Kari’s Homeschool Day in the Life (with a 4-, 6-, 15-, and 18-year-old) Kari Patterson Simple Homeschool

Kari’s Homeschool Day in the Life (with a 4-, 6-, 15-, and 18-year-old) ~
Written by Kari Patterson of Sacred Mundane

(A note from Jamie: Out of the 15 years we’ve been doing this series, Kari has shared TWELVE homeschool days from her life with us! I’m so grateful for her voice on Simple Homeschool for over a decade and for this final day in the life she’s sharing with us. Thank you, Kari! xo, Jamie)

My goal this year was to find our new normal.

Like Amber, it’s been a doozy of a few years around here. Three years ago my mom had just passed, two years ago we were living in a travel trailer taking care of my dad who had leukemia, and last year we were making his hospice arrangements.

Oh, before all that was the pandemic. So yeah.

And while I can’t say I know what normal really is (is that even a thing?), here’s what a typical Tuesday looks like around here:

Kari’s Homeschool Day in the Life (with a 4-, 6-, 15-, and 18-year-old)

Morning

My first conscious thought is, “Ah, it’s Tuesday. I don’t have to get up,” accompanied by a ridiculous amount of happiness. Can anybody relate? I used to rise crazy-early but these days it’s like my body is making up for lost time. *smile*

I roll over and enjoy the not-getting-up.

We’re in an unusual window with our four where the Olders are old enough to be on their own school-wise, and the Youngers are young enough that we haven’t begun a super structured school routine.

Not going to lie, it’s nice.

When I emerge from my room it’s almost 8am. Heidi (15) is at the stove scrambling eggs, Justice (6) and Ben (4) are on the floor playing MagnaTiles and Lego, and my husband Jeff is in the corner chair reading. A fire is crackling in the woodstove, outside is a frozen blanket of frost.

It’s so idyllic I actually just stand and soak it in for a moment. As a mom you know these lovely quiet moments rarely last!

We also happen to be fresh off a wicked bout of Norovirus, so I look sadly at the coffee pot and spend a quick moment of silence lamenting that still, nothing sounds good. I pour a little, sniff it, sadly sigh, and set it down. Not yet.

I stand and stare at the contents of the fridge and at all the shelves in the pantry, baffled by how every single thing sounds gross, then realize it’s 8:12am and it’s Tuesday.

“Is Dutch up??”

Whoops. Yes, he has an alarm, but I’m not sure he remembered that his sister now has piano lessons before their Community College classes begin. We’re all still a bit off from this sickness.

I take the stairs two at a time up to his room and gently nudge him.

“Um, you guys need to leave in 8 minutes. How can I help you?”

He stirs, fairly comatose but still in good spirits. Two minutes later he’s dressed, backpack slung over his shoulder. Jeff and I band together to present him a breakfast and sack-lunch, tuck a liquid IV-spiked water bottle under his arm, and he and Heidi head out only five minutes late.

High School

Dutch (18) is taking his last few high school classes at our local community college. We’ve used a Diploma program through a local homeschool testing and resource center that utilizes a private umbrella school through which homeschool students can receive academic advising, plus diploma and transcript services.

We were thrilled to learn that he was just named Valedictorian for this year’s graduating class!

For high school, Dutch has taken a variety of online HSLDA courses, in-person classes taught through a local “school” for homeschool teens, community college classes, and independent coursework. This hybrid approach has worked well for him.

Heidi (almost 16) is enrolled in Baker Early College, a charter school that allows her to get her high school diploma and Associates Degree at the same time. She is now taking all of her classes at our local community college, so this works out well for rides, as they are on campus at the same times each week.

This charter school also organizes regional activities (roller skating, escape rooms, a prom) for its students (and each can invite one other non-Baker student). She has quite a few theater friends in this program, so she loves that they can enjoy these group outings together, all provided and sponsored by Baker.

Typically every Tuesday morning, Jeff takes the little boys to visit a dear couple in their late 80’s/early 90’s, who were friends of my parents and I have quiet hour to read my Bible and pray. #luxury

But since we were so recently sick, Jeff calls to say they’ll play it safe and wait until next week. He heads to his office (he works from home on Tuesdays) and the Littles and I begin our day.

Daytime

Our days don’t have a lot of structure at this point as I’m honestly just enjoying the luxury of not having to be super-structured. Every day we do an assortment of laundry and chores, cook meals, go for a walk outside, do our IEW curriculum, play games, and read lots and lots and lots of books.

We’re at the reading stage where I read regular books and Justice hops in with words here and there, or he reads Easy Reader books and I hop in with words here and there.

And Ben hops in and repeats whatever we’re saying so as not to be left behind. *smile* Justice also loves to write, and we occasionally work on our “Letter Lessons,” memorizing character traits and verses.

Somewhere mid-afternoon the teens arrive back home. Dutch makes a quick turnaround to get back into town for wrestling practice. Heidi begins homework, or practices piano and rehearses for Anastasia, the current theater production. In the late-afternoon the boys and I clean up and I let them watch a short Lego video on the iPad while I gather my wits and start dinner.

Kari's Homeschool Day in the Life — *It’s rare they are all in one frame!*

Evenings

I’m grateful our days are slow because our evenings are pretty full. Tuesday nights Heidi and I head to Bible Study, then she takes a late-night ballet intensive class.

We don’t get home until almost 11pm, so it was a good thing I slept in! *wink*

Thank you for following along on our day. If you have any thoughts or questions about having Bigs and Littles, feel free to drop a line below!

My, how the days have changed:

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Kari’s Homeschool Day in the Life (with a 4-, 6-, 15-, and 18-year-old) ~ Written by Kari Patterson of Sacred Mundane (A note from Jamie: Out of the 15 years we’ve been doing this series, Kari has shared TWELVE homeschool days from her life with us! I’m so grateful for her voice on Simple Homeschool … Read More organization, day in the life, homeschool day in the life Simple Homeschool