*As a BookShark Ambassador I receive curriculum in exchange for sharing our Homeschool journey with you. All opinions are my own.*
Wow! Twenty twenty has been a challenge, to say the least. Not only have we had natural disasters galore and a worldwide pandemic- my Husband got a promotion and we packed up our whole lives and moved across the country…during said epidemic. This Summer was a whirlwind. But, thankfully we’re finally settling down and getting to know our new city.
A No-Stress Homeschool Year
One thing I’m thankful for, is when all of my friends and family were wrestling with how they were going to do school this year, and how different it was going to look for them- I’ve known all along! We’re already homeschoolers, so I didn’t have to stress about that decision and pour over new teaching techniques and learn new forms of technology. Secondly, we’ve loved the program we’ve used for the previous 3 years- so I knew that we’d be sticking with BookShark for our fourth, 3rd grade Homeschool year.
I was so excited when I was going over what we’d be learning this year! I grew up in a family with History buffs, the History Channel always on in the background. So, when I saw that for 3rd grade we got to start learning U.S. History and do a deeper look into one region, I couldn’t wait to get started! The first thing I did when we moved into our new home was get our Homeschool room set up and ready. Books stacked, school supplies organized, and my Instructor’s Guide put together and ready.
3rd Grade History
We’re starting our third week of 3rd grade today and this year has gone more smoothly than any other year before. I think bringing back that normalcy of our homeschool day during such a crazy time has really helped us adjust. Since it’s now my 4th year (HOW?!) as a Homeschool Mom, I am no longer second guessing how we do everything, and I let our Level D BookShark curriculum lead the way.
I’ve really backed off on trying to add in way too much extra stuff and am really letting our curriculum be our main focus. I’m trying to do more hands-on activities like the American History Lap Book (more on that in another post!) and adding in more games and activities rather than just more book work. I think this year is really the year for a fun approach to learning! It’s an election year, so we also got the U.S. Elections Lap Book to do as another supplement- because when is a better time to learn about the election process than while experiencing it?
Unexpected Perks
While this crazy year has been nothing like what we were expecting- it has really made me appreciate the fact that we’re such a tight-knit family who loves spending time with each other and learning together. That’s one of the perks of being a homeschool family. All of this extra time together hasn’t made us crazy…yet.
I’m so thankful for this amazing homeschool journey, and now that we’re 4 years in, it’s really gotten SO much easier. If you’re just starting out- give it time. I can promise you, it will get easier. Once your children recognize you as their teacher as well as their parent, they will really start to love the whole process. They won’t distinguish the two. Everything you do will become a learning opportunity- cooking together, grocery shopping, taking a walk around your neighborhood. It will just become part of your daily lives. Don’t give up!
I can’t wait to share our 3rd grade homeschool year with you- I think it’s going to be the best one yet!
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