1/18/2014

A Homeschool Day in Our House

Here are a few pictures from a recent homeschooling day in our house.  I didn't catch each child doing each subject, but you get the idea.  :)

No day ever looks the same.


The kids work to accomplish their subjects as the day goes on around the little ones and in between completing important things like...LEGO creations.


Sometimes I sit and nurse the baby while answering questions from someone on my left and another on my right.


One of the changes we made for this half of the year is in History and Geography.  We started out the year doing Trail Guide to Learning, but after a couple months I realized that program wasn't working for us for various reasons.  So, we sold it and bought Switched on Schoolhouse History and Geography 3rd grade so that Emilia and Jonny could do it together.  So far, it's working well - they're able to accomplish that part of school completely on their own (big sigh of relief from me!).  We'll have to see how it goes as the year goes on.


Lydia takes a couple naps during the day.  This is a great time for me to work with the kids more individually...or clean the house.  Not that it ever needs cleaning...


Math time with the older kids.  

Notice the note on the blackboard (it says, "I can't do it!").  I've since banned negative notes and talk from the kids.  After the initial laugh, it creates such a pessimistic atmosphere for everyone.  I'm hoping that there will be less negativity when it comes to completing their school lessons.  We've been praying about this problem and have had multiple opportunities to "practice" being more optimistic throughout the day.


After completing his printing workbook, Matthew found this cursive workbook in his basket.  Although I wasn't planning on starting this with him yet, he wanted to do it.  And he's doing great.


Jonny's cursive practice.


Tommy plays a lot throughout the days.  He has a couple workbooks that he goes through, but he's only 3.5, so he mostly plays.


Remember how I said my house really doesn't need to be cleaned much throughout the days?  Yup. Totally clean.  All the time.


I must add that I really, really don't like when our house is messy.  To keep it neat, we clean up a couple times during the day.  I took this picture to show how it can look at any given time, but soon after taking the picture we took a "pick up" break.  I tell each child to pick something up or fold the laundry.  We all work together to get the job done quickly.  Cleaning up the inevitable messes throughout the day saves my sanity and helps the kids to be responsible.  If you look back at the picture where I'm holding the baby, the floor is free of messes.  Sometimes I can't do school stuff until we pick up.  This is both a blessing (our house is usually fairly clean and organized) and a curse (sometimes we don't do much school because I'm in a cleaning/organizing frenzy).  I'm constantly trying to balance these important aspects of keeping a home and raising children. 


Had to end with a pretty picture.  And yes, that candle was burning throughout the day...even while the living room was a complete mess.  A touch of beauty in the midst of chaos.  :)

So, that's a look into our homeschooling day.  What does yours look like?




6 comments:

Sanz said... Best Blogger Tips[Reply to comment]Best Blogger Templates

Hi Heidi! I loved the glimpse into your day! I have a similar problem with cleanliness and organization. I often get comments like, I wish I were like that,but I always say, no you don't. It can be hard to not feel like you can do anything else until the house is perfect. Thanks for sharing your day!

tiffcru said... Best Blogger Tips[Reply to comment]Best Blogger Templates

Yay, a new post from one of my favorite bloggers!! :D I think I found your blog through Just a Night Owl's..~ Our homeschool days are an intermittent pattern of textbook and unschooling-style learning pursuits {i.e., follow-the-rabbit-trails-of-the-day}, with a lot of lengthly conversation and down-time thrown in for good measure. :) Hope you have a wonderful week!~

Heidi said... Best Blogger Tips[Reply to comment]Best Blogger Templates

Thanks for taking the time to comment, Sanz and Tiffany! Always nice to hear from those who enjoy reading my blog. :)

Catie said... Best Blogger Tips[Reply to comment]Best Blogger Templates

This is great! :) I love, love, love those little feet! How sweet. *swoon* I have a nursling now, too. ;) And thanks for posting a picture of what a NORMAL (is there such a thing?) house of littles looks like! How refreshing! I'm interested to see how my homeschooling days will go starting this fall. We'll have to wait and see!

Unknown said... Best Blogger Tips[Reply to comment]Best Blogger Templates

Hi Heidi! I stumbled upon your blog a few months ago, and although you don't post as often (for good reason, you have a sweet bebe), I've really enjoyed reading your back-posts on homeschooling. We are a homeschooling family with 3 littles and learn more and more the importance of trusting God's direction. :) I love this real life peek into your homeschooling day! Thanks for sharing! Jaime from Colorado
ps. We switched half-way through the year to Monarch online Language Arts for our third grader and have been really happy! How do you like SOS History and Geography? We are considering for next year along with L.A.

Heidi said... Best Blogger Tips[Reply to comment]Best Blogger Templates

Hope it goes well, Catie!
Thanks for the comment, Jamie. We are liking SOS. The kids are learning and are able to do it on their own, which is so nice! I've also considered adding another subject. We shall see. :)

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