A "Typical" Homeschool Day

In my last post I addressed some of the three most common homeschooling fears. The next thing that usually comes up in the conversation is, "So, what does it actually look like?" 

It's a simple question, really, but it can get sticky. There are all kinds of educational philosophies and opinions out there. Every family is different and that's the beauty of homeschooling. You can do it however you want! 

I'm a little hesitant to share about our days, but I always love when other moms share about theirs because it's so helpful. So maybe you can find something helpful and if nothing else it will give you a glimpse into a real homeschool if you don't know anyone who does it (just like we didn't know a soul when we first decided to homeschool!). 

Please remember, we are still new at this. Even though I spent my whole life in the public school world, homeschooling is completely different and every time I think we have found a groove something changes. 

Here's what a "typical" (although there really is no such thing around here!) day looks like right now:

7:00am-ish - Connor's Math Lesson

I sit at the breakfast table to eat my breakfast and drink my coffee while I do a math lesson with Connor. We try to get most of it finished before the younger two come barreling down and make chaos, but it rarely happens. So it usually turns into me trying to keep Connor focused, keep Colton out of my coffee and math blocks and other random toys get thrown all over the place. 

Why first thing in the morning? Connor is an early bird like me and wakes up ready to go. We do this first because he likes it, he's good at it, and he can check something off of his list first thing. 

Which reminds me, we use a simple checklist for the major components of our "school" day, which has been very helpful. 

I eat my breakfast first so I don't have to eat while they eat (you'll see why in the next section) and I can actually finish my coffee while it's still hot. 

7:30-ish or whenever Jeff leaves for work- Morning Time 

Jeff leaving for work is kind of the unofficial start of our day. We clean up the table from whatever giant mess was created during the math lesson and the boys do their breakfast chores (which is just them setting the table and getting their cereal stuff out). 

We light a candle and I go through our morning basket while they eat. I have their attention because they have mouths full of cereal and it's harder for them to interrupt. Which, they still do, don't get me wrong, but at least I have their attention! 

I can do a separate post about what all goes into our morning basket if anyone is interested because otherwise this post will be way too long! But to get a general idea, this is the time that I review a variety of things we have learned from all subject areas. We read poetry, I share about whatever national day it is, we read our devotional, review math and science terms, go over some of our memory work for our co-op... it's just a hodge-podge of whatever I feel like we need that day. 

This morning time lasts as long as I have their attention and food isn't being thrown on the floor by the toddler. Which, these days is becoming shorter and shorter. 

Cleanup and Free Time 

After our morning time, we clean the table and the boys have a little bit of free play time while I get the toddler cleaned up, do whatever housework I can do quickly, and get materials ready for our table time, which comes next. 

8:30ish Table Time 

Once I feel like we have all had an ample time to reset after morning time, we start table time. 

I put Colton in his playpen, one boy comes to the table with me, and the other boy goes upstairs to a room out of sight. 

When Connor is at the table with me, we do our phonics lessons and handwriting. This is super short, less than 20 minutes and usually only around ten if I'm being honest. We do things in short bursts around here!

I use a variety of curriculum and resources for reading, writing, and math, so I won't get into all of that in this post! 

One of the items on Connor's checklist is to read to a brother, so at some point during the day he has to do additional reading practice, it's just not at the table with me. 

When he's done, he goes upstairs and Cooper comes to the table for his "work." I really don't expect Cooper to be doing table time at this age, but because Connor does table time with me he wanted his own table time, too. We do some alphabet practice, letter sounds, puzzles, coloring, basically whatever I feel like having him do. He loves it, so it's a win-win. 

Colton (the toddler) plays pretty well in his playpen as long as he can't see anyone else, which is why whatever boy is not at the table with me has to go upstairs. Otherwise we press on with table time amidst his screams and the sound of toys flying out of his playpen. 

Did I mention that homeschooling with a toddler is difficult??? 

9:15/30ish Outside Time/ Walk 

Most mornings we go on a walk around the neighborhood or the boys have time to play outside. Sometimes I need to run errands, so if we have somewhere to go this is usually when we go (grocery store, haircuts, friend meetups). 

Couch Time (Time of day varies) 

At some point in the morning before lunch, we have "couch time." On days when we have activities outside of the house in the morning (our co-op days) this happens in the afternoons after independent time. 

During couch time, we come together on the couch and I will read usually 2-3 books of my choice aloud. This is the time when I fit in picture books that cover whatever academic subject we are learning about that week and we usually have a chapter book going so depending on time, attention, and moods, we will read a chapter or two of that. 

The other day was Lima Bean Appreciation Day (I know, silly, but it's fun!) so this was the time when I read the three books that related to that. 

On really good days the boys will each pick a book that they want me to read aloud and I'll read those, too. Some days we can inch close to an hour on the couch. It's my favorite time of the day! 

For the longest time this was when Colton would be taking his morning nap. Now that he's not napping in the morning anymore, we still attempt to get one or two books read and he plays with toys quietly (usually) in the room. Or crawls all over us. Or creates chaos. In which we have to abandon couch time and try again later! 

Our entire homeschool runs on books and I spend lots of time looking for books to help me introduce and teach all kinds of topics from science and math to art and geography. There are wonderful books out there for almost everything. You can never have too many books!!! 

Playtime and Lunch 

Once we finish couch time the boys have free play time until lunch. 

Lunch is pretty relaxed but we usually listen to or watch something while we all eat. If we are learning about a composer, we will listen to their works. If we are learning something in science we will sometimes watch a science video online, but most of the time we will listen to whatever audiobook we have going. Right now we are listening to the Ramona series by Beverly Cleary and LOVING it! 

More playtime/ Field trips/ Errands 

After lunch the kids play outside or if we have more errands to run we do those. I typically try to schedule any appointments for this time of day because it's nice to get out of the house for a bit. Most of our field trips, park days, and friend meet ups happen in the afternoon so we can get our morning routine in as many days as possible. 

Independent Time 

The kids have some amount of independent time most days if we are home in the afternoons. They go to different rooms and listen to audiobooks on their Yoto players (which we love!). 

Random Stuff 

The afternoons vary, so sometimes we do art stuff, crafty stuff, a themed read-aloud and snack time, play-doh, drawing, you get the idea. Our afternoons vary so much throughout the week, so I never really know what the afternoon will hold! 

A few weeks ago we were all about cacti and then we were on snails for a few days, so we had some nice little afternoons with those topics! 

And that's it! 

The kids are little (almost 7, 4, and almost 2 at the time of this writing) and we have allllll the time to do more formal academic things later. We will slowly add on more to the routine as they get older, but for now, this is what works for us. 

We listen to our Classical Conversations memory work, listen to lots of audiobooks in the car, I use "strewing" to spark conversations about various things, we read about and explore lots of national days as they come up, we go on lots of field trips, and we read lots and lots and lots and lots of books. And they are learning and retaining way more than I would have ever expected. 

We do school year-round right now because it's just so much easier to keep the routine when we are home. I've decided that the days that Jeff goes to work and we are home are essentially "school" days. We do so many field trips, visits with friends and family, and little trips here and there that we only follow this particular schedule 2-3 days a week. 

Some days we only do morning time, some days we do morning time and table time just spread out throughout the day. Some days we only do couch time, it just varies, which is another wonderful thing about homeschooling. We can ebb and flow as needed. 

And of course I'm not mentioning all the noise, messes, spills, sibling fights, muddy floors, attitudes, endless laundry, dishes, exasperated prayers, and all the millions of other little things that happen daily, but why think of all of that when I can make it almost seem so nice and smooth?!  Ha! 

I've become so much more relaxed and confident over these last two years. I know that what we are doing right now is enough and we are aiming for a slow, nature-filled, curiosity-driven homeschool for as long as possible. It's so exciting to wake up each day and anticipate what the day will bring. It's so much fun! 

Well, I hope you found that helpful! 

It will be interesting to see how long this little routine lasts!

Thanks for reading! Let me know if there is anything else you're curious about and I'll see what I can do! 

Can YOU Homeschool? Yes!

I've found myself having several unexpected conversations with people lately about homeschooling. It's that time of year when the school year is winding down and we start to think about next school year. There are lots of reasons why people may think about homeschooling, but regardless, I've found myself saying the same things during these conversations, so I thought I would just write a post about it in case you or someone you know may be thinking about it (or maybe just curious!)

The parents I have talked to are genuinely feeling the pull to keep their kids home, are very curious and deep down they really want to do it, but their fears are holding them back from actually pulling the trigger.

And before I dig in, let me say this: It was never our plan to homeschool. 

We bought our house specifically for the elementary school we are zoned to. Because I was a public school teacher we never even considered homeschooling. But low and behold, one day I felt the call from the Lord, and it threw me for a complete loop!

I was almost distraught for weeks while Jeff and I were discussing it. We literally knew NO ONE who homeschooled and knew absolutely nothing about it, other than things I had read about from Sally Clarkson (a woman I love dearly who has written lots of books about motherhood and who homeschooled her four children who are now all successful adults) and the stigmas we knew from the world at large. 

I felt like this just could not be the path we were supposed to take, but the voice in my head only became stronger. I was pregnant with our third baby at the time and he was due in July, not long before the kids would start school again. 

It was a huge decision that felt like the weight of the entire world when we were thinking about it, but when I finally made the phone call to officially pull them out for the following year, it was like a weight was lifted off of my shoulders. I can still remember the feeling because it was so... shocking. I was expecting to be hyperventilating, but instead I just felt this overwhelming sense of peace. 

It's funny what happens when you obey God's still, small voice. 

Here we are almost two years later and while I'm no expert (not even close!) and our kids are still young and miles away from graduation, I can say with confidence that the homeschool life is a sweet life, and I am so glad God called our family to this path. Homeschooling has changed my life is such a profound way and I feel like part of my responsibility while I'm on this path is to do my best to empower other families who feel the call to homeschool. 

With all of that said, here are the top three fears I hear about most often from my conversations with other parents and my responses to each. Hopefully, this can be helpful for you or for someone else you know who may be thinking about making the jump. 

1. I'm not a trained teacher. I don't think I can teach my kids.  

I think this is probably the number one fear most people have when thinking about homeschooling and believe it or not, this was a fear I had despite having a Master's degree in education! 

So the very first thing I want to say right off the bat is that you are already your child's teacher.

If you are a parent, you are a teacher. You have most likely taught your kids to dress themselves or use the potty. If you haven't yet, you will. Teaching them the parts of an insect is no different. You may just need a resource to help you! ;)

Teaching your own child at home is as different from teaching a class of students in a school setting as apples are different from oranges. Teachers in schools have standards to teach that they didn't choose on a timeline they didn't set and have to meet requirements they often have no input in making all while managing a classroom full of all kinds of kiddos who have a wide range of needs that a single teacher just can't possibly meet as hard as they may try (and hats off to all the amazing men and women who do just that every single day!)

The higher-ups are pushing educational content down to younger and younger students and it just doesn't have to be that way. Don't even get me on my soap box! 

As a homeschool parent, you get to choose everything. What they learn, how they learn it, when they learn it, and what you use to teach it. As long as they get the basics (reading, writing, math- and I would argue that's all the "formal" education they need for a good, long while), the world is wide! If you live in Texas, you live in one of the best state for homeschooling. No standardized testing!

The glorious news is that there is an entire world of curriculum available out there that can give you as little or as much support as you want or need. And I mean WORLD! 

There are scripted curriculums that literally tell you exactly what to say and do. 

There are online programs that will essentially teach your child with you there to guide and support. 

There are books, podcasts, co-ops, one day academies, private tutors, university models... the list goes on and on.

There are actually SO many resources available to homeschoolers that it can be quite overwhelming. 

If you want to see what I mean, check out this site that provides an extensive list of products available for each major subject area and reviews for each of them. 

There is even an entire store in the Houston area called The Homeschool Store stocked with a nauseating... I mean, surprising! array of materials and extremely helpful staff who can help you sift through it all. (Although for me this store is like a black hole, so visit with caution!)

But also know that children are wired for learning. They are born curious. They are learning all the time and when you give them time and space to ponder and explore, you will be shocked by what they can discover. I have so much fun every single day just watching and learning right alongside my kids. I'm actually rediscovering things I previously hated- like physics!- because I can see the beauty and wonder in it through the eyes of my children. 

It really is a beautiful thing. 

So, never fear. You will be able to find exactly what you need to teach your child. 

(And there is always YouTube!)

I feel like this needs to be shouted from the rooftops because it is just so important: 

You DO NOT need to be a trained teacher to educate your child! Trust me! 

If you love your child, you can homeschool. Bottom line. 

2. I don't think I can be around my kid(s) all day. 

Yes, I feel ya. 

This was a big deal for me when we first started. 

This is the one part of homeschooling that I feel like I have had the most to learn and have had to do the most growing, so I've become really passionate about it. Bear with me... this is lengthy.

Before homeschooling we were in a routine of not being together all day and I reallyyyyyy enjoyed my coffee shop dates and solo trips to the grocery store and all the wonderful things one can do without children tagging along!

But I quickly realized that the kids going to school (it was just a four day a week preschool for our oldest, a two day a week program for our middle and the baby wasn't born yet) was actually the root of a lot of the stress and strain in our relationships. But being home all day together has actually changed our relationship for the better. We are all closer and I feel like I have a much more genuine relationship with my kids than ever before. 

Taking away all the external distractions, the stress of having to get everyone dressed and out the door every single day, and having time to relax and really enjoy each other has made a huge difference. I feel like we are living a much more authentic and rich life than the hustle and bustle we had previously. 

However...

It was tough there for the first several months, I'm not going to lie. 

My oldest and I have very similar personalities and he didn't just sit down and do what I told him to like I expected him to. Sitting at a table face to face with my own kid was vastly different than standing in front of a classroom of kiddos. Little did I know that God was using my relationship with him to teach me and grow me and that was a very rude awakening. 

I mean, I'm a teacher by profession! That's what I do! And there I was struggling with ONE student-my own child! It almost felt like a personal affront. 

Now I know that was the point. 

It took a lot, and I mean a LOT, of tears, frustration, hurtful words, apologies, PRAYER, and trial and error to figure out a dynamic that worked for us. And while it still isn't perfect, I'm learning more about how to reach for his heart, not just his immediate obedience.

I feel like choosing to homeschool has sent him the message (in so many words), "I choose you. I choose to be with you. You are most important to me right now even though this is hard and even though it will take some time to figure things out. I'm not giving up on you." Working through the trials and frustrating moments has bonded our hearts together in a special kind of way. 

As the younger two get older and they start more formal school work, I'm actually a little excited to see what their personalities and quirks will be. I know I have so much more to learn. Yes, I will make mistakes and it won't be perfect, but that's actually one of the most beautiful parts of homeschooling in my opinion. This is real life. These are my people. I can't escape them after one school year. We are in this for the long haul.

There have been and will continue to be lots of times when I feel overwhelmed, when I question our decision, or when I feel like I am failing them. There have been and will continue to be arguments, tears, anger, and harsh words said. But those moments also give birth to the beautiful moments of apology, repentance, and forgiveness. 

So yes, it may be hard, and yes, some days I long for those child-free days of independence, but I promise you if you stick it out, lean on the Lord and pray for guidance and wisdom, it will be worth it. 

And you can still have time out with friends and have a life- but that's a post for another day!

3. Won't the kids be social outcasts? 

Ah, yes. The classic socialization question. This was at the top of my list of fears, too. 

But trust me when I say, this is really NOT something to worry about. 

As a former public school teacher, I can say with confidence that there are kids sitting in public school classrooms all over the country who are social outcasts. Just because a child is sitting in a classroom with same-aged peers all day long does not immediately ensure they will know how, or choose to appropriately interact with those peers. It's quite possible for a student to go an entire day in a public school without saying much of anything. Maybe you were that kid!

I've come to learn and realize that most kids are actually MORE capable of interacting with others when homeschooled because they spend more time around adults who are (hopefully) more of a model of appropriate interaction than those same-aged peers they would have in a traditional classroom.

When the kids have squabbles, whether with each other or with friends, I can be there to coach and intercede as needed while infusing our own biblical principles. Of course there is a fine line between letting kids work things out for themselves and helicoptering, but having the ability to help solve problems when necessary is a nice benefit.

Homeschooled kids also have a chance to get out into the world, interact with real people in real places (think the library, grocery store, museums, parks, etc.) rather than being in that same classroom day in and day out.

You won't be home all day every day. Or maybe you will be if that's your style, but we most definitely are not! I aim to have at least one or two days each week where we are home all day, but we have so many options of things to do that sometimes I have to pull back to keep those one or two days sacred.

We live in the Houston/Katy area and there are numerous co-ops, playgroups, social groups, sports activities, etc. It just takes reaching out and  participating. 

If you have multiple kids the benefits compound because they will have LOTS of opportunities throughout the day to practice those problem-solving and social skills. ;) And so will you as the parent! 

So, as long as you aren't keeping your kid locked in the basement, they will be fine. 

Really! 

I know there are a host of other fears, concerns, and hesitations, but these three seem to be the main focus of most of the parents I talk to. Hopefully that was helpful!

Now that I've addressed those three main things I want to be sure to also say this: I don't necessarily think homeschooling is for everyone. 

I am not saying that every family should homeschool. In fact, I would say that if you aren't feeling the call in any way, shape, or form, then it probably isn't the path for your family. God uses all of us and our unique personalities for His purposes. Working outside of the home and/or having your kids in a school setting of some kind may be the absolute best for everyone in your family. For me, this is the path He's called me to, and I'm just listening and obeying. 

There could come a time when we feel the Lord calling us to make changes. We could eventually put one or more child in public or private school. Who knows! That's the beauty. We aren't stuck with one option forever. We have choices. And so do you! ;)

BUT if you feel the call, even just a little bit, listen. It may be just a general sense of uneasiness when you think about school or it may be a small little whisper that's inspiring you to learn more about homeschooling. Whatever that voice may sound like, stop and listen. 

Just explore. 

Just think about it. 

You don't have to make any decisions immediately. 

Now that we have been at this homeschooling thing a while, I have learned so, so much. I feel more inspired and grateful every single day, especially being able to watch the kids learn and grow both as individuals and in their sibling relationships. As unexpected as this whole journey was, I can't imagine life any other way.

It's a wonderful world over here on the other side!! 

I have so much more I would love to share about what I've learned these last couple of years. If this was helpful or you would like to know more about something in particular, let me know! I'm thinking I'll be writing some other posts soon addressing things like: 

-Why homeschool? 

-What a typical day or week looks like for us

-What are the biggest benefits?

-How homeschooling has changed our family for the better

-Educational models and methods, etc. 

But you know how it is with kiddos! Who knows when I'll have the time and energy to write another post. Hopefully I'll see you back here soon!