What is a typical homeschooling day like for your family?

[Dianna]

A lot of new homeschoolers find it helpful to hear about the everyday life of homeschooling families. I know sometimes it's hard to define a typical day, but give it your best shot! :biggrin2:

Dianna

[Dianna]

My "typical day" has changed throughout the years, but has evolved into something that works for us at the moment. It could change at any time, so keep that in mind while reading this.

After allowing plenty of time to eat and wake up, we start off by working on skills that need to be kept current - for example, we'll spend five minutes on math drills to keep them on top of their math facts. Working on longer, more involved math problems are easier if they don't have to stop with each step to try to remember basic facts. Our five-minute drills have proven to be painless and have helped reduce frustration. We'll spend another five minutes working on handwriting skills, if needed. If there are other skill areas that need brushing up, I'll schedule a 5-minute session to review those skills, too. These short drills may not seem to accomplish much at first, but over time, they really start to sink in and make other, more complex tasks flow more easily.

Then we move on to our structured subjects: math and language arts. The time spent on these varies, depending on difficulty level, but once they start shutting down and becoming frustrated, we move on to something else.

After that, the kids spend time with their unstructured subjects: reading, science, social studies, etc. These are often combined (they may read a book about the holocaust, for example, and this will be "counted" for both reading and social studies), and depend a lot on the interests of my children (my two middle ones would be in the 4th and 7th grades if they were in school, my oldest is in college, my youngest is 3). These subjects are learned by doing a lot of reading (books and lots of good magazines), watching TV, educational programming, documentaries, going on field trips, doing experiments, talking to adults about topics they're interested in, etc.

I've found that this method - a little structure with the skill areas (math, language arts) and a lot of flexibility and interest-led learning in the content areas (science, social studies, etc) - has worked very well for our family.

Who's next? :smile2:

Dianna

[TAT191]

We are just starting out so I am sure that we will also change as we grow. Right now I set out all of our read alouds for that day first thing so that the kids can just grab one when they want. Mornings are set aside for read alouds. After lunch while my youngest is naping we do workbooks. The afternoons are set aside for all hands on stuff.

[Shawn]

Since we have a newborn who eats naturally every 1.5 to 2 hours(leaving mommy exhausted), I will be the primary teacher for a while.

Here is what we are planning.

While I am at work John Paul will read and play. "Play" means playing with legos, geoSafari, puzzles, knex, and play dough. Most of his toys have some educational merit to them.

After supper we will work on math and writing for 10 minutes each.
We will do some "kitchen" science projects a couple of times a week.
Then I will document what he has learned.

John Paul is in Kindergarten this year, but is reading 2nd and 3rd grade readers.

We would like to see him writing short stories and doing basic math (+-*/) by the end of this school year.

[hh_spring]

Hi:wave:

We have sorta settle into a groove for now, that is(crossing fingers) keeping both of us happy!

We wake and say Good Morning, scramble for some tea or hot choclate(coffee for me). Riley makes his breakfast and settles at the puter to play a game of his choice!

He is free to do this until 9:00, Before 9:00, he also does his home chores, feed the dogs and his Cat, Ghost, straighten room & get dressed! If its Trash day that too!!

First thing we check the Forum for our WOD and Latin Lesson, he makes an index card for the word! Prints out Latin lesson if needs to, like today.

I lay out his math worksheets and timer(he loves to play beat the clock), also put out the book with his lesson plan for the week and he checks for current day. He is free to proceed on any part that is listed. He gets the books he needs from his shelf on bookcase(all his reference books and supplies are together).

He usually does Latin, lesson plan and then we work together on his Math lesson for the day, which we add to the curriculum(TRISMS). It's probably lunch time by now and we break and I fix lunch or he fixes what he wants!

After lunch we do some Read Aloud, taking turns reading from our Required reading list. Now its time for me to pick up his sister and he usually does his Math worksheet or vocabulary words while I am gone as he can do this solo!
This would also be a good time for a video or the Saxon DIVE CD, but we will grow as we go:confused2 !!

When we get back, its time for homework for his sister, so while she works, Riley jumps back on the computer, to play and I help sis and read aloud to both of them from one of our books for the week! We try to do a fiction & nonfiction book each week.

Riley is funny this way in that he can retain more info if he is allowed to be doing two things at once!! I used to try to make him be still, what a lost cause, I now know that if he is watching a compuer video like DIVE, I must give him, paper to draw on for his course books, so he can keep from fidgeting out of the chair.:bounce: This is one of the things I know, I really like the fact that he can draw and create his own Textbook with TRISMS.

Thats pretty much it. usually sometime later he will go to the Backyard and post and really have a good time, looking at what the other kids are saying and try to figure where to slip in that WOD!!

Sounds so Simple and it is....Most DAYS!!!

Have FUN!! Harriet

[LJay]

I must admit that I do love to hear about the day to day of a homeschooler.

Last year we didn't have a schedule we followed. We would start our lessons about an hour after we woke up and took breaks as we felt we needed. This year we have to stick to a schedule because I started working second shift.

We have breakfast then start our writing lesson. My daughter needs work in this area as she still reverses letters. Then we do math. We take a ten minute break. Next is reading, then either history or science depending on the week, On my days off we do some art and my hubby works with my daughter on science topics as they are interested.




A lot of new homeschoolers find it helpful to hear about the everyday life of homeschooling families. I know sometimes it's hard to define a typical day, but give it your best shot!

Dianna

[SChomemomof3]

These are great to read: Our days are usually quite different. Daddy works swing shifts and days so we go by his schedule. That means if he is off Monday and Tuesday than we will school Saturday and Sunday afternoon too. Then not do too much on Monday and Tuesday when Daddy is off as matter of fact if Daddy has something for a family day we just dont do any school that day. We have to play that way due to spending time with him. Not the normal schedule as I said.

Now what we do when we school. If it is a weekday we start off with Magic School Bus at 8:30 am. Then move to breakfast. Then by 9 or so we are to the books. We do theme type studies for science and history. Right now animals for science and underground railroad for history. I read both of these and they listen to me. Then we do spelling, math, writing and everyone takes a time of reading one on one to me. (I have 3 kids.) We also do a Bible lesson and work on a Bible verse memorization. (The Bible verse is actually also a part of Sunday School requirements.) Then if we have any special things like sign language, language or literature(for my oldest) we do that last. Those last few may not be every day that we do those. Some days we get it all in and other days just don't get it all done. We are flexible with which subject goes first each day.
The boys are playing soccer and my daughter is taking Irish dance lessons which I count for PE.

Lorna

[kimmeeangel]

Today we went to the zoo for Homeschool Monday's and I have to say I was inpressed with all the children as well as the instructor Deb. We went to the 5 to 8 year old class and they learned about how animals grow and they were able to touch lots of fur and skins as well as pet a real chinchilla and corn snake!

After the class we were able to walk around the zoo and we got to see the sea loins feed and play and we fed carrots to the giraffe's!

I also felt good that I met another mother who homeschooling for the first time this year. She has a son in first grade and one in 3rd grade.

I am glad I found this place

[SChomemomof3]

Is that the columbia zoo?

[kimmeeangel]

Yes the Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia They have 2 sessions one for ages 5 to 8 that starts at 9:30 and one for older children that starts at 11:00.

Mark your calendars for another exciting year of Home School Monday programs! Each month we will offer a set of classes that focuses on a particular topic and includes hands-on activities and live animal encounters.

Who can attend the programs?
Home school children ages 5-12 with an accompanying adult.
(There is no minimum or maximum number of students that can attend.)

When are the programs offered?
Most Mondays of each month, September through May, 9:30am for the 5-8 year old program & 11:00am for the 9-12 year old program. Dates are listed below.

How much does it cost?
The cost is $7 per student (1 accompanying adult per child admitted FREE).

2005-06 DATES
AGES 5-8 (9:30AM) AGES 9-12 (11:00AM)
September
12, 19, 26
Growing Up Big! Eat or be Eaten

[pegasus]

On a typical day, we get up, eat dress etc. Unless my son has speech therapy, we don't set a clock. We start school around 9:00 and work from most difficult subject to easiest. This means that he tackles math while his mind is fresh! Most days, he's done by lunch. He likes to read, so he probably reads an hour or 2 a day on his own. We go to the library once a week and I help him choose books. He's in 3rd gr but reads on about a 5th gr level. My dd is K and we're working on phonics. Her day is very short <an hour for phonics/handwritting/simple math. She goes to Reading Buddies at our local library on Wed afternoons. They pair up a K-2nd grader w/a teenager who reads w/and to them. She loves this.

On Tues, my son and dd attend Excelsior! Academy. They are there from 9:00-1:00. They love it and its a great break for me.

We really enjoy the Riverbanks Zoo home school Mondays classes too! We usually attend 1 a month. The State Museum offers home school classes on the 3rd Friday of the month beginning in October. These are also really good. Most of them are free and then you can spend as long at the museum as you would like! I love to find classes and field trips to break up the monotony. We basically school during the ps year, b/c its hard for us to do school in the summer when our friends are out of school.

[kimmeeangel]

I am so impressed with how receptive businesses around me are that I am homeschooling my son.

I found him a gymnastics class that is not only during the daytime, but they give you half off. It was also great that there were only a couple of boys in the class so they got almost individualized attention.

Kudos!

[scottsmom]

I am so impressed with how receptive businesses around me are that I am homeschooling my son.

I found him a gymnastics class that is not only during the daytime, but they give you half off. It was also great that there were only a couple of boys in the class so they got almost individualized attention.

Kudos!
Hello, Im wondering if I could have the info on the gymnastics class you are taking your son to? In az my son was in gymnastics and was very good at it. It got very expensive and my mom could no longer afford it. I sure would like to find something like that here for him to do. He has no friends here, we live kind of out of the way so there is no one to play with.
Thanks, Angel