As a homeschooling mom for the last 6 years, I am very often asked
'How do you do it?' or
'How do you fit it all in?'
Well, this article captures the essence of my 'technique', if you will. As you all know, I follow a curriculum which definitely guides us to the best books, lessons and experiments in each subject.
However, that's just for history, bible, and science!
The day also can/does include creative writing, handwriting, math, vocabulary, spelling, Latin, Spanish, grammar, music, art, reading comprehension, and literature just to name a few.
Whew!!
I would love to cover each subject in perfect detail and not miss a note but the reality is that time does not allow for absolute thoroughness in every area. I have to make compromises. I have to pan for gold. I have to make the lessons do-able in a day/week/year. It's my job to whittle it all down a bit.
I love learning along side my kids and often that becomes the light bulb moment where I realize that I am learning something for the first time at thirty-something and that learning is a life long endeavor. There will always more books that we can read, more details on every subject that we can study but do they need to learn them all by age 10?
Not likely.
Pan for gold.
A Busy Mom’s Guide to Getting it All Done
Homeschooling
mothers are some of the busiest women on the planet. Not only mothers
and homemakers, but they are also primarily responsible for the
day-to-day workings of the homeschool. Additionally, many homeschooling
moms have much more than the national average 2.2 children.
Mega-families, double-digit in number, abound in homeschool circles. How can you do it all?
You may feel like the ringmaster in a three-ring circus at times. Use these three tips in your juggling act.
A Little Each Day
Many subjects can be incorporated in a day if a small amount of time
is spent on each. In just fifteen minutes you can study a painting (five
minutes), listen to a piece of classical music (five minutes), and read
and practice reciting a poem (five minutes). A forty-five minute read
aloud time can include reading short sections of many books covering
different topics rather than one chapter from a longer book. Choose
several books as “Monday books,” several others as “Tuesday books,” and
so on. Set a timer to remind you move to the next subject. These little
bits add up quickly over time.
Find the Juicy Parts
Every purchased curriculum contains core information and some fluff.
Sometimes whole lessons can be skipped. Consider your goals for your
child. Is the information presented important? Do you know it? Have you
ever needed to know it? Go through your child’s workbooks and tear out
(or, for the faint hearted, write “skip”) on pages with skills or
information that your child already knows or does not need to know. For
example, in a language book my daughter used, one unit was devoted to
writing plays. She read the introductory pages to familiarize herself
with the form and then, as she does not desire to become a playwright,
we skipped the rest of the unit. Direct your child to do only the even
or odd numbered problems on a page. A bonus to this approach is that if
your child does not show mastery, he can go back to the page again.
Some history curriculums seem to assume that history is your only
subject. From a suggested booklist, choose one book rather than three or
more. After reading, allow your child to tell rather than write answers
or ask him to retell (or narrate) from the reading and skip the
“comprehension” questions altogether.
Accomplish Multiple Subjects with One Task
Choose a well-written passage from a classic book and copy it and/or
write it from dictation. This one task encompasses reading, literature,
vocabulary, grammar, spelling, punctuation and usage, and handwriting
(or typing, if typed). If your child retells the passage in his own
words (or narrates) it adds oral composition. Use the same passage for
all your children. Perhaps use one sentence rather than the whole
passage for younger children.
Combine history and literature or science and literature by using
classic books. Create nature journals—go for a walk and draw something
you have seen (P. E., science, art). Practice typing Bible verses. Group
your children for content subjects—Bible, history, science, literature,
fine arts. Ask an older child who could use review to drill a younger
sibling on math flashcards.
Balancing the many responsibilities of a homeschooling mother is a
challenge. It takes hard work and creativity to keep the plates
spinning. One all-purpose solution will not eliminate the challenges of
managing a household full of energetic, active children, but with grace
and ingenuity, you can accomplish more than you thought possible.
—Originally published in the Homeschooling Helper e-newsletter, February 2010
