- Haylli Smith

Our Homeschool Plan

Our Homeschool Plan

For 2020-2021 (Pre-k and Second Grade)

Good Monday Morning! We are diving into our first official Monday of homeschool today. We are super excited and I’m a bit nervous. Today I thought it would be helpful to some if I shared our plan for the new school year. I hope you enjoy – and have a great Monday!

Wondering why we decided to say goodbye to public school and begin homeschooling our kids? Check out this post here.

Before I get into our plan for the year , I’d like to share my style of homeschooling first. We are first timers over here – so I am anticipating that there will be a few bumps , and changes along the way. I have said before that I researched homeschool for months – the number one thing I have taken form every blog I’ve read is to be open minded. Be flexible. What works for one child or family – may not work for you. And, you know what? That is OKAY!

Finding the Right Style of “School”

Harper and Cole have very different personalities . Harper has an old soul. She is wise beyond her years . Cole on the other hand is just a ball full of fun. He is the one that is always laughing and never takes things seriously. Harper is more reserved and takes things to heart. So when it came to planning out our year , I knew that I needed to develop a style that would be a good fit for them both.

If you research homeschool on Pinterest , you’ll find so many different styles and curriculum choices. It can be overwhelming at first. I know first hand. I remember asking myself ” which style is more me , which is the best curriculum , am I going to screw this up?” Then I realized ( after more research) that yes, I will probably mess up more than once. We will survive and learn from it. That alone is a good lesson to teach our children. I want them to see me mess up , I want them to know that It’s okay for things to go differently as planned. This is where life happens and we learn to adjust . The choice of style or curriculum should be based off your children and how they learn. Not what you like best. You don’t have to stick with on thing, you can change everything up as needed . The is the beauty of having the freedom you get with homeschooling.

I decided our best bet was to go with an eclectic style homeschool. Meaning , I’m basically taking bits and pieces of each style and making my own. I feel as thought this is the best fit for my kids . This gives us more options , more flexibility and honestly it is cheaper. Since this is our first year and I have no clue how we’re going to do – or what is going to work best for us , I think sampling different curriculum , unit studies , etc. is more realistic . I mean , who wants to spend hundreds of dollars on a boxed curriculum and hate it..No one!

So , what’s our curriculum?

First and foremost – we are un-schooling (this is a great post explaining what this is. ). I want to break the habits of public school to an extent. I think it is important for both kids to have a say in that we are learning. I will be teaching the required subjects such as math , science , language arts ( includes phonics+ grammar+ spelling + fine art + literature) , life skills, music and finally health and safety . We will also learn about history and geography through unit studies. I am planning to use The good and the Beautiful curriculum for language arts. They actually have certain levels available for free download . Which is what I am using. I really like how this curriculum is laid out , everything is intertwined and flows. I am still looking into a math curriculum. For now we are just doing review from 1st grade , telling time and learning about money.

I plan to incorporate life skills into our learning by simply doing. Having the kids help with daily chores , grocery shopping , cooking, etc. These are tasks that I usually do myself , but allowing them to help is a great learning experience for them. These are things that are not taught in public school. When it comes to the unschooling method – I want my kids to THINK for them selves. I want them to understand why we are learning this. Like math for example – why are we learning this? I want to show them ways that we use math in our daily life.

When it comes to learning , I think having different subjects naturally go together is important . Having that natural flow is going to keep my kids interested in what we are doing. For instance – our current read aloud is Little House in the Big Woods – part of the What our day looks like.

To start our day , I am up before the kids and make sure that I have all of learning supplies out and ready for them. I spend the night before printing what I need to , making packets and making sure I have all of our supplies that we need. I also try to come up with a couple arts and crafts projects for the kids to do during their free time. This isn’t something they have to do , but usually they ask for ideas so I like to have a couple on hand.

First the kids get up , eat breakfast and start their chores. While they are eating breakfast, I will read aloud to them. Chores include getting ready for the day , picking up toys , feeding the dog , making their beds and gathering their laundry. Once chores are completed , they can start on their morning work. Morning work includes their “Today is” worksheet , money poem ( that we read together) flash cards and for Cole , his name and number tracing activity. This is for them to do independently ( usually while I’m getting our lesson out and ready. ) Harper’s morning folder is bare at the moment , I plan to add more after I see what she needs more review on.

Here is what their morning folders look like. I simply printed and laminated the worksheets, hole punched them and I’m using a folder like

Routine Charts for the kids – these help them stay on track. also laminated so they can check off what they have completed. *Available for free upon subscribing – see below!

After breakfast , chores and morning work , we start our lesson for the day. This is where I teach . This could be a math lesson , language arts , science or history. I plan to work on our lesson until lunch time – so maybe an hour . After we finish up lunch , the kids will work on their workbook assignments until they finish their work for the day. Then they will have free time/ their choice. This is where they can complete an art project , we could add in a lesson of their choice ( Both kids love animals , so I’m sure this where those lessons will be) or maybe a cooking/ baking lesson. The point is I’m allowing them to choose how we end our school day. This gives them an opportunity to learn something new and it’s their choice!

Our overall schedule for homeschool

Right now our plan is to do school four days a week. I was thinking we would take Friday’s off – after this covid stuff goes away that would be a day where we could go to the library or a museum . We are going to be doing school year round – taking breaks whenever needed. This gives us more flexibility . Say one kid is sick or it’s a beautiful day and they just want to take advantage of nice weather and play outside. We can do those things without having to worry about getting behind.

Our actual school time should only take about 3 hours , possibly longer if they choose to learn about a new topic that day. Even if we aren’t sitting at the table doing actual school work , both kids are still learning. That is the beauty of homeschool. We can learn all day very day . It is scientifically proven that children do not need to sit in a classroom 7-8 hours a day to learn. Teachers have 15-20 plus students in their class. I am teaching two children , so we will have the ability to move quicker through some things , or take our time on others. All of which make it possible to finish our school day in just a few hours.

This gives my kids plenty of time to PLAY and be creative . It teaches them independence , and allows them to use their imagination . This is the MAIN reason we chose to homeschool. Kids need to be kids. They need days outside , riding bikes and climbing trees . It isn’t traditional , but it’s effective when it comes to learning and happiness.

There is always an opportunity to learn. I think it’s important to know that learning can take place anywhere and at any time. You don’t have to be sitting in a classroom to get an education. My hope is that my kids fall in love learning again . I want learning to be a way of life for them . I want them to have confidence and independence. It is important to Tyler and I to instill those “old fashioned” values and set them up for greatness.

As I said in my last post, I am their mom . I have taught them how to walk and talk . I’ve taught them how to eat and use the potty . I have spent their entire lives teaching them. I know we can do this. They are excited and full of joy . I am nervous but excited. This is a new journey for us and its going to be wonderful. I just know it.

Until next time

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