We’re at the start of another homeschool year! Sadie is kind of in an in-between year this year because in Pennsylvania, we don’t have to report anything to the state until she is six-years-old by September 1st. Her birthday falls at the end of September, so we have a year of being able to explore and learn and do what works for us before there are certain requirements for days, hours, or subjects to be covered.

Because we don’t have to report to the state this year, does that mean we’re not doing any learning? No way! We have a plan of subjects we’re going to cover and how often, curriculum we plan to use, and some learning goals. At the same time, I am holding the word “plan” loosely, because I know things can and will change as the year goes on. As of now, here’s what’s on the agenda for the school year!

I’ve been asked what grade Sader Tot is in. If she attended public school, she would be in kindergarten this year. However, she’s at kindergarten level for some subjects, but first grade for others. What I love about homeschooling is that she can be doing kindergarten reading and first grade math and it’s all good. She can work at her level. Okay, onto our goals for the year!

My goals for Sadie are:

• To build a solid foundation in reading, handwriting, and math.
• To have fun!

My goals for myself are:

• To have fun teaching my daughter!
• Spark a love of learning in Sadie and help her follow her passions.
• Find ways to teach her that work for her and go at her pace.

Subjects we’re covering this year:

• Math
• Reading
• Handwriting
• Bible
• American Sign Language

Curriculum we’re using:

• The Good and The Beautiful Math K and Level 1
• All About Reading Level 1
• Handwriting and Bible Memory Copybook
• Not Consumed Bible Studies
• ABC Sign and Color

Math

We started The Good and The Beautiful Math K last year and have a few more lessons to finish until we start Math Level 1. Sadie really enjoys the hands-on approach of this curriculum!

Reading

Reading is a big one for us this year! We’ve been working so hard on this subject. Sadie is reading three and four letter words and we want to keep building on her skills. We started All About Reading Level 1 over the summer and it has been a good fit for us.

We plan to continue it this year, as we’re on lesson 18 out of 56. Sadie loves to be read to, but she doesn’t love learning how to read, so we are working through this curriculum at her pace! Some lessons take us two or three days, but it is more important to me that I value our relationship (aka not overwhelming and frustrating her) than checking off a box that we did one lesson per day.

Along with this curriculum we make our own books using words Sadie knows and pictures. She loves doing that! I also read books out loud each day and night. I just go with whatever she’s interested in. Right now we’re on a series about unicorns.

Handwriting

Sadie has the basics of handwriting down, she just needs to keep practicing and honing that skill. She has a copybook that has her tracing Bible verses, illustrating them, and then singing them to a tune to memorize them.

Bible

This will be our second year using Not Consumed Bible studies. We have a few workbooks on different topics and we go through a lesson each day. We read a lesson, go through the corresponding Bible verses, and then she draws a picture that goes along with the lesson.

American Sign Language

We’re big sign language users over here! We are using this workbook along with Youtube videos.

Co-Op

This will be our second year attending a homeschool co-op. It’s basically like one day of school with other homeschooled kids each week (our co-op day is Thursday). They get to study certain subjects together, take gym class, have lunch, and make friends! Sadie will be studying zoology, PA history, art, health, and more at co-op this year and she’s so excited.

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Now that I’ve covered all the things we’re studying this year, I’ll share how we track our progress. As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, we aren’t required to submit anything to the state yet. I want us to get into a general routine for next year, so we are aiming for 180 days of school.

We track our days in a super professional Hello Kitty planner 😂 Each day that we work, I write which day of the school year it is (for example, day 10 or day 50, etc.), what we plan to do (math lesson 25, reading lesson 10a, etc.) and then I let Sadie check off each box as we do the work.

Our “Routine”

The beauty of homeschooling is that every day can be different! We don’t have to start at the same time, do subjects in certain order, or do school in the same place. Right now, Jimmy is working on putting together a room at his workplace for us to do school. We plan to use that room, our kitchen table at home, and anywhere else we want. School at the park because it’s nice out? Yes please! School at a cafe because mom wants coffee? Definitely. I love that.

While we don’t have a set routine, lately we have been doing school while Mordecai naps (#toddlerlife). Sadie and I get out a basket with her schoolwork and then go through each subject until we’re done. If necessary, we split up the work throughout the day or are flexible with the time of day. Are you sensing a theme here? Flexibility… freedom… variety 😬

Thankfully, school doesn’t take us all day. This gives us time to go outside and play, visit the library, run errands, serve others, dive into fun projects, and do chores around the house.

Final Thoughts

I’ve been asked if I follow a certain philosophy (like Charlotte Mason, Waldorf, Montessori, Unschooling, etc.) and the answer is no. We’re just doing what works for our family. Every day I get to learn something new about Sadie, what sparks her interest, what she’s passionate about, how I can teach her in ways that suit her.

What I’ve learned since starting to teach Sadie at age two (!) is that homeschooling is a relationship of learning with my child. It’s not about me teaching her, but about me learning how she learns best and what I can do to support that!

It’s not about checking off a box and cramming knowledge into her brain, but about taking our time to discover together and valuing our relationship enough to know when she has had enough. It’s not about “the best” curriculum or method, but about what works for us. It’s being okay with making mistakes, with realzing something isn’t working, and having to courage to try something new. It’s about being thankful that I get to do this journey with my child each day and leaning on God for strength and support. It’s not easy, it’s a sacrifice at times, but it’s also a huge privilege that I never, ever want to take for granted!

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Whew, that was a lot of words about homeschooling! Thanks for following along this far. If you have any questions, leave them in the comments below!