September is a funny month when you’re a homeschool mom. While everyone else is buying twenty-five glue sticks and stressing about bus schedules, we’re dusting off our curriculum bins, sharpening pencils that somehow disappeared over the summer, and trying to remember where we last saw the math manipulatives. (Spoiler: They’re in the Lego box.)
There’s a rhythm shift in the air. Even if the kiddos aren’t climbing on the bus at 7 a.m., the days are shorter, the air has a chill, and our summer learning has transitioned from collecting rocks to writing complete sentences about collecting rocks.
Truly, autumn is my favorite time of year. Apple picking at Beardsley or Silverman’s becomes a lesson in agriculture and fractions (how many bushels can we fit in the trunk?). A hike at Sleeping Giant serves as both a P.E. and science activity. I’m almost certain a stop at our favorite farmers’ markets counts as economics.
The true beauty of homeschooling in September is that we don’t have to choose between cozy and productive. We can snuggle on the couch with our read-alouds while the rain falls or spread our notebooks on a blanket before the chill sets in.
There’s still chaos, but there’s also freedom, and a chance to build memories alongside multiplication tables.
To my fellow moms in Fairfield County who pay taxes and homeschool your children, like me, here’s your reminder that fall doesn’t need to be Pinterest-perfect. Let the leaves crunch under your feet, let the fieldtrips double as family fun, and don’t feel bad if “pumpkin spice latte” is written under your planner under self-care. September is here, and the world is our oyster.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m on a mission to figure out how many apples my kids need to eat before they’re “too full for dinner.”
