the Timberdoodle blog team and we are all sharing our spring cleaning tips!
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