Our Story: About Freshly Planted  

Hi, I'm Cassidy Sevier and I'm so happy you're here!

I'm a former Art & English classroom teacher who now homeschools our three kids in the woods. This is ironic for several reasons:

• I didn't want to be a teacher. It was suggested growing up, but I entered college as a photography major instead. After teaching photography at a summer camp, I realized I loved it and changed my major.

• I was never going to get married and have kids. Instead, I was going to be a professional photographer (see above). Then I fell in love at 19, got married at 20, finished college, taught English overseas with my husband, returned stateside to teach, and now have three kiddos whom I adore.

• We only going to homeschool for a couple years. It's now been five.

Why we started homeschooling

After our oldest daughter, Isia (pronounced "I-Ja") was born, I stopped teaching Art to middle-schoolers to stay home with our new baby. Which meant going down to one income. Preschool was expensive & she'd need transporting, so we homeschooled her at three to cut costs and keep life simpler. Especially since her baby brother was just a year old.

When she was four, we moved from the city to the country with only one vehicle- which my husband used to commute back to the city to teach, over an hour away. So we homeschooled out of necessity. Preschool was still costly and there was no way to transport her.

When she was five, we attended Kindergarten roundup and signed all the papers. I was pregnant and nervous about sending her to school for forty hours a week (including the bus ride) at the tender age of five with a new sibling due soon.

In fact, I wrestled with the decision all summer.

Right before school started I nervously made the hardest phone call of my life to continue our homeschool journey through Kindergarten. It wasn't easy. I had a newborn, my father had a stroke, and my husband worked two jobs. So we learned a lot about homeschooling through tough times.

By First grade, we counted our homeschool blessings and decided to continue, which is where we are today. It's true that we sometimes have cranky kids, long days, and one tired Mama. Sometimes I wonder what I've gotten myself into! Then I read through our homeschool journal and marvel at what we've accomplished. I see our kids cuddle to read books, make snacks for each other, or spend hours building stick teepee creations in the woods, and am grateful for their extended childhood.

Homeschooling has been an unexpected journey, but I'm happy we're traveling it together.

Our current homeschool curriculum & resources

Isia, age 7: Second grade

Oak Meadows Second Grade: This curriculum worked well at the beginning of the year, and she liked it. I began the year sharing the saints stories with her but after further reading we've returned to fairy tales  (which Steiner recommended for the 7th year). So we've veered away from part of the curriculum, but still do the weekly Language Arts (inserting our own story), Math, Science & Social Studies.

Miquon Math: This is a math curriculum for grades 1-3. It took a while for her to enjoy it since we started from the beginning and she said she knew it already. Which was true, but doing it again the "Miquon way" helped her to create an even stronger foundation. So I'd definitely recommend starting from the beginning, even if your child is past 1st grade. That said, it's also a great program for jumping a few pages ahead so your child doesn't become bored. It's great for active learners and helps kids develop numeracy fluidity- essential as kids advance into higher maths.

Gym & Health: She participates in a weekly swim & gym, where she plays organized activities with peers for an hour then spends an hour in the pool which includes swim lessons.

Other activities: Girl Scouts, Weekly Bible Study, Sunday School 

Billy, age 5: Kindergarten

Oak Meadows Kindergarten: This is my second time teaching this curriculum. The first time I taught it to Isia for her 2nd year of preschool. I was still in the public school mindset of "the more, the better," which has been an adjustment to change. I'd never taught a child to read before and thought they needed a push to do it. I've since changed my mind. Depending on his ability this fall, we'll either repeat this curriculum or move onto 1st grade.

This is the same kid who was assembling 60 piece puzzles as a three-year-old. He'll figure it out when he needs to.

Math: From the Oak Meadows Kindergarten curriculum with extra practice. He enjoys counting and adding/subtracting so we play lots of games to include that.

Gym & Health: She participates in a weekly swim & gym, where she plays organized activities with peers for an hour then spends an hour in the pool which includes swim lessons.

Other activities: Soccer (in the fall), Weekly Bible Study, Sunday School 

Esther, age 2: Toddler: 
The Art of Emptying ALL the Drawers ;)


Want to stay in touch?

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Email ---> freshlyplanted {at} gmail {dot} com
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