(Last Updated on January 29, 2025)
Read the first post in this series here and check out Our Curriculum Choices – Year 1.
Year 2 Snapshot
Well, we made it through our first year of homeschooling and came back for more! Just when I was starting to figure a few things out, Year 2 brought new challenges.
My oldest was now in first grade and our three year old wasn’t content to sit on the sidelines. Finding ways to engage them both was a trick. It wasn’t easy to find a balance where everyone was met at their own level and not frustrated (with work that’s too hard) or bored (by work that’s too easy).
Our second year of homeschooling was the year I learned the most about what doesn’t work for us. Important but painful lessons to learn! I also started to understand more tangibly how important community (both local and online) was key to our success in this homeschooling endeavor.
Here are the resources we used for our second year of homeschooling.
Year 2 Curriculum Choices – First Grade
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- Bible & Character: Long Story Short and The Ology both by Marty Machowski
- Math: Math-U-See (MUS) Beta and Starfall.com
- Phonics & Reading: Word Mastery (I found it *FREE* on Don Potter’s website) and Starfall.com plus games and activities found on Pinterest and reading lots of books of all kinds
- Spelling: Natural Speller with this awesome list of spelling practice ideas from Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas
- Writing: Comprehensive Composition including journaling, letters and (very) short creative writing exercises
- Handwriting: The Three R’s by Ruth Beechick (copywork, spelling, and writing activities)
- Science: Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding (BFSU) K-2 (check out my review of BFSU here)
- History & Geography: Tapestry of Grace Primer
- Health & Safety: A Beka Book Health, Safety & Manners 3
- Logic: Lollipop Logic Books 1 & 2
Year 2 Curriculum Choices – PreK (age 3/4)
Our preschooler listened in on our Bible, Science, Health and History/Geography lessons when he wanted to (which was often). He also worked through Lollipop Logic Vol. 1 and practiced reading with Bob Books and library books. For math we mostly played games I found online or I’d find printables when he wanted a worksheet like his brother. Starfall.com was always a favorite for him, too, which covered language arts, math and other preschool basics like weather and calendars.
Other Fun Stuff
We continued with our weekly co-op and this was the first year my oldest joined the ranks of “kids-who-get-to-switch-classes-every-hour” instead of staying in the same room all morning. He loved this big-kid privilege and took four enrichment classes at co-op: LEGO WeDo, Beginning Spanish, Gym, and World Explorers.
Our preschooler started attending co-op, too, and enjoyed the crafts, music, group games, and a super-lite introduction to Spanish.
Both boys took a Homeschool Gym & Swim class plus we continued with Homeschool Open Gym at our local park district. And, of course, we went on field trips whenever we had the chance!
To see what we used the following year, click here for Our Curriculum Choices – Year 3!
And check out the links below to see summaries of what I used for all my preschool, kindergarten, and early elementary-aged kids over the years!
- How to Homeschool Preschool – Part 1
- How to Homeschool Preschool – Part 2
- How to Homeschool Preschool – Part 3
- How to Homeschool Kindergarten: Curriculum Ideas & Lessons Learned
- How to Homeschool the Early Elementary Years (1st -3rd Grade): Curriculum Ideas & Lessons Learned
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