🌿 A Homeschool Year Tailored with Heart: Meeting My 10-Year-Old Where She’s At

Hello, friends ✨

This year, my daughter and I are walking a homeschool path that is as unique as she is—thoughtfully tailored to nurture her growth, support her learning needs, and honor her rhythm.

She’s creative, curious, and bright—and she also lives with ADD. That means some days are full of focus and flow, while others call for a slower pace and extra flexibility. One of the gifts of homeschooling is that we can honor both. We can choose tools that adapt, encourage, and inspire, even when attention ebbs and flows.

Here’s a look at the curriculum we’ve chosen this year—resources that are helping her not only grow academically but thrive emotionally, creatively, and intellectually.

➕ Math: Building Confidence with Structure & Play

Math has become one of the most surprising joys of our year, thanks to a blend of three powerful tools:
Singapore Dimensions Math 5, Synthesis Tutor, and Elephant Learning.

Singapore Dimensions offers a step-by-step approach rooted in mastery. It’s paced in a way that allows her to pause and truly understand before moving forward, which eases the pressure and builds confidence.
Elephant Learning gives us short, interactive lessons that feel more like play than work—perfect for days when attention is fleeting.
And Synthesis Tutor? It’s the crown jewel of math this year. It transforms math into a challenge-based adventure. She often asks to solve “just one more,” which fills my heart.

Seeing her genuinely excited about math—leaning into puzzles, stretching her thinking—is one of those quiet homeschooling victories I’ll treasure.

✍️ Language Arts: Structure Meets Storytelling

We’ve found a gentle balance between structure and creative expression with:

Essentials in Writing (Level Four)
Brave Writer literature guides

The video-based lessons from Essentials in Writing feel like having a calm, reassuring tutor right beside us. On days when focus is harder to come by, the ability to pause, rewind, and go at her pace is a gift.

And with Brave Writer, we’re diving deep into stories like Anne of Green Gables and The Wild Robot. These guides don’t just walk us through comprehension—they invite connection, creativity, and discussion. Watching her respond emotionally to literature and find her own writer’s voice has been a beautiful unfolding.

🌀 Spelling: Where History Meets Phonics

Spelling You See – American Spirit has turned spelling practice into something we both look forward to. Each lesson weaves together spelling patterns with fascinating stories from history—making our sessions feel meaningful, engaging, and gently paced.

For a learner with ADD, the short, structured format has been especially helpful. It gives her clarity and direction, without overwhelm.

🕊️ Latin: Unlocking the “Secret Language”

Latin might sound intimidating, but First Form Latin from Memoria Press has made it accessible—and even exciting.

The streaming lessons guide us with structure and clarity, and there’s a little sparkle in her eyes as she begins to decode what feels like a secret ancient language. As her understanding grows, so does her confidence in grammar, which flows into every other area of learning.

📚 History & Civics: Learning Through Story and Dialogue

This year, we’re exploring the past—and what it means to be an informed citizen—with two beautiful programs:

Beautiful Feet Books – Early American History (Grades 4–6)
The Good and the Beautiful – US Constitution & Government

Beautiful Feet’s story-based approach brings history alive. We’re taking our time, savoring the curriculum over two years, which lets her reflect and connect deeply. She remembers details, not because she’s memorized them, but because she’s felt them.

With this being an election year, The Good and the Beautiful’s civics study has added depth. We’ve had rich conversations about citizenship, responsibility, and the kind of world we want to help shape.

🗺️ Geography: One State at a Time

Our US Geography (Grades 4–6) curriculum from Beautiful Feet Books has made learning geography tactile and engaging.

Each state becomes a story, a place to map, a puzzle piece in the larger picture of our country. She’s learning to see how every corner of the nation connects—and I love watching that understanding bloom.

🔬 Science: Discovery Through Hands-On Exploration

Apologia’s Anatomy & Physiology has become a favorite part of our week. The lessons are short and meaningful, and the hands-on experiments feed her curiosity.

Whether we’re learning about bones or the heart, she’s fully engaged—and often recounts facts at dinner with the kind of excitement that reminds me why we chose this path.

🖋️ Handwriting: Slow and Steady Progress

We’re using The Good and the Beautiful’s Cursive Handwriting workbook, and it’s been the quiet surprise of our day.

The repetition is calming, the structure is clear, and she takes so much pride in her progress. It’s screen-free, soul-steadying work—and it’s helping her build both skill and confidence.

🎨 Art & Science Adventures: Glitterbombers + MEL Science

These two programs bring joy and wonder into our week in the most creative ways:

Glitterbombers (Soul Sparklettes Art) gives her the freedom to play with color, texture, and design. It’s expressive and soothing—a perfect outlet for creativity.
MEL Science delivers monthly STEM kits that feel like gifts—each one packed with excitement, experimentation, and a sense of discovery.

Together, they remind her (and me) that learning can be both meaningful and magical.

💛 A Homeschool That Honors Her

Every resource in our homeschool has been chosen not just for what it teaches, but for how it teaches—how it invites her in, meets her where she’s at, and creates space for growth at her own pace.

This journey isn’t about checking every box. It’s about building something sustainable, meaningful, and full of light—something that lets her thrive as both a learner and a person.

If you’re homeschooling a child with ADD or simply trying to find what works best for your family, I hope this gives you some fresh ideas or encouragement. You know your child best—and that insight is your greatest guide.

With heart,
Patricia