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Is it Possible to Work and Homeschool?

This is my sixth and final article in my Homeschooling 101 Series.  Catch up on earlier posts about the decision to homeschool, choosing curriculum, planning and organization, juggling multiple ages and establishing a purposeful morning routine.  

The purpose of these posts is to answer your questions!  If you still have questions after reading these articles, please send me a message.  I’m happy to help! 

I often get a little jealous of an octopus and think if I just had a few more arms, maybe I could balance all the demands of the day with a bit more grace!  Whether you homeschool or not, all parents face the reality of juggling multiple hats and responsibilities.  We are already moms, wives, taxi drivers, cooks, cleaners and accountants.  Throw homeschooling into the routine and now we are teachers, principals, guidance counselors, day care workers and hall monitors.  If that weren’t enough, many of us have to balance a job we get paid for on top of everything else.  

Whether you are homeschooling temporarily and trying to figure out how to balance your job and teaching or you stay at home full time, there will always be demands on your time outside of the classroom.  It is never a perfect or an easy balance.  Some days your work will suffer and sometimes your kids’ schoolwork will suffer.  Always extend grace to yourself, knowing that it is not the individual days that will break a career or an education – it is the consistent day to day work that brings change in the long run.  

Here are a few things that can help in figuring out the balance in your home and be a little more like the mama octopus. 

  1. Count the Cost 

Homeschooling your children takes a lot of time and effort.  You have to be present and involved no matter how independent your curriculum.  If your family has decided to homeschool, you need to ask yourself why you are working.  You have to have a clear why for both or everyone will suffer.  Our kids are young for a much shorter season than we realize and sometimes not working, choosing to live on one income or put our careers on hold, is the right answer. 

2. Learn to Say No

The mantra of most moms today is “more is better.” More sports and activities for our kids is better.  More curriculum is better. A bigger house is better.  More workout sessions is better.  More friends. More stuff.  Just more. 

More is not always better.  Sometimes it’s just more.  In order to teach our children well and meet our own personal work goals, we have to say no to other, often appealing, opportunities for ourselves and our children.  

Nehemiah 6:3 is my key verse for this season of homeschool young children. 

“And I sent messengers unto them, saying, I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, while I leave it, and come down to you?”

Nehemiah had a great work to do in rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem.  He had a short season of intense work that needed his undivided attention. He refused to become distracted and allow the work to suffer.  The same is true for us.  This season of raising kids is so short.  Guard your calendar wisely and learn to say no to good things so you can say yes to the best things.  

3. Set Work Hours 

Each job is unique in its time requirements, but before choosing to hold a job and homeschool, it helps to clearly draw lines around which hours are for work, which hours are for school, which hours are for housework/errands/kids activities and which hours are for sleep and downtime.  This will give you the freedom and accountability in your week to achieve the goals you have set.  Having an established schedule of when you are going to work allows your family to anticipate your availability. 

As I was writing my first book, I set aside Fridays and naptimes for my work hours.  Without established hours to work, I would have either tried to work all the time or I would have neglected work as immediate needs popped up around me.  During these established work hours, I literally ignored everything around me other than emergency needs for my kids.  I ignored the pile of laundry.  I ignored the mom guilt of not taking my kids to park.  I knew in order to achieve the goal of writing my book, I had to focus on work.  I also knew at other times during the week that I could focus on my family and housework because I would have time later in the week to attend to the work demands building throughout the week. 

Even if you don’t have a traditional job, housework, errands and other demands can steal your attention away from teaching.  A teacher in a classroom wouldn’t run to the grocery store in the middle of class, right? One of the beauties of homeschooling is the flexibility, but it can be helpful to establish a few hours where your kids have your undivided attention.  For me it is in the morning.  I put my phone down, ignore the house and focus on teaching until lunch.  This is HARD for me and I don’t succeed every day, but it is beneficially for everyone when I submit my to do list to the needs of those around me. 

4. Hire Help

Several years ago, I heard a veteran homeschooling mom at a homeschool conference say, “I am constantly amazed at young, often frazzled, homeschooling moms that think they can do it all.  Here’s the truth – you cannot do it all and you certainly can’t do it all well.” 

Hiring help is a wise investment for homeschooling families, especially ones with outside work commitments.  There are jobs in my house that only I can do.  No one can love my husband and my children for me.  No one give me the joy I receive in teaching my child to read.  No one can disciple my teenager.  No one can write a book for me.  However, someone CAN clean my toilets or cut my grass or play with my toddler.  

Especially when your children are young, strongly consider hiring someone to help with whatever tasks take the most of your time and energy. Over the years I have hired house cleaners, yard guys, and part-time nannies.  When I worked on Fridays, I hired a homeschool high schooler to come hang out with my kids and make lunch.  I’ve hired a college age student to come play with my youngest three mornings a week to give me time to work with my oldest kids on school and write. 

Even if you cannot afford a nanny or a house cleaner, consider swapping hours with another mom or family member. 

5. Cultivate Independence in Your Kids

As parents we should be trying to work ourselves out of a job.  Teaching our children to work independently is mutually beneficial for us and them.  We need to give them opportunities to learn and grow outside of our reach, which can be a challenge if we are with them all the time. Making lunches, working on schoolwork independently, cleaning bathroom, and playing with younger siblings are all tangible ways that your children can give you time and space to work on things outside the classroom.   

6. Establish a 4 Day School Week 

Planning in a flex day each week is a great idea, whether you work from home or not.  Younger students can easily get all their work done in four days and older students can work independently or plan their schedule to have a lighter day.  Not teaching and supervising schoolwork can give you an opportunity for concentrated work hours.  

This can totally depend on your kids though.  Sometimes your kids need schoolwork to keep them busy, so do what works best for your family.  For the most part, my kids entertain themselves and play well, so I only give them a few independent tasks for school on Fridays. 

Our lives are better when we create margin. Our kids and our spouses will benefit from our efforts to prioritize tasks, ask for help where we need it and guard our time.  

How do you balance work and chores in your homeschooling days? 

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Homeschooling 101 Series – The Cornerstone of Our Day

I am excited to feature my friend and fellow homeschooling mom of five, Leigh Gust, in my Homeschooling 101 Series! She is sharing her wisdom about why Morning Time is so valuable and how you can incorporate it, even if you don’t homeschool! You can follow Leigh over at The Prime Pursuit.
If you missed the other articles in this series, be sure to catch up here.

Are you sick of schools and churches not teaching your children what you need them to know?  Do you need a little more order in your day beyond “clean up your breakfast and go do your work?”  Are you wishing you were more intentional about memory work, music study, or family prayer time?  Are there valuable fields of learning you just never seem to get around to?  

You need Morning Time in your life!    

The single most valuable element of our homeschool experience is the habit of Morning Time.  I learned about it from a friend of mine the first year I was homeschooling.  She called it “Table Time” and described it as a time when all members of her family gathered around the table for stories with warm drinks.  It sounded far too dreamy to be true…I was nowhere near a place where I could keep all my cats in that kind of a box!  So I did not bother with it.  However, throughout my homeschooling research, I came across the concept/suggestion of Morning Time again and again.  

Alas, Morning Time is the cornerstone of our day. 

There are many ways to do it, and it doesn’t have to be in the morning.  In fact, you don’t even have to call it Morning Time!  You can name it whatever makes sense to you: Table Time, Family Circle, The Gathering, Symposium, or any other creative and fun title!  **Even more important:  you don’t have to homeschool to do morning time with your kids!  My kids were in school for nearly two years, and we were still able to do an abbreviated version while they ate breakfast!  

This is a ritual…a sacred space…a centering of our hearts and minds for the coming day ahead.  Its components are the beautiful things that mean the most and shape the culture of our family.

Here is a list of our typical Morning Time routine:

  1. Prayer.  Open with a short prayer.  If you are not particularly religious, it can be a moment of silence, or a few positive statements to bring everyone’s attention to the table.  
  2. Light a candle.  I do this to remind us of the presence of the Holy Spirit among us.  
  3. Music.  This sets a mood for the MT session.  Any music works!  Think about playing one of the old hymns (Use Chris Rice…his voice is contemporary yet supremely holy.)  You could pick a classical piece,  or a piece of music from the culture or time period you are studying.  Anything.  It’s just a small bit of music appreciation sprinkled into your children’s ears.  Music is spiritual and it sets a tone in the home.  
  4. Bible.  Anywhere from 5 minutes up to one chapter.  I read from the real Bible, and I love reading the NLT aloud—it communicates beautifully.  I also am obsessed with the Jesus Story Book Bible, which has me in tears every time I read it.  Sometimes I set a timer for 5 minutes to avoid overkill, or my getting carried away. You will be stunned at how much content you can read aloud from the Bible in 5 minutes!  

Note:  Usually, I don’t expound upon what I have read, because they glaze over the minute I start to sermonize.  I want scripture to speak for itself, burrow down into their hearts, and I don’t want my excess words to get in the way.  Sometimes I read one of the study notes at the bottom of the page if there is anything that needs clarification. 

  • Memory Work.  We work for 5 -10 minutes on our current memory work project.  In our family, this is always scripture.  But this is also the space for internalizing an inspiring portion of literature, a piece of poetry, or a speech or passage that you want sealed into your and the children’s brains!  I have written an article about the details of the process,  but essentially, the passage must be read 50 times out loud to arrive at total mastery. 
  • Literature.  I have a read-aloud going all the time, and I usually read one chapter.  Because my kiddos are all doing a lot of reading for their respective classes, I tend to stick to missionary stories/biographies. 
  • Something fun.  Sometimes I play a fun/educational YouTube video that I or one of the kids wants to share. Sometimes we play a quick game of Spoons, Hot Potato, or Pass the Pandas.  This is where you fit in levity, so that later in the day, when you start panicking over whether you are a fun mom, you get to tell yourself yes. You are a super. fun. mom.  😊
  • Closing Prayer.  We go around the table and each person offers up a prayer request for themselves or someone else.  After someone makes a request, I ask “Who will pray for that?” and someone else at the table volunteers to pray for it.  Once everyone has shared, we go around the table and pray aloud for each other’s requests.  I usually close with a few prayers that our day would be centered on peace, self-control, and wisdom.  

There you have it.  What I’ve described to you in the list above is just a sliver of the myriad of things you can incorporate into your Morning Time.  I’ve read about people doing art, nature study, Shakespeare, geography, philosophy, drama, games…the list is endless.  The only thing required is your enthusiasm.  So, whatever you decide to include in the repertoire, make sure you pick only the things that you love.  

On the best days, morning time lasts 60-90 minutes.  On days we are hurried, it can be abbreviated to about 15.  A little bit goes a long way.  Sarah MacKenzie points out that 5 minutes of reading aloud per day equals 60 hours per year!!  That small deposit accumulates exponentially over time!  

One of the best aspects of this gathering is how we are all learning together, age 3-39!  Almost every element of our Morning Time enriches me as much (or sometimes more) than it enriches them!  I need prayer, I need music appreciation, I need scripture memory, I need Bible, and literature!  It is truly family-learning time; I am just the facilitator.

Distractions.

Do you think my five kiddos ages 3-14 sit there with rosy cheeks and halos hovering over their heads while we are going through the routine?  If you said yes, then you don’t have kids.

If I am being honest I don’t think we go about five minutes without some kind of interruption.  It’s maddening.  But I have seen so much fruit that the interruptions don’t deter us.  It’s just part of it.  You will have coping mechanisms to deal with the inevitable interruptions.  Go ahead and have the expectation that it will be choppy.  

One bit of advice: start small.  Don’t fly out of the blocks with a 90 minute session.  Start with only one or two things, and then over the course of a few weeks, you can add on as everyone adjusts.  

Quiet coloring, stickers, and small amounts of playdoh keep little and big hands busy for listening.  I allow them to do any quiet activity, provided they are not making noise.  Eating during morning time is a no: it seems to add large amounts of interruption…not sure why. But that may just be my lot.  During winter, I sometimes make hot chocolate or cider for them to sip on while they are listening.  Finally, Thinking Putty!  It is one of Morning Time’s best friends.

I don’t know what I would do without this.  Morning Time encapsulates about 85% of the entire reason we are homeschooling: to build our family on a foundation of truth, beauty and goodness.  

I wish you all the best on your journey of leading your family!  Thank you, Stephanie, for hosting me here on Pens of Grace, it’s truly an honor!

Leigh 

A few Morning Time resources: 

Your Morning Basket, Pam Barnhill

Cindy Rollins Morning Time 

Sarah MacKenzie Morning Time Plans 

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Homeschooling 101 Series – Juggling School with Littles

This is the fourth article in my Homeschooling 101 series.  If you missed the first three posts on Finding Your Why, Choosing Curriculum and the Nuts and Bolts of Organization, be sure to read those here, here, and here.  

Most homeschooling families have at least one little person running around just wanting to have fun while everyone else is working.  The little eyes that say, “Guys can’t we put all this stuff aside and go to the park or play legos?” 

The struggle to teach while entertaining non-school aged kids is universal to at least some degree and every homeschooling mom needs a few tricks up her sleeve to help keep the homeschooling day from getting derailed by the adorable, energy-filled, little cabooses.  

My friend Lindsay, a homeschooling mom and mother of seven said, “Interruptions are always an opportunity to teach our children.  Older kids can learn self-discipline, independence, compassion and social awareness as we learn and model how to work through interruptions in our day with grace.”  

While diaper changes and discipline opportunities may feel like wrecking balls to the progress of the day, learning to embrace the messy rhythm of life with littles brings peace in the midst of chaos and freedom from the oppressive push for perfection.  

Having multiple ages sharing a classroom has far more pros than cons. One of the most beautiful things is watching your kids develop friendships and connections with their siblings they may not have time to develop if they were in separate classrooms each day.  You can learn to herd the cats and cherish the time together while still managing to get your work done most days. 

To give you a deep well of ideas, I reached out to several of my friends and homeschooling veterans to weigh in and give their tried and true methods for juggling littles during the school day.  Between the five of us we have twenty-five children, ranging in age from six months to sixteen, providing an ample well of successes and failures to draw from. Many of these ideas were universal across the panel of moms, each implemented in a unique way for each family. 

Choose Curriculum Wisely – If you are in a season of diaper changes, breastfeeding and potty training, choose your curriculum with those hurdles in mind.  The most interactive, teacher-led curriculum may not be the best fit for that season of life.  An all in one box curriculum or online curriculum could be a good choice for a season if you want minimal planning, grading and hands on teaching. If you love getting elbow deep in teaching, projects, and crafts, then you could pick one subject to be more interactive (science is always the easiest, but there are tons of fun options for other subjects too). 

Morning Time – Always include your little ones in your morning time routine.  I know it is easy to turn the tv on in the morning and just leave it on but resist the urge and bring the little ones into the group.  Even if they don’t sit still, they can glean a ton of information just by listening to Bible verses, memorization songs and read alouds.  (I have an entire post about developing your own Morning Time routine next week!) 

Pack n Play or Blanket Time – This is an idea I first read about in Babywise and was one of the most passionate suggestions given by my friend Kerry, homeschooling mom of four. The idea is designed for infants and toddlers, where you place the child in a pack n play or on a blanket with a few toys and books for a set amount of time.  The child must stay in the pack n play or on the blanket the entire time. You can rotate the toys each session.  This is a fantastic method to not only teach your child obedience but will help develop their ability to play and learn independently. 

Simply start with a small amount of time, like 5 minutes and work up to larger chunks of time, like 30-45 minutes.  Fair warning – this will take an invest of time on your part in the beginning, applying discipline if the child leaves the blanket before the time is up, but will be well worth your effort in the long run.  As you work to increase the blanket time, you will have larger chunks of time to dedicate to lessons with your older kids.  

You can also apply this to older kids in the form of room time.  For instance, when my 1st grader is done with her lessons for the day, she could have an hour of room time to give me a chance to focus on lessons with the oldest kids or to prepare dinner or other chores.  

It is important for the littles to understand that while Mommy will always take care of them, Mommy is not always available or responsible for their entertainment.  

Rotating Stations – Five out of five moms in my panel agreed that rotating stations is the key to a successful school day with littles. You simply set up stations that each child or pair of children rotates through.  Generally, 20-30 minutes works best for each rotation, allowing enough time to get something done, but not enough time to get bored.  If you have a larger family, just pair kids up to rotate through the stations. 

An important skill I have tried to cultivate in my children is to transition quickly from one activity to the other.  I can quickly switch into drill sergeant mode when my kid’s moving from the piano back to her desk looks like a 20-minute parade of a molasses fairy through the schoolroom.  Having timed rotating stations can help everyone hone these important transitioning skills. 

Here’s an example of a rotation schedule: 

  • Station number one is working with Mom.  This is independent time with Mom to work on harder subjects or new concepts, with math and reading being the most common subjects that need extra attention.  Teaching a kid to read will probably take more of your teaching time than anything else.  If you have a child in this category, know that for a season, you will have to dedicate more concentrated effort with them until they are able to work more independently. 
  • Station number two is independent work or play.  For older kids this could be practicing an instrument, completing worksheets, handwriting, online math or spelling, or literature or history reading.  For younger kids it could be blanket time, coloring books, play dough or puzzles. 
  • Station number three is play time with young siblings.  Younger siblings love to have the undivided attention of their older siblings and older siblings often enjoy being a help and getting a break in their day to play kitchen or cars.  Outdoor play is an excellent option for this station too. Have the older sibling take the younger sibling outside for the allotted amount of time, giving everyone a boost of physical activity. 
  • Station number four is screen time for the younger students. Try to keep this educational like Kids Bible app, ABC mouse, typing, math games or Spanish learning apps, but you don’t have to be legalistic. If they are quiet and happy for 20 minutes, count it as a win.  

Keep Toys Accessible – Set up your school area with plenty of engaging activities for little ones.  Probably 70% of the space in our school room is dedicated to things for the younger kids.  (Middle schoolers and high schoolers just need a few books, a computer, a calculator, a pencil and a snack stash.)  Have a set of toys and activities that are only accessible during school time (like playdough) to increase the excitement around those items.  Also, keep them stored at a level they can choose from easily.  Ideas for things to keep in your school area:

  • Play kitchen (Do not underestimate a play kitchen. It goes in spurts, but this has been a fan favorite in our house for at least one person for 12 years and counting.) 
  • Puzzles easy enough they can complete on their own
  • Coloring books
  • Sticker books (We love Usborne’s sticker books!)
  • Magnatiles
  • Pattern Blocks/Tangrams 
  • Stamps
  • Dot to Dot Markers
  • Lacing cards 
  • Lift the flap books 
  • Reading books and picture books 
  • Playdough 

Mandatory Outside Time – Everyone needs to burn energy, especially little ones. Having a recess break in the mid-morning will allow your little ones to burn off energy and give your older ones a nice break from their work as well.  A timer is handy for this as well to keep a thirty-minute recess from morphing into a two hour field day. A trampoline could be a worthy investment! 

Screen Time – You are not a bad mom if you let your little ones watch some TV during the day.  While it doesn’t have to be your default, we ALL do it and your kids will be fine. Learning apps like ABC Mouse are great for short durations of time, but movies work too.  Here are a few DVD/TV series that totally count as school: Magic School Bus, Liberty Kids, What’s in the Bible, Sesame Street and LeapFrog.  

Limiting their screen time during non-school hours is also a bonus in helping it feel more like a treat than their usual fare. In our family, we have no screens on Mondays, limited screens on Tuesdays-Thursdays and more liberal screen time on Fridays.  One suggestion with screen time: No screens before morning time.  It derails everyone in the house and makes the morning routine drag on.  

Magic Trash for Clean Up Time – Don’t forget to include your little ones in the daily clean up routine! My friend Natalie, homeschooling mom of five, shares her ingenious clean up trick: “I’ve always wanted the house at least picked up before my husband got home. Now that my kids are older, we have a pretty set chore rotation but that was pretty worthless when they were tiny, so we would play ‘Magic Trash.’ I would pick something in the house that was out of place but didn’t tell the kids. Then I would say, ‘Magic trash has been spotted!’ Everyone would rush to clean everything up. Whoever cleaned up the magic trash would get a sticker or lollipop or a quarter or something small. Not only does this work at the end of a school day, but it works really well when they had friends over, and the house would get completely trashed but cleaned up in under ten minutes. I still do this for big parties and offer cash to teens! They love it!”

Lunchtime Hacks – Lunchtime is my least favorite part of the school day.  I don’t understand my own distain for it honestly.  It is the Achille’s heel of my day. It’s not overly complicated but is a just a huge speed bump in the day that can eat away hours of time if your family is like mine where everyone wants a twenty-five-step gourmet meal in the middle of the day. Here are a few ideas to simplify the lunch routine:

  1. Have a set time for lunch (and snacks if you do snack time).  Otherwise your children will eat ALL DAY and you will plow through a week’s worth of groceries in one day.  Plus, they are going to ask you a million times if it is time for lunch, so just have a set time, teach them to read a clock and you could be in line for the Nobel Peace Prize.  
  2. Rotating Lunch Schedule – Take the guess work out of lunch and set up a schedule cafeteria style.  For example, Mondays – sandwiches, Tuesday – chicken nuggets, Wednesday – salad, Thursday – quesadillas, Friday – pizza
  3. Make ahead sandwiches – My friend Leigh, homeschooling mom of five, has an assembly line to make sandwiches at the beginning of the week, having them ready to pull out each day at lunchtime.  
  4. Buddy System – pair an older kid with a young kid to help make the younger one’s lunch.  
  5. Cook lunch – this is admittedly my least favorite thing to do, but when I do it, it makes the routine so much easier.  Make a pot of soup or spaghetti or something that can easily be sloshed out to the army of hunger-ravaged little bodies. 

Having little ones can be a fun, but exhausting time.  During seasons with new babies, toddlers and preschoolers, it is best to set realistic expectations for the entire family.  You will never regret spending time with your kids or watching their relationships blossom with each other.  Just read together, pray together, do a little math and read some more…and have a full bin of snacks. 

How do you keep little people busy during your school days? 

Next week we will break down morning time to set yourself up to start each day off on the right foot! See you then! 

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Homeschooling 101 Series – The Nuts and Bolts of Organization and Planning

This is the third article in my Homeschooling 101 series.  If you missed the first two posts on Finding Your Why and Choosing Curriculum, be sure to read those here and here.  

Cracking open the boxes of shiny new books is an exciting event in homeschool life.  Even for the kid that hates math, opening a box of new math books can be exciting. But, what next? While keeping the books in a box in the corner of the dining room and pulling them out when everyone feels like doing school may work for some, most of us need a little organization and planning to make the wheels of the homeschool classroom turn.  

I am a planner by nature.  I love an Excel spreadsheet like a sweaty kid loves a popsicle on a hot summer day. If my brain were a clothing store, it would be Ann Taylor or Talbots – crisp, neat rows of color coordinating styles arranged by sleeve length and fabric. Some homeschool moms planning looks more like the clearance bin at Old Navy – things are a bit disorganized, but everyone has a lot of fun and no one is stressed about putting things back where they go. Everyone needs a bit of both extremes to make homeschooling successful. Today I will give some Talbots style ideas on organization, but make sure to find that Old Navy mom that shows you how to maximize the fun too! 

Planning will look different for each family based on preferences, style and curriculum, but here are three systems I use for school supplies/books, long term planning and daily tasks.   (Hint: tackling these things a few weeks before school starts will make life easier for everyone, especially you!)

Organizing School Supplies and Books

I love these 10 Drawer Rolling Carts!  They are an invaluable part of our classroom and make organizing and stashing everyone’s books a breeze! Every school age kid has a cart and each drawer is labeled with a subject.  

At the beginning of the week I make sure each drawer has what each kid needs for that subject for the coming week.  For example, my 4th grader’s science drawer could have her science book, journal and experiment instructions.

I fill these drawers by week and use them more for organization, however Erica over at www.confessionsofahomeschool.com, my go-to organization guru since I started homeschooling, has a daily workbox system for organizing that uses these carts. I’ve just adapted her system a bit to fit our needs. Her site has loads of great ideas from organization to curriculum to sewing and meal planning.  Be sure to check it out. 

If you use a curriculum like Sonlight or Tapestry of Grace, you will also need a system to keep your books organized. I organize our history books for the year in sequential order, so I avoid searching through stacks of books each week to find the ones we need.  I have separate shelves for reference books, literature books and fun reading books for the younger kids.  Our bottom shelf is filled with coloring books and sticker books, so they are readily available for little hands to grab.  

 Long Term Planning

My first task in getting ready for the upcoming school year is to print out a monthly calendar for the entire year. (I just use my email program which is simple and free.) I plug in holidays, my husband’s work trips and days off and family trips.  Then I sketch out our plan for the year.  

The Abeka language books have 170 lessons, so for us, I know we need time for 170 lessons, a few of which can be doubled up.  We have full school days Monday-Thursday with lighter days on Fridays. I pencil in the 170 lesson, which gives me a start and end date to our school year.  Then I add our history curriculum schedule which is set by our online coop, with 36 weeks of instruction per year. Then I go back in and fill in which chapters we will cover each week in other subjects like science and geography.  

A much simpler approach is just to pick up the math book every day and do a lesson and when the book ends, you are done with math for the year.  This method works for most people.  I just prefer to do a quick sketch in the beginning of the year so that through the year, I have a sense of when we need to push to catch up or when we can have a more relaxed schedule.  This is especially helpful when family come in town, when we move or when we take trips.  I can adjust our schedule and still have confidence we will stay on track for the year.  

Long term planning is also helpful when looking at what you want your child to learn over the course of several years, for example when should you introduce Pre-Algebra or a foreign language.  

Day to Day Planning

The most invaluable tool for me in our classroom is our daily assignment sheets.  Fair warning – this takes a bit of work and planning on my part over the weekend, but our schoolroom would not function smoothly without them.  I try to plan two weeks at a time so that I have a break from planning every other weekend.  

Digital Lesson Plans for my 1st grader

First, I fill in a digital version of the assignment sheet in Excel.  If printer ink wasn’t so expensive, I would just print these out every week! These also give me a digital record of our school weeks should I ever need to reference them.  These are pretty general and give me a framework for the week.

4th Grade Assignment Sheet

Next, I fill in a pencil version with specific details like page numbers and place it on each desk before Monday morning.  This allows everyone to work independently throughout the day without me constantly dolling out assignments. For the elementary age kids, I fill in everything for them.  For my middle schooler, I give a list of assignments for the week, and she fills in her daily schedule. 

Summer Version of a Middle School Assignment Sheet

Not only does this help teach time management, it helps me to divide my time among them as needed.  If an assignment needs to be completed with me, I simply write, “with Mom,” so they understand they need to come to me with that assignment. The younger students get the bulk of my time as the older ones move toward more independent work.  

The assignment sheets also force me to think through what I want us to accomplish that week and gives me the accountability to plan in some fun!

Those are the three items that keep our school days rolling smoothly. I would love to hear your organization tips for your classroom!

Next week we will look at one of the biggest challenges of homeschooling families: What do you do with the little ones?? I’ve assembled a panel of veteran homeschooling mamas to give us their best advice for keeping the littles busy and happy while actually getting things done with the older ones. Not an easy task for most of us!

Make sure to subscribe here and follow me on social media so you don’t miss a post in this series!

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Homeschooling 101 Series – 5 Steps to Simplify the Curriculum Search

This is the second article in my Homeschooling 101 series.  If you missed the first post on Finding Your Why, be sure to read it here.  Today we are tackling one of biggest hurdles – finding the best curriculum for your family.

I was a few years into homeschooling the first time I went to a homeschool convention.  As I walked into the convention hall where the curriculum displays were set up, my feet stopped, as if they were glued to the floor. The room stretched the length of two football fields, with wall to wall displays of glossy, color splashed banners promoting curriculums of every shape and size: grammar, spelling, math (lots and lots of math), art, science, history, worldview, Latin, manners, computer coding.  You name it, they had it. Whether shopping online or at a convention, the sheer volume of choices can be overwhelming, even for a veteran homeschooler. You can quickly be guilted with thoughts like, “Oh everyone should learn Latin?” or “A well rounded child must have instruction in fine art.”  Or you may simply just not know where to start. Curriculum shopping is not unlike any other type of shopping in that doing a little research and making a list before you go into the store will make a huge difference.  Here are four steps to help make the curriculum search a little more manageable, plus save you a lot of time and money.  

  1. Understand Your Child’s Learning Style and Your Teaching Style

Understanding how your child learns best is an important step in choosing what curriculum would work best for them.  However, often when considering curriculum, parents only consider their student’s learning style and not their own.  The first homeschooling resource recommended to me was Cathy Duffy’s 102 Top Picks of Homeschool Curriculum. (I highly recommend her resources as a more thorough look at this topic.) In the first section of the book, Duffy lays out the importance of taking a balanced approach, giving equal weight to your child’s learning style and to your teaching style.  You have to factor both in because it is shared effort that you both need to be comfortable with.  

For example, math manipulatives do not make sense to me.  I totally understand they are helpful for some kids, but for my brain, they are more confusing than just working the facts on paper.  A booth at a curriculum fair could sway me to purchase a math program that is “proven to help kids succeed at math” but if it is not the way my brain works, it shouldn’t be my first choice.  But if my child has struggled with traditional workbook-based math, a new approach could make learning easier, lightening everyone’s load.  

2. Consider Your Homeschooling Approach 

You don’t have to get too deep into the weeds on this topic, especially if you are only considering homeschooling for a brief season, but it is something that you have to consider in order to narrow the scope of your search.  Some popular approaches to homeschooling are: Charlotte Mason, Classical, Unit Based Studies, Unschooled, and Traditional. (Read more about each one here or here.) Ask yourself, “What do I want school to look like?” Do you want to buy an all-in-one option where you simply follow the prompts, or do you want to piece together your own choices for different subjects?  Do you want to dive into one topic and build lessons around that topic or do you want to use textbooks to give a wider, but briefer, overview of the subject? Do you want to learn primarily through exploration and nature walks, or do you want your kids gathered around the table with a textbook and workbook for every subject?  Do you want the approach to be more language based or technology based? Knowing what general approach you want to take will narrow the choices into a more manageable lot.    

When I first began homeschooling, I exclusive used a more traditional approach.  I wanted school at home to look like school.  The longer I’m in it however, the more I have come to appreciate that school doesn’t always have to look like school.  While there is not right or wrong approach, don’t be afraid to think outside the box and customize an education that suits both you and your child.  

3. Research and Ask Questions…But Not Too Much or Too Many

There is a balance when diving into the curriculum waters. You need to know what you are looking for and have a basic understand of what is offered, but do not feel pressured to do an exhaustive search.  Sometimes research is a black hole that sucks us in to a never-ending spiral of searching for the perfect choice.  Spoiler alert – there is no perfect choice.  At the end of the day, school is about learning.  You can do that with any curriculum or with no curriculum at all.  You are simply looking for the best framework for you and your child.  There is no curriculum that you or your child will love every day.  If you child hates math, you may find an approach that bring joy to the subject or you may just find something they hate a little less than what they used before. 

Another important tool in the search is asking questions.  Veteran homeschooling families have a wealth of information to share about what has and has not worked for them in the past.  However, take every recommendation or critique with perspective.  Someone with an unschooling approach may hate Abeka Language Arts or Math, but someone with a more traditional approach may love it.  Our family enjoys Tapestry of Grace, but if you hate history, it may not be the best fit for you.  

4. Keep it Simple

If you are new to homeschooling or if you children are younger elementary school or below, my biggest piece of advice is to keep it simple. Focus primarily on reading and some math.  You kids would be far better off with a calm, organized mom, a few subjects and plenty of time for reading, than a frazzled mom trying to juggle a million things and not executing anything well.  The battle to keep it simple is won and lost when shopping for curriculum, like the battle to eat healthy starts in the grocery store.  Keep your focus very narrow when it comes to curriculum shopping.  That day I walked into the vast jungle of the convention floor, the thing that saved me was my list.  I knew what I needed to buy before I walked in.  If I would have thought, “What fun things could we try?” I could have walked out with enough books to furnish a small school!  

In the early years, subjects like science and history can easily be tackled with a trip to the library.  Pick a topic (weather, plants, electricity or astronomy) or a time period (Ancient Egypt, The Middle Ages, or The Revolutionary War) and read the books with your kids.  They can draw a picture or journal about what they have learned.  The early years of education are all about exposure and exploration, not mastery.  Teach them to read, teach them some math and get a stack of books, having them read to you and you to read to them and they will be well on their way to a great education.  

5. Resist the Urge to Curriculum Hop 

A lot of time and money can be spent researching and buying curriculum.  I would encourage you to resist the urge to jump from one curriculum to another. Just pick something and stick with it until you have a pressing need for change.  There are certainly times for adjustments and a fresh approach and one of the beauties of homeschooling is the flexibility to customize your child’s education. However, I believe most curriculum jumping is more about the mom’s enthusiasm than the child’s needs.  Resist the urge to change out of boredom.  As I said before, at the end of the day school is school and there is no perfect curriculum.  Before buying something new, consider if small adjustments can be made to what you already. Skip the lapbooks or only do the odd/even problem in the math book. Sometimes a new curriculum can be exactly what is best for your child, but sometimes it just brings a new set of challenges. You will save a lot of money and space on your bookshelves, plus not have a mound of curriculum to get rid or sell one day, if you resist the urge and only buy what you really need! 

With curriculum choices that are a good fit for you and your child, you will be well on your way to a successful year.  

Next time we will look at the nuts and bolts of setting a daily routine that will be both consistent and flexible.  See you then!

Are you enjoying this series? Please follow me here so you never miss a post and share this post with your friends.  

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Curriculum Review 2019-20

I am in disbelief that I have been homeschooling for nine years. I still feel like the new kid on the block, but I guess that isn’t necessarily true anymore.  However, like parenting, homeschooling is a plate of shifting sands – once you think you figure things out, things change! Kids change, life circumstances change, and curriculums that worked for one, don’t work for another.  Also, as the years pass, I let go a little more of “what school should look like” in exchange for “what school can look like.”

This was the first year of homeschooling that we did not move and/or I did not have a baby.  Throw in two months of quarantine thanks to COVID 19 and we have had a pretty calm year! 

Here’s a roundup of what we used this past year and how it worked for us:

Morning Time

            We start our morning together with a few group activities, wrangling people to their chairs and providing a definite start to the today. 

  • Prayer
  • Pledge
  • Scripture Memorization using the 50 times method. (Check out more about it here over at The Prime Pursuit.) This year we memorized Hebrews 10:19-25, I Corinthians 13 and Romans 12. 
  • Hymns – Once or twice a week we gather around the piano, working our way through the hymn book. 

Read Alouds 

            Tapestry of Grace has read alouds built into the program that focus on people, topics, and time periods covered in the history lessons. We listen to the books on Audible every day during lunch. (Most of the missionary stories are from YWAM’s Heroes Then & Now series) Here are the books we read together this year: 

Amy Carmichael 
Pollyanna
Eric Liddell, Something Greater than Gold 
Mary Poppins
The Hiding Place 
Mr. Poppers Penguins
Brother Andrew
Jim Elliot
Jacob Deshazer 
Billy Graham, Get Up Out of Your Seat
Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe
Destination Moon (not on Audible)
Red Scarf Girl
Book of Virtues (not on Audible)
Joni: An Unforgettable Story

Addison – 7th Grade

History and Literature – Tapestry of Grace, Year 4, Dialectic 

Tapestry of Grace is a four-year cyclical history program that incorporates literature, worldview, art, geography and writing, with history and literature being the main focus.  The reading material is broken down into four categories: Rhetoric (high school), Dialectic (general 6th-8th grade), Upper Grammar (generally 3rd-5th grade) and Lower Grammar (1st-3rd grade).  You determine your child’s level in large part on their reading level.  

This year was our first time to cycle back through a year plan since we started with Year 4 Addison’s 3rd grade year. This is my favorite year of study.  I enjoy the events of the 1900’s but specifically with this year’s plan I enjoyed the missionary biographies that accompany our history studies (Year 3 follows this same pattern). With two years of Dialectic level reading under her belt, Addison more easily and confidently read her history assignments and worked through her response questions independently. 

We participate in an online coop with other Tapestry families which adds a valuable layer to our school days.  Addison took history, literature and writing this year.  I believe a coop is essential for Tapestry at the Dialectic (middle school) and Rhetoric (high school) levels for the students to critically think through the reading material and present their thoughts in class. 

Geography – Tapestry Map Aids & Seterra    

            Tapestry has a built-in geography program, including detailed map assignments at every age level.  I have found the maps to be helpful in understanding the landscape of historical events, but not before the Dialectic level.  

            Seterra is a website with loads of fun geography quizzes for all ages.  This year Addison has been working through each continent, learning the countries and then the capitols before moving on to the next.  It is a quick and valuable tool.  So often geography is overlooked or skimmed over and this website makes it easy and fun for the kids to learn the countries and capitols of the world.  It even has more specific quizzes like Civil War Battles, Physical Features, Bodies of Water and Layers of the Earth.  

Grammar & Vocabulary – Fix It Grammar, Worldly Wise, Abeka    

            As part of our Tapestry Coop writing class, Addison did Fix-It Grammar assignments (Littler Mermaid). These exercises are short and have the student edit a passage each week.  Learning to edit and correct mistakes is a valuable skill for writing and reinforces grammar rules. 

Last year I learned that the full Abeka grammar program was overkill on top of the coop grammar assignments.  This year Addison used the Abeka Grammar Supplement assignments.  Each exercise is short but reviews important concepts. 

This year we also added Wordly Wise Book 4 to focus on vocabulary expansion. I wish I had done this years earlier!  

While this may sound like a lot of grammar, she alternated between the three curriculums each day and it proved to be much more manageable than the full Abeka program paired with a writing class.  

Writing – Online Coop Class     

            I highly recommend a formal writing class for writing instruction in middle school and beyond for most families.  I am a professional writer.  It is my job, and yet I struggle to be consistent in teaching and evaluating my own kids’ writing.  Having taught writing for four years, I can attest that most other families share the same struggle.  Most people need accountability to teach writing well. If you are considering online classes for older students, I would put writing at the top of the list. It is a life skill that they need to be able to do well.

Our coop class focused on solid paragraph construction, topic sentences and essay writing, with a few fun activities thrown in.  

Spelling – Learn that Word (online), Sumdog

             My kids and I enjoyed the online spelling program Learn that Word for years.  It is easy to use and a straightforward spelling drills and practice.  However, the company’s customer service is terrible.  We have had issues renewing our license for years and this year I finally gave up and moved on to another program – Sumdog.  Sumdog is a math as well as spelling program. I do not like it as well as Learn that Word, but for this year, it was a quick, and possibly temporary, fix.  

Spanish – Potter’s School Online Class, Spanish 1A

One of my biggest blunders as a homeschool mom was not enrolling my kids in a formal Spanish class the year we moved to Spain. Since we moved in October, the school year was well underway before I realized how desperately they would need it. I thought this whole learn a second language thing was going to be a breeze, I guess! This year we did not make the same mistake! I enrolled Addison in the Spanish 1A class online from Potter’s School. In this format, they divide Spanish 1 over the 7th and 8th grade years, with the students earning a 1/2 credit for high school Spanish each year. The class met once a week for an hour and a half. While the class seem to CRAWL by for Addison, she needed the reinforcement for grammar and spelling, even if she already knew most of the material verbally.

Math – Life of Fred: Factions; Decimals and Percents 

             Math is not Addison’s favorite subject.  She does well overall but has to work hard and has never really enjoyed it.  Based on recommendations from friends, we decided to try Life of Fred this year to see if it would help her to enjoy math more.  This math curriculum was written by a math professor who wanted kids to love math.  He believes that death by math problem (Abeka, Saxton) is not only ineffective, it turns kids against math.  Each non-consumable book has 30-35 lessons. The lessons are told in story form with 3-5 practice problems at the end of each lesson.  And after five lessons is a Bridge Quiz.  They have five tries to pass the bridge with a score of at least 9/10.  Then there is a final bridge at the end of the book.  The student self-grade their own homework and quizzes making it easy for moms.  The bridges provide a great assessment of whether they understand the concepts of the past five lessons or not.  

I thought Pre-Algebra would be the best place to start for Addison this year.  However, I wanted her to have a solid foundation of fractions and percent, so I bought the full five volume middle school set to review those concepts.  We ended up spending the entire year on the first two books. We repeated the decimals and percent book because every quiz and her final test was a struggle.  Instead of just getting through it, we agreed the beauty of homeschool is that we could make the time to go through the book again to master the concepts.  The second time through was much easier for her than the first, enforcing that we made the right decision. 

I would highly recommend Life of Fred to anyone, but especially to those families looking for a different approach to math. 

Finance – Foundations in Personal Finance (Dave Ramsey) 

This was hands down my favorite addition to our lineup this year.  Foundations in Personal Finance is a DVD curriculum with a student workbook.  The lessons are short (10-15 minutes), engaging and super practical, even for a middle schooler.  Addison is a spender by nature, and I have seen tremendous growth in her attitude about money since working through this curriculum.  I would recommend this for anyone with kids, homeschooling or not.  

Science – Apologia General Science (Online Class) 

I have eagerly awaited the day when my kids would be old enough to take an online class fully independently! We have always used Apologia Science and so General Science was a natural choice for Addison in 7th grade.  Because of the time zone challenge of living in Europe we chose a recorded class vs. a live class through Apologia Academy.  The recorded class gave her the flexibility to listen to class as she had time during the week, yet all of the assignments were still graded by her teacher along with the students in the live class.  The bonus of a recorded class is that recorded students are welcome in the live classes any time.  Pretty quickly Addison decided she preferred going to the live class vs. listening to the recording, but it still gave us the flexibility when we traveled.  (Remember those days? When we could get on airplanes and go places for fun! Ugh!)

Mya – 4th Grade 

History and Literature – Tapestry of Grace, Year 4, Upper Grammar 

             I kept Mya in the Lower Grammar level last year to be able to read books with Lucy, but she could have easily handled Upper Grammar.  She moved to Upper Grammar this year with no problems at all.  I try to keep evaluations to a minimum still at this age, because we are focused more on exposure to topics than memorization of facts. I often had her journal 1-2 paragraphs about history topics and weekly she completed the Tapestry history quizzes, which are mostly short essay questions, charts or diagrams to fill in.  She really enjoyed the literature selections: Indian in the Cupboard, The Breadwinner, The Wizard of Oz and more.  

Geography – Expedition Earth & Seterra

            Mya and Lucy enjoyed this fun world geography curriculum, surveying 31 different countries around the world.  It is set up to focus on one country per week, with daily assignments, however we easily covered the material in one day per week.  (Full disclosure – we did about 1/3 of the projects and crafts she recommends. If you do more of those, you will need more than one session a week.) Along with learning about each country, it also covers topics like weather, ocean currents, the water cycle and volcanoes using the Usborne Geography Encyclopedia.  Mya also used Seterra quizzes, focusing on US States & Capitols, Countries of South American, Europe and Africa. 

Language Arts and Cursive – Abeka 

             Cursive may seem obsolete, but I continue to feel that it is a worthwhile investment.  Not only are they able to write in cursive, they will be able to read letters and documents written in cursive. 

            At this age Abeka begins to drill the eight parts of speech in the grammar text and introduces diagraming.  While I think the grammar instruction overall is fantastic, I do have a few complaints about the workbook.  The unit on research papers is almost exclusively focused on encyclopedias (like the actual hard back books) as a primary source.  While I do think the grammar instruction is solid enough to overlook outdated material like that, I do wish they would update their material to reflect how students actually research papers today. Although I did have Mya write a 5-paragraph essay over a history topic during that unit, we skipped most of that material and the other writing prompts.  

Writing – Usborne’s Creative Writing Book

    Having taught my own kids and coop writing classes for year, I have found that I do not like the majority of writing curriculums on the market for the upper elementary and middle school age groups.  I feel like they are a bit heavy handed in the mechanics of writing.  While important most of that can be covered in a grammar workbook. Kids at this stage also need to be encouraged to think in order to write well.  Especially paired with a solid grammar program like Abeka, I feel like you can be a little more whimsical in your writing selections.

I bought this writing book in a set with very little expectations. I thought it would be a handy way to keep me accountable to have Mya write consistently.  Guys – I was thoroughly impressed with this book.  It covered a wide range of writing topics from poetry, a variety of fiction genres, screenplays, speeches and even sportscasting scripts.  I will definitely be incorporating some of these ideas into the future writing classes I teach.  As I posted this link I see the book says out of stock.  Hopefully that is temporary, or there is a replacement title.  This is a gem! It is perfect for any upper elementary or even lower middle school students needing a fun and engaging chance to expand their writing skills. 

Spelling – Learn that Word & Sumdog (see above)

Spanish – Potter’s School Online Class, Elementary Spanish

The format for Mya’s Spanish class was a bit different than Addison’s. They met twice a week for 45 minute classes instead of once a week. The homework level was a pretty big jump for us in the beginning of the year, but we eventually got into a rhythm. Since this was Mya’s first online class, she needed a bit of hand holding in the beginning. Like Addison, she knew most of the material verbally but needed the reinforcement of grammar and spelling. For a kid unfamiliar with Spanish, this is a good, but challenging, class.

Math – Abeka, 4th Grade Arithmetic  & Reflex Math

            Although I was intrigued by it, I was a bit hesitant to move the everyone to Life of Fred Math (see above).   I left the choice up to Mya and she decided to stick with Abeka this year.  While I had no complaints with the program, side by side with Addison’s math work, Mya’s really did look like death by math problems.  However, having her complete the odd or even problems only relieved most of that.  We also skipped some of the General Review pages scattered throughout the book. I do appreciate consistent drill practice however for concepts like long division, fractions and story problems.  

Reflex Math is a website/app that is solely focused on drilling math facts. All of my girls have used this and it is far more effective for us than flashcards.

Science – Apologia Zoology Flying Creatures, with Notebooking Journal, with MP3 Audio

            We love the Apologia Elementary Science books.  They dive deep into one subject rather than skim the surface of many topics.  Mya and Lucy rounded out their three-year study of zoology this year with Flying Creatures. This is one of my favorite books of the series. We especially love the chapters on bats and bees.  The caution I would give to this book is it is a bit difficult to do overseas, or at least for a non-bird expert like me.  Many of the observations were geared toward different species of birds than we have here in Spain.  I’m sure this could easily be overcome with a little effort should this be an issue for you. (I think you would run into the same issues with the Botany book.) 

            Mya and Lucy listened to the chapters on their own and then we went over the review questions together.  

            This year I did notice one drawback to this series, however.  When you dive deep into subject matters rather than skim, there will be gaps in knowledge compared to other elementary science curriculums.  For instance, in her elementary years Mya so far has studied Land Animals, Sea Creatures, Flying Creatures, Astronomy and Anatomy.  This has provided her with a wealth of knowledge, but means she hasn’t studied things like electricity, the layers of the earth or elements. This isn’t a negative; it is just something to be aware of. Elementary age is perfect for exploration and introduction to a wide range of topics.  Gaps will be filled in with later science studies.  Addison filled in many of these gaps after General Science.  

Lucy – 1st Grade 

History and Literature – Tapestry of Grace, Year 4, Lower Grammar 

             There are a ton of books for the Lower Grammar Level of Tapestry.  Since Lucy is still a beginner reader, I read her all of the history assignments.  While they cover mostly fun and interesting topics, it is a lot for a first grader.  We didn’t cover every suggested history book, but we were able to cover all the literature selections. 

Geography – Expedition Earth & Seterra

            In addition to Expedition Earth (see above) Lucy also used Seterra quizzes, focusing on the continents, oceans, and US States. 

Language Arts, Reading and Cursive – Abeka 

             The Abeka phonics program is a solid reading program and has worked well for all of my kids so far.  It reviews phonics through 2nd grade.  The 1st and 2nd grade workbooks have a language book and a phonics book.  If you have a really strong reader, the phonics workbook is probably not necessary in 1st grade and definitely not necessary in 2nd grade.  

            As Lucy’s spelling improved through the year, she began journaling on science or history topics once a week, 2-3 sentences. 

Spelling – Learn that Word & Sumdog (see above)

Math – Abeka, 2nd Grade Arithmetic & Reflex Math

Typing – Typing Instructor for Kids

Science – Apologia Zoology Flying Creatures

            Since introduction to concepts, not mastery, is the goal at this age, I did not have Lucy do anything else other than listen to the chapter and review the questions with me. 

Jake – Preschool 

Letter of the Week Preschool Curriculum  

            I am pretty flexible when it comes to preschoolers.  It is the one age level that I am fully on board with child-led learning.  Jake was more enthusiastic in wanting schoolwork than his older sisters were at the same age, especially at the end of the year.  

            I have a file folder of each letter with the activities printed, cut, laminated and ready to go at the beginning of the year.  This helps ensure I will actually do preschool every week.  Some years I have not been as organized, and I am never very successful printing and prepping during the school week.  

Group subjects: 

Bible – Apologia What We Believe Series: Who Am I 

This is our second year using the What We Believe worldview curriculum.  I continue to be impressed with the discussions and engagement we have though these stories, lessons and through provoking questions.  Addison has assignments in the companion notebooking journal, while the younger kids engage with discussions only.  If you are a military family, contact Apologia for 40% off all of your purchases! 

What’s in the Bible – DVD Series 

Every Friday morning the kids watched a 30 minute What’s in the Bible episode.  The series is a fantastic overview of the Bible and is great for ANY age. Watching one episode per week, it takes 26 weeks to walk through the whole Bible. 

Art  – Local Art Classes and ScrawlrBox 

            Addison is our resident artist and has flourished being in a formal art class this year.  She is a pencil drawer primarily, so the exposure to other mediums have been great for her. ScrawlrBox is a subscription service that delivers art supplies every month and features a small original work by a member artist.  It has included things like gel pens, brush-tip markers, smudge erasers, and quality colored pencils. Every month they also include a new drawing pencil.  It is her favorite day of the month when it arrives in the mail. 

Music – Piano 

             This is our second year of online piano lessons and I don’t think we will ever go back to in person lessons.  Chad’s cousin Rachel is a piano teacher and she offered to do online lessons with the kids.  It has worked out well for us.  I love the consistency it will provide in the future and I love not having to wrestle Jake somewhere outside our house while waiting on the girls to finish lessons.  The girls even got to participate in the recital virtually!  

PE –  Swim Team, HIIT and Downdog Apps

             We made the leap from gymnastics to swim team this year and the girls have never looked back.  Normally they swim three nights a week, plus competitions on the weekends, so we haven’t added a lot of formal PE into the schedule.  When COVID closed everything down, we needed a more focus on workouts at home.  We have found a family of apps that we love to use.  HIIT gives killer quick workouts and Downdog is a yoga app that is totally customizable for whatever practice you want that day.  There is a free version of the basic workout, and the full version is also free until July 1st for students, teachers and healthcare workers!