Each week, I write up my son’s progress, what we’ve been working on, and so on. He is 7 and this is our third year of homeschooling. Not every day or every week goes as planned or goes, well, at all. Let’s say, more often than not, “Grace” is not my middle name.
When people commend me on homeschooling my kids, I thank them but follow up with two critical points:
A lot of my work is about administering. Honestly, I don’t teach or spend much of my time giving lessons.
Mindset is a huge part of homeschooling. I don’t do homeschooling perfectly or gracefully but each week we do make progress, on some front. I have to have faith in that part of the experience.
I thought, since I write up progress for myself and our records, I might as well share it with you. I will go week by week, so we’re going back in time a bit as I share these posts.
General Routine
Below you will find our routine. This routine is not set in stone and is used as a guide to our day. Always subject to change. The times listed below are meant to be fluid and flexible.
7 to 8 am – Slow wake-up & self-care which often involves a good snuggle with the dogs on the couch
8 to 8:30 am – Take the dogs out or do other service/chores around the house
8:30 to 9 – Read together on the couch or board game
9 – Language Arts Lesson & Exercise
9:45 – Outside & Movement
10:15 – Math Lesson & Exercise – often includes words problems and/or a math-related board game
10:45 – Outside & Lunch
12:30 – Read / Board Game
1:15 – Break
2:15 to 4 – Free choice & snack
4 to 5:30 – Sports or Outdoor Time
6 to 8 pm – Dinner, Self-Care, Reading in Bed, Lights Out
We continued progress on Rickshaw by Mitali Perkins, our Read Aloud (via Bravewriter). This week we covered question marks, proper nouns, possessive nouns, and commas. We also discussed Bangladesh in a variety of ways with map exploration, cultural specifics about dress and gender roles, and grammar work.
Marnie hails from Maine where she spent summers buried in sand and winters buried in snow. She is the daughter of a nearly four decade veteran of the public school systems. Teaching has always been a part of her life. She founded Carrots Are Orange in 2010.
Carrots Are Orange is a Montessori learning and living website for parents and teachers.
Marnie graduated from Wesleyan University in 1999 with a BA in Economics. She spent nearly a decade working in investment management. In 2006, she earned her MA in business from the University of Washington’s Foster School of Business.
Marnie moved to the west coast in 1999 and currently lives in Boulder with her husband and three sons. She is Montessori trained. Her work has been featured on Apartment Therapy, Buzzfeed, PBS Kids, BabyCenter, the Melissa & Doug blog, Huffington Post, and WhattoExpect.com. Besides writing, passions include running (usually after her three sons), photography, and outdoor adventures.