Tiany at Less of Me, More of Him (isn't that a great title?!?) is hosting a wonderful showcase of homeschoolers and I wanted to join in the fun. Come check it out, there are already over 200 posts entered and there are 20+ doorprizes for all those who enter by 12pm August 15th, oops that's today, I better get posting. :)
This is my 6th official year of homeschooling. Our kids are 10, 8, 6, and 4 1/2 and are all involved in our homeschool.
Our homeschool has evolved quite a bit since we started. I've always been quite eclectic, but while I tried to follow the Well-Trained Mind method of Classical education in the early years, over time I've moved toward a more Hebraic approach having been inspired by the books When You Rise Up by R.C.Sproul, Jr. and Heart of Wisdom Teaching Approach by Robin Sampson.
We do not follow a strict schedule, but after moving from Virginia to Indiana last summer and implementing an extremely relaxed bordering on unschooling approach last schoolyear, I am attempting to be more disciplined and structured this year without losing the blessings of a relaxed approach. (See Rhythm)
I have been waking around 6:30am, showering, reading my Bible, and praying, and then praying with my husband. Then I feed the kids breakfast and read to them from Psalms and Proverbs. After they do their morning routine (dress, brush teeth/hair, make beds), they join me for Bible study (Lord Teach Me to Pray for kids). After Bible study we have Bible time which is more historical. We are going through the Bible cover to cover using the (now out-of-print) Zondervan Book of Life set of books; we are beginning Leviticus. The Bible is our priority and we spend a lot of time in it and incorporate studying the Bible into other subjects as well.
Then, in whatever order seems to make sense, we do the other subjects. Usually, I try to do some instruction with my oldest son and get him started working independently and then shift my attention to my two younger daughters. This morning I started with my daughter instead, so my son (of his own volition) played games with his younger sisters until I was ready to work with him. It's so pleasant when things like that happen!
We use Saxon Math, Rod & Staff English, Natural Speller, and glean vocabulary and assign copywork and memory work from the Scripture passages we are reading, literature, poetry, or historical documents. I use the StartWrite software to create copywork and handwriting assignments. As many subjects as are possible are done together (Bible, Science, History, some Language Arts and Math). We are using Jeannie Fulbright's Elementary Apologia's Young Explorers series for Science and Truthquest for History. I am excitedly awaiting the brand new Time Traveler's History for the Revolutionary War from Homeschool in the Woods to supplement our Truthquest guide. I've done well in the past with reading and oral narration, but have failed with notebooking and am frustrated that we have so little to show for all of the reading we have done. Plus, there's nothing to look at to help the kids remember and review what we've learned. I've often been overwhelmed and paralyzed with history (despite having a college degree in it) and am hopeful that this will help me to overcome where we have failed in the past.
Using Edu-Track software, I have inputed all of the kids' assignments into the computer and print out a weekly schedule for each of the older three kids. I schedule a 4-day schoolweek with Bible Study being the only subject scheduled on all 5 days. Having this extra day in the schedule provides me with the necessary breathing room that I need to keep my sanity. The extra day is used for make-up work, field trips, playdates, housework, or as an unschooling day. Because we inevitable take off about a month around the holidays and then another week in the Spring, I started on August 6th this year instead of our usual day after Labor Day.
We homeschool all over the house. Our formal living room is really a schoolroom/office, we start our day with Bible study there, and the kids do their independent assignments there as well.
Our dining room lacks a dining room table and has instead a comfy love seat and oversized chair. We do our Bible time here, and this is also where I give one-on-one or one-on-two instruction. All of the kids have clipboards and individual white boards. I make use of these frequently to teach them, or have them do practice problems for me.
I read to the kids at lunchtime from a fun book (like Farmer Boy), or from a Missionary Story (Trailblazer Books or The Millers Books). Today we sat outside.
Other reading is done on the big, couch in the family room. This afternoon, I read to the kids from Johnny Tremain while they folded laundry. (Works for me!:))
And when all the assignments are done, they play until it's time for afternoon chores. (Unless I think they need a break before then.) And that's what our homeschool looks like, mostly. There's still a lot of free time outside and additional reading, and we're working on getting better with Nature Journals, and I need to start using the How Great Thou Art materials I purchased last Spring....There's always something more we could be doing. Education is all around us, and there's still quite a bit of bug catching, gardening, and birdwatching, that is absolutely invaluable to a well-rounded education. The longer we homeschool, the more of a lifestyle it becomes, and the more passionate I become that homeschooling really is the best.
If you're visiting for the first time and are interested in knowing more, feel free to search my archives and check out my various categories of posts. Thanks for visiting, please leave a note so that I can return the favor!
P.S. I want you all to know that I did not straighten the house nor did I apply make-up before these pictures were taken. This is the real deal, well, at least parts of it. :) | 
