When our children are preschool-age, we often hear that playing is enough when it comes to their education—and it absolutely is! Sometimes, though, they crave structure, and honestly, we do too.
So what do we do on the days when we're all played out? The weather is less than ideal? Or we simply need something to do? What do we do to begin building a foundation of learning through wonder and play with our children?
Read MoreWe are very "sorry, not sorry" for adding a new option to your pile for next year ;). If you're still exploring options, we wanted to make sure you have a FULL wealth of knowledge about how our Nature programs work, by getting your hands on it... legit.
The preschool years seem to be filled with such “gray area”. Do our 2, 3, and 4-year-olds just need to play, or do they do school work too? What should they know before kindergarten? Do they need to know anything?
We love nature-focused unit studies around here. After much searching and pre-reading, we found a few very favorite reptile books that have been a hit with our kiddos.
Before we share the book list, we want to share a completely free resource you might enjoy….
Read MoreMorning Virtues offers FLEXIBILITY, but, we don’t want you to just take our word for how much we love Morning Virtues, we want you to try a month on us! So, we are offering Morning Virtues: Courage free.
Read MoreWe often hear the question “what do I do with my toddler while we homeschool?” or even just a general “What do I do with my toddler?” Trust us, we get it - and it is an absolutely valid question. Of course, every family and situation is different, so all of the ideas we discuss today may not work for your family, but we long to help get the brainstorming wheels turning.
Check out a few ideas we have compiled below using our FREE list of Skills and Activities Checklist. We are hopeful this is helpful in creating a plan for your curious two-year-olds.
Read MoreWhat a joy it is to explore the animal world and stand in awe of the creatures God has created! There are so many unique animals with different abilities, habitats, and features we don’t even know about! We have created this FREE Polar Animals fun pack to give you and your children then chance to explore the world of polar animals. Learn about the Orca whale, penguins, narwhal, and more! The recommended ages are preschool through 4th grade - but let’s be honest— no one is too old to enjoy the world of polar animals!
Are you in the season of reading instruction? It’s one of the most daunting aspects of home education and can feel overwhelming. But rest assured, when all is said and done, most of our children will learn how to read without too much of an issue.
There are so many aspects to learning to read, and if there is one kink in the chain, your child can struggle. Let’s take a look at a few areas students can struggle with when it comes to reading.
Read MoreHave you assumed that Gentle + Classical curriculum is only for families with preschoolers or Kindergarteners?
After loving Primer, have you thought, “What’s next for my first grader since Gentle + Classical doesn’t have a first grade program?”
If you have thought or assumed any of those things, you are not alone! That second question is one of our TOP questions, and we are here to answer that and so much more!
We want you to thoroughly understand EXACTLY what we offer for all students- preschool through 6th grade - so that you can make an informed plan for your children! And if you already love G+C, we don’t want you to feel like you must go find something else once you’re done with Primer!
Read MoreThere is nothing like cozying up on a cold winter day with a cup of coffee, light music in the background, and something to keep your mind busy and off the long cold winter days. We designed this free Winter Fun Pack to add a little “spice” to your days, and to especially help your little ones in getting the wiggles out in a way that might be a little more productive and wholesome than just climbing the walls!
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Full Disclosure: Some links on this website may generate a commission that help to maintain and market Life, Abundantly. All Amazon links are affiliate links (however, they do not impact the price you pay). Click here for full disclosure.
We are officially gearing up for another homeschool year! Honestly, in full transparency, I'm not super excited about it. I think it's because we've had such a busy summer that I don't feel like it's REAL that it's already August. But alas, here we are, whether I like it or not.
I'm being a total slacker on actually getting ready, but I have completed all of my planning, so I thought you might like to see what we have on our plate for the 2026–2027 school year for 4th and 5th grade boys :). I think talking about it will get my heart moving in that direction.
Here's our plan!
I mentioned the other day that I was working on a talk about joy—or more specifically, joyful early learning. Praise God, I finished it! Now I'm rehearsing it over and over again (lol). As tedious as that can be, the reason I wanted to give this talk is because… well… I need it, or at least parts of it.
Honestly, based on the emails I receive from time to time, I have a feeling some of you might need it too. About 97.5% of the "struggle" emails I receive are emails I absolutely could have written myself at some point, so there is ZERO shade here. BTDT, for real.
Many of the emails I receive that are related to behavioral and attitude struggles in children are also reflected in the emotional dysregulation the parent is displaying in the email. Sometimes, their language makes it clear that they are genuinely on the struggle bus with keeping it together, feeling overwhelmed, and overstimulated. Even more often, they simply admit it themselves. Whether it's an issue with self-control, anger, or diligence, it's usually confessed before they begin expressing their frustration over their child's struggles with… you guessed it… self-control, anger, or diligence.
One of my biggest parenting and education regrets?
It’s not that I wish I had been more rigorous. It’s that I wish I had been more diligent.
Diligence, self-control, and consistency were not virtues that were well developed when I entered motherhood. In fact, because I did not have Christ, I think I barely had any virtue at all. There’s not much that pains my heart more than remembering how unfaithful I often was with my sweet girls.
Praise God that He captured my heart and began a great work in me. Because of that—and because of home education—I began to grow in virtue alongside my daughters. Part of that growth was realizing the wisdom of diligence in home education. There is no growth without consistency.
I’ve now seen both sides of the coin: the struggle that came from delaying academics and leaning too heavily into child-led learning, and the fruit that comes from a diligent, consistent education. They are incomparable.
Lately, I’ve noticed another word making the rounds in homeschooling circles: rigor. I think it’s worth slowing down to ask whether that’s really what we’re looking for.
Education is about formation, not just information.
If your educational experience was anything like mine (public schoolers, raise your hand!), when you picture “education,” you primarily think “information.”
From a traditional schooling perspective, the daily goals look a lot like:
facts to learn
chapters to finish
standards to cover
tests to pass
And if we're honest, these expectations follow many of us into homeschooling. We assume our job is to deliver as much knowledge as possible, as efficiently as possible. Then, we probably need to do a test of some sort so we can SEE that our kids learned and maybe also show others that they're learning too.
Last week, on social media, I shared a post about discernment vs. control for homeschooling parents. It struck a nerve with many parents, so I wanted to share more here, plus the book list I created.
Here’s the gist:
In the early years of parenting, our job is control.
We control:
what they eat
what they watch
where they go
who they spend time with
how and what they learn
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I'm so glad you're here! I was just thinking about my last post where I shared our plans for the upcoming school year. Several people had questions about our participation in Classical Conversations and also, "How will you do all of that?" lol.
I wanted to address those questions because I think the answers may be helpful. When you see someone's homeschool plans written out, it's easy to miss all of the context behind how those plans actually fit into a family's week. So, here's a little more context about ours.