We've been homeschooling off and on since preschool, re-enrolling in public school a couple of times, but the end of January marked exactly 1 whole year of schooling at home. It has been so incredibly wonderful.
I won't lie, there were quite a few times in the beginning when I questioned whether we were doing the right thing; when my boy seemed so lonely, desperate for companions his own age, but every time I'd bring it up, Jon would just remind me of all the awesome things about homeschooling (no car rider line, no one bringing weapons to school, not having to study useless information, and learning at our own pace to name a few), and I'd settle back into feeling (mostly) like we were doing the right thing.
Not long had passed into our most recent homeschooling journey when one day, the neighborhood kids decided to come out and play, and Bent finally got the nerve to introduce himself. They been great friends every since, so my motherly worries have vanished.
We follow more of a rhythm than a schedule, so there are no "set times' when we do any particular activity. A rhythm is more of "first we do this, then we do this, and after that we do this. We usually never do this before we do that" - type of thing.
Here's a peek into our day:
Wake up.
Breakfast and chill. I don't believe in making your children start on work while they eat a meal. Meals are for eating and enjoying, not absentmindedly shoveling food into your mouth while your mother sings/reads/hands you work to be done. The boys eat their breakfast in peace.
After breakfast, they may watch a little television or play together while I shower and get ready for the day. It usually amounts to 10 minutes of television watching and the rest creative play.
They then get dressed, brush teeth, tidy their rooms, and Bent gets his Morning Work basket. He has until lunchtime to complete his basket, so if he is struck by a creative thought, or the need to run outside and get some energy out, that's perfectly fine. This helps him to learn time management, since he is the one in control of his work schedule. He has a deadline to meet, and consequences if it's not met (no electronics for the remainder of the day if his work isn't completed by lunch time - electronics are the bees knees right now, so if his work is complete, he earns the privilege of electronic time after school).
Lunch. Again, no school work during meals. We just enjoy our meal together.
Quiet time. Unfortunately, my 3 year old has decided he no longer needs to nap, which was when we used to do our main lessons. Quiet time now consists of my 3 year old quietly laying down and resting while he watches a movie, usually ending with him playing blocks/legos/puzzles independently in his room. This is when Bent and I work on the parts of his daily schooling that require my guidance - Math and Literature daily, alternating Science and History every other day.
Once our school work is complete, the boys have free time to play for the remainder of the afternoon.
That's our homeschool rhythm. I'd love it if you tell me about your day in the comments or link to your post for me to read. It's so interesting and helpful to read about how other homeschool families spend their day.
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I won't lie, there were quite a few times in the beginning when I questioned whether we were doing the right thing; when my boy seemed so lonely, desperate for companions his own age, but every time I'd bring it up, Jon would just remind me of all the awesome things about homeschooling (no car rider line, no one bringing weapons to school, not having to study useless information, and learning at our own pace to name a few), and I'd settle back into feeling (mostly) like we were doing the right thing.
Not long had passed into our most recent homeschooling journey when one day, the neighborhood kids decided to come out and play, and Bent finally got the nerve to introduce himself. They been great friends every since, so my motherly worries have vanished.
We follow more of a rhythm than a schedule, so there are no "set times' when we do any particular activity. A rhythm is more of "first we do this, then we do this, and after that we do this. We usually never do this before we do that" - type of thing.
Here's a peek into our day:
Wake up.
Breakfast and chill. I don't believe in making your children start on work while they eat a meal. Meals are for eating and enjoying, not absentmindedly shoveling food into your mouth while your mother sings/reads/hands you work to be done. The boys eat their breakfast in peace.
After breakfast, they may watch a little television or play together while I shower and get ready for the day. It usually amounts to 10 minutes of television watching and the rest creative play.
They then get dressed, brush teeth, tidy their rooms, and Bent gets his Morning Work basket. He has until lunchtime to complete his basket, so if he is struck by a creative thought, or the need to run outside and get some energy out, that's perfectly fine. This helps him to learn time management, since he is the one in control of his work schedule. He has a deadline to meet, and consequences if it's not met (no electronics for the remainder of the day if his work isn't completed by lunch time - electronics are the bees knees right now, so if his work is complete, he earns the privilege of electronic time after school).
Lunch. Again, no school work during meals. We just enjoy our meal together.
Quiet time. Unfortunately, my 3 year old has decided he no longer needs to nap, which was when we used to do our main lessons. Quiet time now consists of my 3 year old quietly laying down and resting while he watches a movie, usually ending with him playing blocks/legos/puzzles independently in his room. This is when Bent and I work on the parts of his daily schooling that require my guidance - Math and Literature daily, alternating Science and History every other day.
Once our school work is complete, the boys have free time to play for the remainder of the afternoon.
That's our homeschool rhythm. I'd love it if you tell me about your day in the comments or link to your post for me to read. It's so interesting and helpful to read about how other homeschool families spend their day.
