It's been two weeks since we left the US to return to our home; so far we have been settling back into 'normal' life and getting ready for the autumn term.
Last week we decorated the 'play room' which has now become the Home Ed 'Hub'. With Sophie and Lily
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| The Hub |
both moving towards GCSE's and all of us getting fed up with not being able to leave projects on the go on the kitchen table, we revitalised the room and extended the workbench. It feels very welcoming and we love the new space; if course we now require the essential visit to Ikea to complete it (very sad, but I adore Ikea)!
So now that we have our space, you might be wondering how our days are
actually configured. Enjoy a day in the life of.............
07:10 Ben wakes me with my morning cup of tea. Like a princess, I sit in bed and we chat about the day ahead before he goes of to work.
07:45 I prise myself from my bed and think about the day. I usually have a rough idea of what we might be doing, and of course have my '
other hat' to consider so think about that too. I wake the children before I head into the shower.
08:30 Breakfast. Normally a smoothie, or smoked salmon and eggs. We have been following
'The Whole 30' since we came home and have eliminated Wheat, Diary and Sugar from our diets. The children lasted a week before there was a stand-off so we have compromised a little for them, allowing them some bread and yoghurt.
09:00 I set Noah up on his computer and he signs into
The Khan Academy - this is an on-line resource that someone recommended and we are just getting to grips with this. Meanwhile, I attempt to connect Sophie's (old) PC to the wireless printer. The morning is now liberally interspersed with the words
'fucking technology' as I try to resolve the issue. I'm not perfect.
09:30 In-between this, Noah has decided to tackle 3 figure additions and is stuck. Not surprising as we haven't 'done' this yet, but he wants to learn. I sit down with him and teach him long addition. He gets it really quickly and likes the carrying-over.
09:37 World War III breaks out between Sophie and Lily. I send them to their rooms. This is really just an avoidance tactic; I avoid having to settle the argument and I avoid having to listen to their shit. It works. yay.
09:50 Put the milk on to warm for my morning coffee. An essential part of home education. Noah plays on the trampoline for a short break. I don't hear from the girls.
10:04 Lily has wondered back downstairs and would like me to look at a club she would like to join; she tells me all about it and shows me a you tube clip. She emails the organisers to find out about visiting and then works on her self-directed Paris project.
10:21 Shit. Forgot the milk was on. Luckily its not burnt. Brew my coffee and return to the 'Hub'. Noah and I spent yesterday morning reminding ourselves about nouns, verbs and adjectives. I can't find his English book (where did I put that?) so give him a year 4 comprehension sheet. Its too easy for him (technically he would be in year 6), and I am pleased that we have moved on in our learning. Maybe I am perfect.
10:30 I cross a few things of my to do list:
Find local Scout Group for Noah
Reply to emails
Review diary
Plan our trip to the Royal Albert Hall and the Primary Proms
We also listen to some of Tchaikovsky's compositions on youtube as next week we are going to see
'Sleeping Beauty on Ice' at Woking Theatre and I want them to be a little familiar with his work.
10:50 It's Lily's turn to walk Chester, but as he has a new
Halti Head Collar Size 2
harness (to stop him pulling) she is worried about walking him. I offer to support her and we walk the dog together to the local park. Noah has been left with a worksheet on magnets and a cool
Magnet Science (Hands-on Science)kit
. I had forgotten about Sophie...... oops. We make up and she comes back downstairs and works on her GCSE homework; Sophie is studying English, Biology and Maths and she has these
awsome tutors weekly to help her. Lily, Chester and I head off.
12:15 We return from our lovely walk; Sophie has emptied the dishwasher and Noah has finished his sheets. We make lunch and eat together at the table. I like our meals together - there is always laughter and good conversation.
13:00 This is 'quiet hour' where they have to read or amuse themselves. I return back to my PC to tackle my emails. The children keep talking to me, so I put my 'midwife' hat on and remind them I am working! We laugh and it works.
14:10 Having been distracted by
Pintrest,
Instagram and
Facebook (all in the name of
IMUK Campaign work), it's time to move away from the computer. I have an antenatal appointment in Guildford at 15:00 so I need to prepare and get ready to go.
14:30 Noah is now using his screen time to play Minecraft, Lily is jumping around on the Wii Fit and Sophie is reading her novel for English as I head of to work
I generally work in the afternoons and leave around 3pm ish. Ben is home just after 5 if I have not made it back before him. I used to try and work in the mornings - but the children would fight and I also had to get up earlier, so afternoons work better. The children usually use their screen time, play or find something to entertain themselves. Sometimes they fight, but on the whole it works quite well.
16:54 Arrive home to find harmony in the ranks and everyone doing something constructive. I have withheld from the temptation of calling into Starbucks on the A3 for a Soya Chai Latte so instead make myself a nice cuppa as I start to prepare dinner. Noah comes in to the Kitchen upset as Sophie has told him he needs 'help'. I ask her to write me half a page on what this statment means as I don't understand. Noah, in retaliation calls Sophie a 'Spasm'. I ask him to use the dictionary to write out the definition of Spasm. He laughs and feels silly when he realises what it means! We talk about nouns and adjectives again and it's a good way to reinforce his learning (not the name calling, using the dictionary).
18:03 Ben is now home and we sit together for our family meal. Curry and Cauliflower Rice (yummmmm). Ben tells the children he has brought them a treat and would they like some Oreos? Steam (but no expletives this time) starts to errupt from me. Duh - did I really think he would ruin our healthy eating?
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| Oreos label from a project at Ben's work! |
18:47 The children help to clear the table (chores and helping is an essential part of family life in Horler land) and retreat to their own space. Noah is allowed to watch TV for an hour each evening and the girls usually tend to their Ipods. This gives Ben and I a chance to sit and catch up for 1/2 hour.
19:30 Tonight is 'date' night: having three children means it can be hard to have 1-2-1 time with each individual child. Following the suggestion from a friend, we have created a rota of date nights for each child and one adult (i.e. over a three week period each child gets to go out one eve with either Ben or myself). It's my turn to take Lily, and (hooray for me) she wants us to go ice skating. We head off for the evening; I have one minor fall and decide to leave the ice before another, but Lily but we have a nice evening together anyway. Next week it's Noah and Ben's turn - Noah has already decided to go to the cinema, which seems far easier than skating for 2 hours. Never mind.
23:17 Home. We don't have to worry too much about late nights as we don't have to get up to school, but normally the children are in bed at a very reasonable time.
Tomorrow is another day and whilst there may be some similarities to the rhythm of the day, it will also be quite different. I like that.
Bring on the morning!!
angela x
Sometimes it's the simple books that give you all the information you need: I don't have masses of money to have a beautifully stocked library - and neither do I feel the need for that when we have great public libraries. I do however like to have handy resources for the children to explore and the Usbourne beginners books are clear, small and affordable. We used this little book for our geography lesson (below), and if we need more detail we head off to the library for heavier titles.
How do you approach Geography as a home educating parent? Ummm, if like me, you stick some maps of the world up and hope that will work then this book is perfect for you! Each chapter as an element of geography (including maps, climates, time zones and so forth); the chapter starts with 'what you need to know' which I read to the children, followed by prompt questions to get you thinking and then a hands-on activity to support and explore the learning. I enjoyed our first 'lesson' last week on the Earth in space almost as much as the children did!
I am one of those people who find it hard to say 'NO'; for whatever reason I hear myself saying yes even when I am thinking "how am I going to do that?"! This book was a gift from a friend who saw that in me, and noticed that I was often overwhelmed and neglecting myself to my own detriment (I love good friends like that!). The book has a strong Christian ethos throughout (but don't let this put you off if you are not religious); I have (with the support of the book) been able to put effective boundaries into place that have had a hugely positive impact on my quality of life. And I no longer feel guilty when I need to say no! 
