14 Sneak Peeks into Our Homeschool Life

So often I find that people see a slice of a person's life and then produce assumptions based on their limited understanding.  While you can never fully know what's going on, sometimes it's fun to get a behind the scenes sneak peek into someone else's homeschool life.

Here's 14 random bits of information about our journey:

ONE: While I have a lovely homeschool room, we migrate through the house to actually do our schooling.

 

TWO: I am a recovering curriculum junkie. I have owned multiple spelling, writing, science, and math programs. What has cured me from my manic program switching?  Simplifying my schooling with Classical education.

 

THREE: I don't have a planner. I do however have a plan. I have simple expectations for my girls, and then my son keeps up with his Classical Conversations guide. Knowing that we have the major subjects taken care of, I can be free to "unschool" the rest by playing with math outside, cultivating curiosity at a conservatory, or enjoying a great museum. I'm a hybrid!

 

FOUR: I like school days better than vacation days. Well, maybe not the first few days of vacation, but I like the rhythm and routine of school. What I really like is spending time with my kids.

 

 

FIVE: My Classical Conversations friends are like family. They keep me from living on a homeschool island of isolation. I am so very thankful.

 

 

SIX: Nana's are awesome backup reading listeners. It is so wonderful to have my mother living with us and that she is so willing to listen to readers when my schedule gets backed up.

 

 

SEVEN: Audio books are my best friends. While I love reading aloud, I love that we can read books together in the car, or while we all work on a project.  I'm not too proud to let someone else read to me!

 

 

EIGHT: My husband is very active in our homeschooling. He works from home and that makes him more available to step in and help with math or write a paper.

 

 

NINE: I love watching movies that enrich our understanding of what we're studying. As much as I love books, I love learning from movies too.

 

 

TEN: I've always worked another job while I homeschooled. My first year I had a photography business, then I started various jobs through Classical Conversations, and now I am a blogger. The best jobs for me have been ones that overlap with our homeschool pursuits. Tutoring is easier than being a Support Manager, and blogging is better than photography.

 

ELEVEN: We love to spontaneously take a reading day. That means all of our regularly scheduled studies get set aside for a moment while we immerse ourselves in a good book. Sometimes it's all together, other times we all have separate books. It just depends.

 

 

TWELVE: My greatest homeschool moments come when we are at rest. Elaborate plans stress everyone out. Simplicity rules.

 

 

THIRTEEN: I consider personal projects extracurricular activities. I love seeing my kids gather random things from around the house and fabricate something fascinating from their pillaging.  What I love about activities like these is that they cultivate creativity and caring for one another.  They are always making something to "bless" someone else. Working through difficulties that inevitably arise from projects like this, my kids are refining their problem solving abilities and refining their craft.  While it's not an organized sport, it is a great value to their education.

 

FOURTEEN: I never wanted to homeschool...now I can never imagine not.

If you enjoyed a behind the scenes tour of our homeschool, you might enjoy some more articles from the iHomeschool Network team of bloggers.  Click the image below to find more!