School Mornings

When we started homeschooling way back in 1988, I had just graduated with my master's degree in music education.  My oldest child was just in K4 so we took things pretty lightly then, doing some table time learning three days a week, playing lots of games and taking lots of field trips with our large support group in Ft. Worth, TX.

As our two older girls grew, I eventually incorporated our morning time routine which started with a Bible reading or pictorial devotional, Scripture memory, Bible songs and story time.  Our family continued to grow eventually to seven children with an age span of almost 25 years.  Our group time grew as the family grew and as we solidified our homeschooling goals for our children.

For the past 20 years or so, I've begun our school day by reading a chapter of Proverbs to coincide with the date.  If today is April 25th, we read Proverbs 25 and so on.  We also go over Scripture memory, read a chapter from Vos' The Child's Story Bible, read a chapter or two from our current read aloud and then have time for some extras such as poetry, hymn studies, Greek and Latin root review, logic, manners, or our unit study vocabulary words.  Each semester is different depending on how many children I have homeschooling and their grade levels.  Every one participates and the younger ones quietly draw, color pictures relating to our unit study, play with Legos or quiet puzzles.  I try to switch things up and incorporate some movement occasionally, especially on days our grandchildren join us for school.

After our group time we separate with the teens going to the dining room or their bedrooms for independent study and the younger school aged children join me at the school table for math and language.  Kindergarteners and preschoolers who happen to join us have time on the floor with fun learning activities placed on towels.  After 20-30 minutes I change their activities and give them time to move around.

Currently our senior daughter is finished with all her bookwork and is out of the house nannying a few days a week.  When she is home she joins us for our Proverbs reading and memory verse review and then heads off to do some chores or preparing her display for graduation.  On a normal day that leaves me with our two youngest sons ages 12 and 8.  This is somewhat bittersweet to me, but I'm looking forward to studying with them and encouraging them in their Bible and academic studies for the next several years.

Our current readings are from the following books:  the Bible, Vos' The Child's Story Bible, Then Sings My Soul by Robert J. Morgan for hymn study, You Come Too by Robert Frost for poetry study and Boys of Grit Who Never Gave Up from Lamplighter's Rare Collectors Series.

I keep a box or basket next to my chair in our den to keep our current books at hand and I also have the next books we will be reading through in there ready to start.

So, how does the beginning of your school day look?  What books are you currently sharing with your children?