First off, I have to say that I am in no way pushing homeschooling on anyone.  I don’t think homeschooling IS for every parent and child.  This totally depends on your current life situation, your personality as a parent, your child’s personality and his/her specific needs, what kind of support system you have, etc.  Some families have parents where both have to work…this is the economy we live in.  Some families have children with special needs which may be better addressed in a different setting.  As for us, we like the premise of homeschooling and how it gives us the opportunity to teach our children through a Biblical worldview.  This is great!  However, we have also decided that we can only make choices for our children’s schooling ONE YEAR AT A TIME.  I don’t know if I explained that well at all, but if you have any other questions, please e-mail me.

Now onto the nitty-gritty.  After much research and discussion with other mothers, we have decided to go with the classical model of homeschooling.  For more information on this, you can Google it and a lot of information can be found about it. We are currently using The Ordinary Parent’s Guide to Teaching Reading by Jessie Wise and Sarah Buffington.  JL has really, really enjoyed it.  It doesn’t come with activities or stickers or any other bells and whistles; it is a simple book on teaching your child to read.  JL has run with it…he is reading books to his little brother now.

The book that has helped me teach JL how to read.

JL just turned 4, so our homeschooling is really not that intense yet.  Our desire for him right now is that he would LOVE learning.  We want him to be a life-long learner.  Here is what our day typically looks like with homeschooling incorporated into it.

7:30-8:00-Kids wake up and they have quiet play time in their room together, so I have a little extra time to get dressed and ready.

8:00-8:30-Breakfast

8:30-9:00-Chores for me and JL (washing/drying/folding laundry, prepping for lunch and dinner, washing dishes, etc.)

9:00-9:30-Reading with JL and Caleb (the Bible and other books/audio book)

9:30-10:00-Free play for JL while I catch up on e-mail, pay bills and the like; Caleb naps until

11:30 10:00-11:00-Homeschooling with JL (consists of the reading curriculum mentioned above and a hands-on craft)

11:00-11:30-I prep for lunch while JL independently does an activity.

11:30-12:15-Getting Caleb up and changed and eating lunch together

12:15-12:30-Clean-up after lunch

12:30-1:00-Free play for JL and Caleb

1:00-2:30-Errand-running with the kiddos or taking them to the park or library

2:30-4:30-Caleb has his afternoon nap and JL has a quiet time for some of that time.  I use this time to organize something, sew/make a gift, catch up on e-mails again, read, take a small nap, return phone calls, pay more bills, prep dinner, put away laundry.  There is always SOMEthing to do.

4:30-5:00-Kids have a little more free play and we set the table and finish up dinner prep.

Ben usually gets home between 5:15 and 5:30 and we eat. That’s what our basic day looks like, though we are extremely flexible.  There are some days where Caleb naps awful…I get less done around the house.  There are some days where we have people over for lunch and we go visit someone in the morning who could use some company/encouragement.  Sometimes we have playdates with other moms and their kids.  Sometimes life just gets REALLY crazy and the schedule goes completely out of the window.  That’s not ideal, but we manage just fine.

What I consider part of homeschooling is teaching my children about loving and serving others.  It is a time in which I can teach them how to be boys of godly character, how to love truth and hate lies, how to put others before themselves.  Every moment I have with them is a time of intentionality where I can be sharing with them the Gospel and show them what it means to follow Jesus and love Him.  And, maybe I’m just doing it all wrong, but each day is a new day… I’m learning, too!

So, homeschooling or non-homeschooling moms, what things do you do with your children each day that encourages them to love learning?  How do you point them to the Gospel amidst life’s daily happenings?

JL and a snowman he made out of some modeling clay one day.  This boy loves to create and imagine, much like his own Daddy.