Wednesday, August 29, 2012

A day in the life - homeschooling our boys!




As a family of 3 boys - I like to keep things moving a bit. They don't like to write - or sit still (or be quiet and listen) but they are required to do some of each. We are relaxed homeschoolers, bordering on unschooling, but we start each day with Jesus and the pledge of allegiance and some desk time. 



We haven't confined our school to one room in the house - we use the family room area (pictured above) and dining table if we need to spread out info for a project or lapbook. We use the kitchen open area for art and other projects - and spend plenty of time in the kitchen doing "cooking 101" which includes planning meals, budgeting, and shopping. We go over kitchen safety and nutrition as well as measuring and other kitchen science. 


 We have more of a "routine" than we do a strict schedule. An average day would go as follows: Wake up and cuddle in mommy's room - breakfast - computer time. Get ready for the day, cleaned up and meet at the "school area". Do Bible time and pray together. Take turns holding the flag and say the pledge.  Then, depending on what day it is - I will read out loud from our Apologia Science or Trail Guide to Learning (which is full curriculum other than math) from Geography Matters for History - Paths of Settlement. I use it for most of our reading, social studies, geography, history, spelling and vocabulary. We do math every day.





 Depending on how I'm doing in the mornings (I have RA and mornings are tough) makes a difference on when we actually start. Sometimes it's easier to just start a little before lunch - and then finish up after lunch.

We try to get outside as much as possible to explore God's creation. My boys are big fans of bug collecting.


The boys help me run around and clean the house each day. We have age appropriate chores - such as emptying the dish washer, taking out the trash, putting clean clothes away and doing some laundry. They take turns running the vacuum cleaner, dusting, and fight over who gets to clean the sliding glass doors with the squeegee. I try to focus on getting one major thing done a week along with general cleaning. 

Several times each week we will either then go meet with friends, go to the beach for a swim and to collect shells, go to the pool, or (when it's a little cooler here in Southwest Florida) go for a nature walk. 

We have quite a few museums within reasonable driving distance and plan regular field trips. 


Living near the beach and on the water has provided us with a unique outlook that fits right in to our lifestyle of learning. We never cease to be amazed at God's beautiful creation and get excited about learning more about how things work. We try to never take it for granted. 


We most always have dinner at home as a family - usually we participate together in planning and preparing it. The boys love their daddy time - he works hard so we can enjoy our homeschool life. In everything we study and learn - we look back to the Creator and give Him the glory. We are surrounded by natural beauty which makes a wonderful platform for learning - but mostly for admiring the handiwork of our Maker.  Reading and writing and arithmetic are all very important - but our number one goal is to teach the boys to live for the Lord. 
God's Word is the foundation of our homeschool. 

Homeschool at the beach - is a rough life - but someone has to do it! 
(I'm so very thankful we can - thank you Jesus!) 



#1000 Gifts 
* sandy toes 
*supportive homeschool daddy 
*sunsets that take my breath away 
* boys excited to learn Bible verses 
* family time in nature 
*getting back to a more steady routine 
*hearing the boys prayers change as they get to know the Lord better
*brothers supporting and helping each other 

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