This past week was momentous for my family for a few reasons. First and foremost, my oldest child completed her kindergarten year of homeschool, ending our second year as a homeschool family! My daughter’s graduation also marked the first full year of the Learn + Live Letter.
As my co-founder, Cynthia, and I have talked about on social media and in our IG LIVEs, I wanted to homeschool my daughter because I had very specific goals for her education that I felt wouldn’t be adequately met by a traditional school system. I wanted, first and foremost, for her to love learning. I wanted her to get special treatment—meaning that lessons and subjects could be tailored to the way she learned best. Meaning that she would get 1:1 attention during her struggles and upgraded lessons as needed for the skills she excelled at.
I wanted her to have a schooling experience that felt like it was made just for her—because it was.
Cynthia and I aligned on all those values. So, we set out to create a curriculum that would help like-minded parents and caregivers provide that exact experience for their own children. And, as you probably guessed, the Learn + Live Letter was born.
Many of you already know that Vivian is the primary tester of virtually every unit study and activity in our program. But what you might not know is that, in addition to having her work on all of the activities, we also consult her for feedback and suggestions as we build the lesson. What bugs is she interested in learning more about? What ocean animals does she like best? Would she rather work with sand or playdough?
Vivian might be the world’s youngest homeschooling consultant.
And so, using this give and take, this system of communication and respect, we made our way through this momentous year. If you are considering joining the L+L community—homeschooling the Learn + Live way, as we say often—here’s what I want you to know about our Level 1 program:
1. This is a homeschool that is full of life. Now that our final unit study is complete, I’m slowly compiling all of my pictures from the year into a “yearbook” photobook for Vivian. And even though I lived it, I’m still marveling at how colorful and vibrant the photos of our year are. We really did live what we learn, in all environments, and it makes my heart swell to see my daughters experiencing such a lively style of learning.
2. This is a homeschool that is full of fun. I have so many pictures of Vivian just laughing. Her lessons were fun and silly and exciting—while also being incredibly informative and introducing (and reinforcing) important academic skills. Each unit study is a memory for us both, and for the most part, one that I am excited to relive in Level 2.
3. This is a homeschool that is effective. The other night after putting her to bed, my husband came downstairs and said, “Vivian just knows so many things!” (She had apparently been bending his ear about pollination.) Of course, I know she doesn’t just know so much stuff—she learned it all over the last year, and she still loves making connections from her lessons in real life.
4. This is a homeschool that your child will want to do. One of my favorite stories from the last year was when I told Vivian we were taking a week off for spring break. She immediately burst into tears and cried, ‘But I don’t want to do spring break!” She loved her lessons the way she loves her favorite books and her favorite imaginative games. She loved learning new things about nature and knowing the right answer to a math question. She loved learning—and she’s already asking when we can start next year.
The truth is, the year flew by in so many ways. When I look at my video from Vivian’s first day of kindergarten to her last, I’m blown away at how much she has changed. I feel incredibly privileged to have been able to be there for every minute of her education—and I love that I was able to give her one that left her begging for more.
Want a peek into our first year? Check out this snippet:
So…are you ready to homeschool the Learn + Live way? Click here to learn more about our programs.