Sunshine Days
family
Homeschooling has had quite the surge in popularity recently. After the pandemic closed down schools, some families decided that this was the path for them, at least for a year or so. Some states have enacted laws that allow for more school choice, so parents are able to bring their kids home & pursue their education through those grants or tax credits. Many families see the public schools as having a vastly different worldview from their own, but they cannot afford to send their children to a private school. Homeschooling seems the better choice for them.
If you've ever been curious as to what a day of homeschooling could look like, I hope this post leaves you with a better understanding of one of the many ways families educate at home.
If you're a homeschooling parent, hi there! I hope this post is an encouraging reminder that nothing has to be perfect. Home education is so much more than a checklist.
I'm not here to sell you on homeschooling or to make you feel less-than for your choice of educational pathway. I have friends & family who choose different types of schools, different styles of curriculum. Whether we choose to do the schooling ourselves or choose a more traditional path of sending our kids to a classroom, we all can acknowledge the benefits & drawbacks of each choice. So much of this is a matter of conviction & that's the Holy Spirit's job, not mine.
I also want to clarify that we have many things that interrupt our schedule--gymnastics, piano lessons, choir, robotics, doctor appointments, etc. Our day looks EXACTLY like this EXACTLY once or twice a week. However, we do try to maintain the pieces of the schedule when we are home.
We are in the middle of our 8th year of homeschooling. I have a 7th, 5th, 3rd, & 1st grader, but most homeschool moms who have been doing this a while will tell you that grades are a bit relative. Each of my younger 3 are around a year ahead for their age. I have a few reasons for this. First, here in NH, the compulsory age is 6, so some of my kids are even 2 grades ahead of their age peers because 3 of the 4 started in Maryland where the age was 5. The second reason is because my daughter (2nd-born) was eager to do school with her big brother. She had the maturity & the desire, so we went for it. Third, we chose to use a more laidback curriculum for kindergarten. Yes, they still learned letter names & sounds, were introduced to math concepts, & read simple CVC words by the end. But it didn't have the sometimes unrealistic rigor of many of the current classroom kindergarten curricula. (Not knocking those at all! They are very successful at producing readers at that young age & setting them up for elementary classroom expectations. And a good teacher can make anything work well for their students.) This allowed me to feel comfortable using it with my kids at a younger age. Some were 5 when they started; some were even 4. Lastly, being at home gives me the flexibility to meet them where they are academically & in their maturity. Boys in particular are less able to sit still for the duration of a lesson in a conventional classroom. Having them at home allows me to give my youngest first grade math work (which he does fabulously) but also give him plenty of free time for creative play & physical movement.
When we decided to homeschool, we did it out of necessity. We lived in Maryland where the public schools were not aligned with our conservative Christian values. Many people we knew sent their kids with much success to the local schools, but we did not feel equipped to do so. Our church had a small Christian school, but the cost of tuition on one income did not seem to be a wise way to spend our money. I also happened to have a degree in education. While that is not a requirement for homeschooling, it definitely helped me feel more confident to take this on. As circumstances change, we try to evaluate regularly what the best option is for our kids. For now, it's homeschool, but who knows how God will lead as they grow!
Curriculum & style choices are tricky. So many factors go into them! What can you afford? Do you want to open a box & be on your way? Do you feel confident picking & choosing resources? Would you prefer an all-Christian curriculum or do you see value in including secular texts? Unit studies? Following interests? Do your kids have specific learning needs? Do you want to have a more structured or freestyle approach? What are the requirements in your state? Are there resources available to homeschoolers in your state/county/city? Do you want to join a group or co-op?
Did I overwhelm you? Sorry! Moving on...
I am not naturally at my best in the morning, so I have to be intentional about fighting against my natural (& sinful) tendencies. For me, that means I have to be up at least an hour before my kids. My ideal would be to have time to drink my coffee, read my Bible, read a short devotional or other spiritual growth book, & also have time for a chapter or 2 from a few other books. (I read a lot...) Sometimes, I like to surprise my kids with some pancakes (I use a protein mix like this one), but they usually are content with simpler things like bagels or English muffins.
After breakfast, the kids get themselves ready for the day. They also are responsible for feeding Henry, the bunny we've had for about 3 months now. (I can't mention him without including a picture, so here ya go. Never thought I'd have any type of pet, but he's not so bad. Except when he chews things. And bunnies are always chewing things...)
We follow a Charlotte Mason curriculum called AmblesideOnline. One of the unique things that Mason emphasized was teaching hymns & folk songs. Ambleside has a monthly rotation of these that we use. (We usually watch this family's YouTube channel as we sing.) Believe it or not, my kids love this time of day & sing those songs all day long. We've most recently been finishing The Kingdom of God from Lithos Kids as our devotional reading. I like that they have discussion questions because I want my kids to think deeply & critically. I have tried to put more into this time with varying levels of success. However, we have stuck to this pared down schedule recently & it works for this season.
Starting the day together has become one of our favorite rhythms. One of the main reasons I love homeschooling is because I get to spend so much time with these souls that have been entrusted to Tyler & I for such a short time. Beginning our school time with the kids gathered helps me remember that!
This is when we divide up & get to our tasks.
I usually start with reading to my youngest from some of his weekly assignments. He is doing really well with following along with stories from history, sometimes drawing some pretty detailed pictures to show he's listening closely. We also have lots of fun exploring The Hundred Acre Wood with Winnie the Pooh (a name he could not believe was real) or journeying through the Great Lakes with Paddle to the Sea. He is still working on learning to read independently, so we do a little phonics lesson daily.
The others work independently on spelling, computer skills, reading, & a few other things.
While the youngest gets unleashed for a break, I work with the next one up, usually kid #3. He & I do a few readings each day, but he is starting to take on a little bit independent work this term.
Days come along where the kids (also "Mama") could use a break at snack time, I usually use this time to go through our composer or art study. I've also thrown in nature study or character training lessons, and sometimes a YouTube video about something we read about recently. It might be an aspect of tide pool life from Pagoo or how canals & locks work in Paddle to the Sea. Or maybe just a Tom & Jerry video.
At the end of last school year, our math scores, while on grade level, were the weak point on our standardized testing. I decided that this year we would dedicate an entire hour (if needed) to the subject every day. Each kid does a couple pages in their math text (we have used Math Mammoth for years) & I usually have them do a math activity (like skip counting or flashcards) afterward. If they finish early, they can move on to other schoolwork or play. However, the main floor must stay quiet so others can focus better on their math. This means the early finishers get shooed outside or down to the playroom in the basement. Now, I have a couple kids who easily master new concepts for the most part. I also have one who is still learning to read. It can be a bit stressful to bounce between meeting these varied needs, but I just have to keep reminding myself that there's no rush. We'll finish when we finish.
This next hour really depends. If the weather is nice, I push the kids outside. (Time in nature is another big Charlotte Mason thing.) I might get a few things done inside & try to join them so that I can read with them. However, what has been happening recently (as we're in the depths of winter in NH), I usually shoo the younger 2 down to the playroom so that I can focus on the older 2. They are in Year 7 & Year 5 of Ambleside, so the readings can be quite difficult at times. My daughter (Y5) pushes herself to read a few books herself, but she is much more likely to want me to read with her. Who can blame her with books like Oliver Twist? I also enjoy reading much of the history texts with my kids because I enjoy seeing those lightbulbs turn on as they make connections between the various things we're reading. It is also important for me to be there to help address when an author uses a term that is not appropriate (a problem with some of these older texts) or when a topic (slavery, racial segregation, suicide, execution, religious persecution, etc.) needs to be introduced & discussed in a sensitive way & from a Biblical worldview. My oldest & I just read the fun ones together like Watership Down or Ivanhoe.
I usually set them free so that I can prepare lunch. As they get older, this will fall more to them, but I'm happy to let them have the break for a few minutes. I usually read aloud while they eat. We are currently about halfway through The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo. We're also working our way through the Little House on the Prairie series. I will try to write a post about some good read-alouds to give some other recommendations.
Some days, we finish before lunch & are free to do our own thing. Those days don't happen too often for my older 2. I've been really slack in reading Plutarch & Shakespeare with them recently (don't tell the other homeschool moms!), but this would be the time that we get that going. I'm not sure how we can make it more doable at this stage in the game, but I am always dreaming of that day when I get my ducks in a row! Three of the kids also practice piano, so this is one of the times they can get in that time.
If you've made it this far, you're amazing! If you've just ever wondered what homeschooling might look like, I hope this clarifies a bit of that picture for you. If you're researching the possibility of homeschooling, I hope this was a realistic, helpful post. Please reach out if you need help! I can't guarantee I'll have the answer, but I will hopefully be able to serve as a sounding board & cheerleader for you as you start.
Speaking of that... I am cheering each of you on! Whether God has led your family to homeschool or not, I am on the sideline, chanting your name & shaking some pom poms as you serve your family well!
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