(On the Homestead)
The title sounds so official, though it’s really not. We are just a large family on an adventure trying to figure out this homestead life. A call to the old fashioned, if you will. We started homeschooling in 2008. We had our typical first year when I ordered perfectly organized boxed sets of curricula. That was just the beginning of an endless lesson in learning what my kids truly need to flourish. After giving it a go and realizing “boxes” were not for us, we ventured through various curricula, work spaces, and schedules. We eventually found a rhythm, although we are still finding that we tweak things often. We are finding our flow.
In 2015 we moved to a surreal find in the country. My excitement to be on our own little slice of heaven was through the roof! My kids could grow up with old fashioned values and this land would provide so many opportunities for our family, away from the hustle and bustle.
With a new home came a newish schedule and some learning changes as well. How could we incorporate this country life into our schooling? I knew God had called us to this specific lifestyle, so I started my research. As I grew in my newfound knowledge of pairing the great outdoors with my children’s education, we became more intentional in this area of our adventure. We soon added animals, and later a garden. So much to learn! One thing we quickly learned is that we are called to the homestead life. I wouldn’t say we have a homeschooling “style” or “way.” We cater everything to our homesteading lifestyle and each of our children’s specific needs.
We use books and pencils, mostly, while the kids do math on the computer. Our school day starts with personal devotions. Character building is a significant focus for us, and our land and animals are obviously a huge part of our learning and life. School starts after about two hours of chores and is generally wrapped up mid to late afternoon, with evening chores to follow. I will share more detailed posts on our curriculum and schedule for those of you who are interested in more of the “behind the scenes” details.
To homeschool our children while raising them so close to nature and a more organic way of living life is such a blessing. I couldn’t have dreamed of a better life, and I look forward to sharing more about our adventures and the lessons we learn along the way.
Our Schedule
With a large family and a farm, a schedule is vital, as projects and chores keep us quite busy!
On weekdays, we start farm and household chores at 8am. If the day is extra busy, we get a head start at 7am. Chores consist of each child having a jurisdiction. Some are out with the animals and some are in the main areas of the house, while others do a little of each. Each child is also responsible for their own bedroom and bathroom.
Chores, breakfast and getting around for the day are hopefully wrapped up by 10am, as long as there are no surprises that sidetrack us. At this time, the kids should be headed to their schoolwork areas, be it their bedrooms, a dining room table, a couch, or a big comfy chair.
Each child starts their day with a devotional and personal time with God. I handpick a devotional or workbook for them to work on throughout the year as a way to guide and encourage them, while giving them freedom to create their “time” as they see fit. We like to emphasize that this is their personal relationship with the Lord.
When they are done with their quiet time with God, they move onto math and language arts. This is commonly wrapped up before lunch. During the morning “block,” the older kids will help their younger siblings as needed. I find that allowing the kids to help teach creates great learning opportunities all around. I make myself available to assist or answer questions as I tend to the household obligations.
After lunch, each child heads off to finish anything they may need to catch up on and we dive into science and history. Our school day is typically wrapped up by 3pm.
Late afternoon/evening consists of dinner prep, much deserved play time, and evening chores. Saturday is sleep in day! We still do chores, we just start a little later.
Sundays are lighter chore days, and we reserve this day of the week for church and rest.
Overall, this schedule works really well for our family, but it is not set in stone. We always adjust things as needed, depending on the season of life, and the needs of our family as a whole. The most important thing is that we’re living life and learning together.
Our Curriculum
Along with all the learning that comes naturally with living life on a farm, we utilize a few different resources to give our children a well-rounded education.
We have the kids do personal devotions each morning. They have their own devotional books that they can use as they see fit. We give them the freedom to study God’s word and spend time with Him in a way that suits their unique relationship with Him.
For Math, we like to utilize the Flash Kids/Harcourt Family Learning workbooks for our younger elementary students up to 3rd grade. From 4th grade through 12th grade, they use Teaching Textbooks.
We also use the Flash Kids/Harcourt Family Learning workbooks with our Kindergarten through 5th graders for Language Arts. Kids in grades 6-12 use LifePac for L.A.
Science is a bit more laid back. Our elementary age children do a notebooking/unit study type science, and we love using Christian Liberty Nature Reader for this age range. Our middle schoolers use LifePac. Our high schoolers are required to turn in 10 solid bullet points per day on any given topic. We mostly use Abeka Science, but we also leave room for our teens to study points of interest as well.
The whole family uses the Story of the World for History. As the kids grow older, more written work or research is required of them, but we enjoy having the family study the same topic at various learning levels.
If you’d like more info on how we use any of these resources, feel free to ask. I’d be happy to dig in a little deeper and share what works and doesn’t work for our family’s homeschool.
Blessings,
