When my kids were very young, we didn’t begin our homeschooling in the fall until after Labor Day. Now, we are a part of Classical Conversations (CC), a Christian community devoted to the view of education being ‘to know God and make Him known.’ Our community begins mid-August. And, this being my 9th year of homeschooling, I have determined it works best for us to begin at home a week before community.

This year I will have one each: 7th, 5th, and 1st graders. Each child has their books and curriculum which I choose (CC has a complete curriculum from 7th-12th grade). And, one beautiful thing about homeschooling is that I am seeing exactly the way each of my students learn. I get to determine if a particular book is working for them or not. We are not ‘one size fits all’ so this helps me get the best possible option for each child.

I am so thankful to have the opportunity and blessing to see the ‘lightbulbs’ go off in my children’s’ eyes as they begin to understand and comprehend things. We approach homeschooling as ‘home school’ versus ‘school at home’. For us this means that each student doesn’t do all of their subjects separately and per grade. Up until this year, we have done history, science, and Bible as a family, tailoring the subjects to each child’s need or ability.

For example: we love Story of the World by Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer of the Well Trained Mind. It is a classical curriculum for history and is written like a storybook instead of a textbook. I read the lesson aloud and, depending on the age of the student, they color the sheet for the chapter; do the map work for this area of the world; and take the test/quiz associated with that chapter. This is a wonderful bonding time also for our family. Read alouds are such a way to bring people together. And in this, we are all learning! I love seeing and hearing how my kids take what they’ve learned and apply it or compare it to another subject. God is at the center of all subjects! The don’t need to be compartmentalized but can be fluid and interwoven.

Our schoolroom is at the long end of our living room space. Because of this, I have an old television cabinet I use for our school cabinet that I can close when school is over. Less to view across the house and feel cluttered! Each student has a cubby with their work in it (my oldest son uses a rolling cart for community and so most of his work stays in it as he works throughout the week). We have our school supplies and shared paper on hand and easily accessible.

We used to do our schoolwork at the kitchen table. And sometimes we still do! But, with this area, we can break apart for extra needed space and quiet, utilizing two tables if need be. I got this table off of Facebook marketplace and painted it white. It has drop leaf sides which are nice when school is not in session and we can fold it down and move it up against the wall underneath the chalkboard.

Our chalkboard, an old vanity mirror I painted with chalkboard paint, has our year’s Bible verse written on it. I pray the 4 of us can memorize it and hide these words in our hearts as we begin this new school year! Only by God’s grace!

Do you homeschool? I’d love to hear how you’re beginning your school year.