Our Homeschool in Detail
Note that my “style” or approach is evolving. So you may find things we did for my oldest at Preschool that I did totally different for when my youngest arrived at that age. Overall our at-home education is an eclectic mix of Secular Charlotte Mason, Montessori, Unit Studies, Waldorf, Forest School and probably some things that don’t even have a label!
Preschool
Kindergarten
First Grade
Second Grade
Transition to Public School
New to Homeschooling?
Here are some helpful places to start:
Homeschool Styles (5 Different Approaches from Wild + Free)
10 Tips for Homeschool Newbies (Brave Writer)
Small Beginnings (A Homeschool Starter Guide for the Early Years)
The First Year of Homeschooling Your Child
The Homeschool Style Quiz (And 6 Approaches Explained)
Homeschooling: Which Model Is Right For You?
Cathy Duffy Reviews (Homeschool Curriculum Reviews)
Resources and Books by Homeschool Philosophy
Personally, I pull from Charlotte Mason, Montessori, Waldorf and Secular homeschooling philosophies of education and create a living education at home that fits our family’s values and my children’s personalities. I am sharing below lots of resources I have read and pulled from over the years. I acknowledge there are other styles not represented here so do not believe this list to be comprehensive.
Secular
- Blossom & Root
- Brave Writer
- Secular, Eclectic, Academic (SEA) Homeschooler (Facebook group)
- Antiracist Homeschooling (The Intuitive Homeschooler)
- Unfundamentalist Homeschooling (Facebook group)
- Living Books of All People (Facebook group)
- Ultimate Guide to Secular Homeschool Curriculum
- Secular Science Curriculum for Homeschoolers Resource List
- Secular Homeschool Curriculum Guide
- A Comprehensive List of Inclusive Homeschool Curriculum (from @carolinejsumlin)
Charlotte Mason
- Charlotte Mason’s Home Education Series
- A Delectable Education (podcasts)
- Heritage Mom
- The Charlotte Mason Companion by Karen Andreola
- Mother Culture by Karen Andreola
- Know and Tell by Karen Glass
- A Charlotte Mason Education by Catherine Levison
- For the Children’s Sake by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay
- Mere Motherhood by Cindy Rollins
- A Handbook to Morning Time by Cindy Rollins
- Ambleside Online
- Simply Charlotte Mason
- Commonplace Quarterly
- A Humble Place
- My Little Robins
- Gentle + Classical Press
- Jodi Mockabee
- Sabbath Mood Homeschool
- Wildwood Curriculum (secular Charlotte Mason)
- Juniper Pines (secular Charlotte Mason)
- A Literary Education: Adapting Charlotte Mason for Modern Secular Homeschooling
- Living Books of All People (Facebook group)
- Farmhouse Schoolhouse
- Sage Parnassus
- Modern Miss Mason
- Living Books Library
- AT HOME Podcast (Jen, Greta, Kristin, Bre)
Montessori
- Montessori Resources (Living Montessori Now)
- Montessori is More than Shelves and Resources
- Living Montessori Now
- Trillium Montessori
- Pinay Homeschooler
- Every Star is Different
- I Believe In Montessori
- The Helpful Garden
- Montessori Nature
- Carrots Are Orange
- Mama’s Happy Hive
- Plenty of Trays
- Montessori Print Shop
- Montessori Factory
- Mirus Toys
- The ultimate list of Montessori activities for babies, toddlers and preschoolers
- Montessori Kindergarten (Bruna Masalin)
- Slow and Steady Get Me Ready
- Help Your Preschooler Build A Better Brain
Waldorf
- Simplicity Parenting by Kim John Payne
- Beyond the Rainbow Bridge
- All Year Round: Christian Calendar of Celebrations
- The Children’s Forest
- Moon Child Blog from Sarah Baldwin
- The Little Oak Learning
- Lavender’s Blue Homeschool
- Oak Meadow
- Waldorf Inspired Learning
- Rooted Childhood
- Waldorfish
- Waldorf Essentials
- Bella Luna Toys
- Sarah’s Silks
Other
- Dumbing Us Down by John Taylor Gatto
- Teaching From Rest* by Sarah Mackenzie
- The Brave Learner by Julie Bogart
- Wild + Free Homeschool Community
- Teachers Pay Teachers
- SQUILT *
- Chalk Pastel*
*Contains religious content
Favorite Curriculum & Learning Sources
- Blossom & Root
- All About Learning
- Pandia Press
- Dimensions by Singapore Math
- The Peaceful Press*
- A Year of Learning*
- ABC See, Hear, Do
- Exploring Nature With Children*
- The Little Oak Learning
- Handwriting Without Tears
- Letters From Afar
*Contains religious content
Resources For Unit Studies
Most of the resources below are for nature-based unit studies.
How to Plan A Unit Study from Chickie & Roo
- Brave Grown Home
- Twig & Moth
- Chickie & Roo
- Fiddlesticks Ed
- The Silvan Reverie
- Green Urban Creative
- Steph Hathaway Designs
- The Pinay Homeschooler Shop
- Firefly Nature School
- Simply A Love
- I Believe In Montessori
- Montessori Nature
- Honeycomb Cabin
- Montessori Factory
*Or see any of the Montessori resources listed above in the Resources and Books by Homeschool Philosophy section. I almost always use some Montessori materials in any unit we do.
Preschool Curriculum Reviews
See my blog post here for information on Homeschool Preschool Curriculum options.
Homeschool Printing Options
The Homeschool Printing Company
For the Read Aloud Family
Books to Read
- The Read Aloud Family by Sarah Mackenzie
- The Read Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease
- The Enchanted Hour by Meghan Cox Gurdon
- Honey for a Child’s Heart by Gladys Hunt
- Reading Magic by Mem Fox
Helpful Websites
- We Need Diverse Books
- Here Wee Read
- Books For Littles
- Time to Decolonize Your Bookshelf
- Read Aloud Revival booklists
- Read Aloud Revival podcast
- The Peaceful Preschool Book List (free download on their website)
- Selecting Preschool Books
- Favorite Read-Aloud books for ages 3-5 (Simply Charlotte Mason)
- Beautiful Feet Books
- 50 Chapter Books for Preschoolers
- List of Fairy Tales by age (from Beyond the Rainbow Bridge)
- Living Books of All People (Facebook group)
Positive Parenting Favorites
- Respectful Parenting Podcast
- Simplicity Parenting
- How to Talk so Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk
- The Whole Brain Child
- Siblings Without Rivalry
- Parenting With Love and Logic
- How Toddlers Thrive
- Kids Are Worth It
- Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids
- Peaceful Parent, Happy Siblings
- No Bad Kids
- Big Life Journal for Kids
- Mindful Kids Cards