Ok. confession, I love homeschool curriculum. I love reading reviews and the smell of new homeschool books. I love reading about the various homeschool theories and seeing all that is out there. All that said, it can be very overwhelming at times. We are sucked in to the pretty pictures, newest homeschooling fads, and wanting to ‘feel’ like we are covering everything we ‘need’ to.

It is hard to believe this is our 7th year homeschooling {we started when Music-Bee was 2.5/3} I shared some reflections of journey HERE on Periscope. I also shared why we are spring cleaning our curriculum and what we will be doing on Fridays for the remainder of the school year.

As the weather and seasons begin to change we all get a little restless so it’s time to shake things up a bit…check out ‘My Happy Homeschool Fun Fridays’ on Instagram to see what we are up to.

5 {well, 6} Tips for New Homeschoolers From a Mom of Four

1. Resist the urge my friends – do no buy a bunch of curriculum especially if your kids are little. The books are pretty and ah, that smell….resist it! There are far better ways…
2. Do not stress if our 3, 4, or even 5 year old is not ‘doing’ school {unless required of coarse check your state laws HERE}
3. DO NOT make your kids ‘do’ school all day or feel like you need to fill their days with constant entertainment.
4. DO NOT feel guilty about saying no to the local homeschool co-op, library time, or playdate. Your kids will be social – they will have countless opportunities to ‘be’ socialized – if anything they will be ‘too’ social at times.
5. DO enjoy spending time with your children – get outside as much as possible, read good books, go to the park, the zoo, the hands on museum, the beach, play games, and don’t feel bad for exposing them to ‘real’ life and hands on learning. Learning is an atmosphere – and, ‘the mother who takes pains to endow her children with good habits secures for herself smooth and easy days’*. The road isn’t easy, but you are planting seeds for a love a learning…
6. Implement a quiet time in your days and don’t feel bad if you have to close your eyes for a few to tune out the noise. We all need a break sometimes and don’t beat yourself up. As homeschool parents there is no ‘lunch room break’, ‘prep hour’, or ‘specials’ – you are it! You are on duty 24/7 – you are the lunch mom, the nurse, the principle, the art teacher, the reading aid, etc. take that break! And, don’t think twice about it!

This is a time in our home where hands  on learning and living books become one; Here are some of our favorite ‘living books’ {If you are not familiar with these they are classics not text books. They are literature based to help inspire, spark curiosity, and encourage a continuous love of learning} Click the picture affiliate links included for your convenience -if you order I will get a small percentage of the sale at no additional cost to you – it helps keeps this little blog running so, thank you!

*Charlotte Mason Quote

Some of our favorite Homeschool Spring Cleaning resources;