A typical day
Someone asked me to give a rough idea of how a typical homeschooling day looks for us so I thought I’d give it a try. I’ve got to preface this effort, however, by noting that there is no typical day really and rather than a schedule we have a rhythm we follow.
Generally Noah pays attention to whatever has captured his fancy that week for a couple of hours every morning. Sometimes that’s reading, sometimes that’s a computer game, sometimes that’s a construction project, sometimes that’s a comic book he’s writing. Today it’s been playing in the snow. But I do notice that when he’s into something, he wants to get to it first thing. It can be hard to get him to eat breakfast when he’s anxious to start working on a project so most days he wants to eat something he can have in hand instead of sitting down and eating. So he grabs a banana, a muffin — for awhile I had him on smoothies but the novelty paled.
Throughout the morning, he’ll take breaks from whatever he’s doing. He’ll come talk to me about what I’m doing or he’ll watch Madison for me or he’ll want to play with her.
The day after his Hebrew class, he usually wants to get his homework done although not always. (He always does his Hebrew homework without any reminders from me.) When we first moved here he always wanted to be outside first thing and would do tricks on his scooter/skateboard the whole morning.
While he’s doing his thing I’m trying to get chores out of the way. Clearing breakfast, starting the bread machine, laundry, what-have-you. I try to sit down and do some focused playing with Madison every morning but truth be told, it depends on what I’ve got on my to-do list. Sometimes the best I can do is set her up with playdough or let her bang on pots and pans while I step over her on my way to do something.
I answer email in the morning while I eat breakfast and if there’s work that’s piled up overnight, I’ll be anxious to get to it. I hate hate hate having to leave a work-related thing to sit since they pay me to work at home and I want to get things done in a timely manner. Also the way my job is, issues get bigger when left alone.
Ok, so eventually it’s lunch. Most times Noah is the one who reminds me, which makes sense since he usually has the least for breakfast. Sometimes I fix lunch, sometimes Noah does. The kids eat sitting at the table most of the time (rarely Noah will eat it while continuing whatever he’s doing but if he’s pretty fixated on something I try to be accomodating). I eat standing up while I catch up on chores way too often but I do try to sit with them. Also this is when we all talk about what we still need to get done and how we’ll do it.
That takes us to the afternoon. Madison takes a nap fairly soon after lunch and when she naps it’s my chance to really focus on whatever I have to get done and can’t do with her around. Sometimes Noah helps, sometimes he just keeps me company, sometimes he’s off doing whatever it is he’s doing. When Madison wakes up it’s generally around the time Noah is allowed to watch his shows (PBS). He gets two hours a day, which is more than I’d like but less than he’d like. While they eat a snack, I start thinking about dinner.
When I write it down it makes even less sense than it does in real life and it sounds like we spend less face-to-face time than we do in real life. We’re actually pretty involved with each other. Madison is at the age where she needs constant supervision. Both Noah and I really live our days around her and try to give room to each other to get done whatever we need to get done. He’s good about coming out of his room to watch her so I can run downstairs to switch out the laundry. We do argue about it somedays but mostly we try to be nice to each other because we recognize that having a toddler in the house is time consuming and that this is nobody’s fault.
Ok, so that’s the day-to-day kind of thing but then there’s our week-to-week schedule.
Noah has gym one morning a week, Hebrew classes one evening a week, and self-defense one afternoon a week. He also has other classes that come and go but those are the three we can count on throughout the “school year.” There’s also grocery shopping, at least one playdate for him (sometimes one for Madison but really for me) and we make sure to get to the library every week. (Oh and he has religious school on Sundays.) Then we have broader projects to get done. Right now we’re working on presents for the relatives and Noah can only work on those when Madison is asleep or otherwise occupied. He and Brett do formal math lessons on Monday nights (soon to happen on an additonal night as well). Brett gives him assignments to do throughout the week but Noah is responsible for figuring out when to get this done. That’s about to ramp up as well (Brett’s wanting to see him do more focused work that way) and hopefully Noah won’t be too grouchy about it. Also we’ve been talking about his continued interest in learning Spanish and likely we’ll start scheduling time for him to work on that with his Rosetta Stone program.
How we’re thinking of handling the new lesson responsibilities is that I’m going to make him a weekly schedule that I’ll put up so he can access it easily. It’ll have all of our plans for the week — the activities he has scheduled — and also the “to-do” list we’re asking of him like the math and the 20-minutes of Spanish. He’ll have sole responsible for getting it done. If he needs help, we’ll help him. I was telling him this today and I told him I wouldn’t nag but I’d likely ask where he is on what he’s doing. He’s better with interference if he’s given fair warning.
Yesterday someone asked me what we’d do if he doesn’t do the things on the list — just flat out refuses. I don’t know for sure. The math thing is something Brett feels strongly about and I’ll back him up on this although I don’t share his concern (heck, it can’t hurt Noah and Brett might be right besides which I think it’s good for Noah to have parents who have different ways of doing things as long as they’re complementary and not contradictory). If Noah really feels put-upon about doing it, I guess I’ll try to help him come up with a way to make it not suck for himself. Although the thing is with Noah, if he’s given a lot of control over a task he’s much more likely to do it even if he chooses to complain along the way.
Noah being Noah, his school experience has thus far been very independent. He’s always been a private person and I’ve found the best way for him to learn is to respect that and respect his need for space. At the same time, the nature of homeschooling demands that our lives be very integrated. Even before Madison arrived, I relied on Noah quite a bit to help me keep our domestic life moving. He helps grocery shop and clean (although as I am, frankly, a lousy housekeeper, he doesn’t do as much of this as he might if he lived in another family). He’s a big help getting laundry sorted and put away. He’s also responsible for the dog’s care. I would like to see him do more cooking with me but the truth is at this point I see my time in the kitchen before dinner as an oasis in a sea of caregiving. I just don’t really have the energy to bring him into it more. Pre-Madison he helped bake every week but he doesn’t do that now either since he’s likely keeping Madison out of my hair when I bake.
I don’t think this was a very good answer to the original request. Can I answer any specific questions?
Sounds a lot like our days– except I think you get more done, lol. Noah & Steven seem to be very similar in temperment. Have you guys had bits of formal learning from the get-go? If not, at what age did you start? Steven has none and I’m wondering if I should start, or would it just end up being something to fight over every day? And is Brett using any sort of curriculum to guide them along in math?
Dawn, can I ask you how you and Brett decided to homeschool in the first place? Had you tried traditional education with Noah? Or did you know it wasn’t for you/for him already?
You really can’t say what one “typical”day is, because LIFE is not typical…at least that’s what we find. Learning at home is learning to live and take it as it comes. It can be hard to explain to others. Life is not a box of curriculum. Although, I did hear somewhere it’s like a box of chocolates.
That is in fact really helpful, Dawn. You make me feel less crazy, because your days sound like mine would sound if I added an 8 year-old. At the same time I worry–”you mean it doesn’t get less crazy after years of practice?”
I keep thinking if I get more organized I’ll feel less strung out. Hmmm… perhaps not. And the idea that rather than a toddler and an eight year-old, I’m likely to have a toddler and a baby? Okay, that is making me want to cry after reading how you manage things and how much help Noah can be.
i do think this is a decent answer to my original question - gets to the ‘feel’ of an average day.
i seem to imagine homeschooling involving more ‘on’ time for the parent as actual teacher - what you are doing sounds more child driven. was that different when he was younger? do you help him find info/ways to get into things he is interested in?
for example, you had mentioned the cuisinare rods - i assume noah didn’t go online and order those himself (though you never know…:-)). in general, are there particular resources you have found helpful?
thanks…