Last week as we got back into the groove of homeschool and weekly therapy sessions, I realized something. Maybe Jackson and I need to get back to the basics.
I think what needs to happen – what will lessen the stress of homeschool for the both of us – is if we focus on reading, writing and arithmetic (kind of like the old song goes).
Because the truth is, between all the therapy appointments each week and my grandiose homeschool plans, we run out of time to get it all done and then I feel like a failure. I plan a lot of stuff each week, not taking into consideration that every therapy appointment he attends counts towards his learning that day.
We currently use The Good & The Beautiful’s language arts and math curriculum. Everything I need is included in the lessons. They are short, keep Jackson engaged (for the most part) and each lesson builds upon the previous one. They really do lay a solid foundation and they make my job much easier.
But I’m guilty of trying to do too many activities and use too many different resources. I think part of the reason I do this is because I’m constantly trying to find ways to keep Jackson engaged and make learning fun. He often needs a multi-sensory approach, so I go to Pinterest to find creative ways to teach him. I find myself trying to incorporate all the basic skills he needs to learn into unit studies, when I already have a curriculum that covers them.
When will I get a grip and stop the madness?
On Friday I decided we weren’t going to do the science experiment and other non-essential activities that I had written down in my lesson plans. Instead, we were going to focus on our math and reading curriculum.
It turned out to be a super laid back and successful day of learning.
I wasn’t worried about the lesson plans we didn’t get to. I wasn’t spending hours printing, cutting and laminating. We completed our math and reading lessons, took a spelling test and read books together.
And that’s when I realized what I want (and what I need ) is a simpler, more stream-lined homeschool day.
And to do that, I don’t need a bunch of fancy activities and a dozen downloads from Teachers Pay Teachers. I need to stick to our math and reading curriculum, which are working for us. I need to continue reading a wide variety of books that Jackson loves with and to him.
Period.
Done.
Let’s not make it any harder than it has to be.
I’m not saying we’ll never do unit studies or that I’m breaking up with Teachers Pay Teachers. I’m just realizing that the basics are what matter most at this age. So why complicate it?
The most important thing I can do for Jackson right now, is make sure he has a solid foundation in reading, writing and arithmetic.