Back in 2022 my dad was going in for a hip replacement in July and my son was to start kindergarten in September. We were having a lot of talks about the world and that I just don’t feel right putting him into school. I also shared with him that I didn’t think my son and I would jive doing homeschool together. At the time I was no longer teaching in public school, I had students I worked with privately and tutored others. My parents watched my kids whenever I was working with a student and my office is on their property. Little did we know, 36 hours after my dad’s hip replacement he had a massive stroke and still hasn’t been able to speak since.

Plan and Pivot

The plans I had in the works to have a private homeschool group all came to a screeching halt. Here we are almost two years later. My son will be going into second grade this fall and we have been homeschooling. We have used the Good and the Beautiful (TGATB) and I have really liked it. I just purchased the Preschool curriculum for my daughter to begin soon, and I wish I could send it back. I really loved using this book to teach my son letter sounds. TGATB teaches the letters in order from A to Z, but I found a lot of value in teaching them in the order that the book instructs you to. I got the recommendation from an incredible kindergarten teacher I know that is trained in the Orton-Gillingham approach.

How do you teach a kid to read?

In 2020 I earned my Master of Arts in Teaching, but they didn’t teach us how to teach kids how to read. I taught fifth grade for three going on four years. I never had to teach a student how to read. Unfortunately, I think they plan on colleagues teaching you once you are in the position. Once I decided I would be homeschooling Hayes, I knew I needed a solid strategy and plan on how to teach him to read. This was not something to “wing.” I am proud to say, he is reading.

Was I wrong?

I wish I were. My son and I truly do struggle to work together on homeschool. I hope that will change. The most challenging part is he doesn’t know what school is like. He hasn’t ever lived a life where he couldn’t go fishing with grandparents on a Thursday or go hunt coyotes with my husband on a Monday morning. There are so many things that he loves like building with Legos, playing outside, being involved with our cattle and helping the butcher when he comes on butcher days. I still see so much value in what we are doing regardless if we have some not so great days in the mix. I will be sure to update you when we really find our groove.

Remember Your Why

It is so dang easy to fall into the trap of thinking homeschool should look like how you experienced school. I think it is so important to write down why you want to homeschool and keep it somewhere you will see often. Put it in your lesson plan book, above your homeschool cart or frame it and hang it in your homeschool room or area. We were trained so well during our 13 years of school that we think that’s what we need to learn about and that’s how we need to learn it. Yikes! Keep bringing yourself back to your why and that will help align your what and your how.

Homeschool Supplies

In general, I’d like to think I am pretty practical and a minimalist. I don’t like a bunch of extra stuff around nor do I want to pay for something that isn’t regularly used.

1. A whiteboard that is magnetic is awesome to have. I can’t find ours anymore, but this one looks like a nice size.
2. A globe to reference whenever you are discussing real world events and happenings. Geography is woven into the Language Arts curriculum in TGATB so it is nice to have it to refer to.
3. We’ve gotten a ton of use out of these. They are wonderful to take in the car and to appointments. Learning on the go!
4. I always loved using these in the classroom, and I find a lot of uses for them in homeschool too.
5. I have created many different activities and games to slide into these. If it is something you’ll do or play more than once, stick them in here and cut down on your printing.
6. These are super helpful for counting by different increments and practicing all operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division). They are also fun to build with and littles like to play with them.
7. If you like mixing things up, these are super fun to use when practicing letter sounds, letter recognition, reading CVC words, or practicing spelling.
8. This has been a lot of fun to have as well. It seems very sturdy and good quality especially for the price. The kids really enjoy bringing in different things to look at. We haven’t started any super structured science, but we love doing experiments and watch Mystery Science every now and then.
9. To keep all art supplies and books wrangled we use this and this.

Build a Community

I don’t think we are all cut out for homeschool co-op groups, but I am always shocked at the incredible niche groups in our area. Finding or building a community in homeschool looks different for everyone. If you are new to homeschool you may feel like everyone is in a co-op. During my freshman year in college it felt like everyone was rushing sororities and fraternities. I knew that just wasn’t for me. Don’t feel like you have to join a co-op like many others do. Our time is sacred and if you are anything like me, you can fill up a schedule if you aren’t careful. Maybe your kids would rather play sports to get social interaction with kids their age. Perhaps they are in 4-H. Maybe you have an idea for a group that would benefit the kids in your community.

Homeschool Field Trip Planner

One thing I have really enjoyed doing is planning field trips for a small group of kids. I look for places where students can see the process of how something is made. I also love exposing kids to diverse career paths, trades or businesses. We haven’t done any recently, but I am getting back on the wagon now that our third baby has arrived. I am committing to setting something up for the 4th Wednesday of every month. Not only are the kids having a great time, but the parents and grandparents that come along are loving it too. Isn’t that what this is all about?

Don’t Be Afraid to Homeschool

Depending on the state you live in, homeschooling may or may not be at the forefront of your mind. In our area, from the sounds of it, enrollment is dropping like crazy in traditional schools. There are many doubts that come into your mind though when you entertain the idea of homeschooling. I hope you will quiet them down and give it a try. Be patient with yourself and your student, and reach out to other parents that are walking the same path. Whether you lesson plan together, have the kids pen pal, or troubleshoot obstacles that come up along the way, it is nice to have someone that is in the same season to connect with. If you homeschool or are considering it, I’d love to hear from you!