We've been homeschooling now for a little over 5 years, and a lot of you have contacted me to ask about it, how our days go, what kind of work the kids do and how to balance it all.
There is no right and no wrong when it comes to homeschool and it's all about finding your own family's groove and what works for your own children as the individuals that they are. Sometimes we get into a routine that works - and it works for a while, and then all of a sudden, for whatever reason - it just stops working anymore and you pretty much have to start from scratch, building a new routine. This can be frustrating in the beginning, and it can be overwhelming when you are new to homeschooling but after a few years - you just kind of get used to changing things up on the regular.
So, that being said - I'm going to share a little glimpse of our current daily routine here - it's not a comprehensive overview of our curriculum, as that's really specific to each family - more of a look at the rhythm and flow of our days as we start back up after the New Year.
Here is our last week:
Monday:
On Monday morning we woke up to a storm that had been brewing overnight - it was loud and windy outside and Radley & Ruben jumped into bed with us to keep cosy. There's nothing better than a big snuggly warm bed and these beautiful smiles.
We knew we weren't going to get outside all day, with the storm raging - so the kids wanted to keep their pajamas on and not get dressed - so a jammie day is was!
After breakfast and a little tidying up we always begin with reading time - the kids all join in here, we will read from an educational book, stopping to explain the concepts where needed, elaborate on ideas and letting them ask questions as it goes. This week we were on a book called What a Waste by Jess French.
With the storm outside battering the windows and the kids snuggled up reading with dad, I set up the diffuser with a mix of essential oils called Cleansing Calm - it had lavender, eucalyptus, tea tree and orange.
Once the kids finished reading time, our older girls started up on their Time4Learning lessons - this takes roughly an hour each morning, so during that time our 4 & 6 year old's get doing their workbooks and worksheets.
Radley then worked for a while on her loom project, it's her first time weaving and she's having a lot of fun with it - making a rainbow pattern.
After the older girls finish their online school - they get started on the rest of their daily work; English, French, math, reading, audiobooks and handwriting practice -in total this can take from 3 -4 hours usually- but during that time they'll take a break for a while to go play, have lunch, tidy their rooms, crafts etc - then they'll get back to it.
We try to encourage them to take responsibly for their work - they have a certain amount set for them each day, that they need to get completed. They have us nearby to help them with anything they get stuck on (I'm the English helper - dad the math & science guy) - but during this time, Jared has to work the whole afternoon and I have the younger kids to look after, meals to make, the house to look after and some work I need to get done at the laptop - so the kids timeline is relaxed, so long as it all gets done.
If the kids finish all their work by 4pm they will have an hour of screen time then, they usually choose to play games, like Minecraft.
Then it's time for dinner, relaxing in the evening and our bedtime routine.
After brushing teeth and getting themselves ready for bed, the kids do some meditation.
We use the guided meditation videos on Youtube - there are lots of them and they're really easy to follow.
This really calms the kids down before bed, it helps them focus and unwind. Sometimes Ruben will join in, sometimes he's busy playing and doesn't feel like it - it's difficult for a 4 year old to focus for that long without getting a case of the wriggles.
After meditation, I use a natural essential oil roller on their pulse points (temples, wrists and neck) just before they get into bed - called Sleep Better by Tisserand, it's a blend of lavender, jasmine and sandalwood. They love this - it smells so great, it's a really nice calming blend.
Tuesday:
On Tuesday we woke up early to get our usual homeschool routine done before we headed out after lunch - we needed to run some errands and the girls wanted to stop in to Claires Accessories, so we made a trip out of it. Usually on Tuesdays the 3 older girls have dance class from 3-6pm where they'll practice and play with their friends, but they had this week off so we had the afternoon freed up.
I can't say I would choose to spend my Tuesday afternoon waiting around a Claires with 3 girls (well, 4 if you count the baby cuddled up in her sling) who can't decide if they want this glittery thing or that fluffy thing, or the glittery thing that has the fluff on it - but it makes them happy, so I put up with it.
They all found some cute little things they wanted, and I was just happy to get out of there so I was pretty agreeable by that stage!
After all that excitement they were all getting hungry so before heading home we stopped into the health food store and picked up some raw Nakd bars, so good - the kids always enjoy the orange an cacao, and I tried the carrot cake flavour, which was really nice.
When we arrived home Radley was super excited to see that the box set of Teen Titan's Go books she had ordered from Amazon had been delivered.
Once we got inside the kids were tired and settled down to watch some tv, while I made myself a lemon and ginger tea, set the diffuser on with the cleansing blend again and put on some dinner.
Our evening routine was the same as the previous night - relax, meditate, essential oils roller and beditme.
Wednesday:
We started Wednesday off with a Ningxia smoothie - full of the goodness Gogi berries, our smoothie also had fresh apple & banana, curly kale, frozen pineapple and mango, frozen berries, oats, chia seeds, flax seeds, natural Greek yoghurt, cranberry juice and a splash of water. Our kids drink this mix down happily - it's one of their favorites.
Ningxia smoothies are so great for the body - they're good for skin, eyesight, brain health, memory, the immune system & energy.
I set the diffuser with a bland called Study Mode; frankincense, sweet orange and peppermint - and the kids settled in to do their studying, the girls had pajama day again, as the weather was awful and they asked so nicely! Riley was really proud that she had gotten Rory for a nap all by herself and she wanted to hold on to her while she got her online schooling done, so she had a sleepy little study buddy with her for that.
After they finished their work I set two of the littles up with various activities for the rest of the afternoon, some Playdoh, parachute play and some building blocks - which kept them busy while the girls finished up and had their own spare time to relax.
Once Rory woke up and was fed and changed I attempted to encourage her to enjoy some tummy time - which is really not her favorite, and she's a little lazy with her neck control, but it's important at this age and she managed about 5 minutes which for her is pretty good!
After that, it was dinner time, which was a big veggie curry - and time to tidy up then relax for the evening. Riley wanted to have wavy hair the next day so she asked me to do her hair up in some small plaits with leave in conditioner overnight - it gives her hair a really cute wavy look. It takes a while to do, she has quite thick hair - and we watched a whole episode of Whose Line is it Anyway? while I did it for her, which is a family favorite.
Then it was time for their meditation, their essential oils sleep roller and bedtime.
Thursday:
Thursday was yet another rainy day outside and we were all a bit slow to get going in the morning, the kids weren't really feeling it, and the gray skies out the window weren't inspiring us. We just about got everything done on our to do list though - and I managed to get some time to stick on a rainy day mix in the diffuser (bergamot & sandalwood) make some smoothie pops to freeze.
These silicone moulds are so great for freezing healthy smoothies for kids snacks - I stick in raw carrot, berries, greens like kale or spinach, and some yogurt, honey and orange juice.
My little helper stayed close to me for most of the morning wrapped up in her Moby Wrap, which is my favourite baby carrier for around the house.
After I made the smoothie pops I put on our usual morning Ningxia smoothie mix and we enjoyed those before finishing up homeschool for the day.
After we had finished up all their work we headed out for the afternoon - Riley had her weekly 2 hour pottery class so we used that time to get some errands run around town.
Once home we did our usual evening routine; dinner, relax, meditation, essential oils roller and bedtime.
Friday:
By Friday morning the rain had cleared and the skies were blue, so after breakfast and a quick smoothie pop for energy we packed up the jeep and got ourselves loaded aboard for this week's roadschool trip.
Each week we put away the pencils and work books and get out on the road to experience the world, which is a far better source of education than anything children can learn from sitting with a workbook in front of them.
We try to do this once each week during school terms, sometimes we skip weeks due to bad weather, or if we have a particularly busy week - but it's really nice when we can fit it in. We try to find a new location each time, that we haven't visited - somewhere within a 3 hour drive (or 2 hours since Rory was born, as any more than that and she won't sleep happily!).
This week we headed to a woods and waterfall walk that we hadn't visited before. The drive wasn't too long there, only a little more than an hour. It was still wet on the ground, and muddy, from a week of rain and storm, but the skies stayed clear for us and after everyone put on their boots and I had cuddled Rory into her wrap we set off to adventure.
Initially, we took the wrong path down a steep hill and ended up down by the water at a dead end and had to retrace our steps back up, which was quite a trek - our legs were feeling the burn!
But after getting back to our starting point we found the right path and took a walk along the side of a really big drop - which had me a little scared with 4 kids running full force along it, but we kept safe and eventually found ourselves at a clearing with a beautiful rushing waterfall.
We were all alone there (one of the perks of roadschooling during regular school hours!) - and we were able to take it all in and relax, with the water cascading beside us and the kid laughing and playing by the water with sticks, and exploring the muddy high banks above us.
It was a really special place, and with it all to ourselves it felt like a magical hidden away world.
Afterwards, we made the trek back to the jeep to head home. I have to note here that we turned off our maps on our way back because we were pretty sure we knew our way - but after we drove back over a bridge we had remembered from our way there, we took a right and were brought on a long and windy road. After about 10 minutes we were wondering if we had gotten it wrong, and decided to keep going - eventually coming out right back out where we started at the bridge! We had driven in a 20 minute circle! We all had a good laugh at this, as Jared usually prides himself on his homing pigeon skills, which to be fair are usually spot on - better luck next time, Babe.
Once home, I stuck on a sweet EO blend of chamomile, eucalyptus and tangerine in the diffuser and cooked up a big pot of chili, then we settled in for the evening to relax our tired muscles and unwind before our usual bedtime routine of meditation and our essential oil roller.
And that was our week!
Our weekends then, like most people's, are filled with trips out, food, family & friends and relaxing - our kids also do a Saturday art class most weekends.
I hope you enjoyed reading about our week, and maybe get in touch to let me know if you'd like to see more week recaps like this!
Our weeks look reasonably similar, but we change things up here and there and I don't mind recapping every now and then if that's something people are interested in reading about and seeing. :)
So, that being said - I'm going to share a little glimpse of our current daily routine here - it's not a comprehensive overview of our curriculum, as that's really specific to each family - more of a look at the rhythm and flow of our days as we start back up after the New Year.
Here is our last week:
Monday:
On Monday morning we woke up to a storm that had been brewing overnight - it was loud and windy outside and Radley & Ruben jumped into bed with us to keep cosy. There's nothing better than a big snuggly warm bed and these beautiful smiles.
We knew we weren't going to get outside all day, with the storm raging - so the kids wanted to keep their pajamas on and not get dressed - so a jammie day is was!
After breakfast and a little tidying up we always begin with reading time - the kids all join in here, we will read from an educational book, stopping to explain the concepts where needed, elaborate on ideas and letting them ask questions as it goes. This week we were on a book called What a Waste by Jess French.
 |
Radley then worked for a while on her loom project, it's her first time weaving and she's having a lot of fun with it - making a rainbow pattern.
 |
| Miss Rory Ember chillin' |
After the older girls finish their online school - they get started on the rest of their daily work; English, French, math, reading, audiobooks and handwriting practice -in total this can take from 3 -4 hours usually- but during that time they'll take a break for a while to go play, have lunch, tidy their rooms, crafts etc - then they'll get back to it.
 |
| Ruben getting some help from his big sis |
We try to encourage them to take responsibly for their work - they have a certain amount set for them each day, that they need to get completed. They have us nearby to help them with anything they get stuck on (I'm the English helper - dad the math & science guy) - but during this time, Jared has to work the whole afternoon and I have the younger kids to look after, meals to make, the house to look after and some work I need to get done at the laptop - so the kids timeline is relaxed, so long as it all gets done.
If the kids finish all their work by 4pm they will have an hour of screen time then, they usually choose to play games, like Minecraft.
Then it's time for dinner, relaxing in the evening and our bedtime routine.
After brushing teeth and getting themselves ready for bed, the kids do some meditation.
We use the guided meditation videos on Youtube - there are lots of them and they're really easy to follow.
This really calms the kids down before bed, it helps them focus and unwind. Sometimes Ruben will join in, sometimes he's busy playing and doesn't feel like it - it's difficult for a 4 year old to focus for that long without getting a case of the wriggles.
Tuesday:
On Tuesday we woke up early to get our usual homeschool routine done before we headed out after lunch - we needed to run some errands and the girls wanted to stop in to Claires Accessories, so we made a trip out of it. Usually on Tuesdays the 3 older girls have dance class from 3-6pm where they'll practice and play with their friends, but they had this week off so we had the afternoon freed up.
I can't say I would choose to spend my Tuesday afternoon waiting around a Claires with 3 girls (well, 4 if you count the baby cuddled up in her sling) who can't decide if they want this glittery thing or that fluffy thing, or the glittery thing that has the fluff on it - but it makes them happy, so I put up with it.
They all found some cute little things they wanted, and I was just happy to get out of there so I was pretty agreeable by that stage!
After all that excitement they were all getting hungry so before heading home we stopped into the health food store and picked up some raw Nakd bars, so good - the kids always enjoy the orange an cacao, and I tried the carrot cake flavour, which was really nice.
When we arrived home Radley was super excited to see that the box set of Teen Titan's Go books she had ordered from Amazon had been delivered.
Once we got inside the kids were tired and settled down to watch some tv, while I made myself a lemon and ginger tea, set the diffuser on with the cleansing blend again and put on some dinner.
 |
| The whole gang during meditation |
Our evening routine was the same as the previous night - relax, meditate, essential oils roller and beditme.
Wednesday:
We started Wednesday off with a Ningxia smoothie - full of the goodness Gogi berries, our smoothie also had fresh apple & banana, curly kale, frozen pineapple and mango, frozen berries, oats, chia seeds, flax seeds, natural Greek yoghurt, cranberry juice and a splash of water. Our kids drink this mix down happily - it's one of their favorites.
Ningxia smoothies are so great for the body - they're good for skin, eyesight, brain health, memory, the immune system & energy.
I set the diffuser with a bland called Study Mode; frankincense, sweet orange and peppermint - and the kids settled in to do their studying, the girls had pajama day again, as the weather was awful and they asked so nicely! Riley was really proud that she had gotten Rory for a nap all by herself and she wanted to hold on to her while she got her online schooling done, so she had a sleepy little study buddy with her for that.
After they finished their work I set two of the littles up with various activities for the rest of the afternoon, some Playdoh, parachute play and some building blocks - which kept them busy while the girls finished up and had their own spare time to relax.
Once Rory woke up and was fed and changed I attempted to encourage her to enjoy some tummy time - which is really not her favorite, and she's a little lazy with her neck control, but it's important at this age and she managed about 5 minutes which for her is pretty good!
After that, it was dinner time, which was a big veggie curry - and time to tidy up then relax for the evening. Riley wanted to have wavy hair the next day so she asked me to do her hair up in some small plaits with leave in conditioner overnight - it gives her hair a really cute wavy look. It takes a while to do, she has quite thick hair - and we watched a whole episode of Whose Line is it Anyway? while I did it for her, which is a family favorite.
Then it was time for their meditation, their essential oils sleep roller and bedtime.
Thursday:
Thursday was yet another rainy day outside and we were all a bit slow to get going in the morning, the kids weren't really feeling it, and the gray skies out the window weren't inspiring us. We just about got everything done on our to do list though - and I managed to get some time to stick on a rainy day mix in the diffuser (bergamot & sandalwood) make some smoothie pops to freeze.
These silicone moulds are so great for freezing healthy smoothies for kids snacks - I stick in raw carrot, berries, greens like kale or spinach, and some yogurt, honey and orange juice.
My little helper stayed close to me for most of the morning wrapped up in her Moby Wrap, which is my favourite baby carrier for around the house.
After I made the smoothie pops I put on our usual morning Ningxia smoothie mix and we enjoyed those before finishing up homeschool for the day.
 |
| Radley Belle - is she too sweet or what? |
After we had finished up all their work we headed out for the afternoon - Riley had her weekly 2 hour pottery class so we used that time to get some errands run around town.
Once home we did our usual evening routine; dinner, relax, meditation, essential oils roller and bedtime.
Friday:
By Friday morning the rain had cleared and the skies were blue, so after breakfast and a quick smoothie pop for energy we packed up the jeep and got ourselves loaded aboard for this week's roadschool trip.
Each week we put away the pencils and work books and get out on the road to experience the world, which is a far better source of education than anything children can learn from sitting with a workbook in front of them.
We try to do this once each week during school terms, sometimes we skip weeks due to bad weather, or if we have a particularly busy week - but it's really nice when we can fit it in. We try to find a new location each time, that we haven't visited - somewhere within a 3 hour drive (or 2 hours since Rory was born, as any more than that and she won't sleep happily!).
This week we headed to a woods and waterfall walk that we hadn't visited before. The drive wasn't too long there, only a little more than an hour. It was still wet on the ground, and muddy, from a week of rain and storm, but the skies stayed clear for us and after everyone put on their boots and I had cuddled Rory into her wrap we set off to adventure.
Initially, we took the wrong path down a steep hill and ended up down by the water at a dead end and had to retrace our steps back up, which was quite a trek - our legs were feeling the burn!
But after getting back to our starting point we found the right path and took a walk along the side of a really big drop - which had me a little scared with 4 kids running full force along it, but we kept safe and eventually found ourselves at a clearing with a beautiful rushing waterfall.
We were all alone there (one of the perks of roadschooling during regular school hours!) - and we were able to take it all in and relax, with the water cascading beside us and the kid laughing and playing by the water with sticks, and exploring the muddy high banks above us.
It was a really special place, and with it all to ourselves it felt like a magical hidden away world.
Afterwards, we made the trek back to the jeep to head home. I have to note here that we turned off our maps on our way back because we were pretty sure we knew our way - but after we drove back over a bridge we had remembered from our way there, we took a right and were brought on a long and windy road. After about 10 minutes we were wondering if we had gotten it wrong, and decided to keep going - eventually coming out right back out where we started at the bridge! We had driven in a 20 minute circle! We all had a good laugh at this, as Jared usually prides himself on his homing pigeon skills, which to be fair are usually spot on - better luck next time, Babe.
Once home, I stuck on a sweet EO blend of chamomile, eucalyptus and tangerine in the diffuser and cooked up a big pot of chili, then we settled in for the evening to relax our tired muscles and unwind before our usual bedtime routine of meditation and our essential oil roller.
And that was our week!
Our weekends then, like most people's, are filled with trips out, food, family & friends and relaxing - our kids also do a Saturday art class most weekends.
I hope you enjoyed reading about our week, and maybe get in touch to let me know if you'd like to see more week recaps like this!
Our weeks look reasonably similar, but we change things up here and there and I don't mind recapping every now and then if that's something people are interested in reading about and seeing. :)
