Our 2017/2018 (Very) Relaxed Homeschool Curriculum for 1st and 2nd Grade

I love homeschooling. Well, specifically, I love relaxed homeschooling.

After the disastrous beginning to our homeschool journey that ended with my children being enrolled in school again, if there’s one thing I’ve learned on this adventure, it’s that simplicity is a necessary component in this slightly chaotic household.

My approach to homeschooling 1st and 2nd grade may come dangerously close to unschooling, but that’s okay. It works for us.  

So here’s our plan for this year:

Our (Very) Relaxed Homeschool Curriculum for 1st and 2nd Grade

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Earlier this week when I shared our curriculum for our 4th through 8th graders, I referred to something that Sarah Mackenzie said in her book, Teaching from Rest:

Curriculum isn’t something that you buy. It’s something that you do.

I couldn’t agree more.

Bible:

We don’t use a Bible curriculum but simply do devotionals with an actual Bible. We use the NIrV Kids’ Devotional Bible because it is easy to understand and the devotions are phenomenal.

Language Arts:

I don’t teach every single component of language arts separately, so the only actual language arts textbooks my 1st and 2nd graders will use this year will be Adventures in Phonics and Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. Otherwise, read-alouds are a key component in my daughters’ education- for language arts and everything else, too!

And I do want to point out that we alternate the reading and phonics books. We do not do both every day. My goal is to help my kids to love learning, not turn them against it!

Math:

Although all of my kids up through 8th grade use Life of Fred, we generally don’t start using it until 3rd grade because I want my kids to have a good foundation in basic addition and subtraction before starting it. However, my 1st and 2nd graders are very good at math, so I have decided to alternate Life of Fred and Liberty Mathematics.

Yes, we alternate them. It works out perfectly for us!

Everything Else:

Last year I used Five in a Row with my younger children, but I realized that it just didn’t engage my children as well as good old-fashioned playtime. Kids this age are naturally curious and can easily learn all of the other subjects through their exploration of the world around them.

And since their older siblings do an assortment of hands-on activities, my daughters know they are welcome to participate any time they choose. Just this week, for example, they joined my older children in:

• painting
• making things out of clay, baking them, and painting them
• testing the soil in our yard, and
• planting seeds

Inquisitive children make great learners- no coercion required!

The moment I came to the realization that homeschooling doesn’t have to look anything like school was when I truly was able to give my children the best education possible- a homegrown one!

Do you have children this age? What are some of your curriculum choices?

Don’t forget to join my new Facebook group, There’s No Place Like Home Homeschool Community!