1/15/2025- Why homeschool?
As I mentioned on my “All About Me” page, I was a 1st grade teacher for 13 years. I went in to teaching thinking it was a going to be a lifelong career for me. I had thought being a teacher was going to be like when I was in school in the 90’s and I was hit with a rude awakening that children and parents have vastly changed over the years and school was nothing like it was when I was a kid.
My first couple of years were rocky and I had a wonderful team to support me and help me through my struggles of classroom management. I worked constantly and would stay beyond my contract hours on a daily basis. I loved it at first, however, the behaviors started to increase and the duties kept piling up year after year. My breaking point was when I had a VERY difficult student that caused me a great deal of stress and that amount of stress started to affect my health. I knew it wasn’t going to be a lifelong career for me anymore and I thought I still had time to figure out something else. With the support of my husband, I decided to end my public school teaching career and start my homeschooling career.
We decided to homeschool because I knew what it was like in the classroom. Teachers were overwhelmed with behaviors and students that wanted to learn were having their learning disrupted all the time. We didn’t want that for our kids. My son was completely on board and my daughter was hesitant because she would miss her friends. So, I did my research over the summer and came up with a plan.
I hope my story helps you if you are considering homeschooling. It looks different for everyone and my way is not perfect but it works for my family.
1/23/2025- Choosing a Curriculum
This was a daunting task because there are a plethora of curriculums out there for homeschooling. When I started to dive in I found that the majority of curriculums were Christian based. I wanted secular, or non-religious materials. I was also looking for materials that would work for both 2nd grade and 5th grade. I found it was hard to pick one complete curriculum that covered everything so I decided to choose different materials for each subject. I looked into websites that I had used when I was teaching, read countless Facebook posts from homeschool groups and did lots of research on various blog posts in order to come up with my final choices. In no particular order this is what I’m using this year.
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Math- IXL workbook/ online program
- Cost- Workbook: $15.29, online: $119/ year
- Website: ixl.com
- Pros:
- The workbook goes along with the online program.
- It is easy to assign lessons.
- Students earn rewards along the way.
- There are videos that go along with most lessons.
- The skills are broken down by grade or topic.
- If a student gets an answer wrong, an explanation is given.
- There are also games available for each grade level.
- Cons:
- The assignments can get a bit frustrating if they keep getting questions wrong.
Science- Mystery Science
- Cost- $99/ year
- Website-mysteryscience.com
- Pros:
- Lessons are easy to follow and set-up.
- There are videos for all lessons.
- Students watch and follow along with the videos.
- Experiments are explained in the videos step-by-step.
- Most experiments have materials that are easy to find around the house.
- Lessons are organized by grade level or age.
- Great discussion questions and wrap-up.
- Cons:
- none
Social Studies- Tuttle Twins
- Cost- $118.88 for 2 history textbooks
- website- www.tuttletwins.com
- Pros:
- Teaches history in a story-based style with the main characters being a brother and sister.
- Covers historical events that happened during 1215 to 1791.
- Comes with printable activities and videos.
- Activities contain writing, science, and/or math.
- Cons:
- Some activities don’t provide a great deal of value.
- Other: I also purchased their book series that includes 14 books that cover topics like the law, business, and the golden rule.
Reading, Language Arts, Writing, Phonics* *I use a combination of materials for these subjects.
- Language Arts & Writing
- Website: nightzookeeper.com
- Cost- $89/ year
- Pros:
- Students can be very creative by designing their own animals for the zoo.
- When designing a new animal, the “zookeeper” asks questions about the animal to create a descriptive paragraph.
- Covers vocabulary, writing strategies, and language arts topics like synonyms, etc.
- Other programs: ixl.com ($46.99/year), Epic! (getepic.com)
- Phonics (for my daughter only): Evan-Moor: Grade 2 Daily Phonics workbook
- Website: nightzookeeper.com
Other materials/ websites:
- Typing- typing.com, free website
- Math flashcards- Think Tank Scholar: addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, purchased on Amazon
- Teacher Pay Teachers and Pinterest
2/18/2025- A Typical Day for Us
Our Schedule:
- 8:00- We wake up
- 8:00-8:30- My munchkins have free time.
- 8:30-9:00- Eat breakfast and get ready
- 9:00-12:00- Schoolwork
- 12:00- Lunch
- The rest of the day is for playing, chores, and doing activities.
- On Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday nights my kids go to Taekwondo.
Now just because I have a set schedule doesn’t mean I follow it to a T. Most days we don’t start school until about 9:30 and we usually finish up our schooling before noon. That is what is so great about homeschooling, we can just make it work for us.
For example, today my daughter woke up and went on her computer and my son read his book about wolves. Then they ate breakfast and got ready for the day. When they start their assignments they are able to choose what order they want to do their work, except Science or Social Studies because they do those together. My daughter plugged away on her assignments and got done around 11:00. My son on the other hand, got engrossed in his Language Arts work because he is currently working on creating his own dragon world using the book, Wings of Fire: Forge Your Dragon World. So, he didn’t get done with everything until about noon. Then, they got dressed up in ninja costumes while they were waiting for lunch to be ready. After lunch, we completed our science lesson from Mystery Science. We did a lesson about the food chain, this took about an hour because they enjoyed the food chain game that went along with the lesson. After science, they had a ninja dance party while I worked on laundry and did the dishes. The rest of the day will be for playing, eating supper, and going to taekwondo.
This is a typical day for us but it looks different for all homeschool families. Last week, we were able to go to West Yellowstone for a week to snowmobile with friends. Before I started homeschooling, we used to go during Christmas Break and the snow isn’t always the best out there during that time. Taking off a week when I was a teacher was hard because creating sub plans and being away from the classroom was always difficult and I felt guilty. I also felt bad pulling the kids out of school for that long. Now, we can just pick up and go without any guilt. While we were there, my kids just had to read everyday and practice their math facts.
We try to get out at least once a week and that can be something as simple as going to the local library or something more involved like taking a tour of a dairy farm. We keep it pretty simple and I don’t stress out if I don’t get something done on the day I planned it. We do what works for us and that’s that.
If you homeschool, how does your day look different compared to ours? If you were homeschooled, did you enjoy it?
3/10/2025- Getting Out of the House
My goal each week is to try and get out of the house doing something with my kids at least once. We do schoolwork 4 days a week and leave one day open for getting out. Some of our more common outings are the local libraries, parks, walking trail, eating out for lunch, or going shopping. Here is a list of some other places we have been to so far in Minnesota:
- Eagle’s Nest
- Indoor play area
- 400 10th Street NW, New Brighton, MN 55112
- $9 for kids, adults are free
- Shoreview Community Center
- Indoor waterpark, indoor/outdoor playground
- 4600 Victoria Street North, Shoreview, MN 55126
- $14 for adults, $12.50 for kids (non-resident)
- Como Zoo and Conservatory
- 1225 Estabrook Drive St. Paul, MN 55103
- Voluntary Donation, $4 for adults, $2 for kids
- Fun Lab
- Family fun place with a variety of activities like a laser maze, virtual reality, arcade, etc.
- 10650 Baltimore Street, Suite 30, Blaine, MN 55449
- Different packages for play
- Wildlife Science Center
- 22830 Sunrise Rd NE, Stacy, MN 55079
- Visiting hours on Wednesdays and Saturdays
- $10 for adults, $8 for kids
- Tamarack Nature Center
- Discovery Hollow Nature Play Area, walking trails, etc.
- 5287 Otter Lake Road, White Bear Township, MN 55110
- Free
- Movie Theater
- Sustainable Safari
- Small indoor zoo, with the opportunity to hold and feed animals
- 3001 White Bear Avenue N Maplewood, MN 55109
- 915 County Road 42 West, Burnsville, MN 55306
- $16.50 for 5+, offers homeschool days occasionally for a discounted price
- Autumnwood Farm
- Offers tours during the spring and summer months, has a farm store on site
- 19435 Granada Ave N, Forest Lake, MN 55025
- When we did a tour, it was $5 per person.
Here are places we want to try out:
- Snake River Fur Post
- Look at exhibits, take a tour, and walk the trails to explore the cultural, global, and economic story of the fur trade.
- 2551 Voyageur Lane, Pine City, MN 55063
- $12 for adults, $8 for kids
- Bell Museum
- Natural history museum and planterarium
- 2088 Larpenteur Ave W., St Paul, MN 55113
- Admission prices vary based on the activities you want to do.
- Snake Discovery
- A indoor zoo that features 75 exhibits of reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates.
- 831 Century Ave N., Maplewood, MN 55119
- $10 for adults, $8 for kids
- Thunder Blades
- Skating rink
- 31516 125th St. , Princeton, MN 55371
- Admission varies based on the day
- Slick City
- Indoor slides and air court
- 10900 Fountains Drive Suite 130, Maple Grove, MN 55369
- Prices vary based on time
- Mill City Museum
- “Explore antique milling equipment, vintage advertising, and stories from the wheat farms, all at your own pace.”
- 704 South 2nd St. Minneapolis, MN 55401
- $15 for adults, $8 for kids
- Minnesota History Center
- “Explore Minnesota’s past through exhibits that feature authentic historical objects, hands-on experiences, and multimedia presentations.”
- 345 W. Kellogg Blvd. , St. Paul, MN 55102
- $15 for adults, $8 for kids
- Minneapolis Institute of Art
- 2400 Third Avenue South, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55404
- Free
- They have Discovery Days on some Wednesdays where they put various stations around the museum that you can interact and explore with.
- Minneapolis Sculpture Garden
- 725 Vineland Pl, Minneapolis, MN 55403
- Free
Besides going places, I am constantly on the search for special activities. For instance, Light the Torch Adventures is holding a Knights and Fair Maiden event where kids can learn about medieval times at the Isanti County Historical Society. The local library also has lots of free events for kids to participate in like Lego Club and reading challenges. I usually find most of the events we participate in on Facebook, I would recommend joining homeschool groups for your state.
Where do you like to go with your kids in order to get out of the house?
Thank you for the opportunity to share and get ideas from a fellow Homeschool! Our day consists of the oldest waking up at 7am. She gets ready, does her chores outside and is back inside around 745. She eats breakfast and gets her sister up/ready. Once Dad leaves (815) they have free time to themselves until I get home at 930. We head to our classroom around 10/1030 depending on what I need to do for household chores. We do schoolwork from 1030-1300 typically. The youngest doesn’t have a set schedule as she’s Preschool, but the oldest does all her daily schoolwork and chooses a worksheet from each subject. After school, we head to the next room which is the Craft Room and we all do crafts and such until we head in to eat supper and I get read to go to bed as I start work at 1am. I also use a variety of curriculum. I am definitely looking into the IXL though as I think it would be a great addition for both my girls! And the oldest also does Taekwondo (grateful for you giving her rides as my hours/sleep schedule was putting my health/patience to the test trying to manage it all!).
Thank you for sharing your schedule! You do what works for your family and that is fantastic! I am happy I can help to ease some of the stress; we enjoy having her along on the car ride.