Homeschool Prep Thoughts

As I sit and begin to print curriculum and prep for the upcoming school year I can’t help but laugh at myself and the lofty goals I always have for myself that never ever seem to pan out. I always print out way more resources than I ever use, but it’s always for the times of ‘What if?’. What if I want to switch things up, what if I want to slowly add other things in, what if I personally need to add some flair into our days? I’d like to think it’s my own ambitions (and not the influence of seemingly perfect homeschool families on Instagram) that cause me to think we need to be doing all the things. I also always panic at the beginning of the summer when I start to get things prepped thinking: I haven’t done enough, what if we need to switch curriculums, are they being challenged enough, is this curriculum working well for them and their learning styles, et cetera, et cetera. While I love the plethora of curriculum to choose from and all the different resources at my disposal, sometimes it’s just too much, because my brain thinks we need to do a little of everything in order to experience a little of everything. What if I don’t truly know my children’s learning styles because I’ve always done this curriculum, could they excel better if I switched to something else, are there gaps in their learning because I’m not doing xyz. The amount of doubt I let creep in is troublesome. I have to check myself constantly, all throughout the school year (which lets be honest, is all year long because I like to take breaks and give the kids mental health days which prolongs our school year). And honestly I just have to remind myself, God called me to do this and he will guide me, I just have to fully put my trust in him and not rely on my own devices. On the hard days I need to remember to invite him alongside me, and pull strength from him to make it through. But also on the days that everything is going well, I need to; praise him, thank him, and give him the glory - after all he’s the one who made all of this possible. 

So this year will be the first year I will be doing school for three children, and boy oh boy does that seem daunting to think about. I will be doing a combination of 2nd/3rd grade material for my oldest who recently turned 8, I will be doing kindergarten for my soon to be 6 year old, and will be starting 3yr old preschool for my 3 year old. Now I know the timeline might seem a little funky for all of that, but I had my oldest repeat the kindergarten level for LA/reading due to not feeling like the curriculum I had chosen didn’t do an adequate job - but we continued on in everything else, so he’s a year behind himself in reading/LA versus everything else. And I know that 6 seems a little old to just be starting kindergarten,but I wanted to keep my kids to the grades they would be IF I were to ever put them in public school, and due to having a birthday close to the cutoff and being a boy I chose to wait. And to be honest, with his lackluster excitement for school, it was for the best. Now for my 3 year old, I know this seems way too early to start ‘formal schooling’ and that play should just be his school but he’s eager to learn (just like my 8 year old was at this age) and he wants to do school just like big brothers. Also, in order to keep him in the same trajectory of doing 2 years of preschool before starting Kindergarten, I decided to start now since he has a winter birthday and would therefore be 7 when he starts kindergarten if I chose to wait like I did with the older two. With that being said, it’s going to be very informal and mostly play based anyway. And I like to include the older and let them help ‘be the teacher’, it gives me a little break and I’d like to think it helps to build their confidence as well. While I still haven’t found a way to use the type of curriculum where I can teach to all of them at the same time, I hope to get to that point eventually, but as of now they all need their one on one learning time since so much of what they’re learning is still foundational. However, with my oldest now being able to read, that sure gives me (and him) a little more freedom. I can still be nearby to give help when needed but he can do a lot of his work independently once I have taught the new material and given instructions. And of course, little miss is just along for the ride.

I’m currently trying to plan what our weeks will look like once our groups/co-ops and such start meeting again. I’ve actually had to say no to a few things so we can have at least one or two full days at home within our weekly schedule. I like to have a healthy balance of learning elsewhere where others are pouring into my kids, as well as time to just play with peers. I recently signed my oldest up for online art classes and he is loving that! He’s able to work at his own pace, but still has a live class to show off his work and receive critiques and praise from peers. So far my kids are not into organized sports so thankfully that is not an added part of our weekly schedule - at least for now. I am continually amazed and reminded of what a blessing it is to be able to homeschool my kiddos - to be able to pour into them day after day, watch the growth and transformation of all aspects right before my very eyes, and the flexibility to have adventures when we want but also to honor our bodily and mental health and take breaks when needed. It’s not without its challenges, but it’s a beautiful journey, and not one I take lightly.  

Happy Friday readers!

XOXO, mischief managing momma

• if any of this resonates with you, I would love to chat with you about it. Head over to my instagram and leave a comment to connect with me. @_mischiefmanagingmomma