A Day in Our Homeschool

I have never documented a full day in our homeschool before, and it sounded like fun. This was a normal day last week.

5:00 am: I wake up! {This is my natural wake up time, and I have learned to go with it. If I try to sleep later, I have a hard time feeling awake all day.} I read my Bible and have prayer time. I take my bath, get dressed and ready for the day, and get a head start on morning chores - I may switch out the laundry or unload and load the dishwasher.

7:00 am: I start waking Mikaela up. She likes to shower in the morning, and she is a slowpoke, so she has to wake up early. It usually takes me until 7:15 to get her out of bed and in the bathroom!

7:30 am: Silas and Eli walk into the kitchen, sleepy-eyed. I am working on my blog, but I stop and hug them and talk to them for a minute. They start fixing cereal. I swap the laundry - the clean clothes pile is getting larger, but the dirty clothes hamper is getting empty!

7:45 am: Mercie wakes up and fixes her bowl of cereal. Silas and Eli start cleaning their mess.

8:00 am: Mikaela is out of the shower, dressed, and fixing some cheese toast. I am tidying up the living room. Silas wants me to read him a book.

8:15 am: I remind the kids to make their beds, brush their teeth and get clothes on. We start school at 8:30, and it must be done by then.

8:25 am: I start calling them to the table. Titus is still asleep, so we try to be extra quiet.

8:30 am: We start school. I read the Bible, and we pray together. We each say our memory verse {even Mom!} - Matthew 6:5-13. I have them go around saying the books of the Bible, the names of the continents and oceans, and what God made on each day of Creation.

8:45: We start BiblioPlan. I read from the Companion, the Story of the World, and the Bible. Titus wakes up and climbs into my lap. He is semi-quiet.

9:15: We start working on our BiblioPlan map; the four oldest ones each have a binder with the map inside. I help Titus fix cereal and Silas find the Fertile Crescent to color on his map. There are a few tears when Mercie messes up her map a bit, but we fix it.

9:25: I assign the older 3 a creative writing assignment - "Pretend you are one of Noah's sons and it is the first day on the ark. Write a diary entry of how you feel." They decide that each of them will be a son of Noah, since there were 3 sons, and start writing.

9:30: I take Silas into the living room with his Foundations A books. We start working on voiced and unvoiced sounds, which he does in speech as well. Titus is in my lap - again. We work on handwriting and complete a worksheet with compound words. Silas has to "smash" the two words together {butter - fly - BUTTERFLY}, and he has to clap and yell the word at the same time. Titus starts clapping and yelling words, and I try to move on...

9:45: The kids are through with their writing assignments, and Mikaela and Eli read theirs aloud. Mercie refuses to read hers to everyone, but lets me read it "in my head!".

9:50: The younger four sit at the table with me for nature study, and Mikaela goes to her room to start working on grammar. We read about evergreen leaves and draw a diagram in our journals.

10:10: I start cleaning up the table and the cereal mess that Titus made. I tell Mercie and Eli to start working on math, and I grab Math-U-See and Silas and sit at the table. Titus plays with the blocks from Math-U-See.

10:25: Silas is done with math and asks to go play. I say yes, and he and Titus head to the bedroom. I clean up the blocks.

10:30: Mikaela brings me her grammar and science to check. Eli is through with math and cursive, and asks me to do his grammar with him. We sit at the table and do it all orally.

10:45: I tell Mercie to come to the table, and I do her grammar with her orally. Titus and Silas have about fifty hot wheels in the living room, setting up a car lot to "sell" hot wheels. There is a small argument over a certain car, but Eli helps sort it out.

11:00: Mikaela is through with her math, and I check it. She only misses one and corrects it. The four younger kids are all playing cars in the living room. I clean up the table and dining room, sweep the floor, and take the garbage out.

11:30: I heat up leftovers for lunch, and we all eat something different. After lunch, the kids clean up the kitchen and I start folding clothes.

12:15: Mikaela starts hanging up clothes while Eli puts away pajamas, underwear, and socks. The little boys put away their hot wheels and beg to go outside. I oblige.

12:30: Mercie watches the boys outside while Eli and Mikaela and I work on our US Elections lapbook. I read while they cut out, and then we follow directions to put the project together. I keep an eye on the kids through the window by the table.

1:00: Mercie brings the boys inside, and I get her started watching the Here To Help Learning video lesson. We pause it and do the writing warm up, finish the video and she completes her "homework". The boys are playing in their room with Eli. Mikaela is in her room, making jewelry or reading.

1:45: Silas and Mercie sit at the table and we do our Grapevine Bible Study. They love stick-figuring through the Bible, and I let them use markers! Titus joins us and writes all over his hands.

2:00: I send the three younger ones outside again, and Mikaela and Eli do their Grapevine Study.

2:20: I send them outside with the younger ones and their library books. I finish cleaning the house, sit down and play Candy Crush for a few minutes {hey, being real}, and fold a load of towels. I set a package of hamburger meat in the sink to thaw for dinner.

3:00: I go outside and watch the kids play. I pick up the yard, feed the cats, and sit in my wooden swing.

4:15: I start browning the hamburger meat. I pilfer through the cabinets, and add a can of chili beans, a can of tomatoes, a package of taco seasoning, a spoon of sour cream and a handful of cheese. I mix a box of Jiffy cornbread and pour over the top, and then put it in the oven at 400 degrees.

5:00: After cleaning my kitchen mess, the kids start coming inside, asking if dinner is ready. I tell them it will be a few minutes, and they put on Looney Toons in the living room. I am sweeping the dirt and leaves they brought inside!

5:30: Mikaela fixes everyone a drink while I fix plates. They ask to eat in the living room on a towel, so I say yes. Everyone eats and makes a mess.

6:00: I start bathing Titus and Silas while the older three clean up the dinner mess. Titus doesn't want to get out of the tub, but I finally talk him into it.

6:30: Rod comes home from the field and showers. I fix his plate and he eats in the living room while the kids crowd around him.

7:00: Eli showers, and then Mercie takes a bath. The little boys are playing with hot wheels again. I ask them to clean up. I am swapping laundry and starting the dishwasher.

7:30: We read the Bible together, discuss it, and pray.

8:00: Teeth are brushed, kids are tucked in bed, and Rod and I talk in the living room.

8:05: Titus wants to stay awake with us - Rod sends him back to bed after a hug. He cries.

8:30: Rod and I get in bed.

9:00: Titus wanders in our room and crawls in bed. I snuggle with him.

{Throughout the day, I read numerous books aloud to Titus and Silas. I break up many fights and arguments. I keep Titus from digging in the cabinets for snacks. I have the kids do chores while answer text messages, check my blog and email, and talk on the phone to my husband. I spend a few minutes each day planning for the next school day, my sister comes to visit sometimes with her four kids, Rod's grandmother may stop by with a bowl of spaghetti or some books and stickers for the kids. Every day varies,  but this was a regular day I documented with no visitors and no errands to run.}

Click below to read more "A Day in Our Homeschool" posts from the Schoolhouse Review Crew!