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My typical homeschool day begins when I wake up. There
is no rush for the school bus, but I do have to be at the table by 8:30 a.m. My dad starts the day by leading us
in a short devotion time, normally while us kids are eating breakfast. Once my
dad leaves for work, my mom leads us in singing, prayer, Scripture reading
and a small Bible class. Then each student goes to their own “classroom,”
usually their own bedroom. I start my schoolwork my reading a Bible
devotional book. Then I have choice on what to start with: history, science,
or language arts. Usually I start with whatever I don’t have a test in that
day because I like to save the tests for the afternoon. At 11:00, I tackle plane geometry with my Mom in
our schoolroom. At the same time, she is teaching my talkative first grade
sister younger sister with her schoolwork. An hour later is lunch, followed
by a much-needed recess outside or free time inside. Around the dreaded 1:00 p.m., it’s back to school. I start my
afternoon work with whatever I didn’t do in the morning. At 2:00, I am challenged by teaching my 5th
grade sibling sister science, a subject with which I myself am not very good
at. Although, I am learning more and more by teaching her. Then a
half-an-hour later I finish up my school with whatever is left. It is at this
time that I take any tests in any quiet room that I can find. I am normally
completely done with school around 3:30.
Every Tuesday and Thursday, I teach art to my two younger siblings. Then I do
any chores I have for that day. Sometime that afternoon or evening I do any
homework and study for any tests I have the following day. Before I go to bed
I make sure everything ready for my next typical homeschool day.
Ninth grade girl – homeschooled for 9 years
I have three homeschooling girls who are early
elementary and preschool. We wake up,
have breakfast, and then get ready for the day – which includes getting
dressed and our morning chores. School
starts at 9:00. Monday through Thursday we study phonics,
spelling, math, handwriting, history, and Bible. Most days we are finished by lunch time;
however, it does depend on the attitude of the girls. Fridays we have art and science so we can
spend as much time as we want on them.
Our days tend to be pretty relaxed as long as all the
work assigned for the day is completed.
This way the girls have fun and continue to enjoy “school.”
A homeschooling mom of three
Our “Typical Day of (5th Grade) Homeschool”
is as follows:
We start out easy at 8:00
a.m. with Literature although I use the term loosely. This involves reading aloud from the
current selection for half an hour and it ranges from classics to
contemporary books. Our reward for
finishing a book is to watch the video version, if one exists. (Our local video store “rents” them out
free of charge if they are for educational purposes.) This generates a discussion over which we
liked better (the book or the movie) and why.
Our faith lesson generally consists of selections from Chicken
Soup-type books.
History involves reading 3 or 4 pages from a
textbook. I then give my son five
“answers” (what I consider the most important points) and he composes five
questions that fit them—something on the order of Jeopardy. When we complete the chapter, his
continuing list of questions becomes his unit test. Since history is not a favorite, we
sometimes end with a lighthearted passage from Dave Barry Slept Here.
Sometime around 9:00
or 9:30 a.m., we take a 15-minute
recess.
Then we tackle science, which also involves a reading
assignment. Whenever possible, we use
well-illustrated books rather than dry-as-the-desert textbooks. When my son performs experiments or
demonstrations, I videotape them. By
the end of the year, we not only have a “live” record of topics learned but a
treasured souvenir as well.
We use the Saxon Math series, completing one
lesson per day. Since math is my son’s
least favorite subject, I award a prize if he gets four or less wrong. Generally, these take the form of joke books
or other volumes I buy from a thrift store.
In the past we’ve also implemented “penny math,” which meant he
received a penny for every correct answer.
I subscribe to Dr. Robinson’s belief that students learn
spelling and vocabulary automatically when they read high quality books and
have thus eliminated those subjects.
On the other hand, we do use a book (in this case, Writer’s Express)
which covers the mechanics of writing. My son then spends the last half hour
writing the day’s composition assignment, which is later edited and added to
his portfolio.
Normally we finish homeschool by noon each day and spend the afternoon on household
obligations.
Michigan
Mom
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