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Homeschool days are never the same. Some days are great; other days not so much.
Yesterday I was miserable. If you asked me if I enjoyed homeschooling I would have said, not really. Nothing was going right. (Like when my son insisted on drinking his milk in the living room and then spilled it all over the end table and into the basket of throw blankets.)
I felt like I couldn’t catch up. Everyone needed me at the same time, and I didn’t get any time alone. It was tough to appreciate being home with my kids all day.
Today was the complete opposite. The day flowed smoothly from one thing to the next without many complications. I was able to have quality time with both of my kids and get some needed work done around the house.
Thankfully you get to read about a typical homeschool day in the life without too much drama. I hope you find inspiration to design a homeschool life that fits your personality and style too.
7:30 Wake Up
It felt so good to sleep in today! I started with exercise while the others in the house woke up. Julia went to the pool with her dad, while her brother “worked out” with me. Then, I made the bed, helped Miles get dressed, and took a shower. Miles decided to take out the laces of my slippers while waiting for me to finish. No wonder he was so quiet.
8:45 Breakfast
Today our timing worked like magic. We all managed to eat breakfast at the same time. Usually I’m the last to eat, because I like to eat after my morning routine, and my kids usually eat as soon as they get up.
Julia read to us the daily devotion from Jesus calling (affiliate link).
9:00 Morning Work
Julia worked on science upstairs, Miles played with his construction set in the living room, and I washed the breakfast dishes and threw in a load of laundry. Then I joined Miles in playing with his Brio construction kit (affiliate link). If you have a child who loves to tinker, I highly recommend this toy.
9:45 Preschool Time with Miles
We snuggled on the couch to read a book about the human body that we picked up at the library. Miles enjoyed it for a while, but then he got up to pull out his favorite human body book by Usborne called, See Inside Your Body (affiliate link). He wanted to show me what a stomach looks like.
I pulled out a roll of newsprint and explained to Miles that I wanted to trace his body to see how big it was. He was eager to lie down and giggled while I traced around his body. Then he drew on his face right away. After that, we colored his body with markers and crayons.
If I were to do this project again, I’d use paints, even though they’re messier. Miles lost interest rather quickly, because there was just too much space to color.
I took a break to throw the clothes in the dryer.
Julia practiced her clarinet music while I was busy with Miles. We’re so proud of the progress she’s made this year. In the fall she took a risk by auditioning for the Mid Maine Youth Orchestra. The directors accepted her, and she has spent hours and hours learning the challenging pieces.
At first, she couldn’t play the music, because she hadn’t yet learned the fingering to some of the notes. After some private lessons and much practice, she’s ready for her concerts this weekend. Here’s a sneak peek at her practice session today.
10:40 History
We watched an episode of Liberty Kids (affiliate links). Although they’re a bit childish for my middle schooler, she humors me and watches them with her brother. I think Liberty Kids videos are a good way to reinforce what she’s learning in American History and her brother thinks they’re exciting.
Afterwards, we did some “further study questions” in her curriculum. First, we read about George Washington’s first secretary of war and loyal friend, Henry Knox. He retired to Maine with his family after public service. We hope to visit the Knox Museum when it opens this summer.
Next, we looked up some of the inventions of Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson.
Finally, I read aloud the entire Declaration of Independence, attempting to summarize the meaning of the wordy document. Miles started to interfere because he was bored, but eventually he chose a farm puzzle to work on while we finished our discussion.
11:30 Break
While I prepared a lunch of chicken nuggets, homemade sweet potato fries, and apple slices, Julia headed to her room to study her word study list, do some reading, and start her Latin workbook. Miles followed her and struggled to get her attention, but I didn’t hear too much yelling, so I assumed he gave up and went to play in his room.
12:30 Lunch
My husband worked from home today, so we all sat down for an unhurried lunch. Unfortunately, my son had a meltdown about what chair he was going to sit in, so I didn’t feel as relaxed as I’d hoped. I knew that if he ate something he’d feel better. Sure enough, his whole demeanor changed after he finally settled down and wolfed down some fries.
1:15 Clean Up
Julia does lunch dishes every day as part of her chores. (You may have guessed by now that we don’t have a dishwasher. That’s one thing I miss about our old house). While she cleaned up the kitchen and got some ice cream for herself and her brother, I folded the laundry. Then I vacuumed upstairs.
1:30 Recess
Julia worked on her Latin again, while Miles and I played a game of tag. I know that may sound funny, given it was only 16 degrees today, but when you live in a long, two-story house with a set of stairs on both ends, you have the perfect playground. We chased each other, doing loops until we were both red in the face. I am so thankful for the space we have.
2:00 Writing
I started a writing routine with my son that’s a highlight of my day. Today we sat down and each made a book about skeletons. Usually I invite him to make a book about a topic that we’re learning about, and sometimes he does, but other times he writes about whatever he wants.
Today he decided to do what I was doing, making a skeleton and labeling some of the bones we learned about earlier. I loved how he went back to his picture later and added the joints in with pencil. He titled his, “Miles’s Favorite Skeleton.” What amazed me is that he sat there, engaged in his writing, for 45 minutes. Now that’s a record!
Julia did her writing during this time too. She’s worked in her writer’s notebook and then wrote an email to a good friend who lives far away now.
3:00 Work with Julia
I spent the next big chunk of time helping my daughter finish translating Latin sentences and complete a math review lesson. Latin is by far my biggest challenge. I don’t know Latin, but I can sort of figure it out using the teacher’s guide. Ideally, I’d have Julia take Latin at our homeschool league, but it meets twice a week which doesn’t work for us. Doing it at home has the advantage of being less costly, but I know she’s not learning it as well as she could if she had a real teacher to talk to when she had questions.
Since math takes lots of concentration on my part and hers, we’ve learned that having a little brother around interrupting us just doesn’t work. So, when we do math, Miles watches something on Netflix or PBS Kids. Today he chose Llama Llama, not a favorite of mine. I prefer shows where there’s not a lot of bickering and kids gain knowledge about the world, like in Cat in the Hat, Octonauts, and Treehouse Detectives.
4:45 Finish School
It took an hour and a half to get through the math review. Dimensions Math sure does make you think. Miles turned off his show before we finished the long lesson and got out his Keva planks (affiliate link) to play with on the floor. I was glad he gave us the time we needed to finish up.
5:00 Dinner
Yesterday we had a turkey dinner, so dinner tonight was easy. I love leftovers when we’re pressed for time.
5:30 Youth Group
Julia and her friends had a movie night scheduled tonight, so we had to leave a half hour earlier than usual and get home a half hour later. My husband stayed home with Miles, and I was carpool mom. I got a little birthday shopping done while waiting for the girls. March is right around the corner, and both of my children have birthdays coming up.
9:00 Home Again
Today was a packed day, like usual. I felt pretty tired, but I enjoyed the rest of the evening typing up my day. Usually my husband and I watch something together, but tonight he was too exhausted. We’ll catch up tomorrow when my daughter has her dress rehearsal.
10:30 Read and Relax
I look forward to reading in bed every night, no matter how late I hit the pillow.
11:00 Lights Out
Another homeschool day is over. What will tomorrow bring?
Today was a great day. I will cherish it, especially now that I have it in writing and can look back on it years from now, when my kids have grown. I love the homeschool memories we’re making together.
How Homeschool Life Has Changed Over the Years
Homeschool Day in the Life (with an 11- and 3 yr old)
