Our family *officially* kicked off the start of our new homeschool year on September 16th.
(I say "officially" because it is the day we decided to begin our structured learning for this new academic year. It is the start of our new curriculum. Even though our kids engage in learning every day, in all the ways, year-round. And this is true for homeschooling families, in general. Sure - some families opt for a meticulously structured, book-style curriculum, while others favor a highly informal method of learning, sometimes termed "unschooling." But still -- the learning happens. Our style of homeschool just so happens to fall somewhere in the middle of that spectrum.)
We are secular, eclectic homeschoolers.
We take a "secular" (non-religious) approach to learning; very similar to what you might find in public schools.
And you can understand "eclectic" homeschooling as an "everything and the kitchen sink" type of approach. While some families strongly favor specific philosophies of learning, such as Montessori, Charlotte Mason, or Waldorf, or specific methods of instruction, such as unit studies... As eclectic homeschoolers, we cherry-pick bits and pieces from everything. We take what works for us from whatever source we find, and we toss the rest. Basically, we're super flexible in our philosophy and highly adaptive in our methodology.
This year, I am including both of my boys in our homeschooling plans.
Malachi is my six-year-old, non-speaking smarty-pants, who thrives on high-energy activities and sensory-based learning. For him, I have planned a year of learning around the letters of the alphabet and expressive language learning utilizing his AAC communication device.
Deacon is my one-year-old, who is interested in everything and really just wants to be involved. He will be working on learning his colors, basic shapes, and numbers 1 to 10.
Both boys will be involved in outdoor activities and nature-based learning. We also always have a goal of incorporating as much social-emotional learning as possible.
Our school calendar for the 2024-2025 academic year is full of activity and self-designed curriculum for about 8 months of this year -- or from September through April. Then, beginning in May, we switch our learning approach to something that is wholly unstructured. We travel often and learn on the road. We visit a lot of historic sites and museums. We may enroll in a summer learning program or camp activity. And that will take us through August and back again!
Week 1 of this year was brought to us by the LETTER A (for Malachi) and the COLOR RED (for Deacon).
Here is a recap of our week --
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16th
MALACHI -- "A is for ALPACA"
> Letter Journal: Practice writing the letter "A"
> Video: "All About Alpacas" by Cougar Mountain Zoo (YouTube)
> Sensory Activity: Alpaca Shaving Cream Activity
This was a big hit! I never know for sure how these sensory activities will go, but Malachi really enjoyed this one. We also used this time to practice our "descriptive words" on Malachi's AAC communication device. We found words that could describe alpacas.
During this activity, we had another YouTube video about alpacas playing in the background -- "Ivan Inspects Alpacas" by Ivan the Inspector.
> Alpaca Coloring Sheet
> Letter Journal: Practice writing name to finish "desk work"
> Physical Therapy: Practice short-sitting on bench while playing puzzles
> Outside playtime
DEACON -- "Color Red"
We also included Malachi in all of Deacon's learning around the color "Red" and used it as an opportunity to practice identifying "Red" on his AAC device.
> Book: "Red" by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
> Song: "Meet the Color Red" by The Kiboomers (YouTube)
> Video: "Learn the Colors: Color Red" by Smile and Learn (YouTube)
> Fine Motor Learning: Playing with RED modeling clay
> Learning parts of the body -- We used red dot stickers to stick on Deacon to name parts of the body, both verbally and using Malachi's "body parts" page on his AAC device ("arm" "leg" "foot" "nose" etc)
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17th
Outing: Forest School Tuesday!!
The boys will both be participating in a Forest School program for two hours every Tuesday morning. They are part of a large group of kids and will spend the time learning about nature and engaging in unstructured play.
DEACON -- "Color Red"
> Watermelon for lunch!
MALACHI -- "A is for ANT HILLS"
> Letter Journal: Practice writing the letter "A"
> Video: "Amazing Animals: Army Ant" by Nat Geo Kids (YouTube)
> Fine Motor Craft Project: Made "ant hills" from torn papers (tear paper, use glue, place bits of paper to create a "hill")
> Video: "What's Inside an Ant Hill?" by Insider Science (YouTube)
> Outdoor Learning / Sensory Activity: Make "ant hills" during dirt play
We also used Malachi's AAC device to work on describing the feeling of the dirt as we played -- words such as "cold" "wet" "bumpy" "rough" "soft"
> Letter Journal: Practice writing name to finish "desk work"
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18th
Outing: Adventuring with South Sound Explorers at the Point Defiance Rose Garden in Tacoma, WA
This is a homeschool playgroup that meets at different parks and playgrounds in our region. The group meets for three hours every Wednesday morning. The boys will both participate regularly in this group.
The Point Defiance Rose Garden is beautiful! The boys both enjoyed the flowers. The gardens provided an opportunity to work with Malachi on identifying colors on his AAC device. Deacon benefited from engaging with the older kids in the group and chasing after them through the gardens.
MALACHI -- "A is for AQUARIUM"
> Video: "Behind the Scenes of an Aquarium for Kids" by Oliver and Lucas Educational Videos for Kids (YouTube)
> Outing: Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium
We visited both the newly opened "Tropical Reef Aquarium" and the original "Pacific Seas Aquarium." Both were fantastic! We also watched a stage show with a zookeeper and learned about anteaters, giant African pouched rats, and other cool animals. Before leaving, I gave the boys time to play in the zoo's "Kid Zone" area.
> Reading: Storytime (book of choice) with AAC modeling back at home > Movement: Virtual Dance Class (hip hop/k-pop)
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19th
Outing: Baby Story Time Day!
On Thursdays, Malachi and I take Deacon to a Baby Story Time program at our local library. It is hugely beneficial for Deacon to engage in the singing and dancing and to play with his peer group. Malachi enjoys the stories, too.
> Reading: Storytime (book of choice)
> Outing: Playtime at Lacey (WA) Depot Park
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20th
Outing: Olympia Farmers Market
We used a trip to the farmers market to look for both things that begin with the LETTER A and RED items. We used Malachi's device to point out different colors.
After the farmers market, we walked along the Olympia (WA) pier and looked at the boats. Deacon spent a solid chunk of time running around a park/public plaza on the dock.
MALACHI --
> Reading: Storytime (book of choice) with AAC modeling
> Physical Therapy: Practice short-sitting on bench while playing puzzles
> Outing: Sensory Story Time at Olympia (WA) library (designed for neurodivergent kids with disabilities)
DEACON -- "Color Red"
> Lightbox with RED Duplo blocks
> "Abstract art" using RED bingo dobbers
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 21st
Visit to the WET Science Center in Olympia
The boys enjoyed playing with the STEM engineering activities, using pipes and gears to create operational systems, and learned about underwater forests (kelp forests)
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