What we do and why I love it {Homeschooling}

I've been reflecting on what being a homeschool family means to me.  There are aspects of my story that I want to share.  As you are reading, please do not think that I consider myself to be better or more correct than those who choose another way.  Like everything else in life, there are many options available to us.  It is through prayer, seeking direction from God and discerning truth from his word that our decisions should be made.

Homeschooling is a preference not a biblical command.  Each family will have to lay everything out on the table and consider what will work best for them.  But even when all things are considered, God may still lead a family into very challenging territory.  He doesn't always lead us to path that would seem easiest for us.

Whatever path a family chooses, there will be wonderful joys and experiences that they wouldn't trade for the world.  And there will also be challenges that cause them to think long and hard about whether or not they are doing what is best for their children.

People often ask what we do and how we do it.  I thought I'd lay that out a little, without getting too technical.  First, we wake up very early.  We make personal time with God our first priority.  We eat together, we clean together and best of all, we play together.  We are involved in ministry and serving God inside and outside of our home and relationships are being developed and strengthened.  I appreciate the flexibility of our schedule in that sense.

I can discipline my children and pray with them as things come up.  I know their struggles, I know how they learn and what they need to learn.  I love that I can integrate academic learning with everyday life.  This is the thing I love most about homeschooling and at times it is also my greatest challenge.  Particularly when it feels like there is so much going on that I can hardly keep up with it all.  But I know that these feelings of being overwhelmed are not unique to homeschooling and God's grace is sufficient.  I love that if one of my children does something memorable, cute or funny I can call all of the children to share in the moment.  To me, this is priceless. 

So how does this learning take place?  And what do I do with the small children?  These are questions I am often asked.  As a growing family, our schedule is often being tweaked to find what works best for us.  I'll try to describe a typical day for you, including the approach I am taking now that Clara is in K5.

Those who can read get up early to read their Bible.  After breakfast (around 7am) the clean up begins and I meet with Clara to go over her memory work for "Kids 4 Truth".  Then I get her started on her schoolwork.  Once she can work a little on her own, I begin with Amera.  Meanwhile, other children are either cleaning up from breakfast, tidying up their rooms, or beginning their independent work.  Whether its reading, handwriting or spelling...there is much that they are able to do on their own, with help available if they need it.  We work like this until about 9:00.  I go for a walk with Amera and Joelle while the others snack and play until it's time to clean up for lunch (1030am).

After lunch, we begin piano practice and the cleaning tasks for that particular day.  We have a chart posted that keeps us on track with what we need to do.  While these things are being accomplished I begin to teach one while the other finishes and vice versa.  It's a very strategic system.  Our goal each day is to be finished with our work by 4-4:30pm.  I've learned that the the best time to teach them from the Bible is either after lunch (when my husband can teach them) or after dinner (with me teaching them).  Sometimes my husband's schedule changes and I have to be flexible.  I just make it my goal to teach them whenever I can.  I shared some ideas about what we do here ---> "5 ideas for teaching your children about God"

As far as the small children?  They play just like they would if we were doing something else.  Isabel plays on the floor with her toys and Manny with his.  Sometimes they play together, sometimes not.  Manny often sits at the dining room table with us and colors.  He says it's his "school".  Sometimes we are interrupted by a child who is crying, diapers must be changed and conflicts need to be resolved.  That's life!  I just have to pause and say I'll be right back.  Sometimes I can tell them to read something until I get back.  Other times they can just take a small break and talk to a sibling.  It just flows naturally.  It's life being lived.  It's everyone accomplishing what they have to do under the same roof and sometimes in the same room.

Without a doubt, the thing I love most about having my children at home with me is the frequent opportunity I have to teach them about God.  And this is not just with Bibles open and having a "lesson" though I do strive to do that often.  But it's those middle of the day conversations.  It's answering questions as they come up.  It's being together, living, growing, and learning from the experiences we share.  That is why I love homeschooling so much.

Read about how our homeschooling journey began here: "How it all started"