·

Homeschool Day in the Life: Tunrade, mama to four kids that honor both American and Nigerian culture

Day in the life Tunrade

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 Tunrade, homeschooling mama to four kids, who make it a point to not only honor American culture, but Nigerian as well.

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.

Learning Well LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Affiliate links from Amazon or other programs are used on this website. For more info, please refer to our disclosure statement.

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 โ€œdays in the lifeโ€. We hope you keep coming back for more inspiration. Keep going, mama! These days at home are so worth it!

Meet Tunrade

Day in the Life Tunrade

Tunradeย @theschumann6ย is a mom of four, ages 6, 8, 10, and 12. Nine years ago, out of desperation, she decided to try homeschooling for โ€œjust one yearโ€…(Spoiler Alert: God had other plans!) Tunrade now homeschools out of passion and conviction, and is grateful for this life of learning alongside her children.ย 

Get the 6 Secrets to a Simpler Mom Life

She homeschools using the classical method, and loves sharing ways to keep it gentle and simple.

Good Morning!

Day in the life Tunrade

Good morning! I am Tunrade, and we are @theschumann6

A little bit about us:
1) My husband Rob and I have been married for 14 years. We met in college, where we were both studying music – classical guitar for him, flute for me. All the kids are musicians as well.
2) We are a ministry family. Rob serves as worship leader at our church in Ohio.
3) I am originally from Nigeria, so we honor both cultures and traditions in our home.
4) Favorite family activities include hiking, biking, music, playing board and video games, and nerding out over the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
5) We are currently in the process of becoming licensed foster parents.

The kids are:
Xander, 13
Arya, 10
Aliza, 8
Aaron, 6

I’m excited to share our day with you! 

A Homeschool Rhythm

Rhythm Tunrade

We don’t follow a set schedule. In my first few years, I attempted to schedule every hour of the school day. But with infants and toddlers underfoot, I spent the entire time feeling like I was failing at homeschooling. And then I realized the beauty and freedom of finding a RHYTHM instead. 

Rather than my dictating how the day will go based on my ideals, I now consider all 5 of our personalities and our current season of life. I keep my eyes open to what’s working, and leave room for interruptions.

Here’s the rhythm we’ve settled into this Spring:

My oldest wakes with an alarm clock at 7. I wake the girls up at 9:30 if they’re not up by then. Aaron, the 6yo, sleeps for as long as his body needs. Staggered starts are so helpful for us. The three younger kids complete their individual work in our school room, while Xander works in another room.

Our individual book work is Math, Language, Copywork, etc. We save the science and history for all together in the afternoon. I let each child decide in what order they want to complete their work that day, though I have veto power to reject having to teach 3 simultaneous math lessons. ?

After each student is done with book work, they are free to play until lunch. The younger students are done first, so Arya (5th grade) and I have one-one-one grammar and writing time.

Curriculum

Curriculum Tunrade

As a classical educator, I teach primarily using the Socratic method. That means conversations and discussions drive my teaching time. I try to ask questions more than I give explanations. And when neither of us knows the answer, we consult a good book instead of Google. The goal is to raise wise, confident, independent learners. 

1) I have used Singapore Math with all the kids, and have enjoyed it greatly. I treat a math lesson as a conversation, and focus on knowing definitions, using correct terms and good logic. My oldest son used Saxon for upper math and enjoyed self-teaching with it. 

2) My kids have all learned to read using Explode the Code, and have all done years and years of copywork for writing. Having been public schooled, I was dubious about the concept of copywork. But I took the advice of seasoned moms who suggested it and have never regretted it. We copy scripture, poetry, famous documents, favorite passages of favorite books, a little bit of everything!

3) My girls use the Classical Conversations Essentials curriculum for grammar, and IEW for writing. 

4) For all other subjects, we use Classical Conversations curriculum, and keep things very simple at home. We review the memory work daily. Then we gather books about the week’s science, history, and geography topics. I read them aloud and we discuss, dig deeper, or find a hands-on activity. 

5) Xander uses the Challenge A (7th grade) curriculum by CC and meets with a local community for seminar once a week.

Tea Time

Tea Time Tunrade

Tea Time is a tradition that the kids created unintentionally. One afternoon, I walked in the kitchen to see the kids all reading books and drinking tea at the table. It looked so inviting, so I joined in. We all agreed we needed to do it again the next day. And the next. And now, if we’re all home at 3pm, we come together at the table and end our school day together.

Sometimes we do our science or history, sometimes I read aloud, sometimes we just talk, but I always ask The Question: “What have you learned today that causes you to worship God?”

They know I’ll ask, so they’re looking for the answer throughout the day’s work. It’s a small thing, but it has led to some rich conversations, and helps center our homeschool around Christ.

Being the Mother of a Teenager

Mother of Teenager

I became the mother of a teenager yesterday. I have been blown away over the last year or so at how our student/teacher relationship has changed. I’ve become his adviser, editor, & sounding board. It’s a new kind of hard, but it’s also SO much fun.

So I’m asking all you parents who have been at this for longer than a day:

What’s your favorite part of homeschooling a teenager?

Good Night!

Good Night Tunrade

Good night, friends! Thanks for joining us in our day. I’ve enjoyed getting to share this glimpse into our homeschool life.

Some things that were not pictured: the pile of laundry, the dishes in the sink, and the unchecked boxes on my to-do list. I don’t have the strength to do this…and that’s good news. I’m am not enough, but His grace is!

Thank you so much to Tunrade for sharing your familyโ€™s day with us!

Day in the life Tunrade

If you want to see more Day in the Life photos and videos, be sure to check out our Instagram profile.  There are highlights of each takeover at the top.

Day in the Life Homeschool

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.