OUR FAMILY’S HOMESCHOOL LIFESTYLE ROUTINE

A homeschool lifestyle routine is not something you think about when you first begin homeschooling. Your lifestyle doesn’t seem to look very much different than everyone else’s. But as friends’ kids got older and started going to public school, our family’s homeschool lifestyle started to look very different.

There are science experiements on our dining room table. 

There are things like “Ticonderoga pencils” on our shopping list. 

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There are library books spilling out of baskets. 

There are games and paints on every surface.

A homeschool lifestyle routine looks very different than others’. But that’s as it should be. Here’s a look at what our homeschool lifetime routine looks like.

What is a Homeschool Lifestyle?

Basically it boils down to this–Having an educationally rich home. 

But what does that mean?

Under the influences of Charlotte Mason (what was also one of my earliest homeschool influences) and my own beliefs, I have styled a type of homeschool approach around providing my kids with activities that are rich in all things education, imagination, and delight.

Here’s a breakdown of what we find important in our homeschool lifestyle:
(I’ve linked to a few of my posts to share more about these things.)

• Poetry
• Reading Aloud
• Rich conversations with each other
• Nature Journaling
• Projects
• Art Appreciation + Art Creating
• Movies and TV
• Picture books and novels
• One on One Time
• Space to create on their own
• Board Games
• Sharing our homeschool life with others
  

  

The more I thought about what we did on a day-to-day basis that wasn’t in the planner, but still applied to education, it took so much pressure off checking boxes and more focus on checking those invisible boxes, like:

• going outside for a walk and noting the birds you saw
• watching a great movie together
• writing a letter to a pen pal
• playing games

When I started to focus more on the relationship with my kids instead of focusing so so much on academics, things started to shift in our homeschool.

Because ultimately, your kids won’t remember having a hard time they had with Math Lesson 45 on page 165, but they will remember how we made it harder by freaking out on them.

But, on a more concrete level…what does this homeschool lifestyle routine look like every week?

Our weekly Homeschool Lifestyle Routine

What I really love about our homeschool lifestyle is that it’s about so much more that school! Doing life this way taught be to COUNT the things that we do that might not look like a typical school day.

Subject	Kindergarten	Grade 1	Grade 2	Grade 3	Grade 4
Math + Logic	Math Play!	Saxon Math 1	Saxon Math 2 Lollipop Logic 2	Saxon Math 3	-Saxon Math 5/4 -Nicole the Math Lady {review} -Logic Countdown -Mind Benders 4 -Math Ties
Handwriting		Handwriting without Tears 1st grade Draw, Write, Now 1	Handwriting without Tears 2nd grade set	Draw, Write Now 3 Typing Instructor for Kids	Handwriting without Tears Cursive Typing Instructor
Phonics/Reading	Hooked on Phonics K Get Ready for the Code Get Set for the Code Go for the Code	Hooked on Phonics 1 Explode the Code 1+2	Hooked on Phonics 2 Explode the Code 3+4		Literature Pockets: Grades 1-3 Literature Pockets: Grades 4-6
Grammar				Easy Grammar 3	Easy Grammar 4 First Language Lessons Level 3
Vocabulary				Wordly Wise 3	Marie's Words {review}
Writing
Spelling			Sequential Spelling 1	Sequential Spelling 2	Spelling Workout D Learning to Spell Through Copywork
History + Social Studies		Story of the World vol. 1	Story of the World vol. 2	Story of the World vol. 3 Pin-It Maps	Story of the World vol. 4 Daily Geography 4 Pin-It Maps {review} Time Travelers: Early 19th Century Learning American History Through Literature
Science + Nature	Nature Explorer Guides	Nature Explorer Guides No Sweat Nature Study	Nature Explorer Guides No Sweat Nature Study	Exploring Nature with Children No Sweat Nature Study	Exploring Nature with Children No Sweat Nature Study
Art	Alphabet Art Usborne Art Cards			Discovering Great Artists	13 Art Mysteries Every Kid Should Know Master Kitz Chalk Pastel Membership Club SQUILT Music Membership Band Piano Lessons

A ‘could,’ not a ‘should’

My purpose for writing this post is to give you a clear picture of what a homeschool lifestyle routine could look like, not should look like. As always, never copy and paste. Always modify, tweak, and adapt ideas for your own family.

I have let go of many things that unpractical expectations for my kids (and myself) over these almost 10 (!!!) years of homeschooling.

But all that refining, tweaking, and reexamining is always for the better.

Click here for my big list of Homeschool Lifestyle Routine “tools’