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Routine over Schedule

I think a common myth for homeschooling is that you need to have your day scheduled out such as a public school classroom would do. No one loves a good schedule as much as I do, but I also like to complete a task and get I frazzled when I feel too rushed. Due to this, trying to do math from 9:00 – 9:40 and reading from 9:45 – 10:15 and snack from 10:15- 10:30 didn’t work that well for me and the girls here in our homeschool.

Yet the opposite of that didn’t work well for us either! If we made no plan we would end up at with everyone complaining when I said it was school time or it being suppertime and needing to cram a bunch of school in before bed. So finding a good routine seems to be our sweet spot!

When I use routine over schedule, I give us a general feel and order to our day without adding the pressure of time restraints. Certain things like meals and extra curricular activities have set times of course, and the rest I just go through in order. I love this because if the girls are playing nicely together, I don’t interrupt. That means our school start time isn’t totally predictable. If one of the girls is frustrated with a lesson, we might skip it. Or we might grab the ipad and do some kookoo kangaroo on go noodle. Or we might back the bus up and re-teach a concept. If they are super interested and engaged we may push past what I have planned. I feel like a daily routine allows for this in a way that the rigiditity of a schedule would not allow.

A Glance at our DAily Routine

A family routine will look different for everyone but for us it looks loosely like this:

7:30ish (heavy on the ish) – everyone is up. I don’t wake the girls. They can sleep later if they like and sometimes they do. If Hailey is left undisturbed (rare in a house with 4 pets and a little sister) she will happily sleep until closer to 9.

They wake up and play for a while.

When they decide they want to eat breakfast I get their breakfast and we all sit together at the table. I’ve usually already eaten so I drink water or my tea. While they eat we do our morning activities. (I showed these more on my instagram stories). We do our devotion, our character trait study, our poem of the day, practice our sign language, and often review our phonogram sounds. If they are working on a memory verse in their Awana books we review it.

They clear their breakfast dishes, wipe the table and go play.

Usually around 10 they are ready for their morning snack. I cut up some apples or something like that and we sit back at the table for snack. At this time I will work on their morning lessons. These are the lessons I want to get done that day. I always prefer to finish them before lunch but sometimes it doesn’t happen. They do printing, language arts and math during this time. I mostly work with them one at a time. Sometimes the other works on their keyboarding program, writes in their journal, or does their school independently. If they decide to play through snack, I wouldn’t dare interrut a good sister play sesh!

They go play.

We eat lunch. I often read from our read aloud novel while they eat lunch.

After lunch we always (if we are home) have at least 30 min of quiet independent reading time and I love it so much. HAiley reads in my bed, Sophie listens to books on CD in her bed and I read and drink tea on the couch. And it’s magical.

The afternoon is a bit more unpredictable. They mostly play. Some days I try to do either science or social when they come for afternoon snack or I do tea time where we read from our current chapter book. Sometimes they have extra curricular activities. Somedays we are tired and have bubble baths and movies. Often, once the school bus drops off neighbourhood kids, we have extra kids here. I go with the flow pretty loosely for the afternoons!

The evening varies depending on if there are activities but we are, and always have been, consistent with our 7pm bedtime (except on Awana or care group nights) Hailey gets to read a while before lights out but Sophie is in bed and asleep shortly after 7pm.

So that is a bit of the rhythm of our day. It works. I feel like we all have a bit of an idea what is going on yet we aren’t tied to the clock and a tight schedule.

As per most everything I share about homeschooling, what works for me wont work for all. That is the beauty of homeschool! You pick what you like best for you and what works best for you and your kiddos. I love to see how other people run their homeschools!

How do you structure your homeschool days?

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About Me

Hi I am Kristin Stewart. I consider myself so lucky to be a homeschool mommy! Before I was a mother, I was a teacher in both public and Christian boards and I loved teaching so much. However, once my first daughter was born I knew God was calling me to be at home with her. So when it was time for her to start school, homeschooling was a natural fit for us. Read More…

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from_kristin_homeschool

Kristin Stewart
✨better together✨ Another week of school done ✨better together✨
Another week of school done and enjoying the beach on this beautiful Friday afternoon.
1ish week of school to go.
#raisingreaders #alwaysbringabook #raisingreaders
#alwaysbringabook
Homeschool perk- the freedom to travel. Packed up Homeschool perk- the freedom to travel. Packed up our books and brought them to the land of the red sand. The beach is calling, we must go!
Friends, popsicles, butterflies and tiny pools…. Friends, popsicles, butterflies and tiny pools….we love summer ❤️
Starting our study of Numbers today for Bible time Starting our study of Numbers today for Bible time. It’s important to me that the girls understand the importance of looking at a whole book of the Bible for context and understanding of how each event fits into the bigger picture of Gods salvation. 

The Bible Handbook from @thedailygraceco to overview and introduce the book.

The Story of Numbers by @readkaleidoscope writes it geared toward kids.

And not pictured, our Bibles. We frequently go over checking back to our Bible if we arent sure about something in another book. 

What are you studying?
Cheers to the other mamas just finally getting the Cheers to the other mamas just finally getting their quiet time at 10:15 am because they’ve been in diffuse and correct mode all morning. 

Here’s to the mamas with a child who needs a little “extra” in the regulation department. (If you know what I mean, you know). 

To the ones taking deep breaths and calling on the fruits of the spirit to help her deal with the current “explosion”. 

To the mama who wonders if she’s doing it right but knows it’s worth it. 

God chose me to mother her and He chose you to mother yours. He did that purposefully and He will equip us. If you are a Christian, you have the fruits of the spirit and the help of the Holy Spirit. 

Take a deep breath, a quiet minute and ask God for wisdom and help for this day. It’s an honour and a privilege to have this job of mama.

Hard doesn’t equal bad. 

Here’s to you mama! Keep going. ❤️
All About Reading tip: give them last years reader All About Reading tip: give them last years readers for independent reading.

 She always wants a few minutes to read on her own before bed and she likes to read last years AAR readers because she knows she won’t get a story that’s too hard. 

There’s nothing wrong with letting kids independent reading material be below their instructional level.
It’s a great way to build fluency and confidence and avoid frustration.

Thankful for these readers with interesting stories and colourful pictures @allaboutlearning ❤️
We had a great hike adventure on this beautiful sp We had a great hike adventure on this beautiful spring day!
A look through, and long explanation of, Learning A look through, and long explanation of, Learning Language Arts Through Literature grade 4. 
Let me know if you have any questions!
Sharing the math manipulatives I used today in my Sharing the math manipulatives I used today in my stories. My youngest really thrives when she learns hands on. These are from amazon, except the animals that are from the dollar store.
Read with your kids! 👏🏻Read to them. Let the Read with your kids! 👏🏻Read to them. Let them read to you. Take turns share reading. Read your own books beside each other. READ!

The benefits of reading to your kids are staggering. Not only are there crazy academic benefits, there are also relational benefits. Reading together is such a bonding experience. It helps calm your tiny ones and it brings your older kids to you. 

She’s almost 10 and she’s been reading since she was 4. She’s a voracious reader, reads constantly. I might need a job just to keep her in books. She can read as well as people twice her age. Some might naturally think there’s no point in reading to her anymore. She doesn’t need me to, she’s capable on her own. 

I disagree! We always have a book on the go together. It’s so bonding to be mutually enjoying a book and into it together. It allows her to relax or draw while I read to her. It gives us something to do just the two of us when we have time but I’m tired. Sometimes we just snuggle up like this reading our own books, pausing when she wants to talk about her book. Benefits here are we are physically connected and I get to know what shes reading and be available for discussion. 

All that to say, read with your kids!! Even when they’re older!! 

Together, she and I are loving the Tuesday’s with the Castle series. We’re on our last one!! What are you reading with your big kids?
What a great fsmily hike today to the southern tip What a great fsmily hike today to the southern tip of our island! 75 ish min hike for the whole crew!
Mystery of History Level 1. This is the history p Mystery of History Level 1. 
This is the history program we are using this year and I love it. This is likely what we will use for the next few years. I think this level will last us 2 years since we don’t do History daily.
This is a Bible based curriculum. It begins with creation and goes through history chronologically from there. Each lesson is short with a lesson in the text to be read (I read it out loud) and then a selection of activities. Each lesson has an activity for younger students, middle students and older students. 
There are some written components you can choose, such as matching characters with descriptions or answering comprehension questions. But as the teacher you can pick and choose what you want your kids to do. It can all be oral if you prefer. 
You can order timeline images and work throughout this whole curriculum to make a timeline. This is neat as it allows the kids to see how it all first together.
I love using this resource to learn together as a family!! 

#mysteryofhistory #homeschoolhistory
Merriest Christmas from our house to yours!! Looki Merriest Christmas from our house to yours!! Looking forward to this week off of school and next week we will be back at it!! My plans this week are mostly to read! How are you spending this week?
We are all so excited to see the snow and hope it We are all so excited to see the snow and hope it stays for Christmas
Grumpy mom goes to the beach. If you hear report Grumpy mom goes to the beach. 

If you hear reports of a crazy lady walking Stanley beach in the downpour and singing at the top of her lungs, have no fear, ‘twas just me. 

Do you know the best part of homeschooling? Being with your kids all the time. Getting to make so many memories and develop a strong bond, laugh together, train them, shape their character, disciple them, see them grow up….

Do you know the hardest part of homeschooling? 
Being with your kids all the time. All the mess, all the noise, all the discipline and discipling and correction. Not being able to outsource the tiring and hard parts of parenting. 

Homeschooling isn’t neat and tidy that’s for sure. It’s loud and messy and tiring and hard. And it’s beautiful and rewarding and bonding and the best decision we ever made. 

Doesn’t have to be one or the other. Both can be true. I can love it and think it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done all at the same time. 

So that’s what brings me in my raincoat and boots, worship music blaring out of my pocket and out of my lips, to the beach…getting myself ungrumpy and ready for another week of the hardest and best thing I’ve ever done. I wouldn’t change it for all the money in the world. ❤️

@valmariepaper a nod to your grumpy mom takes a holiday book. ❤️
“I believe in God the Father, I believe in Jesus “I believe in God the Father,
I believe in Jesus Christ,
I believe in the Holy Spirit
And He’s given us new life.
I believe in the crucifixion, 
I believe that He conquered death.
I believe in the resurrection
And He’s coming back again
I believe.”

Last Sunday our oldest daughter publicly declared her saving faith and allegiance to Jesus through the act of obedience through believers baptism. What a glorious day! And for her daddy to do the honours was even more special. 

We will continue to disciple her as she grows in knowledge, understanding and love for God. 

You do not need to share my beliefs to be welcome here. I’ve got a seat for you at my table regardless of your religious views. But may where my belief, love and allegiance lays never be in question. 

We love you Hailey girl ❤️
One row of carrots and a few onions harvested. Abo One row of carrots and a few onions harvested. About 1/3 of what’s there so lots more work to do.
Thank you God for this harvest and it’s provision for our family
I accidentally cut myself off! Here is part 2! I a I accidentally cut myself off! Here is part 2! I also forgot that there are usually individual white boards down below with the binders but they used them this morning and they’re not put back yet!
Showing the rolling cart we use for school this ye Showing the rolling cart we use for school this year
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