A Day in the Life: Root Family

“Questions you may have had over the years (or weeks!) may be: “What does this educating for life really mean?” “What does it look like?” Or if you sometimes look around your house on a home day and wonder: “Is this normal??”  “Am I the only parent still homeschooling past lunch??”

Happy Tuesday, everyone! We’re back with our next Day in the Life (DITL) post and we have the Root family joining us today to share all about their version of the SLOCA life behind closed doors. Here at SLOCA, we value community and camaraderie. As we share in this educational journey together, it is always so encouraging to hear stories of how others are doing this path less traveled life, and how important it is to remember that you are not alone. The DITL series was started for this purpose. We believe it is important to showcase our families’ diverse dynamics and how each uniquely designed home creates their space in learning together.

That being said, go ahead and grab your warm drink, settle in and let’s peek in on what the Roots are up to…..

The Root family is made up of John, Sarah, Zeke (5th grade), Max (2nd) and Liam (Preschool). Sarah, who is also one of our Kindergarten teachers, and her family are in their 7th year at SLOCA.

Up until 4 months ago we rented a 2 bedroom condo without a yard and homeschooled with a busy, busy toddler so our days were quite the circus act to say the least. Last year I must have wondered a thousand times what I had gotten myself into. Over the years I have found teaching in a classroom to be a completely different experience than homeschooling with a toddler in tow. When it comes to homeschooling I still consider myself a rookie and it is most definitely a labor of love that I keep telling myself one day my boys will fully appreciate (whatever keeps you going, right?)!

So this past September ( the week after school started) we were able to buy our very first home (with 2 extra rooms and a yard included!) which has given us some much-needed space. I also decided to switch up what I was doing with Liam (3 years old) on our home days. We are fortunate that my parents live locally and my mom is very generous with her time and takes Liam to her house on Tuesdays and Thursdays so that I can keep my sanity without every math manipulative and spelling tile we own being strewn into every corner of the house.

When I was asked to share one of our homeschool days I was initially a little hesitant to agree. To be honest it felt vulnerable and out of my comfort zone. For years I have loved reading the Day in the Life series and hardly felt qualified to be the one sharing. However, I realized that the reason I love this series so much is that each family home schools in a way that works for them and so it didn’t matter if our day wasn’t “perfect.”

In the morning I go over the day’s work with the boys and then generally let them choose the order in which we will complete the work. We also tend to spread out in the living room and dining room. Eventually, the boxes would be unpacked and our homeschool room will be functional!

11 pm the night before-

I read back over the grids to make sure I have a clear idea of what we’ll be doing. I usually print our grids out on Sunday afternoon and each boy has his own clipboard that holds the grid and any other papers we might reference or need. I also use highlighters to color code the days on the grid and add the copywork for Max to the whiteboard easel. I have to say that I always have good intentions for Liam’s preschool grid, but if I’m being honest we’re lucky if we read his weekly book (poor third child)!

6:45 am-

The boys and I start waking. Thankfully the boys all run off to play because it gives me time to get dressed and get the dishes unloaded and a load of laundry started.

8 am-

Everyone has been up for over an hour, but we’re just now getting to breakfast. We are out of cow milk so pancakes with almond milk, which I have to use slyly because the bigger boys think they don’t like it, is what we settle on (most days it’s cereal). The fridge has an awful smell coming from it and I decide I will figure out that mystery later.

8:15 am-

I start the pancakes and a fight erupts – Liam has destroyed Zeke’s origami! I redirect the boys and go back to the pancakes. Grandma can’t come soon enough!!

8:30 am-

The boys eat breakfast and end up eating way more than I thought they would so now I need to make another batch so I can eat. I realize now we’re out of almond milk too so I decide to try using water in the batter – it works!

9 am-

I get Liam dressed and send Zeke and Max off to get dressed for the day. Liam decides he wants to wear his cape from preschool and wait out front for Grandma.

9:20 am-

Grandma’s here! Hooray and hallelujah! We talk for quite a bit because my parents have just returned from a vacation and have souvenirs for the boys.

10 am-

Our homeschool day begins. It’s later than I hoped it would be, but we really have to wait until Liam is gone. I have tried starting things with him home and it typically ends in a huge, mischievous mess so I’ve found that waiting is better for all of us.

I get Zeke started on some mental math, which he is not overly happy about, and sit down with Max to read the second half of Jullanar of the Sea. We end up needing to do a quick review because it becomes clear Max has forgotten everything we read on Tuesday. He listens while sprawled on the couch and pulling a loose button off of a box.

10:30 am – 12 noon

We finish reading and I get Max started on his copywork. He also knows that if he finishes before I’m done with Zeke he needs to go back through his journal and re-attach any work that has come loose.

Zeke and I go over his mental math and then move onto his review of multi-digit multiplication and long division. We use the whiteboard for this.

Max is still working on copywork and his illustration so Zeke and I begin his history reading. I find that giving Zeke something to do with his hands keeps him much more focused. Lately, he’s really into origami.  In the middle of our reading, Max comes out to tell me that a bottle of white glue has spilled all over his copywork. I stop to help him clean up the glue and then give him some free choice while I continue with Zeke.

Zeke and I discuss the Islamic contributions in art and science and talk about what he might add to the list. He is engaged in our discussion until I get him working independently on his HRJ, which he then decides he doesn’t want to do. I encourage him to do sketchnotes since he usually gravitates towards drawing, but he is adamant that he is choosing the list option. He becomes distracted by a bag of shredded money (a souvenir from the money museum in Kansas City). I redirect him back to his work.

Max and I sit down to talk about his science fair project. He comes up with a research question and I write the question on the whiteboard and set him up to copy it onto his template. I look over to see Zeke has still not completed his list but is now playing with the star on the Christmas tree. I redirect him again back to his list and we review what he’s written and what else he might add.

12 noon-

Lunch Break: Zeke has a peanut butter and banana sandwich, Max has a peanut butter and jam sandwich, and I have leftover pesto pasta + zucchini. I also finally discover the horrible smell in the fridge – spoiled cauliflower! I take care of that and the kitchen smells a million times better.  While I make the sandwiches Zeke decides to work on his science project research purpose.

Today during lunch I read some of Zeke’s literature aloud: 1001 Arabian Nights. We all have a good laugh about the Merman’s wife laughing at Land Abdallah!  I give the boys an hour during lunch so whatever time is left in the hour when they’re done eating is their time to play (outside, Legos, etc.). While they play I load the breakfast and lunch dishes, continue the laundry, and start some dinner prep.

1 pm –

I still need to finish reading Arabian Nights to Zeke so Max decides to build with Magna Tiles while he waits his turn to do reading, grammar, and spelling with me.

1:45 pm –

We finish the reading and Zeke starts in on his Elements of a Folktale assignment. He decides to do the story with a donkey in it but isn’t sure how a donkey looks so I grab the donkey out of one of our nativities and set it in front of him for inspiration.

2 pm –

While Zeke is working Max and I go into our school room to work together on his reading, grammar, and spelling. He does great on his reading lesson, we work on titles of respect and adjectives for grammar, and then finish up the first part of his spelling lesson on vowel team EE. Max is still a beginning reader and doesn’t particularly love reading yet so he always chooses to do his reading lesson first, in his words, “ to get it out of the way.”

2:40 pm –

I check in with Zeke and he is still working on his literature assignment. I give Max a 10-minute break and he runs off. I throw the last load of laundry in.

2:55 pm –

The break was actually 15 minutes. Max’s final work today is math. I usually like the boys to do math in the morning, but Max is able to stay focused later in the afternoon so today I let him leave this for the end. We play 7 rounds of Tic Tac Ten and Max wins. We review multiplication of 2’s and 3’s using counters, Max works in his workbook, and we finish with a mental math sheet.

3:35 pm –

Max is finished! It’s winter break for him! This motivates Zeke to finish up because he wants to be on break too!

3:45 pm-

Zeke is finished! We’re all on winter break!

4 pm –  

John gets home from work (he’s a high school English teacher) and I head out on a run. Running is truly how I keep my sanity. It’s my time to debrief and unwind and it’s how I’m able to homeschool. I think this is crucial to your well being and the sustainability of homeschooling – find a way to do something for yourself that you love!

5ish pm –

Liam is dropped off by my mom. Last year we were almost never done until 5 or 5:30 pm because we had Liam in the mix and that was hard so if you have a little one around during the day give yourself lots of grace!

What a day, Sarah! It is always so intriguing to hear about how others, especially those with really little ones, manage those home days! Thank you so much for sharing with us, reminding us that what works for one family may not necessarily work for another and that sometimes, life is all about redirection!