Family Style Learning

Curriculum. 

I love that word and at the same time I very much dislike that word. 

With 3 kids, it's easy to become overwhelmed with all of the great curriculum out there. Which one is right? What is my style of teaching and my children's style of learning-and how do I combine the two? Do I need to purchase a different one for each child? Big box or eclectic? And down the rabbit trail I go. I know I can allow myself to focus too much on the choice of curriculum, that I miss out on the whole reason we homeschool-connection. 

In order to cut down on some of the overwhelm, I combine as many subjects as I can.  We do a good bit of our learning together as a family. Our Bible time, Morning Time, Nature Study/Science, Read Alouds, and History are all family style. I know this is not a new concept in the homeschool world, but I want to share with you what that looks like for us. I hope it will give you some encouragement to figure out what works best for you family. 

So-where do we begin? 

With a rhythm. I can very quickly tell when we are out of rhythm, because we end up jumbled and cranky--all of us. I use the Visual Daily Rhythm Cards from Treehouse Schoolhouse. It's easy for us to all look at throughout the day and see where we are and what's coming next. I can easily change them out if our day looks different, such as appointments or play dates. A rhythm for us is essential and is not tied to a particular hour on the clock. Sometimes I need a little extra time with my coffee and personal Bible time. Sometimes one of the kids wakes everyone and we start earlier. It really depends on the day, but no matter when we start, the rhythm stays the same-except for maybe snacks or meals. 

Our day starts with breakfast and Bible time. I make the meal...I'm mostly talking oatmeal and cereal here, because let's be honest, they are going to be asking for a snack in an hour anyway. 😊 So, like I said, I make breakfast (and my coffee!), and while the kids are eating, I read our Bible story. Sometimes they draw or write in their Bible journals about the days passage, sometimes they do not. It really just depends on the day. 

After breakfast, we pull out our Morning Menus and talk about the calendar and weather. Again, we use Treehouse Schoolhouse's Morning Time Bundle. It's simple and straightforward. I like that I don't need a separate one for my kids' ages, but she does offer a Preschool Bundle that would be great for those younger ages. 

After a break and some chores, we meet back together for Nature Study/Science. This looks different during different seasons. We make room for one or two units from Gather Round in our year, and it's been fun deep diving into those subjects. During the months that we do a unit study, this is all we do for Science or Nature Study. The other months, we use Treehouse Schoolhouse Nature Study, and it is by far our favorite subject. If you can't tell already, I love everything Lyndsey and the Treehouse Schoolhouse team puts out. 😊

While I'm teaching or reading our unit or nature study, the kids play. This has been one of the most beneficial additions to our rhythm. Puzzles, PlusPlus blocks, Brain Flakes, modeling clay, weaving Playdoh, watercolor, coloring pages that go with our subject that day-basically anything they can do relatively quietly and without a lot of help. I put a few options on the table, let them get settled, and off we go. When I'm done reading, we put the toys away and do any book work or connection activity that goes with the lesson.

Snacks. Snacks are an important part of our learning, too. Starting next month, here I'll give a snack and move into History. We are using The Playful Pioneers by The Peaceful Press. It follows along with U.S. history at the time of Little House on the Prairie. My kiddos are all into pioneers after we listened to Little House in the Big Woods. So, I know this will be an interesting study for them. We've already done a few weeks of it last year, and we all enjoyed it! 

After that, it's time for individual lessons. More on this in a future post.  

One of the things I like best about family style lessons is that we each bring something to the table. My middle child may have a question about nature that none of us thought of, while my oldest can tell us something he learned in a book about the particular subject. 

Sometimes the question comes up, how can each age get what they need from family style learning? Well, my oldest can dive deeper than my 6-year-old, and that's to be expected. But he does this throughout the week with library book picks or other assignments I give him. And normally it's him asking for these extras--especially in History or anything related to sharks. For now, when it comes to each of these subjects, my girls are relatively at the same pace. But my 7-year-old has been known to enjoy picking library books about the subjects, too. A good video/DVD on the subject helps it come to life for her. I often hear, "Mommy, can you find a video on what that bird looks like as a baby?"  

Our day isn't always perfect, life happens, and things fall off rhythm. But I'm thankful that we can pick up pretty easily the next day because we have that routine set in place. And family style learning helps us all be on the same page. I also find that learning together as a family provides a sense of connection that surprises me daily. When I'm excited about learning, they are as well, and vice versa. 

Do you have any family style learning tips or tricks? I'd love to hear from you.