Our Year With The Peaceful Press-A Guest Post
We started the Peaceful Preschool when my daughter was three. She was simply ready for structure and a course that appealed to our gentle parenting style already in place. The Peaceful Press was my first introduction to some kind of homeschooling system, environment, and schedule. It profoundly set the tone for us and more than that, it gave me the confidence in knowing and feeling that I could actually do this! I remember the opening letter and the great comfort it was to me, along with the resources, the guides and planning sheets, even the menu ideas were all so helpful! It all felt as if I had this wise, soft-spoken friend gently guiding me through this incredibly overwhelming endeavor as I was first starting out!
The following year, we started with the Playful Pioneers as a pre-K guide and “enrichment course” as I call it. We fell in love with the book suggestions, the gentle guide into US history and so forth. We worked at our own pace and gleaned from every step along the way. I particularly love how intentional about beauty it all is and how everything comes together so well, from the literature to the poems and themes.
Now my daughter is five, and my son is three and we’ll be using the Playful Pioneers again this fall and more heavily as they’re older now. The amount of confidence I have in this journey still amazes me! Our home and schoolroom is filled with living books, organized Montessori manipulatives, a nature shelf, and so much more! The Peaceful Press has absolutely given us the foundation and building blocks to help us reach our homeschooling goals at this point. Our school rhythm is simply one we look forward to every single day, and when I will inevitably hit those road bumps, I know I have the support and help through this beautiful community.
This is what a typical school day looks like for us. We gather around our school table after self care and breakfast. Our Morning Time shelf/basket is prepared well in advance and ready to go. We always start with Scripture, a hymn, and prayer. We then do some memory work and discussion. If we have a nature study on the table (currently caterpillars) then we’ll observe and talk a bit about that. Next is a picture study, then a read aloud from the lovely Little House series or a few letter themed books. While I read, they are working on an activity of some sort; a handwriting/student sheet for my daughter, or their US map puzzles, lacing, wooden beads, etc. After I finish a chapter, we all go and get dressed for the day! Morning time is a luxurious one to two hours for us.
If the weather is nice, we usually grab a snack and head outside and romp around for a half hour or so. We then gather again for an AAR phonics lesson for my daughter and the daily preschool activity for my son. After lunch, we usually curl up together on the couch with a book. Once the baby (10 months) takes her afternoon nap, we then work on a little project, puzzle, or painting/drawing together, sometimes it’s a felt interactive or a recipe, and once a week it’s poetry teatime! Once the baby wakes up, it’s sometimes a nature walk or free play outdoors! Then we call it a day.
One thing that is important for us in raising our children at this stage is not only limiting screen time completely (except for the occasional family movie night) but also establishing a strong family bond and a nurturing home environment that stimulates imagination and provides ample opportunities to learn together. I know planting these kinds of seeds will reap a beautiful harvest later on in our family life together. The Peaceful Press has been the ideal resource to help guide our family and homeschool in the directions our hearts have always envisioned.
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