I am so delighted to share our curriculum choices for our first year of homeschool! I am hopeful that our plans will be just right for our family and our values. I know we will learn a lot along the way, and I’m giving myself the freedom to adapt as needed. Below I’ve shared many of the choices we’ve made for this school year. I believe these choices will provide simplicity, rigor, and a love of learning. I desire our learning to be measurable and academically challenging, but I also desire open-ended, authentic learning. You’ll find that both math and language arts will be more traditional this year, while science and social studies will be interest-led and literature based. I’m excited for all we have planned! I’m hoping for a lot of learning this school year, but also… we’re hopeful for a lot of play and adventure! I couldn’t help but think ahead to what might work for us in future years. At the end of this post I shared other curriculums I’m interested in for future homeschool years! I hope sharing our plans for our’ “first grade” year helps you in your curriculum decisions.

I can’t tell you how excited I am for our first year of homeschool! It is evidence of God’s faithfulness to me. I never planned for or dreamed of homeschooling, but I can look back and see how God was preparing me for this.

Raising children is a holy responsibility. My prayer is that our children would know and love God at an early age. That they would hear the gospel and receive the grace and forgiveness of the cross. That they would yield their lives to their Savior and ask the Holy Spirit to dwell inside of them. We believe our role as parents is to show our children the love and goodness of God through our actions while also presenting the truth of the gospel. And we believe it is ultimately the power of God that will lead them to Him.

It’s been a special tradition of creating homemade cards for Father’s Day. So far we’ve done golf, fishing, and grilling themed cards. This year’s card is all about growth. We want to honor Matt for not only being a provider for our family, but also remind him of the role he plays in the growth and training of our children. I love including the boys’ prints on the cards, and this year, I used their fingerprints.

I love a smoothie. But oftentimes, it just feels like too much work: ensuring I have all the ingredients on hand, remembering proportions, chopping fruit, and ultimately making a mess of my kitchen. A few years ago, I set out to simplify the process. My solution: freezer smoothie bags.

One afternoon of prep yields easy and fresh smoothies for weeks! There are a million ways to make a smoothie, but I’ve shared my go-to method below.

To be honest, dressing my children isn’t something I particularly love. Purchasing the right sizes for different seasons, coordinating outfits, and watching our budget is a recipe for stress in my life. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve thought about just grabbing all of their things at Target and Walmart and calling it a day. Which, hear me say this, you can totally do! However, I’ve found that why the process of buying clothes for my boys isn’t super enjoyable, I have some fierce opinions and preferences on how they dress. I’m currently dressing my almost 6 year old, 3.5 year old, and 18 month old, and I hope sharing my favorite brands and places to shop helps make the process easier for you!

There’s a shelf in the nursery that holds all of our baby-proof board books. I believe early literacy starts here. Sturdy books for tiny hands.

While we still have 3 weeks until our kids go back to school, most kindergarteners in our area start next week!! To all the mamas cherishing these last few days with their sweet 5 year olds: I’m sobbing right alongside you!

Every year for Father’s Day I love to create a homemade card with my boys. Two years ago, we created a golf themed card, last year we created a fishing themed card, and this year we went with a grilling theme! I always include the boys’ handprints, and it’s really sweet to see them grow each year!