The links below may be affiliate links, meaning I earn a small compensation at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure policy here. 

It’s that time again. We’re done with school this year, we took a week or so off with nothing on the agenda (because I had not made the kids’ summer checklists yet), and then I realized WHY THERE HAS TO BE SOMETHING TO DO EVERY DAY.

I don’t mean like a fun errand or adventure everyday. We definitely do not have the stamina for that.

But during the summer, the whole household runs better with at least a little structure. So, personal summer checklists it is. (I even make on for myself!)

Summer Checklists & Recommended Resources

The thing about a checklist or rhythm or schedule that I absolutely love, is that when the tasks are on a piece of paper, posted for all to see, the job of TELLING THE KIDS WHAT TO DO is off my plate. The checklists are the bossy ones making the kids do their math, read their books, write in their gratitude journals, etc. It’s not mom. She’s the easy-going one who get to defer to the checklist whenever anyone asks for screen-time. “But what does the checklist say?!”

(Highly recommend this method for assigning regular chores, daily rhythms, etc, too. Less decision fatigue for you, more responsibility for them). You can find a lot of ready-to-go printables and organizers in my shop to help with this!

I like to laminate the checklists so the kids can use dry erase markers to check things off, then erase for the next day/week. I also printed mine 4 to a page, but you can go bigger if that works better for you. (Different print options are available with the download in my shop).

WHAT’S ON THE KIDS’ CHECKLISTS (2024*)

Each day the kids all have to complete 1 page of math in their math books, read an hour independently or 30 minutes with mom, and complete a page in their word building or grammar books (my middle schoolers are doing a page of grammar a day).

In addition to the daily tasks, they have once a week tasks, like write in their gratitude notebook, write a journal entry about something that happened that week, read current events and do a written narration about something interesting, do a building project or science experiment, play math games, do a math speed drill, etc.

*I will add an updated picture of our 2025 Summer Checklists below with a few new ideas and resources.

Here are a few of the resources we’re using for our checklists: 

• Math Mammoth (this is the math curriculum we’ve used for years. They have review books, but we’re just going to keep working in their regular books because we didn’t finish)
• Honey for A Teen’s Heart (this is a book recommendation book for teenagers. I have the standard Honey for A Child’s Heart too. I’m using this to pull reading ideas from for my oldest boys)
• The Week Jr. (current events magazine that arrives once a week. Interesting and fun, generally non-partisan. My kids typically devour it when it arrives)
• Word Ladders (this is a whole series of books on different grade levels. The pages are simple to complete and will serve as fun spelling and vocabulary practice)
• Grammar Practice (basic grammar rules and practice exercises. I got 6th grade level for both my middle schoolers because grammar isn’t something we typically focus a lot on)
• Gratitude Notebook (Juniper Grove Journals has a lot of printed notebooks like this to go in a traveler’s journal. I love that the prompts and places to write are ready to go)
• Cardboard Engineering (I bought this for my 8yo’s birthday. He can use this book, and others in our library, to complete his project task each week).
• Multiplication Speed Drill (I use this website to print out our speed drill practice pages)

In addition to the math and language arts practice this summer (and our summer nature study, gardening, interests, and adventure days), there is also a section in the checklists for habits. I’m trying to help the kids develop a habit of starting each day with water, sunshine, and movement, so that is on their checklists. I also included gratitude and random acts of kindness in the habits section.

You can see and print the Random Acts of Kindness sheet for free at the end of this post! 

My summer checklist is a little different than the kids (the last one on the daily section should actually say book reading, so that is actually similar). But I wanted to set some regular goals for myself this summer, and help me reach some of my work deadlines.

Hopefully, my personal checklist will be a helpful reminder to make both work and personal fulfillment a priority most days!

2025 Summer Checklists

I used our checklists from last year as a base for this year’s checklists, with a few small changes based on my kids’ current ages and needs.

One of the great things about summer is the extra time for individual interests and lessons. My oldest boys will be signed up for typing lessons, my older daughter wants to start learning French, and my younger son will have ample time to build and experiment– his particular passions.

Most of the kids’ summer work and habits will be independent, but I also want to be sure we have intentional learning time together and time to connect as well. (Especially since I try to use the increased free time to increase my own work and project time independent of the kids).

My goal is to gather the kids at lunch with a lunch tray and our Summer Nature Study. I LOVE this time of learning together about summer nature topics– things we are already going to be exploring and active in for the next few months.

Other resources we will be using this summer:

• Challenge Cooking Cards :: deck of cooking prompts to inspire and motivate kids to cook regularly and try new recipes
• Oyla Science Magazine :: we’re trying both the regular and the junior version this summer
• Duolingo :: language lesson learning app– we’ve used it for Spanish for a while, and are going to try French this summer
• Typing.com :: free typing practice and fun games
• Yoto Player :: I’m going to get my youngest set up with some podcasts via the Yoto to listen to during craft time

Printable Resources

You can find these customizable summer checklists in my Etsy shop, along with a lot more resources like a Water & Nutrition Tracker, Drink Flip Menu, Summer Menu pages, and more.

The Random Acts of Kindness page is free to print here. I hope it inspires more kindness in all of us, in new and fresh ways!

I love summer and this season of adventuring and gardening especially! If you enjoy organizational content, fun family content, and great summer recipes, stick around, look around my site, and follow me on Instagram!

These are some great summer posts to get you started:

• 10 Summer Mom Hacks for Better Family Adventures
• 50+ Fresh Summer Vegetable Recipes & Resources
• 20+ Tasty Summer Cookout Recipes
• Adventure Day Bags

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The post Summer Checklists & Our Summer Rhythm appeared first on This Pilgrim Life.

The links below may be affiliate links, meaning I earn a small compensation at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure policy here. 

Monday nights are one of my favorite nights of the week since I started a rhythm of making them the night we watch movies based on true stories– biographies, inspiring endurance and bravery, important figures in history, amazing animals, and more.

I love Mondays as a rule– they’re the days we do the bulk of our family learning together at the table– but by the end of the day, I’m DONE. Which is how the regular movie night tradition began.

Watching movies based on true stories together continues our learning, yes. More importantly, though, they give us the chance to enter into a time period other than our own, they nurture empathy and understanding when we experience life from a different perspective, and they model virtues like integrity, resilience, and bravery from real events and people. 

I’ve put together a list of over seventy movies that are each based on history. The list is divided into type for easy reference. Be sure to save this list so you can check back, and maybe even start your own historical movie night!

Movie Based on True Stories

1. Biographical Movies
2. Inspiring Science & Engineering
3. Movies About Authors
4. Amazing Sports Stories
5. Paths to the Olympics
6. True Animal Movies
7. Based on True Events
8. Historical Movies with more Mature Content
9. WWII Movie
10. Espionage & the Cold War

We have watched most of these movies over the years, many of them more than once. Some of the movies are wonderful for the whole family, and others we reserve for the older kids since they have more mature content, language, and situations. 

The last three segments of the list are movies that are generally considered for teens and older. However, I would absolutely recommend doing your own research and vetting of any movie on this list before you decide whether it is appropriate for your family or not.

I use Common Sense Media to look into books and movies for my kids. It’s a great resource to preview content ahead of time to make an informed decision before reading or watching. 

We also love the selection of movie on Amazon Prime Video! Many are free and others are just a few dollars to rent. It’s our only streaming service we’re using right now.

1. Biographical Movies 

• True Spirit
• A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
• Temple Grandin
• Lost on A Mountain in Maine
• Searching for Bobby Fischer
• Mr. Holland’s Opus
• Queen of Katwe
• Young Woman & The Sea
• The Miracle Worker
• Ruby Bridges

2. Inspiring Science & Engineering 

• The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
• A Million Miles Away
• Hidden Figures
• October Sky
• The World’s Fastest Indian
• Ford vs Ferrari

3. Movies About Authors 

• Miss Potter
• Christopher Robin
• The Man Who Invented Christmas
• Finding Neverland

4. Amazing Sports Stories 

• Rudy
• Miracle
• Free Solo
• Invincible
• Hoosiers
• Moneyball
• McFarland, USA
• Iron Will
• Undefeated
• We Are Marshall
• The Greatest Game Ever Played
• Radio

5. Paths to the Olympics

• Race
• The Boys in the Boat
• Eddie the Eagle
• Chariots of Fire
• The Simone Biles Story
• Cool Runnings

6. True Animal Movies

• Hachi
• Secretariat
• Fly Away Home
• Arthur the King
• Togo
• Seabiscuit
• We Bought A Zoo
• Wild America 

7. Based on True Events 

• Kon Tiki
• Apollo 13
• The Sound of Music
• The King’s Speech
• Hiding Place
• Rosa Parks Story
• One Life
• The Diary of Anne Frank
• The Finest Hours
• Rule Breakers

8. Historical Movies with more Mature Content 

• The Highway Men
• Catch Me If You Can
• Pursuit of Happyness
• Selma
• The Great Debaters
• The Impossible
• The Perfect Storm
• Quiz Show
• Harriet
• Amazing Grace
• The Help
• Stand & Deliver

9. WWII Movies

• The Keeper
• Dunkirk
• The War Horse
• Oppenheimer
• The Great Escape
• Unbroken

10. Espionage & Cold War

• Hunt for Red October
• Bridge of Spies
• Breach
• Thirteen Days

Share in the comments if any of these are movies you’ve enjoyed, or if you have others to add to this list! 

Don’t forget to PIN for later and share with friends! 

The post 70+ Movies Based on True Stories appeared first on This Pilgrim Life.

The links below may be affiliate links, meaning I earn a small compensation at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure policy here. 

We are entering our eight year of homeschooling– this is officially our first full week– and this year I have a seventh grader, fifth grader, third grader, kindergartener, and a preschooler in our school. We are full on into middle school territory, with three kids in elementary school, and one child balancing between a priority of lots of play time and a bit of lessons.

Each year I share elements of our homeschool at the start of the season, whether it’s our curriculum choices, how I’ve organized our supplies, favorites resources, etc. This year I am sharing our curriculum choices again for a few reasons. Primarily because it’s helpful to see what curriculum is available, to get an idea of how various sources of curriculum can work together, and how curriculum choices and books can span a variety of ages and grades.

In our homeschool, I plan for a mix of family learning together, as well as individual learning on each child’s level. As my children get older, and the spread of grades increases (as more of my kids become school age), it’s important to make sure the older ones are being challenged and pushed to go deeper in their subject areas. Likewise, it’s also important that my younger kids are being met and taught where they are as well.

Even so, learning together as a family is one of our favorite benefits of homeschooling, so I am thankful that there are still so many ways to incorporate studies for everyone to enjoy and participate in. As I planned our rhythm for this new school year, I tried to give the day a flow between learning together, independent work, and breaks. Once I’ve had some time to test and tweak our rhythm, I will share more about what exactly it looks like for us.

Our 2022 Homeschool Curriculum Choices

Over the years, I have used both ready-to-go boxed curriculum that includes everything needed and which lays everything out, and I’ve also pieced together curriculum from a variety of sources. The former method is perfect for years when we’ve had new babies, life changes, or just generally stressful seasons. But the latter is my preferred method of selecting curriculum when I feel like I have the time and capacity to plan and puzzle together curriculum for all the subjects we want to study.

There’s really no wrong or right way to go about picking curriculum for your family. I think what is most important is to remember that it’s not the curriculum that makes for a successful year. There is no rule that you have to stick with a curriculum that isn’t working for you, or that every child in your family needs to use the same curriculum. That’s the beauty of homeschooling– you can adjust and adapt and personalize as much as you need to in order to find the right fit.

This post is not meant to be an explanation of all our homeschooling principles or priorities. (Though, BTW, we are mostly Charlotte Mason homeschoolers). There’s no way I could cover everything I’d like to share about how we study each subject, or how some things are hard but worth doing, or how the goal isn’t really even to finish all of these books or subjects.

Rather, this post is more of a projected course that we are setting for the year. A direction we want to travel, an intention of studies. It’s the stops that we plan to take along the way, but there’s no way of knowing exactly what will be waiting for us along the road. So, as we embark on the adventure of a new year, we will set off with eager expectations, a willingness to stop and smell the roses, and the flexibility to take each leg of the journey as it comes. 

Family Learning

MORNING TIME

• WonderFull: studying the Psalms
• Big Truths About God board books & Tiny Systematics workbooks from Tiny Theologians
• This Is the Gospel from Kids Read Truth
• Thoughts to Make Your Heart Sing, devotional readings
• Nature Studies from Treehouse Schoolhouse (we love these nature studies so much! You can use my code THISPILGRIMLIFE10 to save 10% off in the THSH shop)
• Art History: reading through A Children’s History of Art 
• Sing A Song of Seasons, A Nature Poem for Each Day of the Year

“RICHES”

• Learning Spanish with TalkBox Mom
• Acrylic Painting for Beginners video course from Laurie Ann Art
• Living Harmonies from Thistles & Biscuits— musical genres from around the world
• Comedy of Errors from Tales from Shakespeare
• KidStory collection of biographies
• How to Teach Nature Journaling 

TOPICAL STUDIES

• National Parks
  • Traveling the Parks from Waldock Way + America’s National Parks 
  • Additional Books: National Parks of the U.S.A., The Art of the National Parks, The Power of Scenery, U.S. Atlas, Ansel Adams National Parks,
• Human Anatomy
  • Your Body Usborne book
  • The Stickman’s Guide to Your Body
  • The Human Body: Fun Facts About the Human Body at a Glance
  • The Human Body in a Book
  • The Human Body: Pop-Up Anatomy

Independent Learning 

MATH

• 3rd, 5th, and 7th grade :: Math Mammoth books on grade level
• Math Lessons for a Living Education :: starting with level 1 for my kindergartener
• lots of games & manipulatives!

LANGUAGE ARTS

• My Father’s World kindergarten student pages for my kindergartener
• Continue with Pathway Readers for my 3rd grader
• Emerging Writers Bundle from Brave Writer for my 3rd, 5th, and 7th graders
• Independent reading in literature and history books for 5th and 7th graders, plus corresponding oral and written narrations

OTHER

• Let Them Be Little Preschool with my 4yo

Upper Level Studies

• Ancient History with Beautiful Feet Books
• Science in the Ancient World, read together with older kids
• Getting Started with Latin
• Science in the Atomic Age from Berean Builders for my 7th grader
• Mel Science subscription for my 7th grader (Mel Science is currently running a Back-to-School sale so you can get 12 months for the price of 9– 3 months free!)
• Thames & Kosmos Chemistry Set for my 5th grader

Cooperative Learning & Activities

• Art History & Projects with small co-op using Blossom & Root Profiles in Art (B&R is currently running a sale for 30% off everything with the code apple30)
• P.E. with a local co-op
• Field trips, nature days, & book club with our local Wild & Free group
• Middle School park days and gatherings

MORE LIKE THIS :: 

• How to Set Up A Daily Rhythm
• Free Morning Time Planning Printables
• Favorite Morning Time Resources
• Huge List of Favorite Audiobooks
• Homeschool Organization Tour & Mega List of Favorite Resources

If you enjoyed this post, and would like to see more homeschooling content, come follow along on Instagram where I regularly share tips, resources, and glimpses at our day-to-day homeschooling life. 

I would also love to hear from you! Are you a homeschooling family? Is there a subject area that you are excited to learn about this year? A favorite curriculum recommendation? Leave them here in the comments! 

Sharing is caring! Don’t forget to pin and share. Thank you!

The post Our 2022 Homeschool Curriculum Choices appeared first on This Pilgrim Life.