Sajolley asks, on her blog:
"Okay, here's a question for all you homeschool families. How do you do it?
Do you have a set schedule?
Do you fly by the seat of your pants?
Do you have children whose learning styles are dramatically different from each others or your own?
Do you plan out your year?
Do you take one day at a time?
Do you find joy in your teaching?
I'd like to hear what works for YOUR family."
Right now, it's not working. Little Pudge has thrown me off considerably. But pre-Pudge homeschooling was very routine. We did the same things in the same order every day (excpet co-op day). Math, language, typing, spelling, etc. It got boring, I'll admit. But it was the only way I could make sure not to forget anything. And I still forgot things.
Sometimes I like to take a break and do unit-study-esque stuff, just for something different. We did that around St. Patrick's Day.
Planning: I don't plan out my year (other than curriculum), nor do I make lesson plans. We just pick up in the books where we left off yesterday. I don't use a set curriculum, but I do use scripted materials (like First Language Lessons, Professor B Math--last year, Spelling Power) so I know exactly what to do. It's not very student-directed, however. It's not as if I can just hand them their assignments and send them off to do their schoolwork. I love being deeply involved in their lessons, but I don't like juggling students. That gets stressful, especially with the preschoolers around interrupting and making noise.
Post-Pudge, the only sure thing in our homeschooling is history co-op every Tuesday. We've done one lesson out of our Math-U-See and played a game based on it, and Chicken's practiced typing here and there. Buster (as noted in earlier entry) finished up his reading lessons. I was going along well a couple of weeks there, but Pudge's schedule is still somewhat unpredictable, so it was hard to keep up.
Joy in homeschooling: I have enjoyed history thoroughly. We have also enjoyed learning the countries of the world through our geography tape. I love reading aloud to them, especially to the girls. I have not enjoyed math. But I think that's just because I wasn't sure what to do. Math-U-See is fun so far. I haven't jumped for joy at the prospect of doing the other subjects (typing, grammar, spelling and whatnot), but I guess I like them well enough. I was intrigued by Mary Hood's book The Joyful Home Schooler but I'm not sure how to get there or what it would look like in our home. I have read that the source of joy is gratitude to God. I do try to cultivate gratitude, but must admit I am inconsistent at times.
Learning Styles: I have no clue what my kids' learning styles are. I think it's hard to tell when they are young. Maybe my oldest is auditory, but I'm not sure. I think I'm visual. That would explain why I'm so easily distracted. My style of housekeeping, for example, is to walk through the house and see what needs to be done and follow all the ensuing bunny trails to the end. Somehow, eventually, things get done, though I'll admit to hopeless inefficiency.
I intend to homeschool through summer this year to make up lost time and remediate our math. I would love to get back into a good routine again. That morning alone time is just invaluable, but I never know if Pudge will be awake or asleep at any given time, so I've given in to the "sleep late" habit. I need some daily time to get away with God and learn to practice His presence. And speaking of morning, it's approaching, so I'd best get a few winks!
Later! | 
