Organic Living Diva

Homeschooling

Homeschooling. What does that mean to you? What does it look like for you? What do you think it looks like? I’d love to hear from you!

What I know for certain is that there is no exact model. The beauty of homeschooling is that each family sets their own sail. 

An Older Mom View

For me, as an older mom, I am delighted to have brought our little gem into the world and feel so incredibly blessed to be utterly involved in her upbringing.

Since recently relocating from Washington to Texas, the new friends I have encountered often are surprised I am soon to be 50 this year, yet I have a 6 year old in tow. My husband and I started a family about 10 years later than most. That’s a good 10 years less time with our child.

Spending Time Together

Homeschooling gives us the opportunity to not only spend time with our daughter, and in a way catch up on lost time, but also, choose the direction and speed in which our daughter learns. Moreover, we have the flexibility to create a schedule and curriculum that suits our family.

Starting Out

When our daughter was a baby, we set her up with daily online American Sign Language courses and practiced signing with her. Not only did she learn how to communicate before she could speak, but she also starting learning about the world around her. Working with Signing Time was an incredible asset for our family. In the beginning, we mixed this program in with play time and daily reading. Our daughter loved it all. Check out more more about our sign language experience.

What Our Day Looks Like

Before he starts work, my husband spends an hour each morning doing math with our daughter. I then jump in with reading to our daughter and having her read to me. Plus we engage in exercises with writing, vocabulary, literature, history, science, more math, and art. We cover all this in about 3-4 hours.

After School Sports

By noon I’m making lunch and our daughter is free to listen to audiobooks while she crafts. Later in the day we either have a jiu jitsu class, gymnastics, or a play date. We swim in a pool or the lake regularly. We always have more than plenty to do to keep us inspired. We also like taking a weekend day for a family field trip to learn, explore, or experience something together, like our trip to the Longhorn Cavern State Park.

Homeschool Community Group Co-Ops, Meet-Ups

Plus there is never a loss of social connections. We have found homeschool groups in our area to connect with for regular meet ups. Whether you want class time, social time or adventure time, there are lots of homeschool groups, co-ops or meet ups with which to participate.

Home Activities, Crafts and Lots of Reading

Rarely does the TV go on unless it’s for music or a movie. Books are everywhere in our house. Our shelves are oozing craft materials. Yet at the same time, I keep the house orderly… most of the time… and do create time to have for myself for exercise, self care and work. 

Sometimes there’s overlap and there’s ebb and flow, like homeschooling and getting ready, cooking, or doing the dishes at the same time. Sometimes there’s a few craft projects consuming all of our tabletops.

Happiness, Challenge, Sacrifice and Value

The end result for us is seeing our daughter grow at a rate in which she’s happy and in which she’s challenged to excel. We continue schooling year round to keep our rhythm going and our daughter’s mind growing. In addition, we enjoy irreplaceable family time that is priceless for us all. 

What I have learned is homeschooling is not for everyone. Yet for those who embrace it, with all the joys, challenges, and sacrifices; the rewards are immeasurable.