Posted in Beginning the homeschool journey
So often people ask, "What does a typical day look like in your homeschool?"
This question always brings a grin to my face. Most veteran homeschoolers will tell you, "When we have a typical day, I'll let you know!"
I have, of course, an "ideal" day in my head. It starts at a reasonable hour, with appropriate breaks, there's no dawdling on my daughter's part, it's highly productive, and everything is spotless when my husband gets home. So far, that's all happened on the same day twice.
Maybe.
In reality, the beauty of homeschooling can be its lack of rigid routine. The flexibility to follow "rabbit trails" - things of interest to your child that go off the schedule and deeper into a topic - is one of the best things about teaching at home.
Being able to work outside on a beautiful spring day is too wonderful. Taking field trips at times when zoos and other educational sites are less crowded is so much more relaxing. Stopping to chat with the bricklayer at a construction site on the way to the library can be very educational.
But, homeschooling does carry with it the responsibility to actually teach some basic subjects - math, reading, writing to name the big three - especially in the early elementary years. How this gets accomplished is what people want to know about.
So, I'll try to describe a day in our homeschool that is relatively characteristic of how things go for us. Do remember, however, that we homeschool only one child, which makes a huge difference.
Kate and I get up at a reasonable hour, most days by 9. I'm a night owl and my daughter stays up a bit later than most six year olds to enjoy more time with Dad in the evenings. We do the usual morning routine, which includes some basic chores for Kate (as well as Mom!).
After we eat, we usually read the comics on the living room sofa. It's an old habit and one we enjoy. Most days start better with a laugh anyway!
Then we start our "school" subjects, also on the sofa. Language arts first with Phonics Pathways and First Language Lessons - these usually take about 10-15 minutes total.
Next I read aloud from a few selections in our Galloping the Globe studies. This usually includes a few stories, maybe a factual book or two, and occasionally a bit of poetry. Sometimes we get carried away here, especially if we're reading from an anthology. This may take anywhere from 30 to 90 minutes.
Handwriting comes next, at which point we move to Kate's desk. We're loosely using Getty-Dubay book C. We might, instead, do some copywork exercises from First Language Lessons. Currently, Kate is writing thank you notes from her recent birthday party, so that covers handwriting until they are done. Typically, 10 minutes or so.
Then math. I'm flexible with math. We use a curriculum - Math-U-See - but I also incorporate living math concepts. So, math might be a game like chess, or Othello, dominoes, Pay Day, or something similar. Or we might read a living math book. If we use our workbook, about 10 minutes (if it's a new concept 20-30 minutes). Otherwise, it varies.
Now, up to this point, we've been doing "school" for approximately 90 minutes. But, that's just the actual work time. There are breaks - for drinks, the bathroom, snacks/lunch, laundry, and short periods of play.... If we get started by 10:30, we're usually at this point by 1:30 - 2:00.
Did I mention that dawdling can impact the plan?
After these things are done, we'll do any other activities, crafts, related videos or whatever that might fit our day. Sometimes these are involved; sometimes they are quite simple. Right now we have music and science scheduled once a week. PE happens during dance class, our family swim time, evening walks with Dad, play days at the park, and other spontaneous times.
We also do some Bible reading daily, but this is flexible as well. Often I read to Kate during a snack or at breakfast. Sometimes she asks for it before we begin our language arts. It also happens in the evenings, if we overlook it otherwise.
Another daily activity is that Kate reads aloud to me. At this point, I don't schedule what she reads, but I do note her choice on my records. I usually don't have to prompt her for this and it often happens while I work in the kitchen.
I keep track of what's done each day on a schedule I've prepared. I just note the pages covered, or the lesson number, or whatever is appropriate. All of my primary topics are there, plus the extras like science and music. These records are just for my benefit, to see what we've done and how we've progressed, and so I don't forget to cover the three R's!
Maybe this sounds overwhelming. All those subjects....all those resources...and just one child! But really, the subjects are the basics, with some extras thrown in. And they don't take much time at all.
Maybe it sounds too light. How do we do all of the basics in just a couple of hours? Remember that one child takes much less time to teach than a room of 24. There are fewer distractions, fewer interruptions, less chatter, and more focus on what this one child needs, versus teaching to the spectrum of needs in a classroom. It's a niche education, versus an economy of scale.
But it will differ for everyone. Some people, and children, thrive on a routine tied to a clock. Some folks work with less schedule than what I've posted above.
It's not important how anyone else's homeschool day looks. It's how well your schedule and your days work for you.
