(Last Updated on October 23, 2023)
I love “Day in the Life” posts. Well, I love other people’s “Day in the Life” posts, that is. (After all, I already know what a day in my life is like.)
But I know how much a glimpse into other homeschools helps give me new ideas… so I’m hoping this will do the same for you!
In this post, I’ll refer to my kids as Oldest (8th grade son), Middle (5th grade son), and Youngest (1st grade daughter). I’ve never taken the time to come up with cutesy blog names for them and I don’t intend to start now.
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Here’s an example of a regular, nothing-exciting-planned, average day in the life of our homeschooling family:
Thursday, November 10th, 2022
7:30am
I wake up to the sound of small people scuffling around downstairs in a vain attempt to be quiet. At least they tried. I quietly blame the recent daylight savings time change for my late start and hurry to get ready.
7:45am
I have a short Bible study time while the kids get dressed and immerse themselves in the new Lego sets Middle just got for his birthday.
8:00am
It’s been unusually peaceful so far (thank you, Legos)! As I start making omelettes, I’m reminded how grateful I am that homeschooling allows us the time to have unhurried mornings!
8:20am
We sit down to a family breakfast with my husband before he heads to his corner office (a corner of our bedroom, that is) to start his work day. We’re still getting used to him working remotely, but the bonus family time at breakfast and lunch is a blessing!
8:45am
Youngest checks her school to-do list while I clean up the kitchen and my boys sneak back to their Legos, hoping I won’t notice and make them start their schoolwork.
9:00am
I decide that I don’t want to lose a battle against new birthday Legos, so I tell the kids we’ll start with our read-aloud today so they can keep playing while I read.
It’s Youngest’s turn to choose a book. Imagine my surprise when she chooses 401 Ways to Get Your Kids to Work at Home! Happily, I read to them about all the various household jobs they should already know, and how to set goals to learn the rest before they turn eighteen.
Of course, this type of book leads to all kinds of rabbit trails and discussion. Incidentally, it’s this kind of conversation – that is, natural discussion in teachable moments – that I’m convinced is the secret weapon to homeschooling’s success.
Anyway, our 15 minute read-aloud takes 45 minutes and I have to repeatedly remind myself that learning is more important than my desire to stay on schedule.
9:45am
We decide to start with history which is one of the subjects we all do together. We use Notgrass America the Beautiful and today’s lesson is about Henry Ford and his contemporaries, including the Wright Brothers.
The kids keep their hands busy making tiny Lego cars and airplanes, assuring me it’s ok that they play while listening since they’re making Ford cars and the Wright Brother’s airplane. Hmmm. I let it slide in the interest of maintaining positive attitudes all around.
10:10am
After over an hour of reading and discussion, we’re ready for a little movement. I have Middle take out the garbage while the others and I do a quick cleanup.
Then Oldest and Middle finish up their history workbooks and maps while Youngest makes her Lego pencil into a real working pen (by disemboweling another actual pen).
10:30am
Oldest heads off to practice his drums for worship team and an upcoming homeschool band audition.
While he’s occupied, I alternate between helping Middle and Youngest as they try to get the majority of their schoolwork done before lunch.
Middle works on logic, math, and then piano.
He also celebrates the fact that he finished his spelling book, All About Spelling, Level 5, in record time this year.
Youngest finishes her writing (with the new Lego pen, of course), math, and health.
11:45am
Everyone gets to a good stopping point around the same time (a small miracle). So we do a quick 5 Minute Pickup (more about our “5 Minute Pickups” here) to get the living room to go from this…
…to this…
… before dad comes downstairs for lunch.
The kids take a playing break while I (foolishly) clean up the kitchen only to mess it up again preparing lunch.
12:30pm
We eat lunch together and talk about our upcoming plans for the weeks ahead. I also check some emails and have a brief moment of panic about the quantity of things left on my to do list for the day.
1:00pm
Time for recess (no, we don’t actually call it that). While the kids play four square and other games outside, I clean the kitchen (again) and grind some whole wheat for the loaf of bread I’ll be making later today.
I peek outside to check on the kids and stop to take in the beautiful day before the weather takes a turn for the worse tomorrow. We’ve moved recently and I no longer have a backyard and garden. So gazing longingly at the neighbor’s trees a few times a day will have to suffice for now.
1:30pm
Middle starts his French Horn practicing while Youngest decides to write a letter to grandma and grandpa.
While they’re occupied, I’m able to sit down with Oldest and work through his VideoText Algebra lesson with him.
Somewhere in there, Middle finished up his band practice and started his IEW writing assignment. Youngest got tired writing and moved back to, you guessed it, Legos.
2:30pm
Normally we’d like to be finished with our schoolwork a little after lunchtime, but we have extra work today to make up for some outings on the other days this week. So, we all grumble a little, but press on.
Youngest watches some KidsHealth videos and plays a little starfall.com while I work on our BFSU chemistry lesson with the boys.
3:00pm
Oldest moves on to his lesson in iCivics while Middle finishes his elaborate science diagrams in his notebook and I help Youngest practice piano.
3:45pm
Finally! Quiet time is here! Even though my kids no longer nap, we try to have a “separate and quiet” hour sometime after lunch each day to maintain sanity. Today I use the time to clean, check emails, get the bread started, prepare a salt dough craft for a co-op class I’ll be teaching tomorrow, and start working on dinner.
The boys finish up their writing assignments and then relax (I’m assuming their relaxing involved the new Legos… but I can’t be sure).
4:45pm
After quiet time, the kids all play outside with the neighbors while I finish making dinner and get more supplies ready for my co-op class. I have the ambitious idea to let my K-2 students mix and knead their own salt dough for a craft we’re doing…
(Post-Class Update: What was I thinking?! Sooo messy! Next time I’ll pre-make the dough. But the kids had a blast so I guess I can still call it a success.)
5:30pm
I find Youngest reading her Jesus Storybook Bible and let her know it’s dinnertime.
Youngest and I sit down to eat dinner and we wave goodbye to the boys and my husband as they leave for wrestling practice.
6:00pm
Youngest helps with the kitchen cleanup and we decide to watch part of Mary Poppins since her brothers never want to and she hasn’t seen it yet.
7:00pm and Beyond
The rest of the evening is uneventful. The heavenly-smelling bread comes out of the oven, Youngest goes to bed around 7:30pm, and the exhausted boys and dad come home and eat a late dinner together.
It’s been a long one, but I’m grateful for another day in the life of my homeschooling family!
For more posts like this one, check out:
- A Day in the Life of a Homeschool Family
- Another Day in the Life of a Homeschool Family
- One More Day in the Life of a Homeschooling Family
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