There are as many ways to homeschool as there are to parent. While public school is rigid and regimental, homeschooling is fluid and dynamic. Managing a homeschool requires flexibility to adapt to the seasons of life associated with each family. When my children were younger, individual lesson time was shorter and involved a lot of one-on-one teacher/student time. We combined several subjects, such as history and science, to involve all of the children at once. Our outdoor playtime was longer. and extra-curricular activities involved the whole crew. That season in our lives required the entire car to be filled with children for each activity (hubby was working outside of the home, the kids were too young to be left alone, etc.) whether it was a practice, playdate or a shopping trip.
Now, despite still having a toddler underfoot, we are experiencing a different season in life. This season is one where the older kids are pursuing more individualized interests, each of them with varying time commitments and locations. Their individual lessons take longer to complete but they no longer need me over their shoulder for every one of those lessons. I am still an integral part to the educational structure but I'm being shifted to a more organizational role rather than the hands-on teacher for every subject. The hubby works from home and the kids are older, so it is no longer required to drag everyone to each child's practice or activity. I can officially add the job of chauffeur to my list of qualifications on my resume. This doesn't even take into consideration the changes we made to our family by creating our own family farm business!!
Homeschooling is full of various choices that affect the day-to-day lives and flow. As the family's needs change, our homeschooling methods need to adapt. Since our current life season requires the family to work on different activities at different times, I had to find a way to ensure that schoolwork could get completed even if I wasn't the one directing each activity. One method that is working successfully for our homeschool is the utilization of rolling lists.
I utilize Word documents that are printed out each day. I have seen other schools that use simple spiral notebooks and some that utilize the tech method with lists on tablets. The concept is the same despite the method used.
I organize a list of assignments from various subjects, learning methods and activities for each child. This list is then presented the child in the morning after a discussion of our day's scheduled activities. Each child is responsible for choosing items on the list to complete at his/her own pace. They will also choose their learning location which can include a secluded desk, the couch, or on pretty weather days they choose to go outdoors.
Here's an example of one of the lists:
Our schedule varies, but we set a time where I station myself at the kitchen table and work with each child individually. We still have a few group lessons (art appreciation, family read-aloud, etc.) but these are fewer and do not happen every day. I review the completed work with each child, answer any questions, discuss incorrect work, etc. Then, we have our individual work that must require one-on-one teacher time. For us, this is usually math and reading. When we have completed our together work, I highlight any remaining assignments that I feel the child should complete independently during the remainder of the day. The student has the freedom to determine when and how that work is completed. The work is placed on my desk and will be reviewed with them the following day.
I repeat the process with each student.
To ensure that our individual learning time isn't totally interrupted by the toddler, I have to be creative. The toddler also wants individual learning time and can be disruptive if she feels that she is being ignored. A lot of times, I will set aside "school-time" for her where we snuggle up with several books. We will read until her attention span is spent and then we need to find another way to occupy her during our lessons. These activities vary. Sometimes, she will quietly play or color under the table. Other times, we need full concentration for a difficult math concept, so we pull another student from independent work and assign them "baby-duty". This could include building forts in the bedroom, playing on the trampoline, taking walks outdoors or the game of "put the big kid to sleep" in which our toddler is a champ. This game is one of will-power where the big kid and the toddler lay down in bed to see if the toddler can get the bid kid to take a nap (in hopes of convincing the toddler to take a nap, too). So far, the toddler's record is better than everyone else's!!
This is one way that we organize our day and make homeschooling work for our family.
What are some ways that you do it?