Homeschooling Update

Share on facebook
Share on twitter
Share on email
Share on pinterest
Share on print

Our homeschooling pace is set to the beat of whichever drum we choose to beat from day-to-day. Life is varying and unpredictable. There are appointments, and gatherings, museum trips, and nature adventures to fit in. It seems that anytime I sketch out a cute little schedule and hold a family meeting to roll out the new routine, it just never sticks. It typically causes frustration and a lack of productivity.

What does work for us, is a day built around the ‘have-tos’, padded with connection, and a little bit of personal time added as needed. That seems to be the ideal ‘schedule’ for us. 

Lately, the bulk of our learning time is happening on a one-on-one meeting. This allows for Maggie or Ezra to run ‘Ira School’, while the other child has some sit down time with me to work on developing skills. Ezra is excited to learn how to read, and so most of our time together is spent playing reading games and tackling poems, which he seems to enjoy both reading and memorizing.

Maggie and I typically work on math problems involving elaborate tales of pirates, cookies, and mermaids, and we’ve also been pouring some extra TLC towards spelling. 

Ira, at age two, has a variety of activities offered to him including  water colour painting, stickers, riding bikes, and reading stories, in partnership with an older sibling.

Most of our other subjects are being explored through novel studies… afternoons find us poured onto the couch with tea and muffins, reading aloud, as well as through something we call project time which involves a personal study of a topic the kids are excited about….currently, earth science, geology, and stem projects are taking up a lot of focus. 

The remaining hours before Papa Bear arrives home are for our own agendas, which for me, typically means laundry folding and something for my own personal growth or relaxation. I just finished up a couple of great books, one for entertainment and the other for growing my mom-skills.The plethora of household chores fits into this groove as well, but it’s thoroughly less fun to write about…perhaps that will be another post!

Share on facebook
Facebook
Share on email
Email
Share on twitter
Twitter
Share on print
Print
jacquelyn

jacquelyn

Leave a Reply

jacquelyn
Facebook Youtube Instagram Wordpress Pinterest

Recent Posts

Follow Along

  • A few minutes of peace to start my day, intertwined with short meditation throughout the day is what is brings me back to calm right now. Apply 5 min. 3x daily for inner healing.
  • As a homeschooling family, we use Sunday evening or Monday as our prep day for the week. I often lay out a list of all tasks to be accomplished in the day and everyone can help check the things off. Sometimes we just having cleaning to do and other times we have food prep or outdoor work to complete. On today’s list… *wash surfaces in kitchen *organize mudroom *vacuum *spot mop *sanitize bathrooms *sanitize touch spots *pick up toys *swap the couches around and clean underneath *wash glass doors *carry things upstairs *change blanket on dog bed By making a list, it gives everyone a say in how they help, making for less resentment. With 2 kids who can help and a teenager, we’ll be finished in about 60-90 minutes. Now we can prepare for our week together. Are you making any plans for your week?
  • He’s newly 7, and tonight we had a party, which during a pandemic that calls for social distancing, means we all had supper together and cake. It also means we uninvited the grandparents. I spent the majority of the day worrying this day wouldn’t be special enough... but he declared numerous times, that today was the best birthday ever. It really served as a reminder to me that it often doesn’t take much to impress our kids, that we easily can become our own worst enemies, sucking any joy out of the simple life, while pining for something ‘better’.... all day it was right in front of my eyes and I almost missed it.
  • We stay home almost everyday as homeschoolers, so I never imagined this feeling so different. But the world outside our home is quiet, and we no longer hear the roar of the 400 series highway in the distance, just, the birds... I keep reminding myself that this act of separation is our nation’s way of standing together. The spirit of human interconnectedness is what sinks in deepest for me.... how quickly one’s actions affect another’s. Although modern life passes around sickness this much quicker, technology can also supply us with support, strength, and solidarity. I’ve been made to feel peace from the words of perfect strangers, so I choose to believe in the power of song that rings out from Italy, and the joint forces of all of us together, changing our routines, living hour by hour. Thinking of each other. Hoping for the best possible outcome.
  • letting the madness become the background track rather than the manual, delving into projects at home, things with no deadline, things with no purpose other than because there is time....wishing everyone could know these simple pleasures #healtheworld🌎
  • “Nothing is impossible, the word itself says ‘I’m possible’!” - Audrey Hepburn....Just a little yearly tradition Mags and I have undertaken. Happy International Women’s Day💗
  • We’re fans of the silly shots. We’re also fond of everyone being on the same page. At times those coincide... this was not one of those times 🙃
  • 2 things 1. Sometimes I’m overwhelmed with this privilege of wide open space. I know how lucky we are, and I work hard to stay aware of this. 2. 🎶Into the unknoooown! Into the unknooowwwn. ( all day long we’re singing it... Frozen II on repeat)🎶 ❄️Happy Weekending Friends❄️
  • Just a little treat to convince myself it’s almost spring 🙃 ( for those of you enjoying spring temps in whatever magical universe you occupy, we’re expecting -20c to add to the 20cm of fresh snow we hid from today 😬
  • This tiny photo is quite deceiving since I actually spent most of my time accomplishing various indoor tasks...laundry, grocery order, soup- making, and a sort through our freezers to see what exactly I have stashed in there (turns out there was more than I thought! 🍎🍓🎂) We started a new read aloud, worked on some math, and watched a movie. So although there was outdoor play, we really do find ourselves calling for a bit more adventure than we’ve been experiencing....

Follow Us