Day in the life

our school calendar

simplehomeschool.net is hosting a Day in the Life blog jamboree.  I'm joining other homeschoolers in answering that famous FAQ, What do you do?  I guarantee, all the answers will be different.

Our day begins with a graduated wake up call.  I walk Star (15) to her 6 a.m. New Testament class then return to Dreamland.  Around 9 a.m., Torpedo (7) and Mermaid (5), climb up to our tree house bed or call me down for a snuggle.  A few hugs later they are pulling books off the shelf.  I catch forty more winks on the couch.  The official alarm sounds at 10 a.m.  Resist judging, My Hero's late work makes 2 a.m. our regular bedtime.  

copywork

Let the syncopation commence.  My Hero and I take a brisk hike.  Our fab five consider the new day by flopping on the couch, reading, sketching, and wondering about breakfast.  Parentals return.  My Hero pumps iron.  Star, Angelfish (13), and I suit up for cardio, sculpting, or yoga as prescribed by our current fitness challenge.  From my sticky mat, I direct the littles.  Make your bed.  Get dressed.  Comb your hair.  Set the table.  No ice cream.  Help your sister.  Put away your pajamas.  Have you said your prayers?  Sparkle (11), Get up!!

When the cool-down concludes, we're ready for our family meal:  brunch.  A spill typically christens the morning sending us rushing for paper towels.  Even so, this is one of the best parts of the day.  Eyeball time.  We're all together doing the same thing.  We catch up, calendar, and share things we're proud of, passages from books, an amazing  TED talk, or other online gems.

Between brunch and bedtime the magic happens.  We queue up for the shower.  I get dibs.  It's one of the things I love about being the mom.  The littles occupy themselves with books, Legos, or exploring approved sites like cool math games and Starfall.com.  Star and Angelfish school or shower.  At some point, everyone is ready for the day.

Mermaid

I gather the littles for scriptures, science, math, read aloud, and writing.  Sparkle joins us for reading and history.  Angelfish tutors Sparkle in Botany three times weekly.  While Torpedo is writing, Mermaid gets individual reading instruction.  Torpedo fills any time-gaps with Legos, drawing comics, and Mo Willems.

Since we jettisoned therapists two years ago, Mermaid rocks large and small motor skills at home with two-footed jumping, yoga, mimicking games, dancing, stringing beads, cutting paper, stacking blocks, sewing cards, coloring, puzzles, and writing.  We all take turns and nobody minds a play break.  Her newest skill can be practiced solo.  She's learning to navigate technology with a mouse, trackpad, or touchscreen.

we write in our books

Star, Angelfish, and to a large degree, Sparkle, proceed independently.  They decided in advance how to approach electives and state required subjects.  They use textbooks and online lessons.  Current exploration includes this, and this, and this.  Simply Spelling by Laurie Hicks addresses spelling and grammar.  I jump in every 5th day for dictation.  Lynda.com  supplies stellar electives such as Illustrator, Photoshop, and Excel.  I nudge the girls this direction whenever Facebook sneaks in.

Even though I focus on the littles, breaks and distractions are inherent.  I capitalize on these moments to touch base with the bigs.  Just as often, they flag me down to share what they are discovering.  We're generally engaged in individual, or small group activities, but there is a rotation and rhythm that has become our groove.

hard core arts and crafts

sibling harmony = best part of homeschool

As the academic phase winds down, Star and Angelfish pump up the volume.  They are both learning drums in addition to the three instruments they already play (primarily youtube-taught).  They also write/record/mix songs, knit, craft, cook, sew, sketch.   We grab a bite to eat and disperse for the playground, park, play dates, hard-core crafts, errands, or earning.

big and little sisters

Time Lord training for our clever boy (Tardis interior)

We gather again for dinner, chores, and handcrafts or games before bed.   Scriptures and prayers come first, but if the girls volunteer to braid my hair, our bedtime read-aloud might include half a novel.  I am a sucker for a hairbrush!  Alternately, this would be lights out  or mom's quiet time.  I enjoy time to myself, but I also love hanging out with my favorite people pouring over great books.  It is another best time of the day.

sucker for a hairbrush

Later My Hero returns triumphant.  After some laughs with Jimmy Fallon or Netflix wonder, we climb up into our tree house and collapse, both thoroughly grateful for this amazing life.

P.S. You might be a homeschooler if your child knits scarves with needles she whittled herself.