The Art of Homeschooling
From my mentor, Jean, at The Art of Homeschooling. Visit her website for lots of great resources and information.
“There’s an art to homeschooling. For starters, we get to broaden our perspective & paint a new picture of what teaching and learning really mean. We’re not trying to recreate school at home. We’re not trying to fill a 6 to 7 hour day with sit down school work.
Have you seen the grade by grade estimates for how much time children should spend on daily lessons? Back in March, the state of Illinois published their recommendations for the amount of time students should spend in remote learning activities.
These estimates really apply to all children in any setting. Because as humans, we aren’t wired to sit and take in information all day long.
Just a little perspective for those who are new to homeschooling.
Focused Lesson Time:
Kindergarten: 30 minutes to 1 hour
Grades 1-3: 1 to 2 hours
Grades 4-6: 2 to 3 hours
High School: 3 to 5 hours
The rest of the day? Children get to read, take walks, cook, build forts, paint and draw, ride bikes, and play. So many possibilities! All of which involve learning, by the way.
As homeschoolers, we get to craft our lessons and our days to meet our children right where they are. We know not to overload them with lessons.
Because children are learning all the time. It’s true. As humans, we’re naturally curious. We want to engage with our surroundings and with others.
That’s what the art of homeschooling is —embracing it all. And painting a new picture as we go.”
