(Last Updated on October 24, 2023)
If you don’t homeschool, have you ever wondered what it is those crazy homeschooling people do all day?
And, if you already home educate, isn’t it fun to get a glimpse into another homeschool to see other ways of doing things?
That’s why I like to do “Day in the Life” posts from time to time. You can check out other days in our life here and here. But for now, here’s a look into our homeschool on…
Tuesday, January 11, 2022
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8:24am
Ohmygosh! I overslept! This never happens! Although I’m secretly happy that I got so much sleep and feel so rested, it’s not great to start the school day already behind schedule…
But, as it turns out, two of my three kids are already up and they got started on their schoolwork without me! So we’re not in as bad of shape as I thought!
I take some time to do my morning Bible reading. I then attempt to make breakfast and start making soup for lunch at the same time (key word: attempt).
7:00am (while mom was still sleeping)
My 4th grader, who I’ll call “Middle”, woke up at his usual time and already finished his CTC math lessons and Kahn Academy grammar lessons for the day. He was busy reading Garfield by the time I started breakfast.
8:00am (eek… mom is still asleep!)
My oldest son (“Oldest”) is in 7th grade. He began his day reading Garfield and then The Pocket Guide to Games as we started breakfast.
9:15am
OK – I’ve finally got my act together and I’ve caught up to my kids. Breakfast has been served and my youngest (our kindergarten daughter, “Youngest”) wakes up and joins us at the table.
We read our devotional book, Indescribable: 100 Devotions About God & Science, together and pray for our day.
Seeing Garfield books everywhere, Youngest grabs one to read while she finishes her feta cheese omelette and hash browns.
9:30am
We remember that we have to check on our ice spheres that we’d made and put out in the snow a few days prior.
Side Note: If you’ve never tried making these – they’re super easy and awesome looking! Just put a few drops of food coloring into an empty balloon (it’s important to do this step first), fill it with water, and tie the balloon. Place the colored water balloon into the snow when the weather is expected to stay well below freezing for a few days in a row. Once frozen solid, remove the balloon and you’re left with beautiful colored ice sculptures!
9:35am
OK, seriously, time to get to work. Oldest starts his CTC math lessons while Middle goes upstairs to practice his French horn for band.
Youngest and I get ready for the day since neither of us is dressed yet. A shower before noon! It’s a miracle!
10:00am
I come back downstairs just in time to help Oldest who needed some help with a few tricky math problems.
10:15am
After Oldest finishes his math, he updates his daily to-do list and finds the giant tortilla blanket he just got for Christmas (*sigh* who thinks of these things?!).
I go check on the other two kids. I find that Youngest is finishing up her daily Bible reading.
Middle, meanwhile, has finished his band practice and gotten distracted by his new LEGO contraptions kit. He’s launching things with the catapult he built.
10:30am
Since we’re all at a good stopping point in our work, we read together from Amos Fortune: Free Man, our history/literature read-aloud (I highly recommend this book).
The kids take a short break to run around and they also want to check on their ice spheres again since the lighting is better.
11:00am
We come back inside and start history which we all learn together from the Notgrass America the Beautiful curriculum.
11:30am
I get a phone call I need to take (usually I try not to take calls during school hours). Afterwards, I find Youngest has tried to start a painting project by herself…
And the others had gone back to their toys… Middle to his LEGOS, of course…
…and Oldest to a game he invented using his new game, Bounce Battle, and a big board. Incidentally, this 2’x4′ piece of hardboard (like pegboard but without holes) has been used by my kids in dozens of homemade games and inventions over the years. I talk about it more in my post about 2 Unexpected (But Awesome) Supplies for Your Homeschool.
After wrangling everyone back together, we finished up our history.
11:45am
Once the lesson reading was done, the boys worked on their maps and history workbooks.
I helped Youngest set up her art project area and she worked on painting a unicorn while I made lunch. It’s at this point I realized that I had never finished making the soup I started at breakfast. *sigh*
While I was thinking of a plan B for lunch, Oldest informed me that he’s finished his history and moving on to his next vocabulary lesson in Barron’s Painless Vocabulary book.
12:20pm
After a few more chores and distractions, I finally got our lunch on the table.
While eating, the kids started a rousing game of “guess the animal I’m thinking of” which kept them occupied long enough for me to do the dishes and straighten the kitchen.
1:00pm
After lunch and a little free time (which was spent with more Garfield, more LEGO contraptions, and checking on the ice spheres one more time… yes, they’re still there…), we got back to work.
Youngest continued her painting.
Oldest did a few kitchen chores while Middle and I worked on spelling (All About Spelling Level 4).
1:10pm
Ten minutes later, Oldest and I worked on All About Spelling Level 7 while Middle started his writing lesson video with Mr. Pudewa of IEW fame.
1:30pm
It’s around this time each day that I realize the state of my home.
Yikes.
We take a few minutes and do a five-minute pickup (find out more about the “five-minute pickup” idea in this post).
Anyway, a little while later, we got things under control. Phew.
1:45pm
Since Tuesdays are one of our “game days”, the kids get a chance to catch up on their Mario Maker and other video games once their work is done (ideally after all of their work is done… but lately I settle for most).
Youngest works on a math worksheet with me and then plays a few short iPad games.
Once I’m done helping Youngest with her math, I catch up on emails, clean up a few rooms, and finally finish making the soup (which will be for tomorrow’s lunch, I guess).
2:30pm
Every afternoon, we usually have a quiet time when my kids find quiet games, toys, reading, or schoolwork to do on their own.
Oldest, however, didn’t have a chance to get his percussion practice done for band yet. He does that in his room and so we have a “not-so-quiet” quiet time today.
Middle spends most of his break building more LEGO contraptions.
Youngest helps me fold socks and then works on some puzzles and wanders around the house. I’m not entirely sure what she did in her wanderings…
3:30pm
Right after our not-so-quiet time, my kids read in the car as we head out to a friend’s house for some good ol’ fashioned homeschool socialization. Once we arrive, we moms chat while our kids play. Then we all enjoy a delicious dinner together.
These friends happen to live a few doors down from the speech club that both of our 7th graders are in. So after dinner…
6:30pm
…we walk over to speech club where the kids practice public speaking, play improv games, and have fun with their friends.
9:40pm
After a full day and a late night, we’re home and the kids are finally all in bed. Goodnight everyone!
For more “Day in the Life” posts, check out A Day in the Life of a Homeschool Family and Another Day in the Life of a Homeschool Family.
If you’re new to homeschooling or just considering it, I know from experience that it can be very overwhelming to try and imagine what your homeschool days and life could look like. I encourage you to check out my book, Think About Homeschooling: What It Is, What It Isn’t, & Why It Works. In it, I share my own journey from thinking homeschooling is crazy to loving home education! At first, I couldn’t imagine myself as a homeschooling mom. But now I can’t imagine our life without it! Find out more about Think About Homeschooling here!
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