Look out, it’s me again! Our July guest blogger couldn’t make it so I just whipped up this tiny little blog… and when I say tiny, little, I mean ridiculously long and far too wordy! You’re welcome.
You can check out brilliant previous guest blogs here. Last month my friend (and fellow homeschool mama!) Mel wrote for us about digital scrapbooking and maximising the use of your cute photos of your babes. She shared some excellent ideas you’ll want to see right here.
Speaking of which, I’ve peppered this blog post with heaps of random old photos of my babes, so enjoy that! They weren’t keen on being part of a new photo shoot for this blog but were happy for me to use old ones and I’m not mad about my trip down memory lane.
So, here we go! I’ve put my homeschool mum hat on for this post, unlike my former teacher hat I wore for this post. Recently I’ve been asked many times about homeschooling so I thought I’d share a Day in the Life and answer a few questions from Instagram. A few turned out to be quite a lot so my apologies, but if this interests you, I hope you find it useful!
Cover image: my babes at my spring Mini location in 2018.
We have been dedicated bushwalkers for 7 years, and we hiked Bluff Knoll in 2019 with our Nature Club and it was epic. And also, never again, haha! We do annual camps with this group and it’s wonderful.
Homeschool Day in the Life
(by a former teacher with a 10 and 13 year old, followed by Q&A)
6-7am The kids get usually get up and they often have some screen time and help themselves to fruit. Hubs leaves for work. Mama is sleeping!
7:30am The earliest anyone is allowed to wake mama including the dog, lolol. My 10yo often comes and cuddles me at this time and we check out our fave insta dogs. If I’m working out, I will get up and do it then.
8am We turn off screens and gather in the kitchen. We discuss where we need to be that day and when, and what we need to organise. I help them make their breakfasts, make lunchboxes when we need them, and occasionally start on dinner if I’ve got a sunset shoot.
(I meal plan with a 6 week rotating schedule and this has been life changing; my hubs actually suggested I write a blog post on that!)
My babes and puppy Lily (who went over the rainbow bridge last year) during this morning routine in 2018.
8:30am The kids complete their Lists (the usual stuff like get dressed, make your bed), and do a few Brain Tasks of their choice. Most often they choose their personal projects, English and Maths work books and online programs (like Prodigy, Nessy and Duolingo currently). This is a routine we’ve been in for years so it mostly just happens without me. I will do any jobs I need, and take some time to tidy my room and get myself ready for the day. Honestly, this second part is new in the last year or 2 and I love it!
9:30am A few days a week we are out the door by 10am. The kids get themselves ready and I remind them several times what they need to bring to their various formal and informal activities like Nature Club, bush school, social meets, basketball/art/music/science/Dungeons and Dragons classes and so on.
On days when their activities are in the afternoon we usually play a board game or 2, take the dog for a longer walk, watch a documentary together, and if I’ve been really organised, do a science experiment. Both my kids absolutely love science!
My blue-haired guy and friends for Genius Games in 2021.
3pm Most days, we are home by 3pm. We rarely do “after school activities”. All the cool activities they do are homeschool classes with friends. If it doesn’t exist in the homeschool community, then I will find a facilitator and enough kids to run it but honestly, if you’re willing to drive, literally everything is available in school hours.
I will catch up on my home jobs like washing, life admin stuff, client emails, and some days I will start my work day at this time. The kids complete any of their chores as necessary, and they often help me with mine like hanging washing and whatnot too.
The kids have free time at this time of day and they usually spend some of it having some screen time, often with each other, and occasionally with friends. They’re also huge audiobook fans and they will spend their time crafting/skating and listening to audiobooks.
I do make myself available at this time if they have something they want to do which is usually things like go to the skate park, bake, do a science experiment, or do art together. My 13yo loves documentaries so he will often choose this in the late arvo often.
5pm Dad is home by 5 at the latest, does his home jobs as required which, particularly in spring, involves cooking dinner as I have so many sunset shoots! If I’m not working, we often both cook dinner these days. The kids really like cooking, so sometimes we all do it together! But if it’s a busy season, I head off to a shoot, or shut my office door when Dad gets home and ask for undisturbed time. He will help them with anything they may need him for, like my son is designing and building a garden bed at the moment. Dad is great at carpentry, or so our garage full of power tools would lead me to believe!
Do your kids constantly attempt to grow vegies?! We’ve tried at least 5 times, and we are going again!
6:30pm Dinner time. Half the week we eat together, half the week I eat at my desk (homeschool mamas gotta get that work time where they can!) We’re in a new season of night time activities we’ve never had before, so one night a week my son goes to Scouts, and my daughter has asked to try out Guides!
8pm Dad is in charge of clean ups and bedtimes whether I’m working or not. When he can be bothered, he gets the kids to help clean the kitchen, and when he can’t he just does it himself, lol. I go say goodnight to them whether I’m working or chilling.
Dad and kiddos from 2016… I’m enjoying this trip down memory lane way too much!
8:30pm Hubs spends time with 13yo as they’re both into video gaming and Pokemon. Sometimes the 3 of us play a board game 10yo doesn’t like. A couple times a week, my teen and I take the dog for a quick night walk together and it’s lovely!
9:30pm Both kids are in bed and hubs either has a meeting or 2 (American companies be like that!), or goes to watch something. I am usually working at my desk, but if I’m having a night off you’ll find me reading or watching something in bed.
10:30pm If I’m still working, I finish up. I occasionally get a second wind at this time and smash out a few hours work (thanks ADHD!) but honestly, I’ve worked out the next day is a trainwreck for me when I do this so I try to stick to my schedule.
11pm Bedtime!
Morning playtime from 2017. Had to include this old fave! I also want to acknowledge that our routine with older kids is so different from when they were younger.
Q & A
If you found that interesting, we continue on to the questions from Insta… but before we get into that, I want to share the advice I gathered from fellow homeschool mums and, 99% of it was:
Calm down.
Lol, but I’m not even kidding. Some mamas said it more eloquently, like:
Trust your intuition. You know what your child needs and you’ll learn how best to help achieve it.
Another mama was just hyper realistic:
Embrace the chaos.
Two pieces of practical advice did come through though:
- Have an after-lunch rest period so Mum gets a break. Kids can read or do quiet activities so Mum can do whatever she wants or needs. (This does seem like it’d apply more if you’re doing school at home and with little kids but great advice nontheless).
- If your kids are doing classes or appointments that you don’t need to be involved in, use that time for respite. Go for a walk around the block, read, play a fave game on your phone, something intentional to use the time to recharge yourself.
Forgive me for sneaking one work image in here! The beach is my personal favourite way to recharge and this recent shoot with a fellow homeschool fam was epic.
Some of us have been homeschooling for 8 years. Mainstream schooling often feels rushed and pressured. Home education is slower. More child-directed even when curriculum is used. Calmer. More intentional. This starts with the homeschooling parent (who, let’s face it, is Mum 99% of the time).
With this in mind, and noting that this is just my personal opinion (while also remembering I was a teacher for 14 years and have been homeschooling for 8 so I’m well qualified to be answering these too) here are my answers to the questions I received on insta:
Do you set a homeschool budget for classes and resources and do the children have a limit on how many classes they can attend each term?
They choose their activities each term, and we keep it to a max of 4 paid activities each because we’re not millionaires. We do 3-4 excursions a term on top of their classes like AQWA, zoo, various museums and one-off specialist workshops. You can spend as much or as little as you choose.
I wish I could tell you we had a budget but we do not. We are both quite bad at this and we’ve spent considerable time trying to ensure our kids are better with money than we are. We do not spend money on curriculums so that helps a lot! Also, thanks to all of you, because it’s my small income that helps pay for all these things!
Do you write a plan for the term ahead and if not how do you know all the areas are being covered?
I don’t write plans (that sounds very time consuming and doesn’t fit with the freedom the homeschool lifestyle provides), and I don’t know if all areas are covered (and it isn’t a goal of mine).
I would ask: why is that important? Who decided on these areas anyway? What does good learning look like? Is breadth of learning more important than depth? Is government curriculum more important than my child’s desire to know literally everything about Frida Kahlo? So many questions! We focus on lifeskills and personal areas of strength and interest.
Art is life for at least 2 of us here!
When leading a relaxed approach how do you feel confident you’re doing enough?
I facilitate my kids education according to their needs and wants, and that’s enough. I do not school them, and that’s why many homeschoolers are more comfortable with the term “home education” than homeschool.
I feel confident because I generally have different goals to mainstream parents, and my 14 years of teaching in schools gives me the experience to know just how little real learning goes on in the classroom. I continually come back to my goals as a parent, my goals for my children, and their goals for themselves.
As we’re now in highschool years, and people get quite upset about homeschooled teens: my goal isn’t to have them enter university at 17/18 as if that is “success”. (I would strongly argue against teens getting themselves into educational debt, and so does the neuroscience). For me, success is for them know and be secure in themselves, and be kind, functioning members of society.
Where do you take the kids to buy their workbooks and are they required to do daily reading?
We pick up workbooks when they see one they like, and I have in the past taken them to the Teacher Superstore and so they could choose what interested them. I had to limit them to 3 each once because they wanted so many, haha.
I personally don’t require my kids to do too much. That’s just me. Friends homeschool differently! We are in a routine of doing some schooly-looking things in the morning, but if we’re rushed, having an off day, just really don’t want too, then we don’t. My kids read (by ear) constantly so no need for me to require it (also, I’d suggest reflecting upon requirements and how they make you feel).
Reading is often something mamas worry about it. Most neurotypical children will learn to read independently between 5 and 8 years old, like this cutie did. My neurodivergent child required explicit teaching when he wanted to learn.
Will you incorporate any more formal learning as the children approach high school age?
My kids are 10 and 13 so we’re there. We will continue to focus on lifeskills (which includes reading, writing and maths as it relates to their goals) and personal interests. My kids already have some very set ideas of what they want to do for work once they’re older and have started developing some plans of how to get there already.
13yo knows he needs 100 scuba dives to do his instructor certification at 18 and has about 10, so he needs 20 a year to get there (he did his basic scuba ticket last year at 12!).
10yo wants do her pastry chef certification at TAFE when she’s 15 and is already planning for that (and bakes constantly!).
Having time and support to deep dive into their interests now has meant they have developed these wonderful goals naturally.
How much screen time do your kids have?
A few hours a day, at least. One of my kids in particular finds screen time really regulating for his ADHD, learns a lot and enjoys screen time. Screen time is not the devil. Not all screen time is created equal. There is:
- passive screen time (watching)
- social passive screen time (watching together and chatting)
- active screen time (video gaming)
- social active screen time (video gaming with someone else).
My kids engage in all 4 most days I’d say and they all have their pros and cons. Screen time can be relaxing, stimulating, regulating, infuriating, and more. There are many reasons for screen time, which I also really enjoy! We also get out into nature deep at least twice a week as well as daily walks, and enjoy a lot of other activities, in addition to screen time. It all works out in the end. This is not the hill to die on for most families.
We avoid arbitrary screen time limits because they generally just create a hyper fixation around when screen time is next available. We aim for an ebb and flow of life (balance is a bit of a myth!) so sometimes it’s more, sometimes it’s less. I have a lot to say on this subject but I will leave it here!
Some active screen time for Artventure in 2016 (under my original branding).
Do you ever feel overwhelmed being with the kids 24/7? What do you do for your self care?
Absolutely. But it was waaaayyyy worse with a newborn and a toddler… and then a toddler and a preschooler! And I only have 2 kids; I have a homeschool friend who has 9 so I have it way easier than her!
Homeschooling is a paradigm shift. It’s not just a different way of looking at education but also at how we live life with children. It’s much easier than you think, because you’re thinking of school at home, not living life together.
I have plenty of boundaries, and time for myself these days because I have older kids. When they were younger, tv was my babysitter when required, and I switched off with friends sometimes too. I want to acknowledge that the more kids you have and the younger they are, the harder it is, for sure.
These days:
- My husbands works a traditional job but is a pretty good partner and can take over 95% of parenting and home life at the drop of a hat, and has his share of chores and whatnot.
- I’m secretly a beauty girl. I get a few facials and a few pedicures a year; they’re my non-guilty pleasure. I love a fancy bubble bath with candles.
- I also enjoy going to bed at 6pm with a lot snacks and watching period dramas. My hubs ensures all the people leave me alone. I try to do this before burn out!
- I work out a few times a week, and walk every single day. I bought a walking pad for my standing desk for busy work seasons.
- I’m a crazy plant lady and I baby my green babes!
However, the best self care is creating a life you don’t need to escape from.
I only work part time really (though it feels full time sometimes, thanks ADHD) and we enjoy and stick to our routines. We avoid over-scheduling and afterschool activities as no one is at their best that time of day. I highly recommend checking out our May guest blog by Delphie who talks a lot about sparking joy in the mundane through creativity.
In homeschool life, I do a lot of fun stuff with my kids, and we do it friends, so I chat with my friends while the kids do their thing. My bestie of 13 years started homeschooling a few years ago so that helps dramatically, too.
Bestie and Babes at Perry’s Paddock a few years ago. 3 cheers for her for proofreading this absolute dissertation!
What about homeschooling neurodiverse learners? (dyslexia, dysgraphia etc)
Well hai, we are super neurodiverse (ND) here. I’m ADHD, one of my kids is also, and the other one might be too, to be perfectly honest. One is dyslexic and dysgraphic, and one is suspected dysgraphic too. As far as I’m concerned, these are all reasons to homeschool. There’s a reason schools write IEPs (individual education plans) for ND kids: because tailored education is better for them. Homeschooling is as individual as you can get, and it’s much easier to attend therapies and appointments, too.
Phewf, well that was about 3 times longer than planned!
Thank you for the abundance of questions on insta, and hopefully your question has been answered here. If this sparking something in you, I recommend Happiness is Here.
There’s 2 things I want to leave you with:
- Home education is freedom from school. It is literally whatever you make it and that is exciting most of the time, and only occasionally stressful.
- Life is basically always ebb and flow. Homeschool life is no different! We have periods of lots of amazing projects and “school work” stuff, and then periods of not. It is ok.
Thanks for getting this far, you get a gold star 😉
Your reward is the most recent portrait of my babies, now 10 and 13 years old.
Look forward to capturing your family story soon xxx
– If you see partially loaded images, try clearing your internet cache in your settings by clicking “clear cache” and coming back. Thank you! –
Sign up to my mailing list to receive occasional emails about seasonal specials, including when minis are coming up, and receive 2 free images with your next session!
