Goodbye '25 👋🏼 Hello '26 ✨

Phew - it's been a while. In all honesty, December pre-Christmas was rough. I had grand intentions of sharing a 2025 wrap up but something had to give. I had taken on more than I had capacity to hold, completely drained my tank, and ended up feeling so tightly wound that I didn't really feel my usual joy for the season until Christmas Eve. So here we are - starting fresh.

What did our first official term of homeschooling teach me?

• Open and go curriculum, kept really simple, is what works best for us right now. Miss 6 is academic and loves to do book work. Mr 3 is full force, high energy all day. I was working 2-3 hours, 5 days per week. Plus the usual household duties. We needed simple. At the start of our journey I had grand plans of planning unit studies similar to how I did in the classroom. In all honesty, it's a lot of (unnecessary) prep work for one child. And she really wasn't into something that big and ongoing. We settled with The Good and The Beautiful for Math, Language Arts and Handwriting. We both love it!
• Having a brainstorm of ideas we can pick up and put down is better than a step by step plan. I began the term with a whole sequence of activities we were going to do together based on Miss 6's interests. Once again, she wasn't really interested. We ended up picking and choosing the odd activity when I could see she was in the headspace e.g. a craft or art project, a math game, a question or concept to explore. And more often that not, things would crop up spontaneously.
• To be kinder to myself and lean into our WHY on the hard days. I feel like that one is pretty self explanatory. I'm notorious for having high expectations and not budging on them - even when lowering the standard would allow for a better outcome. Instead, I tuned back into why we've chosen to homeschool and remember that that's the end goal - not the single lesson / outcome / expectation - and ensuring that the decisions we make moving forward are in alignment with that goal and our values.
• Our need for consistent rhythms and a slower pace. My work schedule meant that all our days looked different. This made it tricky for us to settle into a rhythm, and on occasion meant time spent lingering round home because there wasn't really enough time to settle ourselves into anything before the next event/appointment/activity, or so much happening on one day that there really was no opportunity for a pause. The kids struggled with the inconsistency and I struggled with the resulting behaviours.
• Remembering that the greatest joy can come in the most simple of moments. Seeing the kids excitement to check on our veggie garden at the end of the day. The giggles when we're out on the lawn playing T-Ball. The joy when words are being decoded and recognised in day to day life, not just at the table with our books. The teaching and learning that happens between the kids.

I've taken these reflections and used them to guide me in crafting our days for 2026.

• We're continuing with The Good and The Beautiful Math, Language Arts and Handwriting. Our main focus is on literacy and maths, with the other subjects happening more organically.
• I have a bank of activities to pull from when I can see that Miss 6 might need some support or fresh inspiration. I'm adding to this all the time.
• I've established a new rhythm for our days and weeks that is more consistent for everyone. I'm very grateful for my wonderful hubby as I am able to cut my work down to just one afternoon, making my load more manageable and ensuring I have the capacity to nurture the kids and space to flow with their needs and interests (and to pour more energy into this space!).
• I'm working on the goal for myself of having busy days, but quiet nights to recharge. Ensuring that I take the space to fill my cup.

I'm feeling excited for what the year brings and look forward to sharing my next post all about our new rhythm, and how the first couple of weeks using it is going!

J x