Our homeschool...

"These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.  Teach them diligently to your children.  Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up."  Deuteronomy 6:6-7

 Our decision to homeschool was one that came upon us gradually.  It first appealed to us when we met Jonathan and Elizabeth Trotter in college.  Jonathan had been homeschooled, and at the age of about 20, he was a photographer, pilot, and on his way to a law degree via correspondence.  In other words, he was homeschooling himself through law school!  I was impressed at his ability to self-teach and study independently.  That's when I first started investigating the world of homeschooling.  I wanted my future children to have that eagerness to learn, and ability to teach themselves.  (Since then, he finished law school, passed his bar exam, went to school for nursing and worked in that field for a while.  Now he and Elizabeth are on the mission field in Cambodia, and currently studying the Khmer language.  You can read more about their adventures at trotters41.com).

Once we had our first child, Rachel, I had done enough research to be sold on the idea of homeschooling.  I had read the above scripture many times (Deut. 6), and it definitely help solidify our decision.  The very best way, in my mind, to obey this scripture was to be with the children as they walk through life and learn each day.  This is my personal conviction.  This is my calling.  

So what does a typical day look like for us?  Here is a sample day, but keep in mind that each day is a little different.  Also, this is our schedule since the twins came.  It will be different in the fall. 

-Wake up, eat breakfast, get dressed.

-Do morning chores (make beds, start laundry, feed cats, etc.)

-Devotion 

-Mom reads out loud

-Snack

-Reading to mom

-Free play time 

-Lunch

-Creative pursuits (stickers, piano, crafts, coloring, etc) while Mom puts the little ones down for naps

-Seatwork at the kitchen table (handwriting, math, phonics, english, vocabulary, science workbook, etc)

-Play outside if nice, or watch movie if raining

-Afternoon chores (bathrooms, bedrooms, living areas)

-Showers or baths

-Daddy gets home

-Eat dinner while Daddy asks about school

-Tues & Thurs Astronomy activities with Daddy

-Free family time

-Get ready for bed

-Family bible time

-Sleep!!

This is a very general schedule.  There are other things here and there in between.  Plus, I did not include my housework, laundry, and meal preparation times. 

I cannot even describe the excitement that I have about ordering curriculum, preparing lessons, and planning our day.  Sometimes the plan completely flops and we end up doing things differently.  I've learned that its okay.  Other times we stay on schedule and do the norm.  Then, there are the occasional days where no one is learning anything, attitudes are all over the place, and we just leave things as they are and go to the store, mall, or park in order to break up the cycle.  The best part is that at anytime during the day we can stop what we are doing to work on character and relationships.  We can deal with heart issues as they arise.  We can have their hearts while they are still impressionable.  We can insure that they are discipled before they are sent out to be a light to the world.