What DO we do?

   When my son was in 2nd grade and my daughter was in kindergarten, I began contemplating taking a step away from their public schooling to teach them at home.  Making the decision to homeschool my son and daughter for elementary school was one of the most daunting decisions I've made.  I called up everyone I knew who homeschooled and picked their brains.  What were the challenges?  What were the highs and lows?  And how in the world did you pick your materials!?  I read about many of the different homeschool styles and tried to figure out if I would be Traditional, Charlotte Mason, Classical, Un-schooling, hybrid or ...?  I gave homeschool a trial run during the summer with some borrowed materials, and I finally came to the conclusion that I was ready to take the plunge.  There were a number of reasons why I chose this change for our family, but the gist of it is that I saw that my children needed to build a more firm foundation of confidence and identity before being submerged in an environment that was run by peers.  I saw that they could benefit from learning at their own pace, and that we could excel when exploring areas of personal interest.  I saw that they would thrive in a nurturing and loving environment.  There are pros and cons to every learning style and environment.  For us, this change was oh so good. 

It was important for me to create a school space, so we moved our dining area and turned the old dining room into our school room.  This way we don't have school books and lunch plates competing on the kitchen table, and the environment is geared towards our educational needs.  That HUGE guinea pig cage is going to have to move to a different spot soon, though, to fit my kindergartener in here next year.

   Starting to homeschool can be intimidating.  There are a plethora of choices to be made mixed with doses of self-doubt.  We are now near the end of our second year educating at home, so I figured I'd share what homeschool looks like for us: our schedule, materials, our typical week.  I'm not exactly the type to fall into any one method or style; I've always been more of a "mixed-bag" type gal.  I enjoy some Montessori activities, I love Charlot Mason's style of using literature, and we sit at "traditional" desks (sure helps us realize that it is school time, and time to focus).  I'm constantly evaluating how we are doing and challenging myself to make sure I'm doing the best for my kids; sometimes this can go too far and create anxiety, but it also ensures that I'm not slacking on the job.

   Our day starts with getting breakfast together and sending my 5-year-old and 2-year-old off to their loving preschool.  For me, getting 8:00am to 11:00am to focus with the older two children (9 and 7 years old, currently 2nd and 4th grade) makes all the difference in the world.  We have baby Daniel with us, but right now he is pretty easy (check back when he becomes mobile!).  Also, we've always enjoyed our preschool, and I appreciate the little guys learning to listen and 'work' during school time for when I start teaching them at home (my 5-year-old will be home with me next year for kindergarten, which will be my first time to teach kindergarten).  Once the kids are dressed with their teeth brushed (getting my kids to brush teeth in the morning was only accomplished once we started homeschool since we weren't rushing out the door anymore, yikes!), we read the Bible together, light candles, and pray.  What a blessing to start the day off with prayer, and sometimes this time also lends itself to some precious discussions with my kids.
   The kids each have a checklist of what they need to accomplish in the day.  On Monday and Wednesday mornings we do Spanish and Science while the little guys are in preschool.  I'm excited that William and Vera are starting to conjugate verbs in Spanish!  Our curriculum, Risas y Sonrisas, also teaches them a bit of sign language.  As a Spanish major, it is nice to have finally chiseled out some dedicated time to teach the language to my kids. A few times a year I gather up lots of science experiment/activity ideas to complement our science book Science Detective by The Critical Thinking Co.  Last year we went through The Building Blocks of Science, again, with my additional activities.  I enjoy science, so building a set of hands-on projects is fulfilling.  I've yet to find a great curriculum with activities already planned and suggested... but I'm writing mine down if you want me to share (also, thanks Pinterest).  Science, in my opinion, is the perfect opportunity to make learning fun.

Disecting flowers

I mentioned that we could make a cell diagram with all sorts of different materials, so Vera decided to make her lunch into a cell model.

   On Tuesday and Thursday mornings we focus on history, using The Story of the World.  History was always my least favorite subject, but I have enjoyed teaching (and learning!) history more than I could have imagined these past two years.  It makes a difference when you can learn for the joy of it and not just to memorize and regurgitate facts/dates.  In fact, one reason I was hesitant to consider sending William back to a school for 5th grade was simply that I wanted him to be able to finish our history lessons!  The activity book (a MUST with this curriculum) has suggested reading to correspond with the lessons.  I get online every other week or so and put tons of books on hold at our library.  I can't believe I get to walk in and take all those books out for free (well, yeah, paid for with our taxes, but still!).  When we read books together as a family at night they include stories of Greek mythology, Vikings, ancient Japan, or whatever it is we are learning about in history.  The kids also love making crafts and food that relate to the lessons, and the map work is enriching as well.

Japanese Carp Kites (all the "how to" in the activity book!)

   Before lunch, William and Vera (the olders) take care of the neighbor's dog and our chickens.  We eat lunch and then it is back to the books.  We use Mathematical Reasoning, also by the Critical Thinking Co., for math.  I chose this curriculum, honestly, because it is so visually appealing.  In content it was similar to some other leading workbooks, but I don't' like looking at black and white pages or boring books.  I've also heard good things about Math U See.  We use Bob Jones English, which seems to be a thorough curriculum.  I've also heard some people say they really enjoy First Language Lessons (it does require more time from the instructor, though).  Both math and English take very little instruction from me, so I'm usually just checking work and helping with any bumps in the road (I sometimes call upon Khan Academy to help explain things as well).  I also have a number of helpful math manipulatives (fraction tiles, etc.) to help teach new concepts.

   In addition to these core subjects, throughout the week the kids also keep a journal two days a week, practice piano daily, work through a mind benders/puzzlers book and thinking skills (all Critical Thinking Co.) each once a week, handwriting at least once a week, typing or educational computer time once a week, and I even scheduled a time for us to play a game together (such as Stratego, chess, mastermind, yatzee, etc.).  More game playing is always encouraged, but life gets busy and sometimes you've gotta carve out an intentional moment for the things you want to do.  Once the kids check everything off on their list they can have a bit of screen time.  Because they are not exhausted by an over-stimulating day at a busy school, they enjoy plenty of outdoor play time in the afternoons; having some time to play and breathe is oh so important. 

William has been visiting many of the places we study on google earth!  He got some great views of Himeji Castle in Japan, and he most recently visited the Vikings' old stomping grounds.

   On Fridays I host a small co-op.  Two families join us for lunch and play followed by two instructional hours.  I teach art each week, and then the other parents take turns leading the second hour (usually science or geography).  I enjoy teaching the kids about an artist, and then they create a work of their own using a technique or theme inspired by that artist.  This is a nice time for the kids to build relationships and work with others.

   The kids have had a great work ethic in completing their daily assignments, and both of them are nearly done with their math and English books for the year... with three months of school left to go.  At the start of the year I assigned 3 pages each of English and Math, knowing that would help us finish slightly early (as opposed to 2 pages a day). They will both move ahead a bit early, but all that hard work early on also frees us up to enjoy more field trips, history and science projects, nature exploration, and reading days.

Reading with baby brother is one of William's favorite things!

There are certainly days when I am exhausted and need to step away for a few minutes to refuel, but I have cherished this time teaching and pouring into my kids. 

Whether you homeschool and this post is a form of us collaborating, you are considering homeschooling, or you are just curious about what a homeschool day might look like (Those weirdos, right? At least, that's what I used to think.), I've enjoyed sharing with you!