Friday, February 14, 2014

Homeschool day in the life with a 10 year old and 6 year old







Welcome to our homeschool day in the life. We like to call our educational approach “relaxed" Charlotte Mason homeschooling. I guess it's relaxed in the sense that I don't stress if we do not finish our curriculum.  However, there really is nothing relaxed about our days right now. The kids are working on a lot of really cool projects and we are very busy. And I love the Charlotte Mason approach. We just don't follow it to the letter. 


6:30- I really like to start my day early because I feel so much more productive when I get up before the kids. I did not exactly make it this morning. I slept until 7:15. 



7:15- My morning normally starts with Bible reading and prayer. I recently started a prayer journal which has helped me to be more focused in my prayers.  I start a load of laundry, put up the dishes that were cleaned the night before, and eat breakfast. I enjoy sipping a cup of coffee as I check out what is happening on Facebook.


8:00- Now it’s time to wake the kids. Mr. History, my 10 year old, and Mr. Science, my 6 year old, have a routine that they do every morning. I work on my writing while they are working on their morning routine.  Sometimes it is hard to keep them on track because they really enjoy each others company.  They get distracted by quoting lines from shows and laughing. They would do this for hours if I let them .



8:10- Today I was the one who got them distracted! I got really excited because there was a new bird looking in our birdhouse. I excused the kids from their routine to see if they could identify it. We did not get to identify it because a Carolina Chickadee came and scared it away. Oh well, back to our routine. 



8:50- My husband leads us in prayer for the day. Then my husband and boys quote lines from The Andy Griffith Show. After laughing and joking around, my husband leaves for work. He is the Youth and Family Minister at our church. I love that he has this job. It has been great for our family.


9:05- School usually starts with the boys telling me they have finished everything on their morning routine chart.  We usually have a morning discussion about current events. These boys LOVE to discuss anything and everything. This morning we discussed satire and internet "news." We talked about how we cannot always believe what we read and that we need to do our research before believing anything as a fact.



We also had a morning meeting. Because there are so many projects going on, we had to discuss how we will fit them in to our schedule. We are hoping to grow some interesting fruits and vegetables for the farmers market, so we talked about what seeds we would like to buy. We discussed how we could make raised beds for our garden.   

We have been working on an idea to write a pre-school curriculum using the Bible as the main text. The boys are really excited about this project and they have come up with some wonderful activities. I really like that they are able to work on “real world” projects. 

 9:30- We like to spend an hour on Bible related activities every morning. Right now Mr. History is getting ready to go to LTC. Some of the projects he is currently working on for LTC are writing a book, giving a sermon, a puppet skit, a drama skit, and song leading. Today he is working on sign language. This year he is challenging himself by learning two songs and several Bible verses in sign language.



We are also studying Exodus for a Bible Bowl type competition. We found a great book that is helping us with the study. It's called Growing Up in God's Word Bible Curriculum. We have discovered that this curriculum is really helping us to be able to dig deeper in to the Bible. It contains a discussion section, memory work, map work, games, activities, and crafts. I encourage you to click on the link and try a sample page. 


10:30- Whew! We are all ready for a break! Since the weather is cold and yucky, I let them play Mindcraft. 


11:00-  Mr. Science is really enjoying reading on his own since we discovered Bob Books for Kindle. 


11:15- The boys love Life of Fred so much that they decided to make "Life of Fred" mini-pillows. Today they are working on sewing them. (A blog post about these pillows will follow soon.)


11:45- Another project they are working on is trying to make a Lego Stop-motion Shakespeare tutorial. This is to help me with something I am working on for a homeschool magazine. 


12:30- Time for lunch. My husband comes home and the kids tell him about their day. During lunch I try to catch up on my blog e-mail.


1:30 – On Wednesdays we go to the nursing home to visit my Memaw . We also enjoy visiting with the other residents. We enjoy talking to them and I think they enjoy the hugs and smiles. While we are there, my husband and  the preacher from our church conduct a Bible study that we participate in, too.


2:30- This is not our favorite time on Wednesday...grocery shopping; but, we do enjoy the time we have in the car discussing issues. Again, they love to discuss.  Today’s car topics are urban legends, whether or not urban legends considered gossip, and TVs that can see you. 



5:00- Time to unload the car, eat a quick meal, and get ready for Wednesday night Bible Study.

6:30- Go to church for Bible Study.It is nice to be together with our church family. We enjoy singing songs together and studying the Bible. 

8:30- Get home, have a snack and do our nightly family devotional. We love this new family devotional that just came out from Kaio Publications, Inc. It uses object lessons from different parts of your house. Tonight we were reading "Object Lessons from the Yard." The boys really seem to enjoy reading and..... of course discussing. 



9:00- Time for the kids to get in bed. We let them read a few minutes before lights out. I love this time of night because my husband and I always snuggle on the couch, talk about our day, and watch TV.





 Whew! I did not realize how full our Wednesdays are until I began writing about it and taking pictures for it! I hope you enjoyed reading about or day as much as I enjoyed sharing it with you. I would love to hear about exciting things that you do during your days.

101 comments:

  1. Sounds like a great day. I enjoy the Charlotte Mason method. My son is currently working on a paper which will persuade me to allow Mindcraft to be used as a learning tool. He just started getting into the game a month ago. Happy homeschooling!

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    1. What a great idea!!! My kids have learned a lot with Mindcraft.

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  2. That seems like a lovely day! I have to admit- I love reading about momma's that homeschool even though I can't. I live in the Netherlands now, and simply don't know the language or school system well enough to be able to attempt what homeschoolers do. However, I definitely love to learn from those that do, especially because my husband and I are trying to do a lot of activities at home even though the kiddo will be going to public school once he's old enough.
    It's great that you are able to do this for your children!

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    1. Your comment it very sweet!!! Thank you very much!

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  3. We homeschool too! Thanks for the peak into your day. We are a mix of methods: classical and eclectic might be our main two with a bit of others mixed in ;)

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  4. Charlotte Mason is wonderful. I do love her philosophy! Thank you so much for sharing your homeschool day. It's so nice to meet other homeschoolers! You should stop on by and link up with us at my #homeschoollinkup. There is a beautiful variety there - unschoolers, montessori, religious, secular, whatever. I think it represents this country and the homeschooling community beautifully!

    Thank you so much for participating in the blog challenge! I appreciate you and your efforts!

    I will sub to your social media. Already subbed via GFC!

    Have a great weekend!

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    1. Oh thank you for the invite! I will definitely check that out!

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  5. Oh boy, I hope you got my long winded comment. Have a feeling you didn't - which is annoying. Haha!

    Thanks so much for participating in the blog challenge, and stop by and link up with us at the #homeschoollinkup! I guess that was the jist!

    Really appreciate you and your efforts!

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  6. Whew, you wore me out. That's a packed day for sure. it sounds like you're doing a wonderful job of raising your sons. Your family is so special and the boys will make fine family men. Thank you for that. It gives me hope for our future. There's not a lot of that going around these day.

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    1. All of our days are not like that...well at least I don;t think they are! LOL. Thank you for your comments they are very sweet!

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  7. Wow, you really do have busy busy days. Thanks for sharing, New follower here from " grow your blog in 100 days "
    http://ramblingmomma03.blogspot.ca

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  8. Sounds like a very, very busy day! Shwew!

    Stopping in from #BB100

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  9. I really really like the name of your blog!

    We are homeschoolers too--although we are more of a textbook style school. Your day sounds busy, yes, but full and fun as well! And I think it's great that your boys love to discuss things with you.

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    1. Yes, I really hope they still like to discuss as they get older! Thank you for your comment!

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  10. Love the look of your blog! We are a homeschooling family also. We've been homeschooling 20 years!!

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    1. Wow! 20 years! I need to be seeking your advice! :)

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  11. We're another homeschooling family! While I love the idea of Charlotte Mason style, my personality can't be completely relaxed. I get too overwhelmed with juggling the needs of my 5 small people. It looks like your days are full of fun learning activities!

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  12. What a great post about sharing your day with your family! I am leaning towards the Charlotte Mason approach as well in our homeschool. It is so awesome how boys love Legos! My sons are 4 and 2 and they are already trying different things to build. How wonderful it is that you show your children real world stuff and apply it to their day. It is my first year homeschooling and I am new to this blogging outside of family and friends.

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    1. It is great to meet you! Thank you for your comments!!

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  13. We are a relaxed CM family too! My husband and sons really enjoy Andy Griffith too. We love that we can watch it on Netflix. I don't know if you're aware, but there's a Christian life lesson book based on the show. I wrote about it if you'd like to read it. Here's the link: http://www.asliceofhomeschoolpie.com/2012/03/way-back-to-mayberry-lessons-from.html

    I bought it as a gift for my husband after my first son was born.

    I am stopping by from 100 Challenge.

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    1. Thank you so much for the link! I will definitely check it out!

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  14. First of all, I absolutely LOVE your blog title and what it stands for - a beautiful reminder!

    What a busy life you have! I am not a homeschooler but I love the picture you paint of a connected family, great discussions and exciting projects. It sounds like life in your house is never dull!

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  15. I love day in the life posts! Thank you for sharing!

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  16. Thanks for this glimpse into your day. It is amazing how much you get done, wow!
    I read up a bit on Charlotte Mason a while ago and really liked some of what I read, a friend in church was using Ambleside online and I looked into it. It didn't seem like something I saw us doing, but I definitely liked the idea of narration, copywork, and dictation. One of the reasons we went with My Father's World is because it has a bit of a Charlotte Mason approach, or so I have been told.
    Thanks for sharing

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    1. Yes, we have done My Father's World and we really enjoyed it!

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  17. Very good insight! My daughter is 18 months and we're in the hhhmmmmm do we homeschool or send her to a preschool in a few short years?? I love the Andy Griffith reference, my father and I watched it together all the time, very sweet memories :)

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    1. It was the year after my oldest attended Kindergarten that we decided to homeschool. It was a great decision for our family.

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  18. I so enjoyed the glimpse into your day! We homeschool as well. I call us unschooling Charlotte Mason Classical. Ha! There are always discussions going on in our house. I love that your boys get each other off task because they enjoy being together. That's a wonderful reason. :-)

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    1. Ha!! I love your education style!! That is great!!!

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  19. I always enjoy seeing a glimpse into another homeschooling family! Priceless lessons being taught through everything - love the nursing home visit! Thank you for taking the time. I have yet to put together a post like this.

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    1. If you do one I would love to read it! I love to see how everyone's day goes.

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  20. I loved reading about your day! I have a 6 year old boy, too, and he has not been even a little bit interested in any formal school work. We're starting some things, but nothing too intense. He's quite young for his age, and just needs a little more time, I think. What are your favorite curriculum ideas for busy young boys?

    We are Charlotte Mason homeschoolers too and LOVE IT!

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    1. My son just this year has gotten excited about anything involving school. I try to just go with the flow with him and not pressure him. His "thing" right now seems to be science so I try to link anything I want him to learn to science.

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  21. WOW! Your schedule is full - but it all sounds like it's really well planned and orchestrated!

    I would be very interested in the curriculum your boys are creating for pre-schoolers! It sounds fascinating.

    -Cristyl @ www.MyCHillThoughts.com

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    1. Thank you! We are hoping to let people know about it when we are finished!

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  22. Thank you for sharing your day. I love that with homeschooling we are able to focus on so many real world things. I have a 10 year old and she loves to discuss everything too.

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    1. It is great!! I just hope they continue in wanting to discuss things especially as they get older!

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  23. Whew! A very busy day for all! I'm not sure I could have ever been organized enough to homeschool my children. It sounds like a very busy, exhausting day.

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    1. LOL! It is not like that everyday. We call Wednesdays, Wacky Wednesday because it is so busy.

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  24. Sounds like you have a very busy day. You are so blessed to be able to be with your children and teach them like you do. Keep up the awesome work!

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  25. I enjoyed reading about your day (followed from the 100 day challenge). Honestly, I'd be terrified to attempt to put a similar article on my blog. It would probably take me a good 3-4 days to try and get one day done...*sigh*

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    1. If you count writing and picture editing it seemed like it took forever!

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  26. That is one busy schedule. I shared it with my daughter, who has quite a few misconceptions about being home schooled. (I'm following from the 100 day challenge too!!).
    I admire those who home school and wish I could take on that challenge. Kudos to you and being able to tackle such a schedule with your kids.

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  27. Wow! You definitely aren't relaxed on Wednesdays:) Thanks for linking up to #SundayLinkUp.

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  28. Sweet post. Enjoy these days...they will pass quickly. Stopping by from 100 Days

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  29. Great post and beautiful family. I'm sure the people at the nursing home really love your visits, too.

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  30. Homeschooling is such a gift. I admire it. You are really blessed to have the gift of spending time with your children -and, teaching them so much too! Look forward to following more of your blog in the future.

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  31. This is great. I'm still researching homeschooling, to possibly start this coming fall. I'm scared to death b/c I will have a 1 y.o., 3 yo, 7, and 9. I need all the info I can get, so I'm going to follow your blog!! Maybe I will learn something!

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    1. Thank you!! I would love for you to follow my blog. Good Luck!

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  32. All you home schooling moms just rock. I wish I would've had that option with my son when he was younger.

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  33. It sounds like you have a very organized day. Our homeschooling days have never quite looked like yours. I'm proud of your son for all the events who is doing for LTC. I've stopped by from the 100 Day Challenge. I'm glad I've found your blog.

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  34. You're pretty amazing. Homeschooling has so many challenges but you seem to have mastered it.

    Helping three girls with homework was enough for me. At the time I was happy to just get through homework each night without pulling all my hair out or losing my mind. I thought I was a patient person but when it came to helping my daughters with homework my patience disappeared very quickly.

    I found your blog through the Boost Your Blog in 100 Days Challenge. I look forward to reading my posts.

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    1. Thank you so much for stopping by! I am very excited about the 100 Days Challenge.

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  35. We are doing Pryor convictions book on Exodus right now in our homeschool too! We are loving it!

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    1. That is great!! Thank you for letting me know!

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  36. This is a full day! Some of the projects your kids are working on, I don't even understand. haha. I can't wait to rad about them when they are finished.

    Erica
    We Three Crabs

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  37. Sounds like a busy day! Stop motion videos are so much fun to make. My cousin and I used to make them all the time as children for fun. Discussing is such a great thing to enjoy, because it really opens your mind to new things.

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  38. Oh my gosh, that is a lot to happen in a day!! I'm feeling inspired to say the least!! I am very curious about your prayer journal...how does that work? Do you write down things you've prayed about and then go back to write how He answered you?

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    1. I basically am just writing anything that comes to mind that I want to pray about. There are things in there I will always pray for like my family. Then there are temporary prayers. I also include prayers from people on Facebook. I do write down the date and how the prayers are answered.

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  39. Busy day! We do the Charlotte Mason method, too! I'm looking into Life of Fred for next year!

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  40. What a fun day and such accomplishments! As a mom of 2 boys a little older than yours, I just have to say - treasure every moment (and I'm still reminding myself as well)!! They really do grow up so fast. That's what I love about homeschooling is the time we get to spend together even when everything doesn't go as I wanted it to! Love those pillows!!

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    1. Thank you! Homeschooling has been such a blessing to us!

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  41. What a full day of love, learning, and God! What could be better?
    What a blessing that they get to be raised in such a god focused environment:).

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    1. Thank you for your comment! We really do enjoy our time together.

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  42. I completely agree with you Sharla!!! If I wake up past 7 a.m., it sets the tone for my whole day and I feel as though I'm behind all. day. long. My husband completely does NOT understand this at all!

    Stopping by from the BYB!

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    1. Its easier said that done some days. Especially with winter seeming to want to hang on. I am ready for spring!!

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