Morning Tea & Living Books: Our Complete 2026/2027 Homeschool Curriculum Plan
There’s something about January that makes me restless.
While most people are still settling into the current school year, I’m already dreaming about the next one. Planning. Rearranging. Imagining fresh rhythms and sharpened pencils and brand-new routines. Please tell me I’m not the only one who starts mapping out the next school year in the middle of the current one and gets far too excited about it. Because that is absolutely me.
This January, I found myself sitting at our dining room table—coffee in hand, books stacked high, my oldest ready to begin—when it hit me:
We need more simplicity.
Our Current Rhythm
Right now, our days look like this:
We wake up, do chores, eat breakfast, and start school. Most days, school takes about 2–3 hours.
But Tuesdays? We’re rushing out the door to be at Classical Conversations by 8 a.m.
Thursdays (every other week)? Wild + Free co-op.
That really only leaves Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays for any sense of routine—and even Fridays are often spoken for.
And 2026 is going to be a big year for our family. I can’t share everything publicly just yet, but I know enough to know this: our current rhythm won’t sustain what’s coming. We will need flexibility. Margin. Simplicity.
Not more rigor. Not more rushing.
Why We Chose Classical Education
Before we even had children, I knew I wanted to pursue a Classical education for them. Some friends of my dad’s sent their children to a Classical private school, and after hearing them describe it, my husband and I both found ourselves wishing we had been educated that way.
Then we had children and realized how expensive private school tuition truly is. Public school wasn’t an option for us. So homeschooling entered the picture.
Classical education follows the trivium model: grammar, logic, and rhetoric. Children build strong foundations in arithmetic, grammar, writing, reading, history, science, and Latin.
It’s rigorous. It’s rich. It’s how many of the great thinkers—like Aristotle and Plato—were educated. Even literary giants like William Shakespeare were shaped by its structure.
And here’s something fascinating: students who focus heavily on arithmetic (memorization of math facts and mental math) often test behind peers in the early years compared to programs like Saxon Math. But around Algebra, something shifts. Classically educated students tend to thrive and outperform, because their foundation is so solid.
Friends of ours—graduates of a Classical private school in Houston—even had to defend a master’s-level thesis before a panel of local judges during their senior year of high school.
That’s the kind of formation we wanted.
We were sold.
Our Experience with Classical Conversations
In early 2024, I was introduced to Classical Conversations. It’s a one-day-a-week homeschool community rooted in Classical principles. I loved it so much that in our first year homeschooling, I became a director and opened our local community.
And we truly loved it.
But as the year went on, I realized how much I was supplementing at home—especially in the Foundations program (ages 4–11). There was no handwriting, no structured math practice, no guided reading built in. Foundations is heavily focused on memorization. And while memorization has value, I began to feel it was too narrow.
I’ve since come to see that Classical Conversations is more neo-classical than purely classical. The Challenge program (their high school track) is phenomenal. But the elementary years felt lacking for our family.
I considered leaving in spring 2025. But our community was beautiful. We stayed one more year.
And now, here we are.
Our last Tuesday will be the end of March. It will be bittersweet. But most of our close friends are also in our Wild + Free co-op, so we’ll still see them often, playdates and all. Glory to God for sweet community.
I simply can’t commit to every Tuesday again next year. And philosophically, it no longer aligns with where we feel led.
Memoria Press: Thorough, but Heavy
In fall 2025, I added Memoria Press as our primary curriculum.
It is truly classical. Thorough. Beautiful. High-quality.
And very rigorous.
It was originally designed for classrooms, which means lots of materials and a heavy schedule. Jemma has done wonderfully with it, especially Rod & Staff Math. But as we look toward the second half of 2026, I know my family won’t thrive under that level of intensity.
We need something lighter.
Something intentional, but breathable.
Enter Charlotte Mason
After months of research, reading, and prayer, I’ve landed somewhere that feels like peace.
We are shifting to a Charlotte Mason-style education.
Charlotte Mason believed children are born persons, to be respected, not treated as empty vessels to be filled. Her philosophy emphasizes:
Living books (rich, narrative-based literature)
Short, focused lessons
Nature study
Narration
Habit training
Copywork and dictation
An atmosphere of beauty and discipline
It’s not purely Classical, but it blends beautifully with Classical content.
I think of it this way:
Classical education is the meat—the content, the structure, the depth.
Charlotte Mason is the method—how we present it, how we cultivate wonder.
We can still teach arithmetic, Latin, history, and science—but through living books, nature walks, and meaningful conversations around the table.
Our 2026–2027 Plan
We’ll be using Ambleside Online as our guide. It’s a free Charlotte Mason curriculum built on time-tested principles and rich literature.
Most subjects will now be family-style learning.
Math, Latin, and reading will be individual.
But Bible, history, science, literature, geography, music, and art will be shared around the table.
Morning tea. Living books. A globe nearby. Nature journals open.
Jemma (2nd Grade):
Math: Rod & Staff (through Memoria Press)
Spelling: The Spelling Workout Level B
Family Subjects: Ambleside Online
Latin: Biblingo
Extras: Outschool (she’s eyeing a chess class!)
Henry (Kindergarten):
Reading: Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons
Alphabet & Numbers: Memoria Press + play-based learning
Family Subjects: Ambleside Online
Lots of play
For language arts, we’re stepping away from a formal grammar program for now. Research shows children’s brains often aren’t developmentally ready for formal grammar until around age 8 (third grade). Instead, we’ll focus on spelling, copywork, reading, and narration.
And honestly? It feels freeing.
The Heart Behind the Shift
This may sound like a lot. But it’s actually less.
Less rushing.
Less overcommitment.
Less rigidity.
More connection.
More beauty.
More time together.
I’m already dreaming about big bookshelves filled with living books. I’m searching Facebook Marketplace for a globe. I’m pinning ideas for family unit studies.
I’m looking forward to flexible schedules. To morning tea with warm light streaming in. To calm lessons and slow growth. To the kind of balance that, God willing, will carry us into whatever 2026 holds.
And maybe that’s what this season is teaching me:
It’s okay to pivot.
It’s okay to simplify.
It’s okay to build a life, and an education, that fits your actual family.
So tell me, what are you planning for the next school year?
LINKS:
(I may earn affiliate income from any of the links below, but I promise I only share products I am or am planning to actually use!)
Biblingo: https://biblingo.com/pricing/?ref=mbmhomeschool USE THE CODE MBM10 FOR A DISCOUNT!
Memoria Press: https://www.memoriapress.com
Ambleside Online: https://www.amblesideonline.org
Charlotte Mason Copywork Supplies Links: https://amzn.to/4qUT1Ih
