Our Morning Homeschool Routine | Wild Haven Seasons

If you want to make my kids laugh, ask them about our homeschool "routine".

Go ahead. I'll wait.

I have friends who have the "Homeschool Routine" down to a science. Their kids know exactly what is going to

happen each day of the week. They are like tiny, well-oiled machines. They don't have to ask, "What next?" because every day is the same.

That sounds amazing. But that's not me.

Our "routine" changes every few weeks. I start to feel like something could be better, so I call another meeting saying,

"Alright, Kids, we're going to try something new..."

They laugh, because they get it. Our "routine" is to consistently change the routine! I like change. They like change. We're just a bunch of weirdos.

So, when people ask me what our homeschool routine* looks like, I have to tell them that this is only what it's like right now. *Terms subject to change at any time, with or without notice.

I'm a firm believer in changing with the seasons. And I don't just mean spring, autumn, winter... I mean life seasons. Whenever I brought a newborn home, our school routine changed. When sickness blows through our home, knocking us down one by one, the routine looks very different than the week prior. When we found ourselves moving again, and again, and again, (Thanks, US Army) we had to switch things around.

We have had seasons of hitting every subject every day, and seasons of only doing our "Core Four" for weeks at a time before getting back to "normal". And when Covid knocked on our front door in 2021 and sent the homeschool teacher to the ER, we took a LONG, much needed break.

Things also change for us each year as we add new students to the mix. Now that four of our five children are in school, my day is busier than when I only had two or three students. Things are changing as my oldest approaches high school, and in a couple of years, when my toddler officially starts school, things will change again.

Change is a part of life. Change is also one of my favorite things about educating my children at home. If something doesn't work for one of my children, we have the freedom to change it. From nap times, to meals, to curriculum. None of my children are forced to do something just because other kids their age have to do it.

Years ago, when my husband worked as an Army recruiter, he often didn't get home til 7:30pm or later. If I put my kids to bed at 8, they would never get to see their dad. So, we changed bedtime. They stayed up til 10pm or 11pm consistently and slept in the next morning. It worked for us during that season. Now that he has a different job and we are living in the country, bedtime has moved up, and our outdoor chores require we rise earlier in the day than before.

So, as you read about our current routine, please keep two things in mind:

First, this is what works for us right now. Not what we plan to do forever. Come back next week and I may have changed everything you're about to read!

Second, when planning your own routine, remember what season your family is in right now. If you have a new baby at home, don't try to mimic the routine of a homeschool mom with all highschoolers. If you are living in a small space, don't freak out about not having a dedicated homeschool room (we don't have one. We do our work mainly on the living room floor!)

If you've made it this far, thanks for sticking with me!

Our 2023 Homeschool Routine.

1. Wake up. (Duh).

I don't have a set time for this. I get up between 6am and 7am most days. I have my coffee, do a little writing and my devotions, then start making breakfast around 8am. The kids start to wake up as I cook (with the exception of my oldest, whom I have to drag out of bed every morning). While I finish preparing the food and enlist one of the kids to set the table, I send my Oldest out to feed and let out the chickens, and one of my Middles to go out and feed the dogs. Then the kids wash up, choose their placemat (they use a different one for each meal), and sit down at the kitchen table.

2. Breakfast and "Morning Looping Basket".

I don't eat until later in the morning, so I like to use the kids' breakfast time to go ahead and start our school day. While they eat, they listen as I read from our "Morning Loop." This includes our Bible study lesson (currently alternating between this and this), our logic lesson (we're loving The Fallacy Detective right now!) and then we alternate between a history lesson or science lesson each day. We also go over some of our memory work at this time. If the kids are still eating when we've finished all of that (and my youngest daughter, who is part sloth, always is!) we read a chapter from our current Read Aloud. Then we wash the dishes and reset the kitchen before moving to the living room for the rest of our school morning.

3. Morning Work.

Once we settle down on the couches or floor (typically around 9:30-10:00am), we discuss what we read in science or history, answer questions, and work on any required projects. Then we do World Watch News together before getting started with individual lessons.

The older two kids use Teaching Textbooks for math and are able to work on their own, so they begin those lessons while I work with my middle two with their math (the younger kids use Simply Good and Beautiful Math). They all prefer to start with math; the older two because they want to get it over with, and the middle two because they love it! Math takes anywhere from 30-50 minutes. When we finish math, the older three move onto to Grammar/Language while I work on reading with my 6-year-old. Language typically takes around 20-40 minutes, depending on the child and the lesson. When we have finished both math and language, we clean up the living room, and the kids go outside and play. This is when I eat my first meal of the day, then read to my 2-year-old and do his "lessons" for the day. "Toddler School" takes about 10 minutes, then he goes outside to play with the other kids while I prep lunch.

4. Lunch/ Read Aloud

When I call them back in for lunch, we do more of our reading. If we missed something from our Morning Looping Basket, we do that here. If not, I read whatever book we are currently working on. We just finished Anne of Green Gables, (which was a hit!) and we are currently working through Ella Enchanted.

After lunch, the toddler naps, the younger kids (who are done for the day) go back outside to play, and the older two work on whatever researching, writing, or independent work still needs to be done. They typically finish by 2pm and head back outside, where they'll spend most of the rest of the day. It's rare for us to be working on any schoolwork (other than assigned reading, which I'll often let them save till bedtime so they can spend more time outside during the day) after 2PM.

5. Extras

We do extra things like music, typing, foreign language, cooking, life skills, etc. throughout the day as well, but these happen when they come inside to get a break from heat or cold, when the weather keeps them inside all day, or when they specifically ask for them. I don't schedule them in. Often, we save these things for Saturday, and they knock out all of the week's lessons in a day, without having to do their core curriculum on top of it.

And there you have it! Our morning homeschool routine! For now, at least =)