Lessons I've Learned in the First Week of Homeschooling

LA's facial expression pretty much sums up the first day of homeschool

School has begun in the Desko house! I know it's July, but starting early will give us the flexibility we  want (plus, it's so hot outside, we might as well spend part of the day doing school work inside and save some of those pretty fall days for outdoor adventures).

The first day was less exciting than I had hoped. There were jealousy issues whenever I worked one-on-one with a kid, and both kids always seemed to want to do what the other kid was doing more than their own assignment or task. Also, the fact that we are starting at the first chapters of several books and the first lessons for each subject meant that the kids weren't really invested in the material yet.

I don't know what I really expected, but I definitely think I expected the day to be happier and more fun. 

Luckily, every day was better than the one before, and both kids are now having fun homeschooling. I'm still in the process of figuring out what works for us, but here are 4 lessons I've learned in this first week of homeschooling (Disclaimer: these are lessons for me and my family; I haven't been doing this long enough to even attempt to give anyone else advice!):

Lesson 1: The only time everyone is quiet is when their mouths are full.

Tea time with Rembrandt

It turns out breakfast, lunch, and snack (tea time) are great times to do any kind of read aloud I need to do for the day. LA is much more likely to listen and not interrupt when he's eating, and SG is more engaged as well. Everyone gets excited for Tea Time when we do picture study, poetry, Spanish, and family read aloud (The Hobbit). Music study was supposed to go here, too, but that is just easier to do in the car.

Lesson 2: Don't be too attached to the schedule.

SG was super excited about hand-sewing, but really disappointed to find out that the first lesson was just an introduction and list of supplies. We went ahead to the next lesson (meant for next week)  on Monday and watched the third lesson (meant for the third week) later in the week because she was interested.

When I started using my schedule as a tool instead of a rule, we all relaxed and enjoyed ourselves more. I'm sure it will take me a while to find the right schedule for us and the right balance of flexibility and structure. In fact, we may never find a perfect schedule and a perfect balance. That's ok.

Lesson 3: Embrace Spontaneous Learning

Spelling with Bananagrams

 With the TV off for the week, both kids had to find new ways to amuse themselves, and many times their chosen activities were actually learning activities. I had fun simply observing their play and assisting when they asked. Whenever I tried to jump in and make it a lesson, they lost interest.



Lesson 4: Let them play.

Homeschool Recess

The biggest thing I've learned this week is that I have to give them space and freedom to learn on their own. That is the main reason I wanted to homeschool - to give them freedom to be kids, to play, and to learn on their own. I've just been surprised at how hard it is to let go of control and let them just be.