Whenever the party-game question “What superhero power do you wish to have?” comes up, I always say: invisibility.
It would just be fun to be able to trail along various people’s routines and get to know what is truly is like to president, a Marine, a naturalist, a professional ballerina, etc.
Invisibility isn’t going to happen any time soon to me, but I am offering you the chance to be invisible and join me as I homeschool a first grader and third grader (while the two-year-old boy ransacks the house).
7 a.m.: Up at the crack of dawn, Miguel has Breakfast With Science. It’s what I call Miguel’s habit of always reading through a nonfiction animal book whilst eating a bowl of cereal. Then, he’ll methodically go through his handwriting practice, grammar lessons and spelling workbook. Meanwhile, I have a cup of strong, dark tea and try to perk up. Sebastian wakes up, speedily drinks a glass of milk and eats fistful of dry cereal then practices soccer in the hallway for a long time.
8:30: Essie emerges from her bedroom. She has to be coaxed into having breakfast. And into breathing. The child stares into space. She seems to be in a state of suspended animation. She needs to have breakfast, wash her face, brush her teeth and change before 9 o’clock. Sometimes, she makes it.
9 a.m.: Learning happens all day, but our core seat work begins now. Sebastian gets placed in his high chair with markers and a small dry-erase board. And with toys that get tossed and replaced about every few minutes.
We start with concentrated religious study. Miguel will read the morning prayer, then Essie will read a very short bio about the saint of the day. Afterwards, I’ll ask questions about the saint and we’ll discuss him or her. We’ll look up the saint’s country on the globe for geography, discuss the area and also the important aspects of the saint’s life. We draw parallels between the saint’s life and the Gospel message. Then the children have time to draw a picture of the saint (or color one) and add it to their Saints notebook.
9:30 a.m.: Next, we usually do history because it is something that both the children can do together. I’ll read our spine book (the main book for that period of history) for a short while, then we’ll discuss it. As the children share what they heard, I write on the dry erase board. Sometime, we arrange the information on the board to make it into a short paragraph or an outline. As I do this, we also talk about proper grammar and spelling. Then, Miguel will copy one sentence (because he’s in first grade) and Essie will copy it all (because she’s in third).
Afterwards, they do an art project related to the subject. For example, on Thursday, we read about a knight’s coat of arms, so the children designed their own. Sometimes, I’ll also have coloring pages and other handouts for the day’s history topic, and they’ll write or color. If we have a free afternoon, we might use paints and clay and stickers galore.
Because he has less to copy, Miguel is often finished first. So then I ask him to get a science book about a specific animal and go read it on the sofa. Sebastian is taken out of his high chair and Miguel reads quietly to himself. When he is finished, he can play for a while with Sebastian.
Now, I talk to Essie about her grammar lesson, and she does two pages of it — or more if she likes the lesson. (She loves possessive nouns and synonyms.) She will also work quickly through spelling and reading comprehension because she likes the books and subjects. Then she’ll make a stack of books and take them to the sofa. Her quiet reading is always related to our current themes. For example, while I teach Miguel, she is on the sofa reading something related to her notebook study (such as fairies), science, history or religion.
Meanwhile, Miguel tells me what he has learned in his science book, so I type up his narration page and print it. Then he decorates it with pictures cut from science magazines or his own drawing. Then, he will read aloud to me something that is related to science (such as animals), religion or history. He prefers reading actual books rather than readers, so we just cuddle up in the big armchair in the den and he reads to me.
Depending on what day it is, Essie will also do something for her science workbook or reading comprehension or writing. Miguel chooses between map skills or more penmanship practice.
Notice the lack of math so far? Because Essie hates it and because Miguel is ahead, I tack on math wherever it fits best. Essie needs one on one time for it, and Miguel prefers working on his own. So, sometimes, they will do math while Sebastian naps or while Daddy makes dinner and I have time with them or before bedtime. Somewhere in the day, I make time to sprawl out on the living room floor and work on math with them. They seem to grumble less and understand more when we do it this way. It’s a little different, but it works for us.
Noon: Our core subjects are done. We have lunch.
The rest of the day is spent in visiting friends at the park, on field trips or having lunch with a favorite aunt. Every Friday, we meet with our local Catholic homeschooling group.
Much freestyle learning gets done in the afternoon hours. I try to be aware of what the children are doing, so I can keep notes about their current interests. Then, I can tailor their writing or reading to them. For example, I noticed that Miguel kept gravitating towards books about bears, so I recorded bear shows on National Geographic and got books from the library about bears. Library books, recorded science and nature shows, and good conversation to tie it all together makes up our afternoons.
Our approach is casual. We spent much of our homeschooling day in conversations, drawing and reading. Not all days run smoothly. Not all children behave well every time. Not every day does Mommy show patience.
However, the good days are brilliantly so, filled with myriad hugs, kisses and moments of laughter.
————————————————————–
Veronica Maria has a degree in journalism and worked with words for years before she became a full-time mom. She writes about homeschooling at her blog, Pixilated School Notes, and freelances as a writer and an editor. Her most-beloved works-in-progress, though, are her three children.
No related posts.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for sharing your general schedule! It’s always nice to hear what other homeschoolers are doing throughout the day.
I really need to do more of the kids dictating to me. My oldest has wonderful stories, but he also has a hard time writing (because of fine motor stuff having to do with Autism), so he often doesn’t write everything that he wants because it’s just too much.
I too like to hear about other’s schedules and how it works. It helps me think ahead to when my kids are old enough for more structured work.