How I Homeschool- 1st Quarter

I'm posting this today because I'm tired of thinking about it. It could definitely be a bit more polished as a post but I want to get this info out of my drafts before I really don't care anymore. We're into 2nd quarter and I'm changing up many things. Here's what I did for August through October for a 2nd grader. (Most of the pictures have to do with ELA because that takes the most thought, always.)

And because everyone always wants to know: we *could* do school in 2 1/2 - 3 hours, easily. "We" do tend to procrastinate so it usually takes about 6 hours with breaks, errands, and outside time mixed in there. 

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When it comes to what I do with the kid(s) for school specifically, I've learned a lot in the last several weeks. I created a google sheet for all four quarters of the year and I'm planning and goal-setting by quarter. I knew what I wanted to be done with by mid-October and what I would be ready to move onto at this point. 

1. So that's the first thing: don't plan the whole year out. Do one quarter at a time. Look at the calendar, get a spreadsheet or planner and fill in the non-negotiables or must-do items first. Second quarters are also jam-packed with three holidays so I never planned to accomplish as much as a teacher; the same applies here. 

2. For the 1st quarter, I gave us 10 weeks, August 11-October 17. There were a few days where things got really thrown off and most Fridays we had co-op so we didn't do bookwork. 

3. I initially thought homeschooling would give us time to Do All The Things outside of the house during week or, like, travel lol. That's not really the case. Yeah, we do occasional errands in the morning or a random appointment, but keeping us at home works so much better for getting things done. It's really hard to force him to finish something before dinner, especially if his friends are around. School is out around 3:15pm in our town, so being done by then works best. If I stuff errands into the morning, we get behind. 

4. I am much, much more unstructured than I ever assumed I would be. I realized it literally doesn't matter when we do it, as long as we get it done. Sometimes, I just refuse to fall behind and I make him do something on the weekends (he just did a math test on Friday night and it sat on the table until I checked it on Saturday night). Sometimes I make him work on holidays (Labor Day, definitely, Columbus day, of course) because kids lose a lot over 3-day weekends. Unless we have a reason not to-- like we're going somewhere--it's a regular school day. I have explained to him that he gets most Fridays off and he sleeps in every day so it all evens out. 

5. There are no regulations for homeschooling in Kansas. You just fill out one little form on a website. No records are necessary either. I'm keeping records because my plan is to eventually go back to regular school but honestly, worst case, I'm certified to teach. I'm not too concerned about records. I am keeping a data binder with proof of assessments. 

In true public school fashion, let's Remember Our Why: My why for homeschooling is not because I'm afraid of what he'll learn in school. I'm afraid of what he'll NOT learn in school. There is so much they just don't teach kids because teachers themselves have little to no content knowledge. I want my 2nd grader to know how to write in cursive. He needs to take spelling tests. He should be reading aloud and also reading to himself every day. He needs to do pages of math problems, not just watch the teacher do a few interactively and then draw some pictures. And don't get me started on history and geography....

Daily Schedule

Morning Work

The Good and The Beautiful Handwriting book. Two pages a day and he'll finish this book in a week or so, and then I have a cursive book ready. He wants to do cursive so I told him we'd try. Handwriting is something they will not teach past 1st grade in most public schools in 2025, just fyi. 

IXL 2nd grade math workbook. This book is my favorite thing ever. Such a perfect no-tech review of what he needs to be doing in 2nd grade. I am a fan of IXL in general, but I want him to master the paper/pencil way to do math to practice number formation, etc before letting him do the interactive version on a device. 

Zaner-Bloser 2nd Grade spelling book. A great option. I could've gone with a different brand, but I'd never used this and it looked good. You don't need to supplement spelling with TGATB because their Level K-1-2 Language Arts incorporates it, but it's not super structured. I wanted structure like they have for the intermediate grades. He does one page a day and a test every 7 days, at the end of each "unit". Many schools also do not teach spelling (or grammar) explicitly and it shows. I wanted the structure of daily spelling work. 

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All of this is included in TGATB Level 2 Language Arts. 

TGATB Booster Cards and Nature Reader. This is the phonics component for Levels K, 1, and 2. I bought the Level C Booster Card booklet and then the Nature Reader corresponds to the cards. So we practice the cards to mastery, sometimes going further with other activities if it's a harder skill, and then he reads 2-3 stories aloud per day to me. This is repetitive work, so he may read the same story 3-4 days in a row before we move on from it. Each story is about 8-10 pages long.

Language Arts Lesson

This is in a dual workbook/manual. I adore this book. Cannot recommend it enough. It spirals. Every day is different. There is so much geography and art and poetry involved. I cannot stress enough: a 2nd grader would not see any of that in a regular classroom. Each lesson takes about 20 minutes.

Reading (shared and independent)

Wesley and the Wolves and Molly and the Falcon are the two shared reads that go with the Level C Booster Card skills. We finished both books already. I have a lot of short chapter books to take their place, maybe a novel study or two. 

Then, I usually set a timer for 15 minutes and send Wells off with a short chapter book. He reads a chapter and then he comes and reads it to me. 

The first quarter, we wanted to do space (see below), so he read the Mark on Mars series and then Horrible Harry Goes to the Moon. 

Math

I started with using TGATB Level 2 math but it's pretty easy for him so we're blowing through a few lessons a day. I have a lot of strategy to how I'm doing math with Wells. Each TGATB lesson has a lesson and then spiraled independent practice. I give him the independent practice to do, check it for misconceptions, and then go over anything I think is pertinent in the lesson. It takes about 15 minutes a lesson so then we do 2-3 lessons a day, depending. I'm not looking at the lesson so much as thinking about what standards he needs to master in 2nd grade. TGATB has a huge focus on time, money, and calendars. Those are strands that are barely touched on in most primary curriculums. But then they do not have a focus on more advanced computation practice. 

So I did what any normal parent would do: I bought a second curriculum and we're doing both. The Envisons Math focuses mainly on computation and problem-solving. It also does this Thing I Hate where they do 8-10 lessons on a skill and show the student 5-7 ways to solve the problems instead of just teaching them an algorithm. The idea is that students are exposed to all the strategies and then they pick the one that clicks. Unfortunately, this is how kids get confused. I used to tell my students that once they found a way that works for them, to ignore the rest. So what I do is just use the problems in the book for practice and ignore a lot of the strategies. I will say they were having a major sale back in August when I bought it so I got it for like $83. 

But, as I work my way through the book, I can see what I still need to teach him in order to "complete" 2nd grade and be ready for 3rd. It's crazy to me that he is already where the teacher/class would be at Christmastime in a regular classroom. It also has been eye-opening because I can see now how much I likely held kids back over the years, completely unintentionally. 

Science and Social Studies

These aren't usually curriculum-based subjects in the primary grades and it's exactly why kids have no core knowledge. We're not doing anything regimented and mostly he gets this through his non-fiction books that he likes. For Quarter 2, I will do Thanksgiving (remember last year!) and then we'll do an advent study. 

We are out in nature every day, and Scott got him a terrarium (idk?) so he's getting a lot of science just living life. I've reinstated his Youtube privileges so he watches videos about snakes, insects, animals, etc most days.*

(*privileges have since been revoked :)

I see a lot of parents in Facebook groups ask about history. I like this from Core Knowledge but I don't know. Maybe I'll just start that in 3rd grade? TGATB history courses start in 3rd grade but they start with Biblical history and the ancient world and I want him to have a grasp on US history before moving onto world history. Again, in my experience, starting with the more abstract never works. 

I was initially doing Space for science from TGATB but he didn't care and I didn't either. Doing impromptu science and incorporating it into the ELA work is better for everyone when they're in the primary grades. I have a plan for science and social studies for the 3rd and 4th quarters. And then I will absolutely get something for next year. I just haven't decided what yet. Thoughts? 

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We also did a few field trips the first quarter. A few were organized through local homeschool groups and our co-op so I took advantage of that. 

We went to a living history museum in KC, Missouri.

We did a tour of the Chiefs stadium.

We're supposed to do a tour of an orchard this Friday but it's going to rain and the single best thing about homeschooling is that we don't have to go if we don't want to go. 

I do take them to the library a lot because they put on 1-2 programs a week with special activities and crafts and they love checking out as many books as they can carry (with no rhyme, reason, or theme and it drives me nuts. Sutton got a Valentine book last week). 

And we take the dogs for a walk in the woods every day. ...P.E., right?

On our own, we went to the zoo and then to the planetarium. I really like the KC zoo and we have a membership there. I generally really like planetariums but a 3D theater is better. This one wasn't *as* great as the show we saw in Denver years ago, but it was definitely worth $8 a ticket. The one in Denver was at the Museum of Nature and Science and I can't recommend that enough. 

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Anyway, that was the first quarter of the school year. I, personally, think he's made an insane amount of progress and it's funny because he has had four really great teachers over his school career. I cannot take full credit for his success! I'm just building on their efforts so thank you to Mrs. Carroll, Mrs. Ferrell, Mrs. Solomon, and Mrs. Sloan. They have made this a lot easier than I thought it would ever be. 

And in true homeschool fashion, expect to see major changes in the 2nd quarter because this is how I feel most days:

2 Opinions and Memes

1. You don't have to make sourdough. I let my starter go --it basically just lived in the fridge last spring and wasn't any good. My friend gave me an unconstituted starter over the summer to start anew. I finally attempted this last week. It didn't work. In fact, it grew mold! I had my other starter for over a year and it never did that. I decided I could try again but no. I can buy a loaf from Aldi for $3 each week. 

2. Speaking of Aldi: I don't like their food. Like, generally, I do not like shopping there. The Aldi in Missouri was a lot nicer than the Aldi here, too, so that probably has something to do with it. But I've always felt this way about Aldi. I can buy the staples: milk, butter, baking ingredients, whatever. I get the kids some snacks there. It's a lot cheaper for those things but I'm never excited about going there. I don't like their produce. It doesn't last. The bananas are always green and then they over-ripen overnight. So I bought a bunch of organic bananas last week because they were actually yellow and ...they over-ripened overnight. So they're in the fridge and maybe I'll make banana bread or maybe I'll toss them like the last bunch. Who can say...

I don't know what Walmart does to their produce but it's always the best bet. 

I think this is from the one in June. I mean, it worked: We don't have a king. Why are they protesting for something they already have?

I can't take women's rights advice from a self-proclaimed feminist who used her rights to go $100k in debt for an English degree (at best).

I've never been able to drink more than one sip of eggnog. 

I made sauce on the stove last week because I knew this would happen if I pulled out the crockpot. 

I saw a Facebook article that said "Deer are more active this time of year. Find out why.". Amateurs. 

I saw posts about how we should all be antifa. We're at the last stage here.

I don't know why this is funny. It's not funny-funny but it's comical in the sense that it looks like the apocalypse. Someone in the comments posted "This is what happens when it snows and gets cold at the same time. It's serious." And someone said "you mean winter?"

I did learn last week that the "best" games are for Thursday, Sunday, and Monday nights, followed by late Sunday afternoon. The "worst" games are sent overseas on purpose or have that 1pm eastern slot on Sundays. 

Exactly how it should be. 

Friday Recommendations, 10/17

1. Task. We've been watching this on HBO and it's really good. It takes place near Philadelphia, and my complaint is that they tell the female actresses to pretend like they're in New Jersey or on the Sopranos or something and they all end up sounding like half-baked Canadians. If you liked Mare of Easttown, you'll like this. 

2. Tomato soup. I made this last week and it is the single easiest and also the best-tasting tomato soup I've ever made. I cannot recommend it enough now that, hopefully, cooler weather is headed your way. I love the soups where you blend in the veggies but this is very simple when it comes to the ingredient list. And don't skip the cooking sherry because it gives great flavor. 

3. Dishwasher cleaner. I used to use Affresh and I liked it enough but it wasn't, like, a miracle. This had really good reviews so I grabbed it at Walmart. CANNOT RECOMMEND ENOUGH. It did such an excellent job. Any weird smells or build-up were completely gone. 

4. Calendar.  My parents sent me this calendar as an early Christmas gift because I needed something for our homeschool routine. Everything from Treasures from Jennifer is ridiculously gorgeous and functional at the same time. Both the kids love putting the date and weather on it every day. 

5. I do recommend taking a tour of an NFL stadium if you can. This week, we went on a "field trip". It's essentially free to tour in a homeschool group (it was donation only so I gave them $10). This was NOT through our co-op but was just open to any local homeschoolers. I found it on Facebook. I bribed Sutton with a pacifier and she made it through a 90 minute walking tour with no snacks and without whining, so that was my greatest achievement this week. And, as my mom asked, yes, this is their real locker room. They only use it on game day so it's completely cleaned out at all other times. They train in an indoor arena/field next to the stadium. 

 

Patrick Mahomes leaves his shower shoes and his deodorant in his locker in case anyone wanted to know that. 

They were unnaturally interested in the difference between the turf on the sideline and the real grass on the field. 

I always liked Juju Smith-Schuster when he played for the Steelers. 

Linking up with Friday Favorites!

Weekend stuff.

We were actually very busy this weekend, compared to my own standards for what "busy" means. You be the judge.

Saturday, I walked the dogs before it got too hot (yeah that's still a thing here).

Then we went to a local fall festival where I waited in line for food and Scott stood outside the bounce houses while the kids went nuts. We actually walked there, as it was about a mile from our house (okay, we drove down to a parking lot and walked from the lot).

it was so hot. i can't even explain. i could feel my arms burning. 

The good news about why I'm glad we went: there were local booths frrom organizations all over town and there was a local homeschool co-op there having a bake sale. It caught my attention and I went over to talk to them. I got a better feeling about this group. I think that may be my move for January. Time will tell.

Saturday, after we watched Penn State fizzle out in real time, we went to meet some friends at Dave and Busters. They have kids older than ours but everyone, especially Sutton it turns out, loves Dave and Busters.

 

Then we went out to The Lawn (really what it's called) with apparently everyone else. They had a giant movie screen they were showing Ghostbusters on but, after some Coldstone, we headed home. 

Sunday, Scott had plans in the morning and I honestly can't remember what we did all day. Definitely walked the dogs before that high of 87 degrees hit. I definitely watched the Steelers game. I don't care what anyone says: I really like Aaron Rodgers. 

Then Scott went to the Chiefs/Lions game with a friend who had tickets. 

His view:

My view:

don't mind the weird cord situation. we move the antenna around a lot.

I have told him he has to stop going to games because the Chiefs always win when he does. 

And that was the weekend. 

Mondays thoughts & unpopular opinions & memes

I posted on instagram about how unsure I've felt about our co-op situation and I've been waffling a lot on it and don't believe we'll be doing it next semester. They meet on Friday mornings so, by Thursday, I'm overwhelmed by the idea of attending and Friday is a complete unproductive wash because of it. I don't want to do anything else or accomplish anything else and it's a really terrible way to set myself up for success for the weekend. It's actually worse than it used to be going to work on Friday (because at least that was part of the routine, if that makes sense). This is just an intrusive commitment that jumbles up the end of the week.  It's why I haven't mustered up the energy to write Friday posts for last two weeks. The last two Fridays have also been 87 degrees and .... that's enough to make anyone take to their bed. 

This is me on Thursday nights right now:

Scott bought Wells a terrarium from someone he works with. This person makes them to sell. You never ever take the cork out and the light is set to be on for 8 hours a day. It has these little worms in it that eat the mold that develops from the moisture? It's like a rainforest in a fishbowl and this one has George Washington slaying a dinosaur in it. I told Scott this will really mess up Wells' understanding of history. 

Unpopular opinions: 

I think spending all your time on youth sports isn't good for anyone. 

I played youth sports. I played rec leagues, mostly, because that's all we had in the 90s, but I don't even think it's about church attendance. It's about the sheer time commitment to parents and the over-scheduling of children. I know many love it but also, once you're so far in, you can't just quit; you're committed. 

Guess what kids do for hours every day in their classroom? They play on devices. Wells would literally start his day on a Chromebook at 7:30am, with a piece of candy in hand for completing his homework. This is *encouraged* in schools because administration is always impressed by the "use of technology" and parents see "1:1" and assume the school is "on top of things and keeping up with the times". 

I don’t think attending Share the Arrows seems even a little bit worth the effort. 

Reasons include: 

Dallas is far.

It’s one day. 

I’ve been to enough PD and conferences to know sitting in a chair all day is boring and uncomfortable.

It’s hot in Texas right now. 

It’s one day. 

I have listened to these speakers now or in the past and I know exactly what their POVs and speeches will be. You're not going to get anything from this that you couldn't get from their Youtube channels. 

I don’t like Taylor Dukes and don’t buy into her kool-aid. 

It’s ONE day. 

It should at least be a 2-3 day event with things to do, breakout sessions, local meet-ups, whatever. 

Merch should be included in the price of admission. 

I’m not contesting that it takes a lot of money to put on a conference. I’m saying that for one day, hundreds to thousands of dollars for a ticket plus airfare and hotel stays isn’t worth it. It doesn’t contain new or groundbreaking information. I know what Allie Stuckey is going to say. I know what Katy Faust is going to say. I know what Abbie Halberstadt's message is. Same with Alisa Childers. I've read their books!

I get that it’s about fellowship but it’s really hard to have fellowship with strangers when you spend exactly 8 hrs (or less) together and then fly back to your homes in opposite states. 

Prove me wrong here: 

It’s Allie Stuckey building her brand and that’s it. I’m not saying she can’t do that. I’m just saying…*gestures wildly at all that up there*

THAT BEING SAID, go watch ABS's Surrounded debate that came out yesterday. Absolutely killing it in speaking Truth using love and decency. 

My favorite this week:

 

My kids love all the scary things, which is weird right? 

We do Halloween but I generally stay away from the scary stuff just because I'm more of a #fall person than a "spooky season" person. 

This is them at Home Depot, just delighted beyond belief: