{clockwise starting at far left: Esther, Abraham, Eli, and Ezra – all photos by Joy Newman}
Today we get a taste of real life, folks. One of our SLOCA moms, Joy Newman, is sharing with us what a typical homeschooling day looks like in her busy household. We can all relate to moments of her day, so sit back and enjoy reading about the homeschooling adventures of a fellow mom! Cade and Joy Newman are a Track A family. They have four kids: Eli (Int. II), Abraham (Pri. I), Esther (K) and Ezra (2 yrs.)
Please note that I randomly picked a day to write about. More than adhering to strict routines, we strive for a predictable rhythm in our home days while attempting to keep the chaos to a minimum. Sometimes that is hard to do with a toddler running around! We also typically include Grammar, spelling and printing/cursive practice for both my older kids but did not do those home subjects this day. Including those subjects probably adds another 45 minutes to our day.
7AM
After some family time and “cold” breakfast or breakfast number one, the kids get started on their morning chores; Cade leaves for work
7:30
We leave for our park work-out
8:10
Back from the park, I make “hot” breakfast while the kids work on the roly-poly habitats that began on our walk home from the park
8:45
After eating and cleaning up breakfast, we read aloud together
9:04
Toddler gets a time-out for hitting
9:10
Another time out
9:15
While I shower and get dressed, the kids have free playtime and time to finish up their chores
9:45
Review recitation poem and quotes with my Intermediate, while my Kinder does her handwriting at the table next to us; My Primary student plays with the toddler
10AM
Intermediate student plays with the toddler outside; Math with my Primary and then phonics with my Kindergartener
10:20
Intermediate starts math; Kinder starts her art project; Primary student plays with our toddler
10:45
We leave to run two necessary errands *see note below
11:30
We are home and I start lunch; toddler plays alone (yay!); Intermediate continues his math; Primary reviews his math facts using wrap-ups and flashcards; Kinder continues her art project
11:45
We take our lunch break
12:15
I send the kids outside to play on something with wheels, while I clean up lunch and wish I had some Cake Batter Oreos; I check email
12:45
The toddler is down for his nap after some books and his bottle; I straighten up a little while letting the kids play outside a little longer
1PM
Kinder takes books into her room for “quiet time” while my Intermediate and Primary students read our history and literature: Abe Lincoln, Ft. Sumter, Brer Rabbit, Elijah of Buxton. I begin with their shared readings and then move on to the Primary readings so that my Primary student has the option to listen to the Intermediate readings or do something else
2PM
I may or may not have fallen asleep during our reading time, which could explain why the next time I looked at the clock, it was 2:45 and my Intermediate student was reading Elijah on his own and my Primary was quietly playing
3PM
We discuss our reading and add to the Primary journal
3:30
Work on recitation poems with Primary and Kinder
3:40
Both nappers are awake and the kids go outside to play; A messy house is a sign of a full day, right?
* I typically do not leave the house in the middle of a home day, unless it is an unavoidable appointment or very necessary errand. I find that running errands just takes too much time.
Thanks for sharing your day with us, Joy! What fun to take a peek into your homeschooling world. Moms, we hope you enjoyed reading about a day in Joy’s life – maybe you got some ideas, or maybe you are encouraged to know that we all have similar moments of delight and challenges on this journey of learning alongside our children. If you have something to add, please leave a comment below!
