A Homeschool Day in the Life

8:30-9:00 Breakfast and chit-chat 

9-9:30 Silent reading in front of the fire with Mom on this wet, icy, blustery January morning 

9:30-10 Everyone’s daily chores, showers, etc. 

Somewhere between 10:00-10:30 Everyone’s various schoolwork will begin

11:30- …Physics and Pre-Cal and hot tea and chill music for the oldest while The Hobbits eat their Elevensies and sneak a game of chess. (The chess set always has a certain amount of grease and crumbs on it. It’s a travel set, so it’s wipeable.) The youngest is already done with math and handwriting for today. The middle has done her math, geography, and a portion of Latin.

11:50 Quick tutorial on refilling mechanical pencils from big sister

12 Noon- Helping the middle edit a letter to a penpal, another CC student she met at CC Practicum summer camp a few summers back, and English grammar/ composition with the youngest (She wants to physically write the words of her keyword outline in for herself today. She usually says the keywords to me aloud and I do the physical writing to save us time and labor, but today, she’s expressing a wish to take ownership, so now, I need to find something to do. I’m bored just watching her.)

12:15 Latin- The oldest is translating lines 1-33 of Book 1 of Virgil’s Aeneid with her classmates via Zoom

1:15 Finishing up this week’s essay for Essentials, adding dress-ups, etc. The oldest is still translating Latin with friends on Zoom. The middle has reviewed all Latin vocab and grammar rules using her flashcards.

1:30 Trying to squeeze in an analytical task sheet or two before we have to leave for piano lessons (Confession: I’m still adjusting to a regular pace after Christmas break. We are not getting as much done as quickly as we used to before the break. I like to be done with the majority of our Essentials work days before community meets, but here we are, grinding it out the day before… We will find a better rhythm after a few more weeks.)

2:15 A lesson in what I am calling “Adulting 101” -I sent the oldest into the drug store alone for an errand I would usually just do myself. She goes away to college this year, so in addition to working part-time and driver’s ed, we have been making her do literally everything like this that she can possibly do. 

2:45 Piano lessons- specifically, the bigs are drilling scales with their piano teacher (Their faces-

They’ve had enough of their mom’s shenanigans for one day.)

4:30-5 Home ec? Note: My youngest is an incredible helper in the kitchen for her age. The other girls are certainly willing to help me and very capable, but they’d always rather not help. My youngest, on the other hand, will be there with apron on before you even ask. And we really do just click in the kitchen together. It’s already like we are dancing in synch around each other.

6:30- 7:00 Presentation practice- We usually read aloud as a family after dinner, but tomorrow is our community day, so the girls often practice any presentations they have to give or read any essays they are turning in. We do not put a ton of pressure on them or emphasis on perfection. Of course, they benefit from this practice, but this is mostly to give Dad a chance to be a part of what we do and allow him to share in the ongoing conversation and fellowship. Bookbags and lunches are packed. Now an hour or two of quiet reading or drawing or conversation before bed, that’s a pretty typical homeschool day in our life.