Homeschooling Day in the Life: Aliesha, Second-Generation Homeschooling Mom
A homeschool day in the life looks different almost every day, right? Over on our Instagram page, we love to give you a peek into lots of homeschool days regardless of how they change day to day.
Today, we’re going to give you a peek into the homeschool day in the life of Aliesha, second-generation homechooling mom.
We can all learn and be inspired by one another, regardless of our homeschool approach. It’s not about looking good for social media, it’s about the connection going on inside our homeschool walls and sharing with others what works for us.
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We might all homeschool a little differently, but we can always look for ideas from each other that inspire, encourage and equip us in our own homeschool days. So each week we create blog posts for you to access later of each of those “days in the life”. We hope you keep coming back for more inspiration. Keep going, mama! These days at home are so worth it!
Meet Aliesha
Aliesha was homeschooled 5th-12th grade and it was always her desire to homeschool the children God gave to their family. They are currently in their 11th year of homeschooling, with 10th, 8th, 7th, 4th, and 3rd grades. In addition to homeschooling, they are very involved with their gospel-centered church and their local homeschool community.
Homeschooling Multiple Ages
When my kids were young, we did many things together. In fact, we did almost every subject together! As the kids have gotten older, that has led to more independence in some subjects, while maintaining our core family value of togetherness in learning. The subjects we do together include morning time, history (studying the same time period in the same year), science (studying the same scientific discipline each year), and literature (this year it’s Shakespeare).
Morning Time
During morning time, we pray using the ACTS model (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication), work on memorizing a Bible passage together, and sing a hymn. This year we’re also including a section from a manners book on Mondays, a podcast on Tuesdays, a Bible story book on Wednesdays, news from a Christian perspective on Thursdays, and a family devotional on Fridays (we call it “Foundations Friday”). In past years we’ve also used our Morning Time for poetry, art appreciation, Greek, and theology studies. We like to change things up slightly each year!
History
I read the same history textbook to everyone except my oldest during our history time. She reads her high school textbook independently, but because we are all studying the same time period (this year, American history), we’re able to discuss it together and share library books, family read alouds, field trips, speeches/documents, and historical fiction novels to enrich our learning together.
Independent Subjects
After we finish history, we split for independent subjects while also sharing time with Mom! I work closely with my younger two on their language arts work, and I’m also needed by my middle students for spelling reviews, checking math, and answering questions. Our independent subjects include:
- Math
- Grammar (including Vocabulary and Spelling)
- Handwriting
- Independent Reading Assignments
- Writing
Chemistry
We study the same scientific discipline each year, regardless of grade level. This has been wonderful for coordinating experiments and field trips related to what we’re learning! We also enjoy learning about famous scientists and watching interesting videos online. This year we’re studying Chemistry, and it’s such a gift to be able to teach this (and all our subjects) from a Christian perspective!
Shakespeare
While our kids have had some familiarity with Shakespeare via abridged works, this is the first year we are studying four plays in their entirety. The older three are the primary ones reading the full text, but I’ve been surprised by how much the younger two have enjoyed listening along! We introduce each play by reading a picture book or quality abridged version. Then each week we read an act aloud together, reader’s theatre style (taking different parts and reading in fun character voices). This allows for great discussion and a rich depth of understanding of the plays! We just finished reading A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which is a wonderful first Shakespeare play for children.
Early Afternoon
After concluding our primary subjects, my older two students usually have some additional reading to do in the afternoons. After lunch and a house tidy, I spend time with one of my children each weekday. We call it “mommy time” and sometimes we go out together (running errands, getting a treat, etc.) and sometimes we stay home (playing a board/card game, drinking tea, etc.). The afternoon time is “quiet hours” at our house, which allows for independent study, personal reading, audiobooks, quiet game play, journaling, writing letters, developing hobbies, playing with LEGOs, etc. It is a gift to my kids and to me!
Late Afternoon
After our afternoon quiet hours conclude, the kids do various things including PE outside, practicing for musical theatre, learning a language on the computer, practicing typing, sending emails to friends and family, and helping cook dinner. In the evenings, we eat dinner as a family, have family devotions, and spend time with Dad. It’s a joy to have so much togetherness in our days!
Encouragement
If you’re feeling stretched to educate multiple ages and grades at once (or feeling stretched to homeschool ONE student), let this feeling be a reminder to you to lean on the Lord to be your sufficiency. A Scripture verse I find continually encouraging is 2 Corinthians 3:4-5, “Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God.” Take confidence in God’s enoughness!!
