by Mama Fox
I homeschool my children. We are mostly unschoolers, meaning that learning isn't separated from every day life. We feel our boys are too young for really any structured learning. Our oldest is 4 1/2 and is the only one getting any actual teaching in the traditional sense. Even that is minimal and he controls it. Besides that, we go with the flow. Every moment of the day is full of learning opportunity. No desks, worksheets or textbooks required. I just talk with my kids about the world around us, answer any questions when asked (a popular one right now is "where did this come from?") and give them tools for learning aka toys.
Our family, even when we are "going with the flow", likes having a
schedule. It gets us some structure during the day and keeps everyone happy. Still, we are fairly flexible within that schedule. We do what we feel like and I let the boys take charge of many things. They decide what kind of art we do if we do any at all and if we stay inside or go outside for our active time. They pick the books I read for story time. I like getting their input and they are more likely to go along with that I want to do if we do what they want to do often. We have a nice little system.
One of our "normal days" (We actually only had 2 normal days this week...):
- Wake up 8am. This I LOVE because before our move they were awake bright and early at 6:30am.
- Chores. The boys feed the pets, make their beds, pick out clothes for the day even if they don't put them on.
- Breakfast. Usually I make them oatmeal. Fox3 likes this too.
- I take a shower while they eat and wake up a little bit. I get dressed even if we aren't going anywhere. The boys get dressed and brush teeth.
- Art time. Playdoh, coloring, painting, stamping, whatever creative thing they feel like doing. This can last from 10 minutes to an hour. It's great for learning colors and what colors can mix and make new colors. We count playdoh balls and play little math games with them. Little doses of learning. When they are done, they help clean up and put supplies away.
- Quiet time. They have the choice of watching a movie (the favorite is Lady and the Tramp right now) or playing in their room. It's about half and half what they choose. If they don't watch a movie they often build with duplos. Rockets, tornadoes, volcanoes, robots, space guns. Can you tell they're boys? I get online and get my "fix."
- Snack. Something small to keep them happy. Usually apple slices, oat cereal bar or a few Ritz crackers with peanut butter.
- Active time. I encourage them to go run around outside. We play tag or hide and seek if we stay inside. Sometimes we go for a walk around the block.
- Lunch 11:30am. Usually sandwiches and fruit.
- Story time. Each boy picks a book. Fox1 reads one with a bit of help and I read the other.
- Fox2's nap 12pm.
- From 12pm until Fox2 wakes up is Fox1's "school time." He gets online for about 20-25 minutes. He decides which website he wants, usually it's Starfall. When his timer goes off, he asks to work in his workbook. It's a kindergarten level workbook I had picked up last year to keep him occupied during a hotel stay. He picks which subject and which pages. He usually does 10 pages because he likes them. It has a lot of friendly monsters in it. Haha! After that it's free time. He can either get back online for another 20 minutes, read with me or by himself, watch a show or we just sit around and talk. It varies on how we are feeling. I may get some more computer time myself here too.
- When Fox2 wakes up they have another snack. Usually about 2:30-3pm.
- Free time. They pick what they want. This is also our playgroup time once a week.
- 4:30-5pm Daddy's home! It's pretty much chaos for a bit while Papa Fox unloads, we talk about our days and I start on dinner.
- Dinner. Home cooked meal every night.
- After dinner, the boys play with Daddy, tell him what they learned (it was interesting listening to Fox1 try to explain the water cycle the other day
) and we all just relax as a family. - 7-7:30pm Getting ready for bed. Baths if needed, teeth brushed and all that.
- 8pm is bed time for the 3 boys.
- Mama gets to relax!
Crap I'm a busy person. It doesn't feel that way but seeing it all "on paper" so to speak is amazing. Usually Fox3 (9 months) is wandering around, chewing on things, eating, sleeping or getting into trouble.
He mostly just likes watching his brothers be goofy.
Once I have the truck during the day I expect our schedule to change a bit. We'll be going to the park at least one day a week and Fox1 may start playing on the homeschool group soccer team. We'll also be going to the Children's museum and possibly the zoo. I would like to get out of the house a couple days a week just to keep cabin fever away. As the boys get older we'll be more involved with the local homeschooling group. Right now there's not really anything for the younger set.
So there's a little peek into our "normal day" if there was such a thing.
What does your day look like?
Comments (2)
Sounds like a fun, happy, safe and productive learning environment for the little foxes!
My day isn't too different from yours, actually! My sons 2 1/2 and daughter is 6 months. We are up around 7:30 or so, sometimes 8:00 if it's been a busy week. We all get breakfast and then he is allowed to watch a 30 minute movie while I shower and get dressed. After that, we have play time, sometimes out doors, sometimes in. When my daughter goes down for her nap around 9:30 or so he's allowed to watch his other movie of the day, which is either 2 shorter movies or 1 full-length Disney movie. I work from home, so this is my first quiet time to get some work done. He usually has a snack during this movie and then when daughter is up, we often go outside or run some errands - groceries, etc. We have lunch and clean up toys before nap time which is around 1:00 or so. Both kids go down until about 4, which is when I finish up any work that I have to do, and then get started on supper. Hubby is home around 5:30 or so, and we also have a homecooked meal each night (sometimes it isn't too gourmet, but home cooked none-the-less!). We relax for the evening and kids go to bed around 8:30. It's funny how similar most stay-at-home mom's days really are!!