• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Feels Like Home™ logo

  • Shop
    • Christianity Downloads
    • Family Downloads
    • Food & Cooking Downloads
    • Hobbies & Crafts Downloads
    • Learning Downloads
  • Blog
  • Family
    • Parenting
    • Holidays & Celebrations
    • Kids activities
      • Kids Crafts
      • Christmas Crafts for Toddlers & Preschoolers
      • Christmas Crafts for Kids
      • Christmas Crafts for Tweens & Teens
    • Learning
      • Reading & Writing
      • STEM
  • Faith
    • Bible Study
    • Encouragement
  • Recipes
    • Comfort Food
    • Eating after Bariatric Surgery
    • Gluten-Free
    • Recipes for Foodie Kids
    • Quick & Easy Weeknight Meals
  • Health
    • Mental Health
      • Hobbies & Crafts
      • Self-Care
    • Physical Health
      • Bariatric Surgery
  • Subscribe
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • SHOP
  • RECIPES
  • FAMILY
  • FAITH
  • HEALTH
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×
    See More:   Learning

    Last Modified: Oct 19, 2021 by Tara Ziegmont 1 Comment

    Do Homeschoolers Have to Teach Every Subject Every Day?

    16FacebookMessenger103PinterestTwitterWhatsAppEmail
    119
    SHARES
    A homeschool mom reading to her daughterPin

    I have written before about how I work full-time and homeschool my girls. It's a challenge, but we make it work.

    One thing we do I think would benefit lots of other homeschool families, though. This is something that everyone could do.

    I like to pretend that we are Charlotte Mason homeschoolers. I like her ideas, and I like how she does things.

    It is in the practice of learning, however, that we have to part ways. Charlotte Mason required students to learn all subjects every day. She ran a school, and that is how schools do things.

    When I was a high school teacher, I taught in a school with block scheduling. That means that each student had only 4 classes per semester, and the classes changed at mid-year. Classes were 90 minutes long leaving lots of time for activities and labs and real learning.

    Every kid did not have every subject every day.

    And yet, they learned.

    A lot.

    With block scheduling in mind, I decided to teach Grace differently about mid-way through the fall.

    Our New Homeschool Plan

    For our homeschool curriculum ideas, visit my curriculum index.

    It's not exactly a schedule per se. It's more like a guiding plan, a philosophy of educating.

    Planning

    Every week or so, I write out a checklist in a notebook for all the lessons we should accomplish for the following week.

    Bible lessons 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25

    Pet store math January part 1, part 2, part 3

    Life of Fred chapter 10, 11, 12, 13, 14

    Understanding Betsy chapter 1, chapter 2

    ELDL day 3, 4

    Sequential Spelling day 2, 3, 4

    and so on. You get the idea. (You can see what we are doing for a third grade curriculum in a coming post. Watch out for it.)

    I put a little box beside each individual lesson or chapter number.

    The Action

    The action is the beauty of why this works so well for us.

    Whenever we have a block of time for schoolwork, I get out the notebook. It might be as little as 15 minutes or as much as 2-3 hours.

    I give Grace a choice. We can work on anything in the plan, and she decides what it will be.

    I get out the books, she gathers the materials she needs, and then we work.

    Here's where it's different from what most people do:

    We don't stop with one lesson.

    It's not unusual for us to read a week's (or more!) worth of Life of Fred at one sitting. She loves it. So we read and read until she gets tired of reading or Fred.

    It's also not unusual for us to devour science for 3 or 4 days in a row, doing experiments and reading the textbook and researching on websites, and then get a little behind with the other stuff.

    I don't worry about getting behind. We always catch up eventually.

    Then we take a break and do something non-schooly like jump on the trampoline (though not in the winter) or play Barbies or do a craft or watch a movie.

    Later, we jump back in with something else of Grace's choice.

    The key to our method is that I let Grace lead. I don't often tell her what we're going to study; I follow her plan for the time. She picks something from my list (so I have guided her without her really realizing it), and we always get to all the subjects eventually.

    All except spelling and copywork, both of which she hates with a fiery passion. But I do make her do them, usually in very short 5-10 minute bursts a few times a week.

    So here are the fundamentals of our homeschooling plan:

    1. Plan ahead and write down a week's worth of lessons on one piece of paper.
    2. Let your child choose what she wants to do out of the plan.
    3. Work as long as she wants to work, cross off what she has completed, then take a break.
    4. Come back to the plan and choose something that is not crossed off.
    5. Work.
    6. Take another break.
    7. Continue until you have accomplished whatever you feel is appropriate for the day.
    8. Repeat tomorrow.

    Here's the thing: There's no need to touch every subject every day just because that's how schools do it.

    You're home educating here, not recreating school. Let your child take the lead on what she wants to do, and let her do as much of it as she wants.

    Some people binge watch Netflix shows. We binge learn at my house.

    It's good stuff.

    How do you structure your homeschool day?

    16FacebookMessenger103PinterestTwitterWhatsAppEmail
    119
    SHARES

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




    1. Brooke says

      October 08, 2020 at 5:16 pm

      Greetings.

      I stumbled across your page in search of something else, but because it mentioned Charlotte Mason, I stopped to read it. Although I do not wholeheartedly adhere to the CM method, I am saddened to find your perception of her method so skewed, if for no other reason than that it could lead others away from something that could benefit them. Charlotte Mason's entire methodology is based on NOT learning the same subjects every day. Her driving force was to provide great variety by alternating lessons, not only via what was studied each day but also by when it was studied during a given day. Subjects skipped days and alternated times so as to both avoid boredom from repetition and provide stimulating experiences from a greater variety of subjects afforded by said lack of repetitious drudgery.

      I realize you may never care for the CM method, and that is perfectly fine. However, I hope you will correct the information on your page because it would be most unfortunate to cause others to make decisions based on false information.

      Thank you for your time.
      Brooke

      Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Hi, I'm Tara.

    Harrisburg PA mom blogger Tara Ziegmont
    I'm passionate about helping women to care for themselves and their families by offering a combination of easy & delicious recipes, family fun ideas, and Christian inspiration. If you're tired of feeling so weary and uninspired, you're in good company.

    If you don’t like cooking or don’t think you can cook, you're in the right place. Feels Like Home is all about simple recipes, and I promise you, ANYONE can make them! No one will ever question your cooking ability again.

    I'm so glad you're here!

    Read more about me...

    Facebook Twitter Pinterest Instagram LinkedIn email me subscribe

    Recent posts:

    Buffalo Chicken Zucchini Boats with blue cheese crumbles, diced celery, and homemade ranch dressing

    Buffalo Chicken Zucchini Boats

    homemade Cracker Jacks copycat caramel corn with peanuts

    Homemade Cracker Jacks - Copycat Caramel Corn with Peanuts Recipe

    a close up of the best pear crisp recipe

    The Very Best Pear Crisp Recipe

    the best keto salad dressing - creamy lemon dressing

    The Best Keto Salad Dressing - Creamy Lemon Dressing

    AS SEEN ON

    a list of the websites where Tara Ziegmont has been featured

    Popular Recipes


    OVERNIGHT FRENCH TOAST CASSEROLE


    WORLD'S BEST CHILI WITH BACON


    COULDN'T BE EASIER CHERRY PIE


    BLT SALAD WITH LEMON MAYO DRESSING


    CHEESEBURGER SOUP FROM TASTE OF HOME

    Food with an Instant Pot in the background

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer
    • Terms & Conditions

    As seen on

    a list of the websites where Tara Ziegmont has been featured

    Contact Tara


    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read my full disclosure policy.

    Copyright © 2022 Feels Like Home Blog

    We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
    Do not sell my personal information.
    SettingsAccept
    Privacy & Cookies Policy

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
    Non-necessary
    Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
    SAVE & ACCEPT