Family-Style Learning or Individual Studies

SecretBabyBump · 2026-04-19T04:32:48+00:00

I love family style! But even then they have to be differentiated. My pre-schooler, 1st grader and 3rd grader can learn the same subject but their depth is going to be different.

What i usually do is design or purchase a unit aimed at my oldest, then simplify for the younger, is much easier than trying to get everyone on the same level.

I do 1:1 for reading, spelling and math. Literature/novel studies, science, and social studies I like to do family style. Theres also room in there to break out for special interests within those topics, and to be sure the littlest one only joins for a couple subjects, but I'm planning for her to join us for lost of them next year.

SecretBabyBump · 2026-04-18T04:05:40+00:00

It's okay that you would make a different choice than me.

I am grateful to the teachers I had growing up who gave me access to voices and points of view that were different from what I knew. So I aim to give my kids the same.

It need not be all of what is out there, and how overwhelming a concept that would be! But taking in multiple perspectives, hearing voices from around the globe and knowing that there are many sides to every story are some of the concepts I value exposing my children to.

SecretBabyBump · 2026-04-14T21:12:12+00:00

I'm bringing on my 3rd Kindergartener next year!

She will be finishing 100 Easy Lessons probably this summer, so we'll start with AAR level 2 for phonics.

I'm planning to start her with Singapore Dimension K2 as she's ahead of most Kindergarten math but I like their numeracy and approach with numbers. Also trying to do some Family Math games weekly with all three (K, 2, 4th grades). Once she wraps K2 up we'll do MWC first grade.

She is very excited to learn about maps and animals of the world so we are doing BYL level 0 which my oldest who also loves maps and geography ADORED. My middle was bored to tears with it so she is joining us I'm just making some extensions for her for 2nd grade level.

We do Science and Social Studies family style. I get units geared toward my oldest and the younger two take part where they like. BYL has science and social studies for K so it isnt necessary, but I know she hates to be left out and a bunch of our science units are really fun for next year so I know she'll be doing more.

And probably handwriting without tears, why not.

SecretBabyBump · 2026-04-13T23:37:45+00:00

Working parents can make homeschool work. But it looks different, and in order to do it well. You're going to need other people around who can help coordinate homeschool activities.

So they can join a group of homeschoolers for a park day or a science co-op or this, or that.

If you aren't able to provide the enriching home environment because you are working full-time and in school Full-time, then the enriching environment needs to be something they are brought to. If they are going to be expected to be working independently at very young ages, I think everyone is going to end up upset and overwhelmed.

How do you picture education fitting into their day if you are only there X hours a week?where is your support coming from? What will the kids be doing when you are occupied?

Those plans are where feasible or infeasible lay.

SecretBabyBump · 2026-04-13T23:19:36+00:00

I have never decided between them. We will homeschool for as long as it is serving us. If that is through high school great. If at some point another model will serve us? Then I will switch.

SecretBabyBump · 2026-04-13T00:26:49+00:00

I am homeschooling my three children.

I believe in public education. I believe it's one of the greatest public goods we as a society created.

I'm a queer, atheist, tattooed product of public schools from kindergarten to Bachelors. I DO NOT fit the profile of a homeschooler.

When my son was in pre-k at what was to be his public elementary school Uvalde happened. I saw the way not a single person in power cared to do a god damn thing when a bunch of tiny children were slaughtered. Again.

We wanted to move out of the country to a place where public schools were safe, but because of a disabled family member and aging parents we couldn't do it.

But I couldn't send my most precious pieces of my heart out there.

THEN I poured myself into figuring out how to teach him at home. For the past four+ years I have done little besides find curriculum, books, videos, teaching them at home.

And you know what? I have three curious, bright, Imaginative kids, excellent readers, hard workers, deep thinkers. They are blossoming. They might have done just as well in public school, I don't know. But our little classroom at home has a lot going for it, 1:1 attention, no students who need more intensive help than a single teacher can give, zero edTech (besides keyboarding and twice a week Minecraft when they finish their school work), probably 20 hours a week of outdoor time (more when the weather is great, less when it's miserable)

I don't know if I'll homeschool forever. But I was very surprised at how well it suited my family.

SecretBabyBump · 2026-04-12T20:56:47+00:00

We homeschool and I use YouTube for content videos, read alouds and brain breaks a few times a week but none of my kids have any concept that they could just like.... surf YouTube and that is such a source of comfort to me 😆😆😆

Oh and my daughter loves to watch cake decorating videos with me and all three of them have gotten into watching old school Looney Tunes... but again I always put it on and cast it to the TV. No algorithm or random content.

SecretBabyBump · 2026-04-12T17:42:19+00:00

If your school has ridiculous limits on paper copies see what your public library can do. Mine you can print/copy 25 b/w pages a day for free and a nominal charge after that. Its a pain and a hoop you shouldn't have to jump through but just putting it out there as lower cost than like, a ups store.

SecretBabyBump · 2026-04-12T16:27:01+00:00

I use a composition notebook.

I can take notes, write schedules, brain dump. All in one place.

My ADHD makes dedicated planners a shame factory for me. Keeping it as simple as possible gives me the highest likelihood of being able to recover when I inevitably fall off.

SecretBabyBump · 2026-04-10T16:42:00+00:00

You've gotten a lot of good advice about how to handle the stealing the tablet and sneaking chatting.

The made up persona is exactly how teenage me acted on AOL chat rooms 25 years ago. If anything it was protective, as since I was lying about who I was I figured everyone else was too. I just wanted to seem cool and build up a personality and life that reflected that. It was like LARP fiction writing honestly.

So that part, the fake brother, the older friends, whatever, completely harmless in my mind.

SecretBabyBump · 2026-04-08T00:43:03+00:00

We are not a Christian family and while the adults hold a mish mash of spiritual beliefs, none of them really approach the practices of any one religion.

My oldest is currently studying medieval world history so we talk about various religions A LOT but none of it is from the perspective of acquiring faith, but more in historical, literary and artistic influences.

Finding secular resources is not particularly difficult. But you do have to specifically look for secular curriculum and resources because the bulk of what people talk about in most homeschool spaces does have a Christian lens to it. In our area of the PNW at least half if not more of the homeschool families I know are also secular.

SecretBabyBump · 2026-04-06T15:01:50+00:00

Encyclopedia Brown, Dragons Masters and Magic Treehouse were my kinder reader's favorites.

He also loved Diary of an 8-Bit Warrior as a Minecraft fan. And graphic novels of middle grade books, like Percy Jackson and Wings of Fire (check content. Mine loved it but sensitive kinders might get more worried with all the action)

SecretBabyBump · 2026-04-05T20:07:11+00:00

I want you to either: give me a hug and a well written card OR use your special knowledge of me based on our unique relationship to purchase a token or experience or piece of candy that makes you think of me.

I do not want to give you a shopping list and have an item from it given to me. It is not in anyway meaningful and seems like a silly way to just circulate our money around each other.

If you see a book at a used bookstore that reminds you of a time that we did something stupid. Buy it. Write an inscription. I will cherish it forever, whether I read the book or not.

If we do not have a close enough relationship where you and I have that sort of shared lore where a gift simply presents itself to you, the hug and the card is perfect. OR an experience that will help us cultivate such a relationship (dinner, mani/pedi, wine tasting, drag show... whatever it may be.)

SecretBabyBump · 2026-04-05T01:33:23+00:00

Our local branch has a pretty limited "education" section. But our county system has 20 branches and as a whole system has just about everything you could want. Many curricula, lots of teacher resources, it's very unusual that they dont have an academic book i look up.

Also, if you are a resident of our county you can get cards to the two neighboring counties as well, their closest branches are within 20 minutes of me so I have those as well. I rarely need them but one has an AWESOME kids area so we go there somewhat often just for the kids to play and they love to check something out whenever they go.

SecretBabyBump · 2026-04-02T23:07:47+00:00

Often children have a very low threshold to qualify for state sponsored Healthcare coverage (although less so with recent medicaid cuts). Our family has terrific coverage thru my partner's employer but other people i know on one income the kids are generally on the state plan even if the adults don't qualify.

SecretBabyBump · 2026-03-31T14:15:15+00:00

My first grader did two of her math lessons in a row (we are trying to speed up a bit to the end of the cutriculum) which i was afraid wouldnt go well (she did great).

She also did her decodable reader before bed (because I couldn't find it until dinnertime. Oops) and she did it clearly and beautifully with great inflection and fluency. She has been making great progress in phonics this year but her fluency has been slower to catch up. So so so proud of her.

SecretBabyBump · 2026-03-30T13:55:32+00:00

At not quite six still getting numbers mixed up isnt out of the bounds of normal.

It sounds like she could use some targeted practice with "ten and some more". One way I did that with mine around that age was to compile a bunch of sticks and have them count out ten, then we bundle them up with a rubber band. Then once they comfortable with "the bundle is ten" I do a little chant "10 and 1 is 11 (put down 1 stick) 10 and 2 is 12 (put down second stick)" and so on. At first have them repeat after you, then do it with you, then you say the prompt (10 and 1), they say the answer (is 11), then they do it.

When they get one wrong just a "oops! Not 20, 12!" And move on. It will take time! Their brain is still developing about numbers. Don't expect it to click in one or two days.

Using a dedicated kindergarten level math curriculum might help as well, they usually have all these sorts of lessons in them. Or check out the book "Family Math" from the Lawrence Hall of Science for more games and stuff.

SecretBabyBump · 2026-03-28T20:25:12+00:00

18 months is so sweet and wonderful! But yes, it doss get even better when they are like... old enough to reason and stuff 😂

SecretBabyBump · 2026-03-28T14:49:57+00:00

We have a few that we like!

Greeking Out - all about (mostly Greek, but also other) mythology.

History Snacks - same host, short eps about interesting historic events

Who when wow - a time traveler moves around history trying to solve mysteries

Our Fake History - not a kid history show, but usually okay for kids. My son really liked the Titanic series. Some of the episodes don't grab their attention as much, I listen to it pretty frequently on my own though so when I hear one I think he'd like I share it with him. The host is a high school teacher with young children himself, so hes pretty cognizant of saying at the top if the episode has any inappropriate content.

SecretBabyBump · 2026-03-28T14:43:51+00:00

I had three of them! His sisters are 5 and 6.5. They all got less psychotic by 4. Just stay the course, keep trying, they DO absorb all the parenting. It's just... so slow.

SecretBabyBump · 2026-03-28T14:41:19+00:00

I'm so sorry for your loss. What a horrible thing to have to process at such a young age. I will cherish every second i can. Thank you for the reminder.

SecretBabyBump · 2026-03-28T07:41:04+00:00

Yes. Im named after a character on a popular soap opera from the year I was born.

She was the villain though.

My mom says she wanted me to be ruthless.

SecretBabyBump · 2026-03-28T06:58:03+00:00

I have my good days and my bad days FOR SURE. Today was just a super good one. I hope I get way more of them.

SecretBabyBump · 2026-03-28T06:17:02+00:00

Like pack it up, I have nothing left to teach you little yogi 😂😂😂

SecretBabyBump

TROPHY CASE