Homeschool Rhythm

A couple months ago, I was asked to write an article for Wild and Free about our homeschool rhythm. I personally love getting an inside look on how other families function on a day to day basis and I've been inspired by many homeschooling families. I've shared my article below in hopes that it encourages and inspires other like-minded friends!

 

The desire to homeschool my children stemmed from a longing to live life at a slower pace. I often found myself getting caught up in to-do lists and feeling pressured to fill a schedule with activities. I felt surrounded by amazing moms who could balance everything on their plates without blinking an eye. My plate was overflowing and my eyes were full of tears. I prayed a lot. I knew three things to be true about our family: we needed flexibility, we were terrible planners, and we liked to sleep in (and by sleep in, I mean 'don't even think about breakfast until at least 10 am'). I wanted my children to have a good education, but I had my doubts that what I could offer them at home would be enough.

As I began to research, I picked the brains of other homeschooling mamas and had a great curriculum basically handed to me. I finally thought, "Yeah, I'm crazy enough to do this!" I soon developed a rhythm that worked for our family. I also learned that homeschooling provides our kids with so much more than just a good education. With the scheduling freedom of homeschooling, my plate was full but I had such a sense of peace. Having control over the culture of our home means that we don't have to be anywhere at any certain time and we can spend as much/little time exploring and adventuring. My husband is an entrepreneur, which means he is always working, but we never really view it as work. It only made sense to approach schooling the same way. Our learning is so integrated into our lives that it never really feels like school.

Though we spend our time mostly schedule free, our days do have purpose. We have tasks to complete, chores to attend, and projects to accomplish; but when we are able to live our life according to our own schedule, our days are not burdened by someone else's expectations and that leaves flexibility.

Every day looks different, but we have certain routines and rhythms that help give us all a sense of stability. We always start our day listening to music while we fix breakfast. Some days it's classical, some days it's worship music, and sometimes it's hip-hop (which usually involves some sort of dance-off). Music sets the mood for the rest of the day, so if anyone wakes up cranky, those cranky pants shake off with the sleepy eyes and we are ready to take on the day.


Our schoolwork follows after breakfast, which includes Math, History, Language Arts, and Reading. Always reading. I probably push reading more than any other subject. Even if the only thing we accomplish all day is reading books, I am totally ok with that. This school year, the kids and I decided we wanted to share some of our favorite books with friends and other homeschooling families. Every Monday on social media, we post our favorite book of the week with a brief description. We started the hashtag #recomondays and it’s been so fun involving the kids and hearing the response from families who needed some new, fun book recommendations.

Going outside is another essential part of keeping our daily rhythm. Whether it's exploring a new park, bombing hills with our longboards, or simply sending the kids to our backyard creek, time in the great outdoors is a must! I am convinced it's the best way to cure a case of the whines while building character and trust in each other. Being a part of the Wild Explorers Club has taken our love for nature to a whole new level!

My favorite time of day is next... Tea time! It's basically an afternoon full of treat baking and tea sipping. For me, baking has always been therapeutic. Now, I take so much joy helping my kids learn how to read a recipe and figure out how to zest a lemon or frost a cake. Tea time is another slow space for us to sit quietly and read from our devotion book, recite poetry, or just talk about things on our hearts. We learn about and pray for a different people group every day. It's really changed the way we pray, helping us see how vast and complex the world is with so many needs outside of ours. It helps us become a little more selfless and develops a mind for missions.

The rest of the day is really a free-for-all. Although I always welcome a helping hand for dinner prep, I also want to respect that some of the kids may just want some time to themselves. My oldest likes to watercolor and play his drums, my only girl enjoys playing her ukulele and drawing, and my two littles are usually somewhere playing with water. (I can't even walk into their bathroom without getting my socks completely drenched.) I actually love not knowing exactly what they're doing. Somehow that freedom helps them experiment and learn things they probably wouldn't learn from me.

Our days are far from perfect with lots of attitude adjustments, loads of patience practicing, and tons of self-control building. But we love each other fiercely and have such a sense of peace about our relaxed, unhurried lifestyle.

It took me some time to realize that God created me to be the mother of my children because he knew I would be the perfect person to nurture them. He made each of us so unique, with different convictions and different rhythms. Whether your rhythm is slow paced, fast paced or somewhere in-between, it's important that we are encouraging - that we are building each other up, being gracious with our words, and being inspired. It is easy to let insecurities creep in and to believe that what we are doing is not enough for our children. I have this verse written beside my workspace in the homeschool room because that is where I need it most! "Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things." The truth is I am enough. We are enough. I choose to believe that.