A Typical Homeschool Day--Part 3

It's 7am and you've been dressed and reading in your bedroom for about half an hour. Your prayers are said, your bed is made and the room is neat when you go across the hall to see if your mom is awake. You and all your siblings push to cuddle her on the bed--even if she's out of the shower and dressed already--before heading downstairs en masse.

Since it's your day, the breakfast you asked for, bagels and yogurt fruit smoothies, is served to everyone. Sometime before 8, you've picked up your place and have started on your 2 morning chores, cleaning the downstairs bathroom and unloading the dishwasher. You practice your recorder and piano before heading across the street to where the school kids are playing at the park/bus stop. You chase your friends around, discuss your latest Lego creations, and speculate about the outcome of the Super Bowl before waving goodbye to the bus and heading in for "school" at 9.

You pick a picture book, Crinkleroot's 25 Fish Every Child Should Know, ask to be 2nd, and take a seat next to Mom on the couch. Trying to see around James on her lap and to keep Maria from shoving--quit it!--you listen to some stories. Today you have things to do, so after Cecilia's Caps for Sale, you grab your assignment book and head into the blue room to look at the wall maps.

Starting with your memory work, you review the capitals of the US states, Canadian provinces, and a few Central American countries. Quickly you recite the 5 important dates in US history you know, learn a new one, and turn to your flashcards of Latin and Greek roots. You love these so you do them all, even though you only have to do 15, and then hand the box to your brother. You are almost done memorizing "Children's Hour" by Longfellow, and you ask for a piece of fruit while you sit at the table and try to get the last few stanzas down. Maybe next week it'll finally be in your poetry book ready to be illustrated because Mom said she picked a new poem about snakes for you. It's 10:30.

Fifteen minutes of play and chasing the baby out of the legos will probably stretch into 30 until Mom says, "Anthony! Thomas is ready to watch the math movie." You wanted to do grammar with her, but the little guys need her. You manage to understand what the man on the movie is teaching over the noise (you are good at math, luckily) and take all your table work with you when you sit down. Two pages of math, 2 pages of cursive practice, and spelling copywork later, you sit on the couch to read your Bible story and a history chapter (but knowing you, you'll read 3). You'll want Mom to help you finish your work now, but it's lunchtime and she's cooking. Then she has to put the littles to bed, so you know you have some time to play.

At 1 the house is quiet, and you read a book for 1/2 hour. Then you and Thomas decide to create your own version of chess involving 3 chess boards. Around 2 o'clock Cecilia has finally fallen asleep so you go into the office and narrate the Bible story you read while Mom types it into the computer. When Thomas finishes his narration, the three of you cuddle on the couch and review a grammar lesson orally, answer the history questions, discuss the newest chapter in your catechism and review all the old chapters to see if you have them memorized. It's not quite 3, and your work is done.

4:30--Finally! The school bus is here, and you put away your book, grab a snack and play with your friends for a few hours. After dinner, you shower and ask mom to read you a book or to play some cards. At 8, after you've said your prayers and figured out where Cecilia put your new library book, you read for 1/2 hour. Just as you and Thomas are all tucked in and starting to get into a deep conversation about Bionicles, you hear a door squeak. DADDY!

A thunder of feet running down the stairs and screeching voices and jumping children all attack Daddy at once. You ask for a Lifesaver, his special treat to children who remember to ask how his day was, and wait at the toy box at the bottom of the stairs. Daddy pretends to be a red line metro train and carries you from Shady Grove to Glenmont (bed). Bionicles behind you, you and Thomas whisper about tomorrow's plans until you fall asleep.