Welcome to the fifth installment of our blog series: A Day In The Life Of A Homeschooler.

In each installment I will introduce you to a homeschooler and their family and ask them a few questions about a typical day in their homeschool. There are so many different styles and methods of homeschooling, I hope that you enjoy this sneak peek into a few of them!

Meet Kim!

My name is Kim. I currently homeschool my daughter, Kaira, who is 12 (soon to be 13) and I do what I like to call pre-pre school with my 2 year old, as well as, a 2 year old I babysit. We homeschool in Virginia, which from all the research I’ve done, looks to be a more homeschool friendly state- if you’re looking for one! We have been on our homeschool journey for just under a year, though we both find ourselves regretting that we didn’t start on this path so much sooner than we did. My homeschooling tends to be more creative than structured, even though we do follow a curriculum… most of the time.

We would love to have you join our adventure, as well as hear your thoughts or ideas on things we’ve learned or are learning! Stop on by or hop a carpet and fly to www.kimandkairasgreathomeschooladventure.wordpress.com

Q: Do you have a set schedule that you use each day? Please explain.

Kim: The only thing set about our schedule each day, is that at some point, usually around 10, we will get up and eat something. I think we originally adopted this non scheduled routine, because shortly after we began homeschooling, we found ourselves in the public school rut and routine- which is not where we wanted to be or how we envisioned homeschool would be for us. As a result, we rebelled, so to speak. Now, however, that type of non schedule works for us, because each day is different and brings with it different activities. Having a go with the flow routine helps us adjust and transition as needed much easier than having a rigid routine would allow for us.

Q: As a homeschooler, what does a typical day look like for your family?

Kim: Again, not much of a routine happening in our home. There isn’t a typical day, but most days tend to repeat themselves each week. (By the way, we are a school whenever family. Meaning sometimes we school on weekends, sometimes not and we take breaks when we need thwm, not based on what’s going on in the world.) Anyway, Sundays, my daughter may decide to do some school, but I do not school the babies. We use Saturdays as a day to catch up on any of the important lessons we may have missed or rushed through, that need revisiting or even as an extra project day. Mondays we school and also complete any appointments (this is the goal, not the reality). Tuesdays we school, except on the 3rd Tuesday of every month, when I host a homeschool open mic. On the 2nd Tuesdays, we have 4H, so school may or may not happen or it may not happen to the full on level we school on other days. Wednesdays, we school. Thursdays we have given up trying to do school, because we have Aikido in the afternoon, one on one time in the morning, and park days after lunch; every other Thursday, we have Praise Dance rehearsal. Fridays we try to School in the morning, because I teach American Sign Language in the afternoon. Add to this schedule of sorts, 5 to 10 hours each week at the farm, with our horse and it becomes easier to understand why we have adopted a more fluid routine as opposed to a more structured type of  schedule. Yes, we have a very busy and full life, but we wouldn’t change it for the world.

Q: Do you think you’ll stick with your current routine in the future? Why/why not?

Kim: I think that we will stick with this type of routine in the future, especially because I don’t see static things like 4H, Aikido, the farm and horse shows, Open Mic or Praise Dance changing. Knowing that as my 2 year old grows, there will be other activities and or events to be added to our lives, leads me to believe further that this fluidity of a schedule is what life will look like for us for a very long time to come. And honestly, I don’t know if I would want the mundaneness that comes with an unmovable daily/weekly/monthly plan.

Q: Do you have any advice for other homeschooling moms?

Kim: I have lots of advice I would give other homeschoolers, don’t we all? March to your own drum and do what is best for you, your family and your kids. Everyone will have great advice and best practices to give-and-take remember those are tried and true things for them, it doesn’t mean that it will or won’t be the same for you. Don’t give up if something doesn’t work- just try something else. Most importantly, do not naysayers divert you from your homeschool path. (Socialization happens naturally and isn’t the forcing of similarly aged kids we see in public school.)

Thanks for getting to know a little more about Kim and her homeschool.
Join us again soon to meet another homeschooling mama in our next installment of this blog series!

Want to check out more Day In The Life Of A Homeschooler articles? Click below!

1 Sarah from RaisingRoyalty.ca
#2 Bonnie from TheKoalaMom,com
#3 Sheri from MommyHypocrite.com
#4 Jen from PracticalByDefault.com
#5 Kim from Kim And Kairas Great Homeschool Adventure
#6 Sandra from RealWorldLearners.com