I’m a month into hybrid homeschooling Priscilla and I am truly loving it. Autumns return means settling back into usual rhythms, and as someone who finds joy in order, this really is a time of year that I feel so inspired and motivated. For those who are new to my homeschooling journey: our daughter attends a local, religious preschool three mornings a week and I am teaching her the rest of the time from home using A Year of Learning’s “A Year of Tales” preschool curriculum. This is a Charlotte Mason (style of homeschooling/philosophy) curriculum that is literature based using as its foundation, Beatrix Potter’s stories. I grew up devouring anything Beatrix Potter, so this feels so right and full circle. A month in, I can tell that Cilla is really gleaning so much from these timeless stories and that this method (although I follow it loosely) is really resonating with all of us.
A few weeks after reading Peter Rabbit we discovered a dead rabbit on our street. Cilla was fascinated, and we went to look at it from about a foot away. I’ve discussed so much over my blog and social media in my years sharing life online, but never roadkill, but here we are. This, too, was an excellent teaching moment. We discussed what probably happened to this bunny, and perhaps like Peter, he wasn’t obedient to his mama rabbit when she told him to stay home.
In light of common sense values that seem greatly lacking in our society presently, and reflecting on my own holes in my education, has led me to feeling renewed and inspired after watching my four-year-old grasp the importance of character traits like (healthy) obedience and loyalty.
I begin planning for a month of preschool by glancing at my large, monthly calendar– just a simple one from Target. I immediately add in anything special: trips out of town, or Wild + Free group field trips. I usually save Fridays for tea parties or field trips with my friend Emma and her littles who are also using the same curriculum. Minnesota is such a rich state when it comes to parks, museums, and educational opportunities that are often low cost or free. We’re not in the city, but a quick drive gets us access to so very much– state parks, apple orchards, trails, classical and cultural museums and institutes. Once I’ve written those down I move onto the lesson plans for reach week.
I add in the letter, value, and verse for each week on the calendar so I know what’s coming next. This helps me greatly when I go to “shop” my supplies and resources, many I’ve been collected for some time now.
Each week I take some time on Monday or Tuesday to look ahead to the following week. I ask myself:
“What books do I need to request from the library or pull from our shelves?”
“Have I read through the weekly verse and value and feel prepared to teach it to my child?”
I then sit down and fill a vintage coke bottle box with all the materials I’ll need for the following week: printables, books, letters, and our math curriculum. Usually when I request books from the library they’re ready in just a few days and I can swing by and pick them up. The library has become part of our homeschooling ritual now, too. We love visiting!
Then, when Thursday rolls around (the start of our hybrid week) I am ready to go! I’m still in a learning phase and am deciphering so very much, but this method of planning a month and a week ahead works well for us and I plan to continue this way.
