Can you believe that it’s Spring Break time? Some kids have already enjoyed theirs and others are only days away That last bit of freedom before school’s out for Summer is so sweet, isn’t it? You might be thinking about what you’re going to do this summer with your kids to keep them learning. Or maybe you’re considering your school options for next year. I receive a lot of questions and comments about homeschool, so today I’m sharing all about our homeschool life with you. This homeschool post contains affiliate links, all opinions are completely my own. I am a firm believer that there is no one right way to teach a child.
what homeschool looks like for us
Homeschool looks different for every family. For example, my two older children are enrolled in a local Charter school. There is the option for them to attend on site classes and have us supplement at home. Or, we could use all of our educational funds that we receive from them and fully homeschool. Technically we have chosen the homeschool route through their Charter. However, we use our educational funds to have them attend a local tutoring center.
| Read: Travel-themed Worksheets for Elementary Students |
They attend on site classes three days a week for a few hours. There they take ELA, math, science, and my son takes history. After school and on the days that they’re home we do homeschool where I teach things that support what they’re learning on site, or things that I just think will interest them. One question I get asked a lot is what homeschool curriculum we use. As of now, with my kids as young as they are I don’t follow a particular curriculum.
our daily schedule
Currently our homeschool schedule looks like this:
- Mondays and Wednesdays are our home days. Our school day starts around 9:00 am. We spend an hour each on ELA, math, and another subject that rotates daily. By doing this we are done by noon and can then go on field trips, run errands, do P.E., or just hang out.
- Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays are the days that my kids have their on site support classes. They always start at 9:00 am but their end time varies depending on which classes they’re taking that day.
- Currently for P.E. my kids are taking gymnastics once a week. In addition, they’re spending as much time outside as possible. We love hiking, walking or biking. They’ve also done soccer, horseback riding, and basketball for more structured P.E. time. They love doing different activities and learning new skills!
- One of the great things about homeschooling is that our schedule can be as flexible as it needs to be. My kids do best when we get our school done in the morning. However, when we need to we can push it off until the afternoon. We can even bring our work with us when we’re on vacations and tailor our lessons to back up our travels.
| Read: The Ultimate Resource Guide of Homeschool Printables |
our favorite resources
education.com
Education.com is a great website for lesson plans, online lessons, and worksheets. There are some functions that you can use for free, and a certain number of worksheets that you can print free of charge each month. However, I recommend purchasing a membership. I bought a lifetime membership last school year (with some of my educational funds) and it has definitely been worth it. We use the online lessons almost every school day and the worksheets are a main part of our lesson plans. The website is set up really conveniently so you can search by grade, subject, and even using keywords (like “butterflies” or “Christmas”).
handwriting workbooks
Handwriting workbooks are the basis for our ELA work at home and we have a couple that are our favorites. The Explode the Code and Handwriting Without Tears series are two that are simple for your child to work on with little guidance. Plus, the repetitive nature of them are a great way for them to learn the fundamental building blocks. My kids are really proud of themselves when they can easily complete the pages I’ve assigned them by themselves.
multi-subject workbooks
These are the workbooks like Brain Quest and School Zone. I like to purchase mine from Costco, but you can of course also purchase them from bookstores or online. These are perfect for supplementing the rest of your school curriculum. They’re also great for continuing the school year into the summer if you want to. We typically homeschool year round, although during the summer and winter breaks we cut back a little bit.
dollar store
When you’re a homeschool parent it’s easy to want to buy all the school supplies you can. However, in my experience there really isn’t a lot that you actually need. The great news is that your local dollar store is a great place to find a few supplies for your homeschool environment. Some of my favorite things to purchase for school from the dollar store are:
- consumables, like paper and notebooks
- pocket charts
- art supplies
- caddies for organizing supplies
amazon.com
Amazon is a great resource not only for purchasing workbooks but also for finding fun activities to incorporate into your science curriculum. Hands on projects to teach weather, the human body, space, life science, and any other topic can be ordered with free two-day shipping if you’re an ” target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow noopener noreferrer”>Amazon Prime member.
is homeschooling right for your family?
If you’re considering homeschool think about all the options you have. There’s fully homeschooling on your own, homeschooling through an online program, or homeschooling through a Charter. You should also ask yourself why you want to homeschool in the first place. It’s also important to have realistic expectations of what it will be like. Lastly, I need to point out that what works for one family might not work for another. During different seasons of your life you and your children might need different learning situations. If homeschooling, or traditional school, or private school, or any variation doesn’t work for your family long term–don’t beat yourself up! There’s not one right way to teach a child.
Do you have any experience with homeschool?
31 Responses to our homeschool life
That’s awesome your kids have days at a “school” and days at home. I was homeschooled until middle school and loved it. I have siblings that those to homeschool/charter school through high school. My plan is to homeschool my kids as they get older. Right now we are just starting little preschool activities for our toddler.
Awesome resources. We have really considered homeschooling, especially being able to travel and do home school and really teach them about the places we are going and what happened in those places. But for now we are happy with his schooling…we’ll see how it goes.
Great post about homeschooling. I know a few parents that do and I know that you have to have a great schedule. Also thank you for the list of places to purchase homeschooling products.
I think its great that your family has found a school program that works for you at home! Amazing! Thanks for posting the resources, I will definitely check them out. There are so many benefits to schooling at home!
I didn’t realize homeschooling was so intricate! I love the flexibility but haven’t yet decided if homeschooling is right for us. Thanks for sharing your resources–I can’t wait to dive in and learn more.
Mariah
http://www.likehoneyblog.com
My Dad is a PE teacher and I really love that you are incorporating PE into your homeschooling. It’s awesome that you have found physical activities your kids like. So much better than playing dodgeball!
Such great resources. I don’t know if I would be able to handle homeschooling, so more power to you!!
Homeschooling is an excellent option. It does take a lot of organization and dedication, but the rewards can be innumerable.
This is awesome! Homeschooling is such a great idea, I’ve met so many people who have encountered homeschooling and they loved it.
We will be homeschooling kindergarten for Little Man next year. It’s been difficult to narrow down a curriculum and schedule. Thanks for sharing your resources!
I use Education.com too, not for homeschooling but for teaching English as a second language.
Really interesting to hear how you make homeschooling work for your family. And I love that you say that there is no one right way to educate a child. I don’t homeschool, but I do a lot of supplementary learning with my kids at home. I’m excited to check out your resources. Thanks!
This is so interesting to me since I don’t know the first thing about homeschooling—it totally makes me nervous just thinking about it, to be honest. That’s really cool that the older kids (how old are they?) can go get extra classes elsewhere, too. You may have mentioned this in another post, but what are the educational funds? Where does that come from?
Having an on-site day for homeschool (do you guys call it a co-op?) sounds like a great break! I won’t be homeschooling my kids, but I’m impressed with all the work that goes into it for moms that do!!
This is really helpful! We’re considering homeschooling for our kids when they are old enough, but I’ve never thought about how many options there can be for homeschooling!
I recently discovered education.com. It is an amazing site! Wow! I also like the idea of homeschool support classes. I am in the process of gathering resources to make a decision for schooling. Pinning this post for sure!
The dollar store is such a great resource for so many things! I love that you shared what your day looks like. My Mom home schooled five of us until I was in 8th grade. I always admire parents who take on the journey. Sierra~Beautifully Candid
I love this! I’ve been wanting to try out homeschooling so I’m going to grab a few of your recommendations 🙂
This is so great! I have always debated with myself whether I want to homeschool my kids or not. I will be saving this post for later! 🙂
It is great to read about the homeschool experience. My kids go to school outside the home but it’s always something I consider if circumstances would warrant a change.
I really love how they spend more time outdoors!
im totally saving this post for later!! we may be a homeschooling fam in a few years!
I am sure I will be coming back to this post to reference if we do decide to homeschool. I was homeschooled my whole life actually and never thought I’d do it myself but the more stories I hear and what not, I won’t be too surprised if we do.
I always turn to amazon for homeschool type things as well as Costco! We don’t homeschool but are all about educational activities here at home. I’ll be checking out education.com – thanks for the resource!
I’ve been seriously considering homeschooling so I’m going to save this to come back to!!
After years (and years!) of homeschooling, I’ve finally decided to create a handwriting program that both my kids and I love…with dragons. Because everything is better with dragons!
Lots of outside time is a huge benefit to homeschooling!! Keep it up!
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