A "Normal" Homeschool Day - 3 in 15 makes 5

Would you like a glimpse into a day of a homeschooling family?

I put normal in quotes because with homeschooling, you never really have a “normal” day. We are a little over 3 weeks into our current school year. The boys are in 9th (A & J) and 10th (S) grades.

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Morning Homeschool Routine

I am not an early riser. I usually get up about 8 am. By this time, the boys have been up and working on independent studies including Grammar, Writing, Reading, etc.

Once I’m up, we eat breakfast. Then the boys generally will go outside and run a little bit or they will get some form of exercise. By 9 am we are ready to start our homeschool “day”.

First, we have prayer time and then we start reading. This year we are doing a study on different world religions, as well as SchoolhouseTeachers.com Foundations for Teens class.

Next, we read a novel of some type. First up this year is Surviving the Applewhites by Stephanie Tolan. After that, we will be reading To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.

After the group reading, we split up. I work on Biology and Geometry with the twins (9th grade). They are using Notgrass’ Exploring World History Course which is self-paced.

Finally, I work on Algebra 2, Chemistry, and US History with S (10th grade).

If they haven’t finished before this time, the boys will complete their Spanish 2 class and work on a little keyboarding.

Lunch

Lunch is A’s favorite subject. The boy eats like crazy!! He is ready for his next meal almost as soon as he’s finished with the first. Usually, we only take about 30 minutes to have lunch. Then it’s back to work.

Afternoon Homeschool Routine

I’m available for help during the afternoon if needed; otherwise, I work on other things or take a nap. Since the boys have checklists, they know what work they have for the day and go by that. It has helped a lot to make this checklist before the school year starts.

Evening Homeschool Routine

Most of the time the boys are done with their homeschool work between 3 and 4 pm. After this time, they are allowed to go outside or work on whatever they want. Frequently this is looking at baseball cards or playing some type of game together. Many nights they help make supper, and some nights they make it all. It is nice having them at the age that they can do so much for themselves now. All those years of training are starting to pay off.

After dinner, the boys will bring their work to me for grading. Certain subjects I will let them grade themselves, and then I will just check to make sure they are learning the work. Other subjects I grade, and then we will talk about anything they got wrong.

This basic outline has worked out well for us for the past few years of homeschooling. The older the boys get, the more responsibilities they are able to take on for themselves and the less involved I am. I’ve become more of a guidance counselor for some subjects than a teacher.