7:00 a.m.
Our homeschool day begins.
I cook oatmeal while my kids do their morning chores. My seven-year-old son puts away the clean dishes from the dishwasher, and my four-year-old daughter sorts the silverware. We listen to Adventures in Odyssey while we work. There is also Adventures in Odyssey in Spanish, but I found with just audio, there aren’t enough context clues for my daughter. She gets lost in what’s happening. However, on Saturdays, when our morning is more laid back, we listen to both.
While my kids eat their breakfast, I brew a mug of coffee and throw a load of laundry into the washing machine. Adventures in Odyssey is about 30 minutes. My kids know that they need to be dressed, have their dirty breakfast dishes put into the dishwasher, and generally ready for the day by the time it is over.
7:44 a.m.
After we scramble to find pencils (where do all the pencils hide?), my son grabs his phonogram cards and spelling words list. These are my son’s toughest subjects, so we try to do them early when his focus is high.
Even though I am a former teacher, homeschooling wasn’t on my bucket list. However, after a cross-country move in the midst of a pandemic, homeschooling made sense for us. In today’s educational climate, parents can choose from a variety of educational options. More parents are re-thinking education asking, “What learning mode works best for our children? Our family?” For our family, that looks like “hybrid homeschooling” or what some call, “university model.” My son goes to school two days a week and does at-home learning the other two days.
We love this model because it provides flexibility for language learning. On school days, we team up with the local school. My son spends time with classmates and attends art, music, and P.E. classes, along with his other school subjects. On home days, I’m the teacher, but we also partner with Kids On Mission (KOM) through their online language classes. My kids learn Bible stories and context in Spanish with native Spanish speakers. KOM teachers encourage my kids in their language learning and genuinely care about what is happening in their lives.
8:11 a.m.
We’ve moved on to his reading. At the beginning of the school year, I received a list of literature books my son would read during the school year. I always check to see if there are any Spanish versions and buy both. This is another little way we add Spanish to our homeschool day.
8:25 a.m.
I get my daughter ready for her KOM online Spanish class. While she’s on her call, my son and I read through his history assignment.
9:00 a.m.
My son starts his KOM Spanish call. My daughter and I do some letter work. My daughter has not started formal schooling, so I love when Maestra Vivi adds letters and numbers to her Spanish lesson. Today, Maestra Vivi went over la letra S in the primary book, Rosita. I already had A-Z worksheets printed from one of my favorite Spanish learning resources, so I pull the letter S and we work on that together.
9:28 a.m.
My son’s call is over. His KOM teacher, Maestra Samantha, has a great way of keeping him interested in the class through interactive games and challenges. Today’s lesson was about the Battle of Jericho, and my son enjoyed using a trompeta he made. He agrees to set it aside so we can finish our history reading. Meanwhile, my daughter organizes and counts marbles.
9:38 a.m.
I set my son up for independent work in math, geography, and Latin. My son’s favorite subject is Latin because it’s similar to Spanish. On his Latin flashcards, we write the Spanish word and note their similarity. Learning Spanish has sparked my son’s interest, and he’s eager to find other languages to learn.
10:30 a.m.
10:30 marks the start of an online bilingual storytime from our local library. They don’t have any in-person bilingual storytimes, like the one we attended when we lived in South Carolina (although that was pre-pandemic). My son joins the call, although it is targeted more for my daughter. I do some quick lunch prep. On homeschool days, I usually heat up leftovers. On the menu today: leftover chicken from last night, peas, and a salad. I also change the load of clothes over to the dryer.
11:07 a.m.
Lunch. My son calls his grandma to show off his detailed coloring on his Latin flashcards. Then, once we’ve finished the majority of our eating, I pull out the computer. Since my daughter and son are both learning the same material through KOM, we look at the PowerPoint together, available through the KOM class website. My son, who is more advanced in his language journey, reads through the material and becomes the teacher. He asks his sister questions in Spanish, and we watch (and sing along) with the week’s song, like this one about the walls of Jerricho.
12:21 p.m.
The kitchen is clean. Dishwasher started. It snowed last night, so the kids put on their snow gear and head outside.
1:36 p.m.
If it were warmer, we would stay out longer. But today, with the temperature climbing just above zero, we head back inside after about an hour of hiking through our snowy woods. I make hot chocolate and my son settles into finishing his work. Now that he’s spent some energy outdoors, he’s ready to focus again. I take the dry clothes out to fold. My daughter goes back to her marbles.
And that’s basically our homeschool day!
Thanks for joining us!
Homeschooling is not the right fit for every family. It wasn’t something I set out to do, but it has surprised me with its flexibility! As we’ve transitioned to homeschooling, we are so grateful for KOM and the ways we can incorporate their classes and material into our at-home learning day.
Do you homeschool? What does your homeschool day look like? We’d love to hear in the comments below!
Interested in having KOM be a part of your homeschool day? Click here for more information on their Christ-centered, interactive classes.