Introduction

For the 2025–2026 school year, I chose to mix and match curriculums for my 7-year-old, pulling from Charlotte Mason–inspired resources with touches of classical learning and plenty of room for curiosity-led exploration.

After realizing that I naturally lean Charlotte Mason, classical, and unschooling, I wanted a plan that reflected how our home actually functions. Structured lessons give us direction, while interest-led learning fills the spaces in between—during breaks, natural conversations, and those before bed questions that deserve more than just a quick answer.

My son is newly seven and working comfortably in a first- to second-grade range. My three-year-old is in preschool and loves joining in on “school time” simply because she sees her brother doing it. Below, I’m sharing the books, curriculums, and direction for us this year, with faith and consistency as a priority.

Language Arts (7-Years-Old)

Preparing to Build (English 2) 1983 Edition

I noticed last year, while working through our ‘Master Books: Living Language’ curriculum, my son was interested and engaged only part of the time and the lessons seemed to drag other times. Also, a bit of the work was too advanced and some of it, too easy. I went with Rod & Staff Preparing to Build (English 2) 1983 Edition for it’s straightforward lesson. I like that we can choose how much we want to do in the day without feeling over or underwhelmed. The whole book is very bible based which is good for us since we’re learning and it keeps our mind on the word and learning more of it together. There is a Teacher’s Manual to go with this book but I do not have it so I am not currently using it.

Living Books

My children and I fell in love with reading alouds this summer. This year we will be reading The five little peppers and how they grew. We also have the Laura Ingalls little house books set at our fingertips. I will soon be sharing some of our favorite read aloud books and why I believe, it’s such an important practice to include in your homeschool. Pinterest also has cool resources, activity sheets and unit studies to go along with some of the books you may be reading.

Math (7-Years-Old)

Apologia Math (Grade 2)

I am going with Apologia math for second grade. This will be my first time using Apologia so I will give my honest opinion on it, but I like the flow from the review video I watched, the flow is for each unit or lesson first you have a little game or something light and engaging to open up the lesson with, Then you read about what you’re learning, and then you practice it. So those three steps really gave me a consistent foundation to rely on and to expect with every lesson.

Early Childhood (3-Years-Old)

Handbook for Reading (Phonics)

I have heard good things about young children who have gotten started on Abeka when they were just three years old and it turned them into early readers. I did get the Abeka Handbook for Phonics for my three-year-old for this year. And it’s not so much that I want her to be an early reader, but that she has expressed interest already in sounding out her letters and trying to form words. So I’m not sure I would have gone this direction if she had not already shown a strong interest.

Charlotte Mason “Without Doors” Curriculum

The main curriculum that I’m using for my three-year-old is a Charlotte Mason Without Doors curriculum by Ann Troast that is beautiful, wonderful, and simply full! It comes with weekly activities that cover alphabet numbers, literature, poetry, scripture, and sensory activities. I somehow received a free digital download of this curriculum and feel so blessed by it!

Morning Time & Extras

Spelling & Poetry (Abeka Spelling and Poetry 1)

I’ve noticed Abeka has either “Love it” or “Hate it” reviews but I decided to take a chance based on a flip-through I watched. I chose Abeka spelling and poetry 1 and I know this is not a very Charlotte Mason approach but I liked the simplicity of the exercises, the challenging nature of the spelling words, and the colorful imagery and variety of exercises given. When choosing new curriculums, please find a way to flip through a sample of the book, because I wouldn’t have been able to get more familiar with it, had I not seen a sample.

Cursive Copywork (Brighter Day Press)

Lastly, my 7 year old shows an interest in his handwriting, specifically cursive. So I have a Cursive Copywork morning page by Brighter Day Press.

Throughout the year, we will be working on manners, character building, critical thinking, as well as musical and manual skill building.

Pre-k

I cannot fail to mention the preschool math and letter learning dollar store books we use. As well as the variety of ABC letter tracing, coloring and activity pages that I find through Pinterest and print out to match the letter of that given week.

I keep my preschool planning very flexible and easy going, but having all these resources at hand help me to curate our week ahead when planning.

Honorable Mentions (But Not Chosen)

Some honorable mentions for spelling and math curriculums that I almost went with were Zip Into Spelling and Math with Confidence. The only reason I didn’t go with Math with Confidence is because my son did not really enjoy his 180 Days of Spelling book last year because it was in black-and-white. I noticed that Math with Confidence also has mainly black-and-white imagery so I decided to steer clear from it even though I did like the simplicity and the layout of the lessons. I liked Zip into Spelling for their phonics heavy approach and the learning manipulatives that come with the full curriculum for the child to have as they grow. But ultimately, I knew I’d regret taking on so many pieces for a spelling curriculum, so that is why I went with Abeka Spelling and Poetry 1.

In Closing

Each homeschool is specific to the family that resides in it and lives to create it. Without the family, there would be no homeschool so the days and weeks and years should be reviewed and audited occasionally and constantly to match the changes of the home.

I know so many homeschooling moms who leaan on one another for advice, intell, and resources. I would encourage you to find a community, even if it’s an online group with helpful discourse. Take what is absolutely necesary and leave everything else. It’s way to easy to get overwhelmed with all the information online. I just hope something I’ve shared has helped shed light on something for someone. I pray your and my efforts ultimately yield growth, the love of learning, intelligence, and well adjusted children.

I’ll be sharing updates throughout the years as we settle into these resources and adjust as needed.