HOW Do I Homeschool?
Update August 2023: I am re-reading this three years later! How time flies…
Some things have changed in our homeschool day; we are doing a lot more Gather ‘Round unit studies, allowing the kids to enjoy their afternoons doing their activities, including playing with the other homeschooled neighbours.
One very new thing we are trying this year is an enrichment program where our children will take Art, Science. PE and Drama on Thursdays with other homeschool families!
All that to say there are some great tips in this post and below is a visual I created a couple of years after this post, showing the flow of most of our days!
We feel the tightness in our backs, stomachs, or heads as we decide on the right educational opportunities for our children and family amid overwhelming worldwide uncertainty.
My last post, “Why Do I Homeschool?" offered a challenge to define our WHY so we can walk with peace, intention, purpose, and inspiration through all seasons!
After choosing to educate your children at home, you may begin the search for resources and discover how bountiful the materials are—decision fatigue could easily set in!
Proverbs 11:14 says, "Without good direction, people lose their way; the more wise counsel you follow, the better your chances." MSG
If you are considering the homeschool route or are already on this path, I hope that as I share some of our favourite resources and daily rhythms, you take deep breaths and relax into discovering what works for your family.
Here we go…
Before deciding on curriculum & routine:
1) Research Options
There are many ways to home educate. Find out what is available and legal in your area!
We have stayed ‘traditional’, which offers the most freedom, flexibility, and choice in Alberta, Canada. It also gives us access to about $850/child each year of funding (reimbursements for materials and lessons etc.).
2) Notify School Board
You will need to apply to home-educate through your school board.
3) Research Approaches
Classical
Charlotte Mason
Montessori
Unschooling
School-at-Home
Unit studies, and
Eclectic
I take an eclectic approach!
3) Review Resources
The beauty of homeschooling is tailoring your program to meet your family's special needs and desires. We will talk about some great resources in this post!
4) Create a Program Plan
Homeschool facilitators/supervisors are usually available to assist with preparing your program plan if requested.
5) Consider a Routine
Experiment to discover a rhythm that serves your family.
Your personality type may balk at too much structure, which is perfectly fine!
It is better the teacher/parent feels alive, inspired and fulfilled than serves a soul-sucking schedule.
I thrive with routine, gaining momentum, achieving goals and checking off task lists—maybe you relate? Maybe not?
A sensitivity to the needs of our children is key but carving out space for our growth is an even greater gift to them!
I have six children, ten and under, and I considered all of our needs and my own personality when I created our daily rhythm—the times are approximations.
We only do two subjects separately—Math and LA—the rest are group learning experiences!
Our Homeschool Day
My morning routine starts around 6:00 am, and I fill up with all my favorite things before I pour out!
8:30 am Chores
After a relaxed breakfast and playtime, our kids contribute to the daily function of our home. This blesses me immensely. Children as young as three can empty garbage cans with a small grocery bag.
I value starting the day with our home in order and an idea of what we eat!
When we break up chores, doing a little bit each day, there is a sense of peace.
The older kids work independently on Math after completing their chores, and the younger kids play as I finish mine—while listening to a podcast!
9:30 am Circle Time
Biblical truths weave through most of our curriculum, and my husband reads directly from the Bible to the kids at bedtime, but I also like gathering to focus on God first thing.
Last year we enjoyed working through More Than Words Level 1: Living Faith Bible Curriculum by Rebecca Spooner.
This fall we will read through the captivating and beautiful Jesus Story Book Bible: Every Story Whispers His Name by Sally Lloyd Jones.
We will take a break for Advent in December and use Unwrapping The Greatest Gift: a family celebration of Christmas by Ann Voskamp.
We work on memorizing longer scripture passages for our church's Sunday school program and the kids’ mid-week programming.
The special helper that day picks a worship song (sometimes we sing O Canada or a silly song). We review the calendar, weather, and geography and may discuss current events or read a poem before finishing in prayer.
10:00 am Math
Math-U-See works with integer blocks and a mastery approach.
This means the student must teach the concept back and explain how they are getting their answers before moving on!
Sometimes our children use all the worksheets for the week; other times it is evident they have quickly mastered the concept and can move on after only a couple of pages.
The program includes an instruction book, test/activity book, and DVD.
We enjoy watching the DVD lesson (with the engaging Steve Demme) on the first day of the week and completing the lesson pages over the week.
There are 30 lessons, and it is very doable to finish in early spring!
There is a test/activity book that also enhances the program.
This program offers Math for all levels!
We transition to Teaching Textbooks after completing the Beta level (approx. grade 2) in Math-U-See.
The main draw for me is the independence my older kids have through the program’s online instruction, quizzes, and automatic grading and recording.
A drawback is that I can miss if they are struggling. A regular check-in time to review their progress and help with any questions combats this problem.
T.T. starts around a grade 3 level and continues to offer programs for the remaining levels!
We use flashcards, board games, and the application of Math in daily life, like baking, to round out our experiences.
I pop a SNACK into six hungry little mouths mid-morning!
10:30 am Language Arts
I am passionate about English, yet juggling separate spelling, handwriting, reading, grammar, and vocabulary programs for six children felt overwhelming!
Learning Language Arts Through Literature (LLATL) combines all these elements beautifully.
Each level comes with a teacher’s guide and student workbook. There are also readers, storybooks or chapter books for each level to build into your family library.
The first level, the blue book, offers a complete early reading program with cutouts for blending words, cute early readers with a record page, and plenty of interactive activities in the workbook. Some start in Pre-K or Kindergarten, others begin in grade 1. There is a wide age range to begin reading lessons—don’t rush.
I only need to purchase a new student workbook for the next child, so this is economical and offers materials right into the upper-grade levels!
There are many new and beautiful programs for Language Arts. Still, I have chosen to continue with LLATL because I am familiar with the materials, enjoy the approach, and am financially invested.
If there is an area a child needs more practice, then I will add supplements.
It takes time to work through LA with each of our children. The older kids work on typing once finished their independent work and the younger ones play while waiting their turn.
Independent chapter books, audiobooks, LA games, flashcards, Odyssey Club radio drama, Clubhouse magazine, journaling, writing letters to friends and family, and corresponding with Compassion Children are other ways Language Arts is experienced.
11:30 am Lunch & Read-aloud
The older kids often help prepare lunch as I read.
It is amazing what they comprehend while eating, playing with a quiet toy, or cuddling on the couch as we read together.
Reading chapter books exposes children to sophisticated writing and story-lines beyond their reading level.
Read-aloud time is one of my favourite family bonding activities. We went through the Chronicles of Narnia series but only read them when all eight of us were together—so this was a long journey but very memorable!
For inspiration check out: Read Aloud Revival!
12:00 pm Outdoor Play
The kids love this time to run around the yard, jump on the trampoline, swing or slide on the play center, and adventure with fall leaves, mounds of snow, or spring rains!
I usually clean up lunch, fold laundry, catch up on messages, and check in on social media for a few minutes—all while listening to a favourite podcast!
1:00 pm Quiet Time
Our older kids enjoy creating and building during quiet time.
Our almost-two-year-old begins his nap (whoop whoop), and our almost-four-year-old may take a nap, depending on the day.
This is when I work for our business, read or work on my projects! When I was pregnant or had a newborn, I would try and nap during this time.
2:00 pm Group Subjects
Language Arts and Math often work well as separate programs for each student, but subjects can be approached together—especially in the younger years!
Our five oldest get to be scientists or historians while our two-year-old continues to nap in the afternoon this year!
We rotate through our group subjects, only doing one of them each afternoon:
2:00 pm Science (alternate day)
I was never much of a science girl but since homeschooling—I'm hooked!
Apologia's Exploring Creation Elementary Series has worked really well for us. The textbooks are approachable and so well written! The program feels very intuitive and just when I am about to explain something in my own words, I see they have that same example up next.
I also appreciate how naturally they refer to the Bible and our God who created everything!
You can select and work through many great topics in any order you choose.
This year will be Exploring Creation with Chemistry & Physics!
Either I read or ask an older child to read through the lesson as the kids colour the coordinating pictures or work on an activity—such as the scripture copy-work page in their note-booking journal.
There are review questions throughout the reading. This narration process is key for auditory learners—retelling what they heard in their own words!
We may watch a Youtube video on the subject if there is a lot of curiosity.
We do the connecting experiment, hands-on craft activity, or written responses in the accompanying note-booking journals.
All ages of elementary students can do this together, but there is a junior note-booking journal for the younger grades and a regular note-booking journal for upper elementary.
It has worked great for us to complete one topic by early spring, but some may choose to do this every day and explore another topic that year.
Coordinating experiment kits by Nature’s Workshop are worth every penny because the materials are all ready to go for each lesson! My older kids lead many of the experiments on their own.
Science is also explored in learning games, field trips, nature walks, and self-directed learning.
I also look forward to using Apologia’s science programs for our older children in the future!
2:00 pm History (alternate day)
As part of the Classical Education model, Susan Wise Bauer wrote The Story of the World series.
I take more of an eclectic approach to homeschooling but I love this classical approach to history!
There are four volumes. You could go through the series once in elementary and again in junior high and even high school—gleaning more and going deeper with each rotation.
We will begin Volume 3: Early Modern Times this year and work through it over two years!
There is a written or audio version of the book—my kids listen to the audio as they colour the pages for their lesson.
The activity book has many wonderful colouring pages, crafts, games, map work, and review questions.
There’s also a test book and small review cards that can be laminated.
Lists of related resources, such as Usborne books and historical novels, are suggested with each lesson to enhance the study!
Along with SOTW, we discuss current events and significant holidays, work on character training, self-awareness, and social empathy, research one of our Compassion children, and explore local politics and Canadian geography as it seems fitting throughout the year.
3:00 pm Snack & Physical Education
We usually do a 35-minute walk/bike ride and may visit the park or meet up with friends.
This wraps up the school portion of our day, but curious minds don’t stop learning.
Some other activities to round out their educational portfolio are: art, music, drama, computers, field trips, evening programs or lessons, family camping trips, and seasonal special events or projects.
COVID-19 has put a damper on many plans, but we can still make the most of this school year by finding materials and resources that excite us and creating an atmosphere of curiosity and gratitude.
What resources or activities are you looking forward to this fall?
I hope this was helpful! If you have any questions feel free to put them in the comments so others can benefit from the dialogue.
May the adventures continue!
On Instagram, I have a highlight bubble called ‘curriculum review’ that shows each curriculum up close!