Homeschool Open House

Tiany at Less of Me~More of Him is having a Homeschool Open House. Any homeschooler can join in and link up at her place. She already has over 200 links! The idea is to encourage one another and share any wisdom and tips we may have to offer.

Here is a peek into the Smockity Frocks Homeschool:

• We have been officially homeschooling for 7 years. None of our 6 children have ever attended any type of school in an institutional setting.


• Our homeschool day begins with our 3 oldest, ages 7, 10, and 12, getting up at 6:40 to go to work with Daddy, who is the golf pro at our small town Country Club, to learn about child labor economics and work ethic. They make the coffee, unplug golf carts, drive them up to the golf shop, and get anything done that Daddy needs. I usually pick them up between 8:30 - 9:00 and we have morning chores. Then, we begin our studies together with Bible reading, singing, scripture memory, and prayer. From that point, everyone begins on their individual lessons. I usually start the year with a loose schedule of what needs to be done in what order. For instance: 1. Spelling, 2. English, 3. Dictation, 4. Free Time, 5. Lunch. 6. After Lunch Chores, 7. Math, etc. The children know that when they complete one task, they should go on to the next thing. I help each one as they need it and try to sprinkle breaks in throughout the day, so they will have plenty of time to explore books, nature, and ideas on their own.


• We use The Well Trained Mind as our curriculum guide. However, I have become much more relaxed over the years in my adherence to the schedules that are in the book.


• We try to continue schooling throughout the year, with very frequent breaks for holidays, vacations, visitors, babies being born, etc.


• We have an area, not so much a room, in our house where we have desks, bookshelves, a school table, chairs, supplies, lots of books, a world map, etc.

One of the most important things I have learned over the years is that just because something works for another family, or many other families, doesn't mean it will be a good fit for your family. It is your family. Don't be afraid to experiment with your schedule or curriculum until you find what works best for you. NOT that you will ever find the perfect chore chart, curriculum, schedule, etc, but you can find a good fit.