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Raising Sawyers

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@raising_sawyers

After a week of homeschooling a 6th and 7th grader

After a week of homeschooling a 6th and 7th grader, I can confidently say that middle school is going to look a little different around here.

I feel confident that I’ve given my kids a beautiful childhood filled with rich learning opportunities. We’ve spent years reading beautiful books, exploring nature, studying art, following rabbit trails, and leaving plenty of room for curiosity.

But giving them a rich education in middle school is going to look a little different.

This year, the boys will be completing more independent work, increasing their overall workload, challenging themselves in new ways, and building the skills they’ll need as we move closer and closer to high school.

Our curriculum choices this year are probably more eclectic than they’ve ever been…. And we’re absolutely loving it so far.

Swipe through to see what we’re using for 6th + 7th grade this year!

And if you want ALL the details (including why I chose each resource and how we’re using it) comment CHOICES and I’ll send you the full blog post. 📚

When I tell you I wasn’t prepared for this much la

When I tell you I wasn’t prepared for this much laughter, fun and excitement…

One thing I love about homeschooling is how much time the 3 of my boys get together. They get to play with one another, laugh, and learn together.

My older boys turn into little kids again, as I watch them build big block towers for Noah to knock down, race Hot Wheels down the Pikler triangle, and go down the slides at the park.

Of course they have their own hobbies and interests that don’t involve their baby brother tagging along… But when they are reunited, their faces are full of the purest joy.

They love having a baby brother. And their baby brother looks at them like they’re super heroes.

It’s truly the sweetest thing.

#agegapsiblings #homeschoollife #toddlerparenting

Seven years ago, when I started homeschooling, it

Seven years ago, when I started homeschooling, it was because I wanted to create a tailored education for my children and a homeschool that truly fit our family.

But somewhere along the way, I found myself chasing the perfect homeschool instead of being content with the beautiful one right in front of me. I spent so much time comparing myself to other homeschool moms, overthinking every decision, and second-guessing my curriculum choices.

What finally changed everything was realizing that I didn’t need a prettier curriculum or a more elaborate plan… I needed more clarity about what I was actually trying to create.

That’s why I created this FREE Homeschool Planning Starter Guide. It walks you through the exact process I use to build our homeschool around our values, our children, and our real life instead of someone else’s.

🌿Comment PLAN & I’ll send it over to you!

If homeschool planning has you feeling overwhelmed (or you just want a simple resource to add to your homeschool planning toolbox), this is for you.

I’m sharing the 4 resources that make homeschool p

I’m sharing the 4 resources that make homeschool planning a breeze.

✨ Comment “PLAN” and I’ll send you the links to my Homeschool Planner + Homeschool Clarity Workbook!

These are the 4 things I reach for every year when I sit down to plan our homeschool.

For years, I thought the key to a successful homeschool was finding the perfect curriculum.

Now I know that curriculum is only one piece of the puzzle.

Before I start ordering all the things, I get super clear on our goals, our priorities, and what I want this season of homeschooling to feel like. From there, I use a planning system that helps me turn those ideas into a year I can actually follow.

Here are the tools I use:

📖 The Homeschool Clarity Workbook – to define our vision and priorities before making any big decisions.

🗓️ My Homeschool Planner – to organize our goals, lesson plans, schedules, attendance, and everything else in one place.

📘 Home Learning Year by Year – one of my favorite reference books for checking grade-level skills and making sure we’re on track.

🖊️ FriXion Erasable Pens – because homeschool plans change… and that’s okay. 😅

🖊️ Pastel Highlighters — they don’t bleed through and are great for color coding

Planning doesn’t have to be complicated. A simple, intentional system can make all the difference.

👇 What is one planning tool you couldn’t homeschool without?

I used to build our homeschool around an idea inst

I used to build our homeschool around an idea instead of around the children sitting at my table.

In my mind, a rich education looked like a rigorous schedule, classic literature, years of carefully planned curriculum, and full days of meaningful lessons. I wanted to give my children every opportunity, so I kept adding more because I thought that’s what a great homeschool was supposed to look like.

Over time, though, I realized something.

I realized my children *thrive* on blank space.

They need long afternoons outside. They need time to fish at our pond, build elaborate Lego creations, chase frogs, climb trees, take apart and put together their bikes, and follow their curiosity without me rushing them to the next lesson.

Could they do those things after school? Maybe.

But if they’re mentally exhausted from trying to keep up with the homeschool I designed in my head, they rarely do.

The truth is this: Trying to do everything was keeping us from doing anything well. We were rushing through books we weren’t enjoying, checking boxes instead of making memories, and constantly feeling behind… even when we were technically “on schedule.”

So I stopped trying to build the homeschool I admired and started building the homeschool my children *actually* needed.

I began paying attention to how they learned best, what sparked their curiosity, where they struggled, and what made them come alive. I stopped seeing blank space as wasted time and started seeing it as part of their education.

This shift has changed the way I plan our days, measure success, and most importantly, my relationship with my children.

No, I didn’t lower my expectations for their education.

I raised my expectations for the kind of homeschool I wanted to create.

I still believe in a literature-rich education, consistency and doing things outside our comfort zone.

But I also believe children need time to wonder, build, fish, be bored, and notice the world around them.

I think that’s often where the deepest learning happens.

When I first started homeschooling, I thought what

When I first started homeschooling, I thought what I needed most was the perfect curriculum.

I was wrong.

The books that changed our homeschool weren’t curriculum at all. They challenged the way I thought about childhood, education, motherhood, and what it actually means to teach.

They gave me permission to slow down, trust my children, pursue wonder, and build a homeschool that reflected our family’s values instead of trying to recreate school at home.

I still come back to these books again and again.

✨ Comment “BOOKS” and I’ll send you the complete list with links.

I’d also love to know…

What’s one book that changed the way you homeschool?

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