Three years ago, I started a series on Working While Homeschooling.

Day 1 here
Day 2 here
Day 3 here
Day 4 here
Day 5 here

Since then I’ve noticed a huge uptick in interest in this, and so I thought I would share with you guys how my Working While Homeschooling experience has evolved in the past year or so, and then in the future I will continue the original series!

Because, yeah, I’m still working and homeschooling at the same time. This wasn’t the plan, and I keep hoping it will not be the plan soon, but realistically? . . . I don’t see that happening. We are in a big “Dave Ramsey-pay off everything” phase right now, and then comes college savings and retirement and all that, and you get the idea. Though, I do still have the dream of my own business evolving to the point of it being my only “work.” I have some definite ideas on how to make that happen, and am working on developing that. But in the meantime, I’m still working my personal business and a contract for a national organization as well. And as my kids are getting older and needing me less, that will most likely continue!

We keep my “work” very much in mind when make our homeschool plans, and have placed greater importance, especially this year when they are now doing 4th and 2nd/3rd grade level work, on independent learning. Basically, giving the girls at least some work they can do on their own if I am not available to be there. Or, for them to come with me with questions, but mainly complete themselves. I am just not able to be 100% hands-on at this point, and also, they have grown to not want me to be either. They are proud of their independence! And yes, I am constantly having to make sure they aren’t being lazy and are actually completing assignments, and not skipping parts. “Doing your work thoroughly and completely, and to the best of your ability” has been a big part of our process this year.

How in the world are we accomplishing this? First, it has taken us almost the entire school year for them to get to this point (they are almost 10 and 8 as well) of learning how to truly be independent in their work. We also focused on curriculum that makes this possible. We use Teaching Textbooks for math and SpellingCity.com for spelling (I pull Abeka spelling lists off right from SpellingCity.com to use!). We have done Bible workbooks or KeysforKids.com for their devotional time – it was very important to me that they start developing the habit/need of personal devotional time now that they are both young Christians and also can read well on their own. And, it gives me a chance to have my own devotional time! I don’t get to have my own if they aren’t busy with something to do! And I desparately needed that back in my own life!

We started Growing with Grammar and Winning with Writing this year, and while I wasn’t quite sure about it, both girls have really enjoyed it, and have requested it again for next year. These can be done completely independently if I am not available, or they can just come to me when they have questions or don’t understand something. They have had their own handwriting or copywork to do each day. We have used Math Songs and Math Keys to practice the math facts rotating numbers each day. And then I will assign whatever is to be done with whatever current science, literature or World Geography units we are working on.

This year, we began with working together in the mornings and them doing their independent work in the afternoons for most of the year. But just in the past few weeks, we are now changing and adapting our schedule once again. I am now giving the girls their independent work (the majority of their assignments) first thing in the morning, and I am changing my work schedule so I do my client calls primarily in the mornings at the same time. This will hopefully leave most of the afternoons free! During the afternoons, we will do any group projects that my input is still needed for, field trips, errands, or outside activities.

Our girls are now at that age where the time limits my job has put on them is really becoming a problem. We have realized that our girls are having a stronger need for even more time with “friends.” They want more time at the homeschool park days (severely limited on our previous schedule) and they have been begging for more “lessons” – which has been difficult to do when I work in the afternoons. Yes, the dreaded socialization issue!

We hope this will give us more freedom to try out some of the traditional after-school activities. Or hit a museum without stressing about me having to be on the phone at a certain time. I have missed being able to be creative with field trips. That sort of thing. Also, this leaves my afternoons free to explore some of my own creative business ideas when my “office hours” are done, and the kids are playing outside.

I have also found to it feel incredibly freeing to get work out of the way first thing in the morning and then being able to “mentally leave the office” instead of watching the clock all day, so I won’t be “late.” I am looking forward to continuing this through next year as well!

I recently had a friend say she’s considering homeschooling and ask for advice.  Specifically, she asked for tips, but also why we chose whatever curriculum we chose. Below is some of the advice I shared with her:

I love homeschooling, even though sometimes I want to duck-tape the kids to the wall! (And now that our oldest is entering her prepubescent years, THAT HAS NOT CHANGED. 🙂 )

There are a million ways to go about homeschooling. And tons of things you can do! First, look for local support groups and co-ops and meet lots of homeschool moms. Find a good homeschool convention around you and GO. Talk to bunches of people. Figure out what really will fit you guys the best because that is going to matter most.

Some programs such as Sonlight, for example, are very popular – but for me it was very intense and lots of work on the parent’s part. And very expensive, which I couldn’t justify because at first hubby was not really on board. The same applies to Classical Conversations – it was a bit intense for me, and I have learned I’m not very good about following a group and doing certain things because you kinda have to stay together in your learning with the group. (And pricey for me when you have more than one kid in it.)

When I began homeschooling, I was truly on my own. I knew very few people who homeschooled and had very little direct contact with it, etc.

I started with My Father’s World for the perhaps dumb reason that I had other friends using it, and it wasn’t astronomically expensive. I didn’t really research it much at the time (like I now do). What grabbed me was that it was Christian-based and it was all organized for you. It is what they call “a box curriculum” where you buy a “kit” and that’s it. It had a teacher’s manual that says “do this” and “say that.” Made me feel a lot better as a beginner homeschool mom.

And even though, “doing X because other people are” might have a been a dumb reason to start, we truly fell in absolute LOVE with the MFW program. If I had more kids, we would absolutely go back to it for the K-2 years IN A HEARTBEAT.

I think the MFW K-2 programs are EXCELLENT. We had the best time with those years. I did add a “stronger” math (Saxon) because that made me feel better about making sure they had a strong math knowledge. I stink at math so making sure they don’t is important to me.

I like My Father’s World because its approach is to keep lessons short for short attention spans, lots of hands-on activities, big emphasis on nature and spending time outdoors. My main focus to begin with was to make sure they learn to read. And math of course. Once they can read, they can truly learn whatever the heck they want.

As an example, the K program last about 90 minutes a day which means there is plenty of time to be outside,and do all sorts of other activities. It was more important to spend my time and money on those “field trips” and extra-curriculars, etc. I loved that so little time was spent on “school” (what they think of as school) so they can focus on their own interests and what THEY want to learn and do.

Of course, now that mine are older, it has come back to bite me on the behind. They don’t want to learn what the teacher’s manual tells them it’s time to learn. They want to do what they want to do, which means I don’t have a teacher’s manual to follow anymore. I really miss being able to lean on that!

So, right now we do more of an eclectic, unit-based, notebooking, approach. We are not completely child/delight-led because I still have “control” of what I think they need to learn at this stage – but their input heavily ways in. For example – we know they have to do science. They tell me a list of ideas they are interested in, and I go looking for materials on those topics. And then we start doing them one at a time. (We only did 3 topics last year for science.) I am guessing as they get older and older, they will take more and more independence in this as well.

After that, HSLDA should be your first stop for the legal mumbo-jumbo to review the laws and reporting you need to do. But mainly you need to think about your kids learning styles and yours, and how exactly do you WANT to teach.  But, no matter where you live, it can be done. I currently live in one of the most regulated states in the US, and it is still very doable here.

Here are a few websites that have some good steps:

Homeschool Mom – Getting Started Homeschooling

Successful Homeschooling

Confessions of a Homeschooler