I think I’ve come to the conclusion that we’re “-ish” homeschoolers.

Unit-Study-ish…

Charlotte-Mason-ish…

Old-School-ish…

Traditional-ish…

Whole-Hearted-ish….

It took us quite a while to “get here.”

When we began homeschooling, I was certain we were going to be “Traditional” homeschoolers. Textbooks, scope & sequences, perfectly-filled-out planners, by-the-book homeschoolers.

And then I started reading about all the many different learning styles.

The learning process in all its stages totally fascinates me. The many different ways of teaching fascinate me. All the awesome blog posts and YouTube videos about homeschool curriculum draw me in. But you can’t do it all and stay sane and have your children still like you. (Emphasis on that last phrase) It helps to learn what style of education… and that can be an eclectic mix… works best for your family and your individual children.

What are we using with our littlest guys so far? We’ve needed to find a lot of sensory activities for our boys, and A Year of Playing Skillfully has been a good fit. It will probably be part of our yearly “rhythm” throughout the early grades. Each month, there is a theme that fits perfectly with the season, and lots of real-life activities, crafts, sensory experiences, play ideas, and more. Between our two boys and a whole bunch of grandkids that visit, we’ll definitely get our money’s worth out of that curriculum!  And since we’ve always homeschooled year-round, I am so excited about A Summer of Playing Skillfully… hot off the presses!

This winter, TJ suddenly was ready for a little bit of “sit down and do school time,” and I went searching for something that would be a good fit. My Father’s World has always caught my eye, so we ordered All Aboard the Animal Train for him. What I love best about My Father’s World are the Bible lessons in the preschool, kindergarten, and early grades… and with all the curriculum researching and googling and sampling that’s been going on around here, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God” keeps coming to the foreground. Developing a love for God’s Word is our family’s #1 priority. My Father’s World also incorporates a Charlotte Mason philosophy of learning with tons of good books, is unit study-based, and has lots of hands-on activities.

And for the not-so-distant future of elementary school? I’m really liking the Train Up a Child Unit Study curriculum! We’re a history-loving family, and I love that Train Up a Child goes through the timeline Every. Single. Year. They use a layering approach that helps kids slowly build an in-depth understanding of each period of history. Chronological study and big-picture thinking is important in learning about history, and I hope to develop a year-round rhythm of studying God’s story of our world… His Story. Train Up a Child also uses tons of living books, is project-based, and the historical units offer lots of room for delight-directed study and bunny trails!

If these curriculums work the way I THINK they will, we’ll be able to cover most of our “-ish’s”… or at least have a good head start with lots of tweaking room!