Curriculum we’re using for our first year of homeschool

 

Before we get too far, let me just remind you that I’m a brand new homeschooler. And while these books and methods seem to be the best options for my kids, something else might work better for yours. For what it’s worth, here are the materials we’re using (and so far really loving) for homeschool this year: 

For reference, my oldest is in public school, and my youngest is in a neighborhood Montessori-style preschool. I just homeschool my 2nd-grader, but the way the spirit of learning at home seeps into the whole family.

Language Arts:

(Four days a week)

The Good and the Beautiful

I heard so much praise for this curriculum as I was researching different options, and it has lived up to all of my expectations. I love the art selections and the open-and-go style. We are using level 2. 

Math: 

(Four days a week)

• Revolution Math: I can’t praise this program enough. Your child gets a live tutor and a small class of friends their age to play math in an immersive story-based world. I struggled with math my whole life, so watching my kids LOVE and succeed in math with the help of Revolution Math makes my heart sing. Starting September 1st, you can try it for a month for five bucks here, or use code TALKWORDY. It’s for kids grades 2-5. 

• Life of Fred: Since story-based learning seems to be the most engaging form of learning for my child, we went with the elementary set of Life of Fred, and so far, it’s been wonderful. In full disclosure, Clay takes charge of the math most days and it only takes about 20 minutes or so a day. 

Writing:

(Four days a week)

The Loom Parent-Child Journal

Creating a positive association with writing is important to me, so I don’t do writing drills. We use the creativity, memory, gratitude, and self-reflection prompts throughout The Loom Parent-Child Journal I created with two other moms. It helps my kids have fun writing and get practice while they’re doing it. 

Science and Health: 

(Two to three times a week)

The Good and the Beautiful

We are using the FREE Marine Biology unit from The Good and the Beautiful and I am obsessed with it. It’s so fun for the kids and honestly, equally as fun for me. We’re learning so much. 

History:

(Once a week)

• A Young Person’s History of the World by Howard Zinn
• Oh Freedom! By Woke Homeschool

I love that it’s told from the perspective of Native Americans, African Americans, and immigrants. 

I plan to start teaching from these, but so far, I’ve just been teaching bits and pieced of history that interest us and that are relevant right now.

For example, I used this for a lesson and discussion on race. I think the most powerful way to teach anti-racism is to educate yourself first. Here’s a post with reading recommendations that’ll help you do that.

The Conscious Kid and the First Name Basis Podcast are great ongoing resources for teaching kids about race. 

Creativity: 

The Creative Core

The biggest thing that motivates me to homeschool right now is not Covid-19, though obviously that affected my decision. The biggest draw I have had to homeschool (even prior to 2020) is the ability to better cultivate creativity and curiosity at home. The Creative Core is the perfect comprehensive curriculum to help me do that. There are lessons on nature, resilience, weather, and everything in-between, and they focus on igniting your child’s inherent creativity. I especially love the book lists that come with each lesson!

French:

(Integrated daily)

I learned French through middle school, high school, and college, and while I’m rusty, I want my kids to have some exposure to it. I printed these free French vocabulary cards and had my kids place them around the house on the objects they correspond with. Every day, I try to work some French in by reading to them in French, teaching them a word, song, or phrase in French, or using DuoLingo. You could do this with any language, of course! 

Learning Supplements:

The Big Life Journal Growth Mindset Printables: I love these kits for learning the growth-mindset and character building.

Headspace Meditation for Kids: We start the day with a three-minute meditation. Sometimes it’s Headspace, other times it’s just me leading them in a visualization and breathing exercise. 

Cosmic Kids Yoga: Sometimes, we’ll do some yoga before we dive into the books. We love Cosmic Kids! It’s especially fun to find a theme that goes along with our lesson. 

Discover Talking Pen: My kids love using this educational STEM book that talks, and it gives me a few minutes of downtime. Get 10% off with the code kim10. 

Julia Rothman books: These beautifully illustrated books are so fun to look at and learn from. I use them with our science and health lessons and my kids spent hours pouring over them. We have the nature, ocean, and farm books. 

And, of course, other amazing books! Here’s a list of my favorite picture books and activity books for learning at home. 

Check out how I organized my homeschool space here. 

Though homeschooling isn’t always easy and never perfect, learning together in this way has been an unexpected blessing for our family. I’m not sure how long it will last, but for now, I’m soaking in this opportunity to teach my kids what they (and I) are curious about learning. The freedom to go at our own pace is especially something we feel like we need right now. 

Have any questions about the way we homeschool? While I’m not an expert (yet!) I’m happy to help however I can.