New Year, New Curriculum

We are starting the new year on a new foot. This year we are changing up our curriculum, like big time. We are dropping everything, but math. Want to know what we are doing? Let me tell you.

After years of trying different things. Thinking we found just what we wanted, I got tired. I got tired of going between children and trying to help them. I got tired of the struggle of getting school done every day. So, I decided to gather the children around and start using Gather ‘Round Homeschool from Homeschool On.

I want to let you know, in no way at all was I compensated for this post. I just want to share with you what we found when we decided to start using it.

After years of book bags filled with a book for every curriculum, we are down to a basket for everyone’s folder and a shelf for their math books. We won’t get into the library book situation, because honestly, that hasn’t changed! But My time is mine again, all because one mom wanted to make things easier for herself and shared it with the world!

We are slowly working our way through the North American Birds Unit Study from Gather ‘Round, and I say slowly, only because we got hit by a nasty cold bug that is taking its time working through the house. Yes, we still take sick days, and we also take slow days. Those are the days when we are not 100% but we still work on some school.

Gather ‘Round allows that to happen. We have one main topic that everyone learns about. After we go through that, everyone does their workbook pages appropriate to their age. I am not spreading my time between 3 kids, rather we are all together and helping each other through the lesson.

I love that we are all together at the table at the same time. I love that I am doing one lesson for three kids, and I love that the kids are learning how to help each other with the workbook pages. We cover everything we need to within the unit study, language arts, social studies, science, and history. We only need to add math.

There are two ways to use this, you can do 4 weeks at 5 days a week, or 5 weeks at 4 days a week. This also does not take into consideration, sick days, or squirrel days. What are squirrel days? Oh, you know. That day when you find something on a side path that you want to look more into. It is not on the lesson plan, but you spend time learning together because something caught your eye. Yeah, that is a squirrel day, and those are recommended!

So, after falling in love over and over again with a curriculum that has me running all over the house trying to find supplies and get kids to get the numerous things done, I have finally fallen in love with a curriculum that encourages us to gather around together and be a family.

While we don’t need to add more than math, I do foresee myself adding some other things in. Mainly a nature study. I want my kids to get out more, so that is the only reason why I would add that.

I plan on updating you as we continue to work through the North American Birds Unit and what we plan to do as our next study with Gather ‘Round. Keep your eyes on the blog for more!