A Typical Day In Our Homeschool Life {+ Skip Hop Giveaway}

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This post is sponsored by Skip Hop.  All opinions are my own.

I grew up attending public school and so did my husband.  So what brought the spark of interest to homeschool is still a mystery.  However, we gave it a go with our first and here we are, now in our 8th year.  Now we have four kiddos that I work with ranging from Kindergarten all the way up to 7th Grade.  And while no two days are ever the same, we’ve found a groove that works for us.

Our Typical Homeschool Day

While I used to let the kids sleep in, over the years, I’ve discovered that wasn’t working well.  We’d still be working on school stuff come 8 at night because they got a late start.  Then it was time to break for lunch.  Everything would snowball and we’d head out to play, clean, and whatever else needed to get done.  So we’d find ourselves working on school late into the evening.  NOT fun.  So instead, a typical day now starts at 6AM for our oldest two: Hannah (7th grade) and Jack (6th grade).

The best part about starting early is that they are both done with school by about 9AM!  Which leaves the rest of the day for play, fun, and hands on learning.  Our younger two that are being homeschooled are Alex (2nd grade) and Sam (kindergarten).  And their book work takes an hour or less a day.

So after all the main subjects and book work is done, you’ll find us doing a variety of things.

The Dreaded Chores:

Honestly, part of our homeschooling is making sure we are equipping our kids for real life.  That includes chores.  Whether helping with the dishes, laundry, or cleaning up toys, everyone helps to the best of their ability.

Taking Care Of Our Animals:

We live on a farm and have several pets that the children help with.  There’s our little Yorkie Angel who needs to go out potty throughout the day.  Recently, we’ve taken in an abandoned kitty who needs to be bottle fed. Then we have a new outdoor puppy that needs to be taken out of her kennel, fed, and played with.  We also have two mini horses that our oldest three feed twice a day.  And finally, there’s the chickens.

Play Time:

Playtime is highly encouraged throughout the day.  Kids learn best through play so we offer plenty of free time for that purpose.  Whether they choose board games, toys, or whatever else they come up with, we love to see them actively playing together.

Baking & Cooking:

When I graduated high school, I really didn’t know how to cook.  (I could bake quite a few things but that was all.)  So one of my biggest goals with raising our children is to teach them to cook.  I want them to have this very important skill so when they move out on their own, they can provide themselves meals.  While fast food and restaurants are handy in a pinch, it’s so easy to waste way too much money on eating out.  Whether it’s the main course or biscuits, I have all five of our kids in there helping me read recipes, find ingredients, measure, pour, and mix.  And for the most part, they enjoy it!

Instruments:

Hannah is 12 and has been playing piano and violin for several years now.  Jack is 10 and does quite well on the guitar and piano.  Alex is just 7 but started piano about two years ago now.  So all three of the older kids work on practicing their instruments throughout the week and then we take lessons almost weekly from a wonderful family.  It works out so well because they have 8 children.  This means that not only do our kids get their lessons in, they get a play date as well!

Reading:

While I do have 15 minutes of reading listed on their daily boards, I really wouldn’t have to.  All three of our older kids read for several hours each day.  Which brings us to our weekly library trips!

Skip Hop Is Here To Stay

So even though we homeschool, my kids still utilize backpacks fairly often.  Whether it’s on a day that we take our school work to the park, a visit to the library, or bringing some toys on a road trip, our Skip Hop Zoo Collection Kids Backpacks are awesome.

These adorable Zoo Collection Little Kid Backpacks features one large zippered pocket as well as a smaller half pocket along the front and a side pocket that’s perfect for a water bottle.  The front half pocket also has a mesh divider.

Their Stainless Steel Water Bottles are available in coordinating Zoo Collection prints and feature a no-slip silicone sleeve, flip open top, handy grab strap, and drinking straw.  It’s super easy to use that toddlers have no problems being independent with this bottle.

The Skip Hop Zoo Collection is absolutely adorable and gets looks and comments everywhere we go.  Seriously… I can’t get over the cuteness!  They have a huge variety of whimsical and fun creatures to choose from that I just want them all!

Do You Love Skip Hop Too?   Then Enter To Win!

I’m excited to share that Skip Hop is giving one of our lucky readers their very own Backpack and Water Bottle!  The winner may choose their design, based on availability.  Enter the giveaway widget below for your chance.  Good luck!