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Homeschooling - A Glimpse into How We Do it



2016 was a pretty skimpy blogging year for me. Ask me why, I am not sure I have an answer for you beside life happening and writing inspiration fading.

With a new year upon us I will try to get back on the blogging scene and what best topic to start the year with than giving you a glimpse into what homeschooling looks like in our home with now two teenagers.

In the past 4 years I have enjoyed participating in the Virtual Curriculum Fair hosted by Homechooling Hearts and Minds, so I am happy to start my year participating once more.

For those who are not familiar with the Virtual Curiculum Fair, it is a month long series of posts, where over 20 homeschoolers share about their homeschool curriculum and how they homeschool.

The weeks will go as follow:
Week 1: See How We Learn/Welcome to the VCF
Week 2: Playing with Words
Week 3: Discovering Patterns
Week 4: Exploring Our World
Week 5: Seeking Beauty

So how do we learn here? this is the topic of this post.

As  mentioned before on this blog we are relaxed classical homeschoolers. this means that we follow a classical philosophy of homeschooling but in a more relaxed way than most classical homeschoolers do. More on this in my series Relaxed Classical Homeschooling.

Now that my kids are older, independence is the key word in how they learn. They each have a set of subjects that are supposed to be done daily and a loose schedule that they also follow daily and weekly. I do not require them to do such and such as such and such time, only that certain subjects be completed in a week at a certain pace. That said, I am always available and ready to explain or teach something when they need me. I am more of a coach and facilitator in this new stage

This plays out very differently between my two boys. One is very organized and spaces his work out very evenly  with time of day and days in the week. The other is more of a last minute type of child. I am working with him  on learning to be more proactive and organized.

Curriculum are a big part of our homeschool routine. The boys have curriculum for every school subject on their schedule: Math, Science, Spelling, Writing, Logic, Bible, Social science subjects.

An added element t our homeschool life is the fact that we are a ministry family (dad is a pastor). As such life can be very busy with church activities and a lot of our time is spent at church or participating in church or ministry related activities, so the boys have had to learn to jungle their school load. Also, because takes his day off on Thursday, Thursday is a quasi-day off for us too. When they were younger it used to be  a full day off, but with their load increasing they end up having do some school on Thursday.

All this turns out to be that every day is different here. Most days start late, some days are heavier than others, some days the boys are still doing school late in the evening. I do allow them to take their break at their own schedule and pursue their interest, given that my rule is the work need to be completed within a weekly time frame.This is where the relaxed part of our homeschool comes in.

So this is a very succinct glimpse of how we school here, in the next few weeks we will go in more details as to what we do, meanwhile read about how others run their homeschooling by following the links below:

The Evolution of Our Homeschool by Susan @ Homeschooling Hearts & Minds
Us-School Because We Are Us, Not Someone Else by Laura @ Four Little Penguins
It's All About the School by Michele @ Family, Faith and Fridays
Setting the Stage- the 2017 Virtual Curriculum Fair! by Lisa N. @ Golden Grasses
New Year, New Goals, New School! by Amanda H @ Hopkins Homeschool
Spotlight on How We Learn in Our Homeschool by Laura @ Day by Day in Our World
Our Unique Eclectic Homeschool  by Jennifer @ A Glimpse of Our Life
How We Learn on the Go by Jacquelin @ A Stable Beginning
Home Education - 10 Ways We Make It Work by Lizzy @ Peaches At Home
Schedules, where would I be without them? by Kim @ Good Sweet Love
Education at Our House by Shecki @ Greatly Blessed
Starting the Day Well by Sarah @ Delivering Grace
Making a Change - Accountability and Responsibility Through Routine by Lori H @ At Home: where life happens
A time to be encouraged is coming.. the Virtual Curriculum Fair by Annette @ A Net in Time
Loving the Moment! by Jen K @ A Peace of Mind
Keeping Our Homeschool Organized by Christy @ Unexpected Homeschool
Homeschool Goal Setting – Looking Forward, Looking Back by Kristen @ Sunrise to Sunset
How We Choose Curriculum by Brittney @ Mom's Heart
This Is How We Homeschool by Kym @ Homeschool Coffee Break
How we don't learn in our homeschool & how I don't plan {2017 Virtual Homeschool Curriculum Fair} by Meghan @ Quiet in the Chaos
Learning Our Way by Lisa @ McClanahan 7
Limping Along: Our Semi-Eclectic Approach to Homeschooling by Debra @Footprints in the Butter
2017 Virtual Curriculum Fair: See How We Learn by Dana L @ Luv'N Lambert Life




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Comments

Four Little Penguins said…
Independence is great. I'm not brave enough to give my kids a weekly schedule yet, though. Maybe next year when my oldest starts high school.
January 2, 2017 at 11:40 AM
Jennifer said…
Independence is one of our goals. My junior is there for most subjects, but my seventh grader still requires me actually teaching him some subjects.
January 2, 2017 at 2:27 PM
Brittney said…
We are also relaxed homeschoolers, but we aren't ready for independence yet. If I can get my oldest independent in one subject this year, I'll consider that a success.
January 2, 2017 at 11:27 PM
Amanda H said…
I have high hopes of independence! I love hearing about your day. Sounds like you enjoy the freedom of homeschooling by changing each day as you need to! Have fun and I can't wait to hear more from you!
January 2, 2017 at 11:28 PM
:) said…
Oh, independence. I love it. My two older kids are very independent with math. I jokingly tell them I am not their teacher if they come to ask a question. My oldest is independent with spanish because she loves learning it. I can't seem to give up control with science or history just yet.
January 3, 2017 at 9:12 AM
Michele said…
I have found through 18 years of homeschooling that independence has to be taught! But what a great skill they will use for a lifetime!
January 3, 2017 at 2:54 PM
the Mcclanahan 7 said…
I love my kids having some independence in their school. There are some subjects we still enjoy doing together, but I also want them to become self motivated.
January 3, 2017 at 6:00 PM
Susan said…
We've been working on finding the right balance between independence and working together. My teen, for instance, is capable of doing everything independently, but he doesn't want to learn everything by himself. So, he and I share certain parts of his studies to provide him with the human connection and discussion which is so fruitful for the development of ideas. Likewise, my younger kids like to do certain subjects together, but they also like having things they do on their own. They don't like to "wait" for each other sometimes. It's a balance that changes almost daily around here. ;)

Much success to you in the new year, both in your homeschool and with your blog.
January 3, 2017 at 7:41 PM
educationmarketingpromo@gmail.com said…
Independence is very much required in every school. Thank you for sharing ideas about the curriculum. Have a successful homeschooling year with a great future.

Find some of the Best Online Elementary School Programs for your kids future.
August 16, 2017 at 1:34 AM
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