One thing that makes me joyful is learning.
A little background…. the first few years of our family we lived with my parents. I have 7 siblings, 6 of which were younger and living in the same house. My daughter, 2 at the time, saw them attending school, and asked me if she could “do school.” And the rest is history.
We started simply with coloring, and me showing her shapes and the letters in her name. She already knew all her colors, so we focused more on other things!
As our homeschool has evolved, we center around fun. She is now 4, doing Kindergarten work.
A typical day in our household looks like this….
7am – Wake up, eat breakfast
8am – Ready for the day, tidy the house.
9am-10:30am – Organized Learning
11am – Lunch with Daddy
We then watch a movie while I blog, go on a walk, play with the hose, with puzzles, with dolls, or have free time. Most of our “unorganized learning” happens outside if we are being honest.
Wait, if you went back to reread our schedule- yes, you read that right! My 4 year old is doing Kindergarten work, on 1.5 hours or less per day. How is that possible?? Easily! Here are some ways we accomplish this short schedule, and some reasons why.
Why School for So Little Each Day?
First reason…. we don’t do busy work. Busy work is exactly what it sounds like; work to keep you busy. My kids are busy enough!
Second reason…. we school year round. We have 3 breaks, where we don’t do core subjects, just our Morning Basket and some crafts, as well as unorganized learning. The other months of the year, we do our history and science as well. See our post here on Schooling Year Round.
Third reason…. it gives us more time for on the fly learning, which is where most learning usually happens. We get all we need to in that short time, which gives us more time to learn the things they are actually interested in!!
How do we accomplish this?
First, I set a schedule and we follow it! I make sure they get what they need to know, and leave the rest of the day for what they want to know.
Second, we can school anywhere! In the car, camping, downstairs, upstairs or outside.
Third, we get more done in a shorter time because it is interesting. They care, they want to do it.
How long do you school? What is your schedule like?
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Sarah Bean blogs at Raising Human Beans. Her inspiration is her children, ages 2 and 4. They start homeschooling earlier than most, but that’s the way her kids wanted it! Sarah has been married to her Love of Eternity for 5 years, and she loves to learn. Find her on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter.
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