I recently tried to give a little homeschooling advice for anyone who is entering this stage of life for the first time. Most of the advice was more theory, or how we think about homeschooling. But sometimes a few practical tips help, too. So this is my Practical Homeschooling post: a few things that I've learned over the past 8 (!!) years of homeschooling.
1. Know what's for dinner. Having a menu plan is so helpful. Just have a good idea of what's for dinner, and on busy days, don't hesitate to put dinner in the crockpot. It's wonderful to do the work first thing in the morning! I particularly like to do this when we have activities later in the afternoon. Freezer meals are also helpful. For health and financial reasons, we prefer to eat at home, so I try to be on top of dinner--out of necessity!
2. Get your rest. Don't stay up late. :) Most of us are nicer when we've had our rest. (Even Charlotte Mason herself said this: "Do not sit up late preparing lessons; what you seem to gain in preparation you lose by tiredness next day." YES!)
3. If possible, once the day begins, put your phone on airplane mode (or turn it off) and don't use it until the schooling is done.
4. Create a brief chore list for yourself of morning chores, midday chores, and evening chores, and stick with it as much as you can. Keep the lists simple and not too onerous. Meals, laundry, pet care, and kitchen/bathroom hygiene are the true essentials, so have the chore lists focus on making sure these are covered.
5. Choose one place for your school items, and keep them there. Every day after the academic stuff is done, put things back to rights. This is a sanity-saver! (I also love using my labelmaker.) Maybe I'll post a few schoolroom photos. I really, really need order. I can be kind and gentle even when things are chaotic, but it's much easier if things are orderly. :)
6. Lower your homemaking expectations. The truth is, having children at home all day is kind of a messy, happy sort of chaos! They play, they eat, they do crafts. Gently train them to pick up after themselves (don't be harsh; it never wins their allegiance), but realize that the house may be messier, and you almost certainly won't get as much done. It's okay. This is a season of life. Remember that babies (and toddlers, and preschoolers, and elementary schoolers, and middle schoolers.....) don't keep. Enjoy them while you have them!
7. Be kind and gentle to yourself, because that's how you can be kind and gentle to others. If you need to take a walk each day, or exercise, or work on a hobby, or whatever, try to carve out a tiny bit of time to do those things that make you feel more human, because your attitude and your spirit set the tone of the entire house. Take care of yourself.
I could say all sorts of things about juggling domestic tasks and homeschooling, but that might be overwhelming. I think this simple list of tips is sufficient; it covers the bases of what I consider the most practical issues. There are many, many things I could write about specific curricula, educational philosophies, interesting books to read on homeschooling, etc., but those are beyond the scope of this post. This is more about the "boots on the ground" essential issues of day-to-day life when homeschooling: keeping routines, maintaining some semblance of order, feeding people, and taking care of yourself!
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