Ready or not, here we school

Ahh, August. Back to school shopping was always so much fun. I loved picking out new backpacks and lunch boxes. I still get giddy over it. There’s nothing like brand new pens, post-it’s, and planners. 

🤓 I know.

I have honestly been feeling a little overwhelmed this year. Chloe is starting first grade and Addi is starting preschool. Also, Harper is two, so there’s that. 

We have been hard at work setting up our school space. Working at the kitchen table was not working well for us last year because our kitchen is SO small and cramped. Also, Chloe will be doing a full day. We didn’t want to have to find a place to put everything during lunch and then drag it all back out. Here is what we have going on in our little apartment:

The above is Chloe’s space. The curriculum we are doing has several small workbooks for each subject. She will be able to store her current books and supplies in the drawers. She is beyond excited for her big girl desk. We keep forgetting to bring our chair out of storage, but she will have one. 😉

This is Addi’s space. I apologize for the pictures being so dark. It was a stormy day, and we try to block the heat out in the afternoon. She has the ugly window unit to stare at for now, but we don’t turn it on until after nap time. Our apartment’s air conditioner keeps our place at a nice and cool 87 degrees.. Hence the extra help that is needed.

Anyway, back to Addi’s desk. My sister found this desk for me to use with Chloe last year. Chloe loved it, but once we moved here we struggled with figuring out where to put it that would work for school. We finally just put it in her room so she could go in there away from the noise to color. This year had to be different. After a lot of stressing, crying, and rearranging we have it set up pretty well. Addi is really excited to have a desk that is all her own. She doesn’t mind getting hand-me-downs one bit. I’ve actually tossed around the idea of painting the desk and chair for her since they are both pretty worn in, and she would love picking colors. I predict pink. 🎀 Pink with ninja Turtles. That is my Addi!

I will be working on some fun things for Harper to do each day also. She is only two, so it will be sensory play and puzzles along with our speech therapy work. We have a kid table that I will pull out for her to sit at. She is at the age where she likes to do what her big sissies are doing. 💗

Here is what we are using this year for curriculum:

We are doing Horizons pre-k program for Addi. I am a big fan of it, as it is what we used when Chloe was doing preschool. For first grade, we are doing LIFEPAC. It is a student led program, so Chloe can work at her own pace. Every child is different, and I love that we can work at a pace that fits her. That is the beauty of homeschooling!

Both of these programs are from Alpha & Omega Pulications. If you are looking at Christian homeschool curriculum, I strongly suggest checking them out. They offer so many programs, so there really is something for everyone. 

Since I am balancing two grades this year, I bought an awesome Homeschool planner from Mardel’s back in May. It is the perfect fit for us. I am a planner. I love calendars a lot. Haha! 

Our start date is August 22. Chloe is already asking to do school. I keep telling her that it’s still summer and we need to enjoy it. Mama is not ready yet! 

Pray for us as we take on this year. Last year was a huge struggle with the job loss/move/lots of illness/trying to stay afloat. I am praying that we can have much smoother sailing this year. 

Homeschooling mamas: if you could pass on ONE piece of advice for me, what would it be? Do you stick to one set curriculum, or prefer to build your own?

I truly am not one of those people who believes that homeschooling is for everyone. In fact, I have begged God a few times to release me from this calling. I know 100% that it is right for us right now. I want this to be a space for homeschooling mamas to be able to chat and share ideas. 

However, I also want public school/ private school/ alternative school mamas to feel welcome here!! So, if you are not homeschooling, what is your child’s favorite subject or activity in school? At what age is your child starting to read (if you have reached that point)?