Our Homeschool Year in Review

The start of our school year was a little more hectic than in years past. We started our school year in September but moved into a new house in October. For the first month we did school at the kitchen table because all of the packed boxes were stored in the room we used for a classroom. Also, at the beginning of the school year, the baby was 6 months old. My kids and I had to be really flexible this year with our schedule because you never know when the baby will need to nurse, nap, or just need attention.

I had the school year planned out and bought Apologia Botany for Science and was really excited about it. We did around 4 or 5 lessons and I realized that the curriculum had a lot of prep work and supplies that needed to be purchased. Since we were in the middle of moving and I had a needy baby to take care of as well, we just stopped doing the science curriculum. I think I will save it for when the kids are a little older. Sometimes as homeschoolers we need to give ourselves permission to do this. If the curriculum isn’t working out or is too overwhelming, quit using it.

I found that the history curriculum was very easy to use and the activities that were offered used supplies that I usually had already. The kids loved it and begged to do it first every day.

When we moved into the new house we set up the classroom and it was pretty seamless. I started doing a read aloud first every day and that seemed to work out well. It gradually moved us into the school day. I would read and the kids would draw pictures of what I was reading or play with Maga-tiles. This year we read Little House in The Big Woods, Little House on the Prarie, The Secret Garden and The Indian in the Cupboard. I am working on a list of read aloud books for the fall.

We used The Workbox System this year with all subjects and it helped us all stay on track. The kids completed math, reading, handwriting, and phonics on a daily basis. Next school year, I will be alternating history and science.

We went on many fun field trips this year. We went to a train Museum, a pumpkin patch farm, air force museum, a baby animal farm, and Graeter’s Ice Cream. We have a membership to the local children’s museum which we visited several times, especially in the winter. We also went to the homeschool program at our local library a few times this school year as well.

Overall, we had a pretty good school year. My son is reading really well and is doing great with math. My daughter is reading above grade level and doing well in her subjects as well. I am in planning mode for the fall. I hope to be a little more organized next school year and hopefully be able to find a fun science curriculum.

I am looking forward to the fall when I will have a first grader, third grader and 18 month old. I am sure it will be an eventful and memorable year!