I won't sugarcoat it. We have some hard days. Some days school is a breeze and other days we are all in tears, but the pros have outweighed the cons. We also tell our friends we are Jesus people, not homeschool people. So we may not homeschool for life, but each year we give our school year to the Lord and will pray through what's best for our family.
Since we moved the boys into their own rooms this summer, we transitioned our spare bedroom/bonus room into a school room. It's got the perfect little nook for it. Thanks to some hand-me-down furniture we have a sweet little setup.
Last year we did a combination of The Gentle + Classical Preschool. I can't recommend it enough. It's so easy and straightforward and is done by units/weeks so you can do as much or as little as you please week to week. It's a biblical-based Charlotte Mason-style curriculum and is beautifully designed. I love the character and catechisms each week and saw so much growth in our boys as we practiced them. I plan on incorporating it again into our Kindergarten and 3/4 year Pre-K this year.
For Kindergarten Literature we decided on Good & Beautiful. Although we already have a reader, I love how this course book goes a bit deeper and will reinforce and strengthen the reading skills/phonics we have or need to expand on. They also have a great handwriting curriculum we are implementing for both their ages. We plan on doing these 3 - 4 days a week.
For Science, we will be doing three days a week over 36 units with the Master Books Let's Talk Science Adventures in Creation Level 1. Cove is really excited about it, and I am thrilled to find a science curriculum that points so much to Jesus.
We are doing Horizons for Kindergarten Math which has two books. We plan on doing these 3 - 4 days a week over 36 weeks/units. It's pretty straightforward and creatively and colorfully illustrated.
We did the Reading Lesson last year and loved it. After trying the 100 Reading Lesson book it felt a little too repetitive. This one was perfect. We started slow since we started early, but by the end of the year, we had a strong reader. We will be using this for Jettson when he is ready.
We plan on keeping Social Science light this year and are going through these three books as well as focusing on health and safety in home/practical life skills.
Here are some of the Christian books we go through during the year.
I focused on the The Ology book last year reading a chapter or two a week and really discussing each concept since they can be a lot to absorb. I LOVE The Ology book. If you can only get one, get that one!
We also love the Indescribable devotions along with our Science lesson. And I just got the If I Could Ask God Anything book, but the boys have loved it so far. We started it this summer and are a few chapters in. It has sparked some beautiful discussions and gives clear answers to a lot of the questions my kids are asking this season. I also have a few others we enjoyed last year that I am going to link below. I feel like it's nice to have a few to bounce around throughout the year.
My last little bit of encouragement for you is if you think you're not equipped or qualified to teach, I've been there and know how you feel. God does His best work with the weak and unqualified. And if He is calling you to homeschool and you trust him for your daily provision and grace, He will provide. It's a day by day daily bread and mercy He gives us.
And lastly, if you are just curious but not planning on homeschooling and are choosing to do another route with your kids, Praise God! I am so glad we don't all do it the same and can raise godly children in many different places all over the World. Flourish where He has called you! Much love, friends!
