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First, I think homeschooling, and homeschooling well, starts with mom. We work so hard to plan perfect curriculum for our children that we often forget ourselves. By that I mean having ourselves on a good schedule first is crucial. A good household routine only works to our benefit. Unfortunately we can’t homeschool all day while our house magically cleans itself and the laundry fairy isn’t feverishly working while we teach math. Oh how I wish that were true!
If the bones of the day are in place are in place then the rest of the day can work around that structure. What are the bones of the day?
Meal Times – Having a specific breakfast and lunch time is extremely helpful. The kids know when to expect food so they don’t “starve”. A set time for dinner can be a bit more challenging due to kid activities, but making an effort to have dinner as a family is time well spent. Meal planning is imperative for making that happen on a regular basis.
Quiet Time – How to make it work in your house. This year quiet time is changing a bit in our house, now it will be time for me to work one on one with my oldest.
Chore Time – At the end of the school day and before the kids can run off for free time is our time to clean up from the day, put away laundry, unload the dishwasher from breakfast and lunch, and sort of shift gears from our day time activities to our evening activities.
Homekeeping Routines – Since we moved to Florida my homekeeping routines have gone out the window. Except for our most basic routines like laundry, the rest has been a whole lot of hit and miss. It’s not a method I would recommend and I’m blaming it on living in a rental house this year. No more excuses though, as we just closed on our new house. We will move soon and then those new routines will go into action. This is a case of do as I say, not as I do – at least the last few months. Please note, I’m not talking about perfection. Our homes do not need to be perfect to be warm, comfortable and inviting for our family. We are not entertaining Heads of State, we are educating and loving a houseful of messy, busy, creative, and unique people.
Organized Homeschool Room – Your room does not need to be expensive and professionally decorated to be functional and fit your needs. I love looking at homeschool rooms on Pinterest, they can offer excellent ideas for organization, but don’t let having a perfect room get in the way of having a functional space where your children can learn.
Learning Room Inspiration
iHN Homeschool Spaces
Perusing Pinterest is great, but don’t believe the illusion that the rooms look like that all the time. If they did it means they are probably sending their kids to school! 😉 It’s good to strive for excellence, but not at the expense of driving yourself and your family crazy. Shoot for knowing where everything is most of the time. Getting supplies and books out at the beginning of the day and having a spot to put it all away at the end of the day.
Here is a list of books that were helpful as I started and continue our homeschooling journey
10 Homeschool Books I Can’t Live Without
plus a few things that just make life easier in a homeschooling family!
Taking the time to get a few systems in place for the family will make the job of homeschooling our children more peaceful for the whole house.
The entire 5 Day series on Tools to Enhance Homeschool Learning can be found here!
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