2021: The Year In Review

How was 2021 for you? I had a pretty hard year myself. I’m rolling into New Year’s Eve with a “Thank goodness that’s over” attitude.

New Curriculum and Updates to Old Favorites

On a high note, here at Five Senses Literature Lessons, we published a new US history curriculum: Colonization and Creation of a Country. This program was years in the making, as I worked hard to find the perfect books and activities to present early American history in a balanced way that was also accessible for younger kids. Many lessons were written and re-written in that time, as I found better books and more resources. Finally, we created the most in-depth set of online resources we have ever made to go along with it.

I’m also almost done with a re-write of Foundations and Fundamentals. This started to be a simple update of a few books. A few titles needed updating, and I thought I could provide a little more information. This project has evolved to include much more direction about how to teach your child handwriting and phonics like an occupational therapist. We are also working on example schedules to make it easier to see how to fit this program into your week. I hope to have it all ready for you all very soon.

Homelife Got Pretty Busy

In March, we added two guinea pigs to our home. Kyle and Maple (both male) became my son’s pets. I know for some families adding pets isn’t a big deal, but we don’t do it often. So for us it was a milestone moment. The pigs are a source of entertainment and are working out very well. My 14-year-old does almost all the care himself.

On a more personal note, I had a lot of health problems this year starting in June. Maybe someday I’ll blog about those, but not today. I’m not ready.  But basically, the second half of 2021 was a total wash for me. I had to give up doing many things I love and spent a lot of time in bed and in pain. I’m making a very slow recovery and going to occupational therapy for myself. It is a new experience being a therapy patient and I’ve learned a lot from it.

Welcoming A New Family Member

Because I needed to end the year with something happy, we just got a new puppy. I’m well aware there is a stigma about Christmas puppies, but for us, this has been a great choice. Our puppy came to live with us the day after my oldest finished their college finals. So, all my kids have been spending winter break helping with our new family member. Cerberus, named for the three-headed dog that guards the Underworld in Greek mythology, is a tiny bundle of cute and chaos.

Doing my share of puppy cuddles and care has helped me both emotionally and physically. If you are wondering, the name was chosen by my kids, not me. But they do seem to have my sense of humor, as we expect Cerberus to only be an 8-pound dog when he is fully grown.

Looking Forward

I have big goals for 2022, though the first and most important is to recover my health. There is still a ways to go with that journey, but I look forward to getting there. In the meantime, I’m already drafting some blog posts for 2022 with tips for helping your child with ADHD. Look for those in the next few weeks.

I look forward to being along with you on your homeschooling journey, as we also continue homeschooling. Much love to all of you!  But not to 2021!

About the Author

Laura Sowdon, OTR/L is an occupational therapist, writer, speaker, educator and creator of the Five Senses Literature Lessons homeschool curriculum. She has worked as an occupational therapist with children in public and private schools, as well as private practice. Laura has taught and managed homeschool co-ops as well as homeschooling her own three children. Laura is dedicated to the idea of educating children at a pace that aligns with brain and physical development milestones and respects neurodiversity in all its forms.