My husband loves taking our children on night walks and they always come back thrilled with experiencing the spookiness of it, haha. I bet they'd be over the moon about getting a candle!! I'm going to add that in! :)
I enjoyed reading this! We're currently on a homeschool break and I'm trying to brainstorm our rhythm for January. This was very helpful for ideas and expectations, especially because you included the ages of your children. This winter we will have four under the age of five, plus the two older who are not yet ten. It's a tricky mix! Homeschooling with toddlers/preschool age is challenging, and it kind of multiplies with the addition of each one. At the same time, I've seen how it's forced me to incorporate more outside time and breaks that do benefit the older children. Anyway, I found it helpful and inspiring to see how you're making it work with your own age mix! Thanks for sharing, Emily, and for hosting, Catherine!
Wow, reading through your day really makes me appreciate the rhythm you’ve built in your family. There’s a lot here about how much planning and presence go into homeschooling older children alongside younger ones, and I can see how intentional each moment has to be. I find myself thinking about how easy it is to underestimate the daily effort it takes to balance teaching, chores, and care, and yet you’ve woven it together so that learning and family life coexist naturally.
I keep returning to the way you allow space for both structure and imperfection. The details about the toddler and how she interacts with everything, for example, really bring home how much patience and adaptability are required, and I admire that you acknowledge that without trying to sugarcoat it. It makes me consider my own assumptions about what “efficient” or “successful” homeschooling looks like, and how much small, persistent adjustments shape a day.
The integration of faith and tradition in your routines is interesting too. I notice how intentional choices like this quietly anchor the whole family’s day. It makes me reflect on the balance between nurturing independence and fostering connection, and how those moments often carry more weight than the busy-ness we can get caught up in.
This was inspiring! I also resonate with the challenge of taking care of a toddler while teaching older children. I have a very mobile 15-month old who does many of the things described here - while my 6, 7, and 9 year old sons do their work. The days are long, but the years are short, yes!
I always love hearing these day-in-the-life homeschool documentaries, thanks for sharing! I agree that schooling with a toddler is probably the hardest part of homeschooling. I love how you integrate so much movement and breaks into your day. Kids aren't meant to learn for 3 hours straight without breaks, so your schedule seems very natural. I also rely on a lot of age-appropriate chores for my kids which makes our day flow so much more smoothly.
This was really lovely to read…many enviable elements of a homeschool life that nonetheless didn’t make me feel inadequate about our own ;) Rather, it seems this family has a rhythm that comes from time ”at it.” Five years in here and it finally feels like we’ve achieved the same (although we’ve got far fewer students in our “academy”!).
Okay where is the toddler gym from it looks like so much fun! And the Swedish ladder? I think that would make a great Christmas gift for the whole family.
My husband loves taking our children on night walks and they always come back thrilled with experiencing the spookiness of it, haha. I bet they'd be over the moon about getting a candle!! I'm going to add that in! :)
I enjoyed reading this! We're currently on a homeschool break and I'm trying to brainstorm our rhythm for January. This was very helpful for ideas and expectations, especially because you included the ages of your children. This winter we will have four under the age of five, plus the two older who are not yet ten. It's a tricky mix! Homeschooling with toddlers/preschool age is challenging, and it kind of multiplies with the addition of each one. At the same time, I've seen how it's forced me to incorporate more outside time and breaks that do benefit the older children. Anyway, I found it helpful and inspiring to see how you're making it work with your own age mix! Thanks for sharing, Emily, and for hosting, Catherine!
Wow, reading through your day really makes me appreciate the rhythm you’ve built in your family. There’s a lot here about how much planning and presence go into homeschooling older children alongside younger ones, and I can see how intentional each moment has to be. I find myself thinking about how easy it is to underestimate the daily effort it takes to balance teaching, chores, and care, and yet you’ve woven it together so that learning and family life coexist naturally.
I keep returning to the way you allow space for both structure and imperfection. The details about the toddler and how she interacts with everything, for example, really bring home how much patience and adaptability are required, and I admire that you acknowledge that without trying to sugarcoat it. It makes me consider my own assumptions about what “efficient” or “successful” homeschooling looks like, and how much small, persistent adjustments shape a day.
The integration of faith and tradition in your routines is interesting too. I notice how intentional choices like this quietly anchor the whole family’s day. It makes me reflect on the balance between nurturing independence and fostering connection, and how those moments often carry more weight than the busy-ness we can get caught up in.
This was inspiring! I also resonate with the challenge of taking care of a toddler while teaching older children. I have a very mobile 15-month old who does many of the things described here - while my 6, 7, and 9 year old sons do their work. The days are long, but the years are short, yes!
I always love hearing these day-in-the-life homeschool documentaries, thanks for sharing! I agree that schooling with a toddler is probably the hardest part of homeschooling. I love how you integrate so much movement and breaks into your day. Kids aren't meant to learn for 3 hours straight without breaks, so your schedule seems very natural. I also rely on a lot of age-appropriate chores for my kids which makes our day flow so much more smoothly.
This was really lovely to read…many enviable elements of a homeschool life that nonetheless didn’t make me feel inadequate about our own ;) Rather, it seems this family has a rhythm that comes from time ”at it.” Five years in here and it finally feels like we’ve achieved the same (although we’ve got far fewer students in our “academy”!).
Thank you for sharing.
Okay where is the toddler gym from it looks like so much fun! And the Swedish ladder? I think that would make a great Christmas gift for the whole family.
Both from Amazon!
Just sent to my husband! Perfect Santa gift for the family.
I was going to ask the same question! I wish we had room for a toddler gym like that, my kiddos would love it!
I’d share one in spring if you’re looking for one then! ☺️