Homeschool: Our Plan + Your Recommendations

my sweater + jeans + hat  ||  hudson’s tee + shorts  || chairs + pillows |  art

If you would’ve asked me before or during the pandemic if I would ever consider homeschool, I probably would’ve laughed in your face! To be honest it was the furthest thing from my mind. But as the world changes and so many things are out of my control as a parent, I really started to get this gut feeling that I needed to look into it more. I mentioned it over on Instagram and got a TON of feedback (alll positive) about it, as well as so much help in how to get going. So today I thought it might be helpful to kind of explain my why, our tentative plan, what has helped me prep, and ALL your amazing recommendations!

my sweater + jeans + hat  ||  hudson’s tee + shorts  || hunter’s tee + sweats  ||  similar coffee table  |
couch + pillows

: WHY HOMESCHOOL 

I’m sure most of you can agree with me right now, that the world is kind of a crazy place. There is so much being presented to our kids at school (particularly in the older middle school grades) that I just was shocked about. For me, after talking to my kids and their situations over the past year, I just really felt the pull to take more control. Another reason we started to consider the homeschool option was scheduling, particularly for Hudson. When he misses school for baseball, he has had to stay hours after to make stuff up, for silly classes like PE. I was seeing so little of him already with normal school hours, and that just bothered me! So we started to see what we could do about it.

: OUR HOMESCHOOL PLAN 

As far as our plan goes, we are not jumping in with 5 kids at 100% full time. With our bigger kids, we sat down with them individually and let them help make the decision. Here is what we are planning on for the start of this school year.

Hunter:
She will go to high school full time. We may do one class as homeschool, but as of now, her schedule will remain all public school.

Hudson: 
He will be doing 50/50 with homeschool and middle school. In the mornings he will be home doing history, gym, and home economics/gardening. I honestly cannot wait for this time with him and love how excited he is about it too. In doing our research, Joe and I have also read a lot about the benefits for teens to get an extra hour of sleep. Studies show it is so much better for their health than anything else, which is why we are choosing to do mornings with us. He will do lunch at school, as well as math, science, and english.

Hayden:
She is going to do 100% homeschool. I am equal parts so excited and so nervous. We tend to butt heads a lot, so I am more apprehensive as to what to expect. She is the middle child and totally craves that one on one time, so I also think this may just be an answer to our prayers. We are both going into it with an open mind, and know that if it doesn’t work out, she can change things after Christmas.

Houston + Harper: 
As of right now, the littles are going to go 100% public school. I know they love learning with their little friends and think they are still in a place where it is so beneficial for them. Depending on how things work out with the big kids, we may start doing partial homeschool in the future.

: OUR CURRICULUM PLAN 

You guys gave me SO many recommendations and were full of so much knowledge that I am so grateful for. After doing our research, we are going to use The Good + The Beautiful program.

. . . 

As I mentioned above, you guys were so beyond helpful when I asked for your help on this. I got hundreds of messages with books, accounts, and curriculums to try. If you are considering this yourself, or interested in learning more, I highly recommend you check them out!

: BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS- 

HOMESCHOOL BRAVELY: How to Squash Doubt, Trust God, and Teach Your Child with Confidence

DUMBING US DOWN: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling

THE UNHURRIED HOMESCHOOLER: A Simple, Mercifully Short Book on Homeschooling

. . . 

: CURRICULUM + INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT RECOMMENDATIONS- 

BYU Independent Study

American Heritage School

The Good and The Beautiful

Saxon

My Tech High

Family Lyceum

Utah Connections

Teaching Textbooks

Math You See

@modernfarmhousefamily

@homeschoolpro

. . . 

I know that is a TON of information, but I hope it helps kind of give you a better idea of where we are at, and if you are interested some places to start!