As we are wrapping up our eight and sixth grade homeschool I have been reflecting on the things that worked and the things we really loved about our homeschool year. Sometimes the amount of activities we are involved in can feel overwhelming, so I like to re-evaluate and decide what stays and what goes for next year. Here are five things that we really loved about our eighth and sixth grade homeschool year that we will continue into next year.
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Music Lessons
I love that my kids have the opportunity to pursue music. They are both such different personalities and this is reflected in the way they play music. The oldest plays modern guitar and takes voice lessons. My youngest is learning classical violin. Music really is a universal language and offer something for every personality.
If you are looking for a beginner violin and have no clue how to buy a violin (like me), this is the one Peyton is playing and we are pretty happy with it. It’s not a super expensive and has good sound. Make sure you follow instructions on how to measure your child to find the right size, or ask their teacher to measure them.
Starting Early
I have one child who is a night owl and one who is an early bird. I am more of a morning person so trying to accommodate my late sleeper just wasn’t working anymore. Sleep is so important for development, especially brain development, so I was always hesitant to wake my night owl up early. My concern was that his schedule wouldn’t flip and he would end up just not getting enough sleep. Finally I decided to start having him wake up to an alarm clock, and it only took a few days for his body to adapt to the new schedule. Why did I wait so long to do this? We can now get an earlier start on our day and I have the afternoons to work on blogging and coaching projects.
Kids Book Club
This is something that was started by a friend and my boys love it. We meet once a month in a coffee shop which is large enough for the teenagers to have their own separate space, and the tweens and younger kids meet in a separate room. The teens love the independence and they are self directed and run their club themselves. Sometimes this means they don’t even talk about the book, but I’m totally okay with that. I don’t like putting strict rules on something that is meant to be fun. Their book club has also morphed into a writing clu and there’s plenty of teenage silliness as well.
In case you are wondering how to do a book club for younger kids, it started with the kids each bringing a picture book to share with their friends. Now that the kids are more of the pre-teen/tweenager stage, they are reading their own chapter books and usually sharing their favorite part of the book. It’s fun to listen to them try to figure out how to discuss a book. There’s a lot of one word and short answers involved but they are learning how to read and discuss, and having their own club keeps them from bugging older siblings in the teen group.
Breakfast Prep
I realize that this is a homeschool post, but with homeschooling life and school tend to morph together. Prepping breakfasts at the beginning of the week now frees me up to do self care things, like going to the gym in the morning. Self care is so important as a homeschool mom and I think it’s important to find an identity apart from homeschooling. I see so many moms who have graduate their kids yet still have to hold tight to their position in the homeschool community. I don’t want to be that mom. It’s important to work myself out of a job and be able to let go when the time comes. Finding interests outside of homeschooling is a big part of that, and prepping breakfasts is a big part of that.
How I prep breakfasts probably needs it’s own post, but I basically make a big batch of muffins of some sort and put half in the fridge and half in the freezer. Sometimes I will make the kids some protein shakes and stick them in the fridge before I head out the door. The boys get up on their own, eat whatever breakfast I have prepped, and on a good day are dressed and ready for the day by the time I get home. This small effort has made a big difference for me being able to feel a little bit of independence a able to pursue something that is important to me. I would encourage all homeschool moms to find that something, then find a way to structure your life to make it happen.
The One Thing We Can Count On
The one thing we can count on in life and homeschooling (especially in my homeschool) is change. Things have a way of working for a season, but then seasons change and we have to re-find our groove. I’m good with this. I don’t ever want to hold something so tightly that I have to control every little aspect of our life so that I can keep holding that thing. So I change with our seasons of life and encourage you to be open to doing the same.
Celebrate Your Victories
I want to hear from you! What were your favorite things about your homeschool year? What were the victories you experienced? Tell me in the comments!