Written by Kim Valentine

Many folks inquiring about homeschooling will ask how many hours each day does homeschooling take?  And what is a typical homeschool day like?

Typical “school time” for us was, maybe 8 am to noon. After waking, dressing, and breakfast, we would all start school time together with prayer, assignments, etc. I wasn’t sitting there teaching straight through until noon.  And they weren’t sitting somewhere “doing” school the whole time, either.  As you will see, learning would happen all throughout the day.

I homeschooled three children K - 12th with seven years between the oldest and the youngest.  I think I can say “school time” might average up to 3 – 4 hours per day.  Younger elementary ages would be much less “school time” and more throughout the day “guided” discovery.  The older they are the less of your time is needed and more independent learning time for the student.

Homeschooling actually begins when they wake up and ends when they go to bed.  LIFE is learning.  And most homeschoolers teach that way.  So it doesn’t feel like four hours of 'school'.  An animal comes into your yard, your students run for the Field Guide to identify and find out about it.  That’s school! They’re puzzled by the word “metamorphosis” in the field guide, so they research it and share what they found out with the other children the next morning when our school time begins. They’re excited to share and we are all excited to hear.  That’s school!

Let’s look at math. You will sit for a few minutes reading today’s new math concept from the textbook with one student. Maybe that would take 10 or 15 minutes for mom. Then they go and work on the 10 practice problems to show that they understood what they just learned. Meanwhile you either work with another child or make yourself a cup of coffee.  If they got the problems correct, then they go work on the 30 or so problems that the textbook has for them.  We used to call that their “homework”.

For History, we would sit on the couch, and I would read the text out loud with them looking on. We’d talk and wonder together about what we were reading.  Sometimes the textbook would have questions for the students.  If so, they would answer them for me right then and we would talk about it.  Or I would assign them as written “Homework”, and then discuss the next day.  30 minutes for me.

Each lesson in any given subject will generally take 10 to 30 minutes.  Sometimes you are just giving an assignment, sometimes there is discussion time.  Assigned novels they can read independently and some you can read out loud together.  Your choice.

Field trips, science experiments, building an Egyptian shaduf (look that one up!), reading through Usborne or "The Way Things Work" books are all fun and exciting.  Playing card games with Latin and Greek roots or singing multiplication songs were so much fun! We did those kinds of things at any time of the day.  That’s school, too!

Once you begin to think like a homeschooler that trip to Arizona to visit relatives becomes an opportunity to read a map and follow the route, to learn about the state, to write a diary of the trip and then read parts to the family after you return, calculate mileage, gas needed, how much will it cost. Everywhere you go and everything you do will present learning opportunities to satisfy their natural curiosity.

Homeschool is an adventure where the whole, wide world is your classroom and every minute is education.

About the author: Kim Valentine homeschooled three children, K through High School Graduation, at Heritage Christian School. She is currently on staff in the HCS office.