Christmas books for the kids! Craft kits are always great too. Hopefully some Yum Earth candy canes because I shuddered at spending $7 for a box. Holiday coffees for me. I will happily sip gingerbread and peppermint until Easter. Last year I hit the clearance jackpot on holiday scented deodorant, soap, and hair products. I was using that stuff until August. 😂

This is not super creative but you might like the simplicity…… We started making our own wrapping paper yesterday. It’s just brown kraft paper and the kids draw and/or paint it to make their own. We also started making a Christmas village with milk cartons and paper bags.

I was looking at her Northern Lights Cards a few days ago! All of her things look lovely.

Most our favorites have been mentioned! We also like The Great Spruce (Duvall) and Silver Packages (Rylant).

Love It! This has been my Christmas school style in the past.

Good points! Thanks for your perspective. He is in 3rd grade, so it’s possible we just need to move faster or even move up ILL. We did lesson 77 on Thursday and he said, “this is basically verb principal parts, right?” I guess he did learn something at CC. 😂

@ScoutTN great suggestion! I’d forgotten about that book.

@Ting Tang Pam Barnhill just came out with a new Language Arts Together program. I’m thinking of trying it. It sounds relaxing. I can get on board with everybody doing LA together and then just doing separate spelling.

https://librivox.org/marys-grammar-by-jane-marcet/ We use the librivox version. I’m sure it’s on Archive . Org too if you prefer to read it aloud yourself. We’ve only been using Serl since July. I can’t put my finger on why I’m not all in on it. I feel like PLL has a busy work undertone to it. I might move over to With Pencil and Pen for my PLL student and then move up him to ILL, and then move to Bards & Poets. I don’t know! I just watched a Language Arts workshop today, it gave me a lot of ideas. But Cottage Press would be so much easier on me. Haha.

I’m considering switching for all the reasons you listed. Serl’s books are wonderful but it doesn’t always feel like there is a lot of progress being made. We also use the Aldine speller and we’re reading Mary’s Grammar. I’m looking at Fable & Song and Bards & Poets. I’m wondering if I really need Fable to hold my hand through Aesop though. I’ve listened to every SCM podcast on narration, dictation, copy work, etc. I mean, I’ve got this… right?! 😂 But it just looks so simple & refreshing. I might order it from Amazon so I can have a look at it and still be able to return it if I don’t like it.

We are also using PLL/ILL and I too have been looking at Cottage Press. No advice but solidarity.

Thanks everyone! I haven’t quite decided how immersive I want Christmas school to be this year. A big part of me just wants to keep it simple with books, card making and cookie baking. Every weekend in December is jam packed, it might be nice to not have a big to do list everyday during the week.

Anyone want to share their Christmas/Winter/December school plans? I need fresh ideas! We’ve done holidays around the world, A Christmas Carol, The Nutcracker and other random tidbits like holiday games from AAR and the free morning basket plans from Pam Barnhill. Has anyone ever tried Read Aloud Revival Premium’s Christmas School?

I agree with the CC red flags.

We’re in CC this year. I don’t think they really recommend doing anything special before Essentials. (At least at my Community.) All they really need to know is whatever “English” is in the Foundations guide. Over the summer you could review all the cycle’s terminology with YouTube playlists. Same with the Latin. You have to remember that most of the kids moving up to Essentials have only had Foundations, math and phonics instruction. That’s the CC way. Honestly, this question will be probably receive the most helpful answers in your CC community. They understand what is expected in your particular community and they know you and your children and your needs.

Hi! Yes, we would definitely be starting at CLE 3. Thank you for mentioning that, I should’ve clarified. I have a 7th grader too! He is doing CLE Math 7 for the most part. He does Oak Meadow too, so some days it’s a little much to do both. I will have to look at Forester. I need to start thinking about high school. Ahh!!

You might enjoy the 10 Minutes to a Better Homeschool podcast episode 79, What is Deschooling? I’m listening now. Ha.

Perhaps your husband needs to set boundaries with his parents. No iPad time and treats at the grandparent’s house during the week, whether you homeschool or public school. If they go to ps they will still have homework and chores. There’s no need for a mini Vegas at Grammy’s every afternoon. If you decide to continue with homeschooling, you need consistency. Strip down to the bare minimum. Math and a language arts component. Institute a reading hour. You can rest and they can read. Do not focus on being better than public school. It is not a competition. Strong relationship are the ultimate foundation. We have been through hard homeschool phases. For me, the only way through it was to be consistent and simplify. I also have to make sure everyone is eating a balanced diet, getting adequate sleep and getting enough fresh air and exercise. I consider any changes in our lives or schedule that could be presenting as defiance towards school. Not staying you don’t have all that covered already! *I* find that sometimes it’s the life issues that cause big roadblocks in my homeschool.

I have two kids in Christian Light Math and one in Rod & Staff. I prefer CLE, but this particular child really needed R&S in this season. If all goes well, I plan to transition back to CLE after we finish R&S 3. The consumable booklets have worked well for us. IMO the major difference between CLE and R&S is the pace. CLE is spiral and has a wider scope & sequence. R&S is like a gentle incline walk and CLE is like climbing a staircase with wide steps. Not sure if that’s the kind of program you’re looking for!

I had planned to use Apologia’s Earth Science but dumped it because I thought it had too many experiments. If you’re sold on Apologia, that one might be an option. There was an activity/experiment for every lesson.

Veritas Press? Do you have a homeschool store near to you? I like to go in and browse around. Sometimes a curriculum swap can be good for browsing too.

I could’ve written the OP. I’m definitely mourning the loss of rigor, customizing curricula for my children and my own schedule. I’m already dreaming about the last day, which mercifully, is in March. At first I thought that was weird, but now I am cheering.

I have been homeschooling for five years and I still over plan. Every year. I had a *moment* earlier today when I removed lesson plans from my Happy Planner after realizing there was no way we could do some of the things I had hoped we would. I might have shed a few tears into my emergency chocolate stash as I grieved my map making with play doh lesson plans. I worked hard on those! I went to four stores to find all the shades of blue playdoh. Lol! But it’s okay. I’ve saved all the extras for now and we might do them next year or I can pass them on/sell them next summer. Just enjoy your year of being together and know that you’re not alone in the excitement of doing all the things.

Wow! This would make an interesting case study. (IMO 😂) I wonder if it’s rooted in fear? I somehow became to subscribed to a certain curricula company’s emails. Every subject line started with something dramatic like THESE CLASSIC BOOKS WILL RUIN YOUR CHILD’S BELIEF IN GOD. 😳 Then I’d read the list and it was like Aesop and Little House.

For real. Max Lucado talked a little bit about this in his podcast this week. I don’t usually listen to it, but it just happened to pop up in my queue this morning. I’m like this is good! Preach!