We have definitely settled into our homeschool routine for the fall. Homeschooling one child in 10th grade looks very different than it did 12 years ago when we first started and she was 3 years old.
Back then, we started the day with circle time, calendar time, and group subjects. I had a few activity boxes for her to work on (play with) while I did individual ELA & math lessons with her older sisters. We basically did school year-round back then, taking a 1 week break each month and then a month off in December and June. Having the frequent breaks worked well for small children, and for a new homeschooling mom.
Fast forward to present day, and our lives are very different. We start school at 8:00am with yoga. My 10th grader then starts her math lesson while I transport her sisters to college classes. She has two older sisters that live at home and attend two different colleges. Part of my day is spent transporting them to their respective campuses. I answer questions about the math assignment and help with problems when I return.
After math, she works on ELA assignments: grammar, literature, vocabulary/spelling, and writing. Most of the work is done independently, however I am involved heavily in the writing lessons.
Next is either Spanish 2 or US History 2, whichever she feels like doing before lunch. With these subjects as well, there are parts that she can do independently and parts that where I am needed to teach or guide her through part of the lesson.
We break for lunch at noon. At 1pm, we pick up lessons again with either History and/or Spanish, whatever did not get done before lunch. The last subject of the day is Chemistry, which relies heavily on my instruction. Now that we have found our groove, we tend to finish the day around 3-3:30pm.
During the day while she is completing independent work, I squeeze in phone calls, making appointments, taking care of household management tasks, and working for my North Star Homeschool Resources business. There are days when things do not go to plan, but for the most part this is a pretty accurate summary of our day to day high school schedule this year.
Speaking of homeschooling, I am giving away a Thanksgiving Color-by-Number activity for high school science this month. There is one coloring page for biology on mitosis & meiosis and a second coloring page for chemistry over ionic and covalent compounds. You can sign-up here to get the activities for free, and get emails about future monthly freebies and upcoming sales.
