As we approach year 10(!) of homeschooling, I’ve gotten better at managing all the things required of a homeschooling mommy and family. But, there are definitely more than a few tools that make a big difference in our day-to-day success.
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A Day in the Homeschool Mommy Life: Tips and Tools for Survival
1. Wake-up
Whether you get up before or after your kids, the transition isn’t always smooth. These are my must-haves for an easy wake-up:
Comfy lounge clothes
We’re don’t-get-dressed-until-you’re-leaving-the-house kinda people, mostly because it’s less laundry (a lot of days, we go straight from jamas to gym) and we’re all better teachers/learners when we’re comfy. For me, that means donning some soft and loose pants (fun fact: I loathe leggings) and a flowy tank (58% off for Prime Day) in the summer or oversized hoodie (30% off for Prime Day) in the winter. It’s not real clothes, but also no pajamas which has the bonus of not looking like I just got out of bed if I need to take trash out or someone comes to the door at noon.
Coffee!
I’ll readily admit that I’m not my best self without coffee. Do I love that about myself? Not really, but reality is a tired me is a less patient, less loving, and less enthusiastic me. So, that means coffee is my friend. Days when hubby works from home, we have an extra large 14-cup Cuisinart coffee brewer (our original Cuisinart broke recently, surviving several moves and 15 years after we got it as a wedding gift!) and for days when I’m on my own, I have a single-cup brewer (38% off for Prime Day).
2. Elementary School Time
My boys are usually up early and love to get school done as quickly as possible so they have the rest of the day to play. And while we have our regular program and curriculum favorites, there are a few tools that help our morning go smoother:
Tablet
Having a hand-held device is super helpful for many different reasons including doing research, storing reference guides I don’t want to print out, or allowing one kid to stay busy while I’m working one-on-one with another. Kindle Fires are up to 58% off for Prime Day.
Whiteboards and Markers
We could not survive, at any age/grade without plenty of wipe-off boards and markers (24% off 12 pack boards, markers, and erasers for Prime Day). Our stash has grown over the years to include reusable hundreds and other math charts, grid boards (55% off for Prime Day), and paddle boards for our history quiz show games. I also use my own printable cheat sheets and put them in plastic page protectors (44% off for Prime Day) for wipe-off re-usability.
3. High School Math and Science Time
I usually get my older kids up between 9 and 10 to get them started on their school for the day (I have two high schoolers now!). We do math and science together (it’s worked out well that my youngest of each set are advanced at math so we can pair up for middle and high school) using our favorite programs which will include Algebra II and Physics this year. Some things I expect to need include:
Graphing Calculators
We’ve gotten through geometry with only scientific calculators (42% off calculator pictured below for Prime Day) and my one graphing calculator from high school, but I went ahead and got each of my high schoolers their own graphing calculator for Algebra II, which I’m sure will also be helpful with our physics program.
Lab Equipment
Since this year is physics, we’ll need mostly measuring tools for our labs including: metersticks; stopwatches; ball bearings or marbles (27% off for Prime Day, plus 20% off coupon available); ramp or track (we use the boys’ hot wheels tracks!); spring scale/balance; digital thermometer; and scale.
4. Lunch
We tend to do quick and easy lunches, either leftovers (usually called “make your own lunch”) or something I can cook up really quickly for everyone like eggs or soup. And, because of Doodle’s corn intolerance, there are, unfortunately, no tips, tricks, or tools for lunch food in this house!
5. History and Independent Work
After lunch we do history together and then high schoolers start their independent work (English, health, and other electives). I use Google Classroom to set up and manage all high school courses (except math). We’ve set up work spaces at one end of our living room for the two older kids which includes:
Fire Stick/Roku
We use both Fire TV (up to 58% off for Prime Day) and Roku throughout our house to be able to stream our favorite shows anywhere, and it’s invaluable for school and being able to directly access YouTube through the app, or Screen Cast directly from one of our Android phones (some more than 50% off for Prime Day) to the TV so everyone can see without having to mess with wired connections.
Computer
We’ve had lots of computers over the years, and have had plenty of problems, but never with Asus brand (except that one time I dropped it, but that was definitely a me problem!), so we’ve decided to stick with what works for us and both of our high schoolers now have their own laptop they use for school work. (I highly recommend a solid state drive if you can afford it).
Desk
Each kid has their own small desk (66% off desk pictured below for Prime Day) with space for their laptop, books, and other items they need handy. We picked a multi-level style so staying organized is easier.
6. Nap/Resting Time
Every afternoon before we go running around to activities, we take as much time as we can (ideally two hours) for resting and getting things done independently. My younger two go to different spaces to rest, while my older two continue to work on their independent school subjects, and this is usually when I plan, schedule, and grade their school. Most days, we’ll also throw on a show for background noise, or, occasionally, a movie if school is caught up. Nap time goes smoothest with:
Quiet Toys
My younger two have quiet, creative toys and books available to them during our rest time including Lego, Magnet tiles, Zoobs, and Play Mobile (various building toys up to 50%+ off for Prime Day).
Bean Bag
Doodle usually rests in our school room so Pipsqueak can lay down in their shared bedroom. One of the highlights of the school room is the giant bean bag (bean bag pictured below 30% off for Prime Day) we got a few years ago which allows Doodle to relax in whatever position he chooses while reading or resting.
7. Gymnastics and Dinner
Starting about 3 o’clock during the school year and lasting until after dinner time, gymnastics dominates our evening hours. And now with kids at different gyms, different directions from home, and traffic getting worse all the time, time management in those later hours of the day is crucial to our survival. Whoever is home will eat dinner together, and those who finish later eat a large snack before practice and dinner when they get home. There were some days this spring while the kid were still at the same place, though, where schedules were off-set and sometimes I brought dinner for the kid who got done first and they ate while we waited. My tools for surviving the evening include:
Crockpot
When I have time in the afternoon, I’ll try to throw something in the good old-fashioned crockpot (crockpot pictured below 30% off for Prime Day) for dinner (I never jumped on the InstaPot craze). I have few tried and true recipes that not only make meal prep easy for that night, but also yield leftovers for other days. Favorites include southern style bbq pork (which we put over mac-n-cheese alter) and beef and onion stew.
Bento Boxes
Those gym dinners or camp lunches are made so much easier by having partitioned containers where I can put a whole meal in one and not have to worry about tons of individual container tops and bottoms coming home and getting washed.
8. Bed time!
After everyone’s home from activities and fed, it’s bed time. And I get some well deserved quiet before heading to bed myself and starting it all over again the next day after a, hopefully, restful night on our Tuft and Needle mattress (up to 30% off for Prime Day) (which I absolutely love!)
