In the middle of this school year we decided it would be in the best interest to homeschool our girls. Because we live on a farm so far away from where we would like our girls to attend school, it's just not feasible at this time. So, I figured, why not give homeschool a try. And while we're at it...let's take ultimate advantage of still having a loose schedule and travel as much as possible while we're at it.

How IS homeschooling going?  

It seems like life has been spinning at a crazy speed lately and I'd really like to take a hot second for it slow down. I mean...I have to get Kaye ready for first grade...eh-hum...first grade at home. Yes...even though I would say I've epically failed at Kindergarten, I'm going to swing for the fence for first grade. Ps. Each and every single day both girls request to go to real school. Tell me this is normal.

But...Okay. I will say I'm not doing a terrible job. Kaye's reading is improving daily. Her handwriting is beautiful. We've worked through a solid amount of math. And we're working through the rest of the sight words. (Girlfriend hates sight words...and I definitely don't blame her. I don't remember doing sight words back in the day. When did these come about?) And I have big plans to celebrate her finishing up Kindergarten. And by big plans I mean I haven't planned anything, but I'm planning to plan something. She deserves it. She's worked hard / we've worked hard.

I get a lot of I can't believe you homeschool / that would be so hard / I could never do it comments. And it is hard. But it's also surprisingly rewarding. I'm acutely aware of how both girls are succeeding. I've learned their style of learning. I know that Sawyer would power through three math lessons because she enjoys the stickers, while Kaye gets extremely frustrated if she doesn't do each concept perfectly the first time. (She's been humbled.)

More pros : Not having to wake them up before they're ready each morning. Not having to pack school lunches. Stress-free mornings since I'm not reminding them 14 times to get your shoes on, get your backpack, eat your breakfast, eat your breakfast, no, I'm not redoing your hair, etc. And that's just in the morning! I'm no longer responsible for two snack days a month. I'm not forking over tuition each month. The list goes on...

The biggest pro to not having the girls in school : We've taken some super fun trips that never would have been possible had they been going to school - in the traditional sense. We've gone skiing mid-week several times. We took a 10 day trip to Oahu in January / February. My farmer and I sent the girls to stay with Nana and Grandpa for an entire week two weeks ago! We just returned from a trip to California to see my sister and her family...and that's not all. We're planning our next trip coming up in May! I think we're going to head over and down to Utah to see what Salt Lake City has to offer / possibly drive further to St. George!

See what I'm saying? This homeschool business is paying off. It's just hard for the girls to see it at their ages.

How long do I plan on homeschooling?

It's an ongoing conversation between the farmer and me. We both want every single opportunity for our girls. I want them to experience the fun that comes with going to a big school and he really enjoyed his time at a small school (graduating class of NINE). Ultimately, we see our girls attending school in Boise, but it probably won't happen until all three are of school age...so we have four more years.

Which curriculum are you using?

Good question. We haven't purchased a branded curriculum...yet. With Kindergarten my goal was to get Kaye a strong foundation in reading and writing and work through a math program I found. We also practice those dreaded sight words.

For this next year I've researched and decided on a program from The Good and the Beautiful. I'm purchasing the Language Arts / History / Math / Creative Arts + Crafts / and several elective units for Science. And of course I'll be rounding out our curriculum with lots of travel.

Sawyer won't be in Kindergarten yet (one more year!), so we'll work on reading, writing, and math...and she'll definitely participate in the arts and crafts.

Supplies?

You guys - There are countless blogs and Instagram accounts oozing all the workbooks / supplies / ideas / projects you could ever need / want and I found it to be unbearably overwhelming. Actually, when I fall into the rabbit hole I come out feeling really sad and like a failure. Not fun. So I quickly learned to avoid that approach (now that I have some base knowledge) and have purchased some goodies that I know will work for us over the coming years. A lot of the supplies are on Amazon. (I need to write a love letter to Amazon.)

I've created a list on Amazon so you can easily view / shop those goodies. A lot of the stuff could just be nice to have at home for extra practice. You can find that list here. There's stuff like puzzles, counting cubes, word wheels, geometric shapes, books, handwriting practice, etc. I'm always adding fun stuff I find.

Funding?

Funny story. When I decided to do this I reached out to the Department of Education and asked about funding for homeschool families and the gal's response was : There are currently no funding opportunities in the state of Idaho. I. Was. Shocked.

As it turns out...There may not be funding, per say, but there are options. Thanks for the zero help lady from the Department of Education. It's pretty clear she wanted to answer my e-mail in as few words as possible.

Luckily, Amy (farmerswifeamy) homeschools her boys and had heard about Tech Trep Academy. Now, neither of us have actually used Tech Trep, but it is an option to provide funding for each child starting in Kindergarten. There's also an Idaho specific Facebook page that I've found to be a great place to read up on what other families are doing / using / participating in.

We currently have our application out for review. Upon acceptance, there are requirements, such as weekly accountability, curriculum review, and standardized testing. I'm more than open to trying this out for the year.

Major bonus : The fluidity you get by being in charge. What works for families with 9-5 lives would never work for our family. I'm so grateful we have options.

Secondary bonus : The funding we will receive from Tech Trep can not only go towards supplies and curriculum, but also music lessons, field trips, gardening, gymnastics, technology...and so so many other things.
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Homeschool Room

Ugh. Patience is one thing I wish I had more of in all aspects of life. I'm an instant gratification kind of gal.

Currently, we do homeschool all over the house. Sometimes Kaye and I read on our bed because we can shut the door and it's quiet (hi Elli!). We work on lessons / handwriting at the kitchen table, which is also the location of art. Naturally, PE happens when I lock them outside. Kidding.

On that note, we are in the very beginning stages of building our garage (yes, we do not have a garage). It will have a spot on the north wall with huge windows that overlooks the farm. It'll have it's own entrance and really be a space that we can go to, put in our time, and then leave...so we're not constantly looking at school supplies on our kitchen table.

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All this to say...I'm feeling great in our current position, although my planning ahead for lessons could use some improvement. I'm assuming year one of homeschool is the toughest. Not only because it's new for all of us, but also, Elli is just so young. It's been tough with a one year old, little sister crying and clawing at mom for more attention when my attention is needed in seventeen other places at any given moment. We'll survive and I know it's worth it.

Questions about our homeschooling experience so far? Ask away!

Follow along with our adventures and mishaps : 


Heads up! While all opinions are my own, I have included affiliate links within this post. This doesn't mean you pay a penny more for clicking the link, it simply means I receive a small commission. If you have any questions about this, please don't hesitate to ask! Thank you!