There are so many different ways to schedule homeschooling around work or the other way around. And it is particularly interesting, when a mom can apply her profession in another way that can provide income. Meet Heather, she’s a second generation homeschooler, and a Certified Occupational Therapist Assistant, who decided to stay home with her children by using her degree in a creative approach.
Hi Heather, please tell us about yourself, what do you do for a living?
Before children, I worked as a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant in the public school system. After my daughter was born, I went to part time for one year, before quitting to stay home with her and also work from home as a blogger. I run an educational website called Growing Hands-On Kids where I write on child development and Occupational Therapy topics. I also sell digital products from my shop and I’m a Fundanoodle Ambassador, an education readiness company.
That’s so interesting… Can you share your work schedule with us?
My work schedule is always changing. When my daughter was smaller, I worked at nap time and bedtime. After my son was born, that changed to just my daughter’s quiet time in the afternoon and evenings. Now that both kids are no longer napping, I work mostly evenings. When my husband is home, I will get some day-time work time when he takes the kids out. If I have a big project that I need to work on, the kids will go spend time with grandparents so I can get some extra work done.
How long have you homeschooled for and what are your children’s ages?
My daughter is almost 6 and will be going into Kindergarten this fall (though technically, we started KG in January, compulsory school age is 6 in our state). We started a tot-school/Prek at home at around age 3. My son will start doing some very simple tot-school type activities this fall, he is 3 years old.
When do you homeschool and how long it takes you on average per day?
We have a very relaxed schedule when it comes to homeschooling since my two kids are smaller. A typical Kindergarten lesson for us takes about 45 minutes to an hour, with lots of breaks or hands-on activities. We also do lots of outdoor time and just playing. We typically head to the library once a week for an hour or so at a time and we also have gymnastics once a week, which is around an hour and a half for both kids.
Do you do all the teaching or do you have someone assisting you?
I primarily do most of the teaching. If my husband is home, he will help with Math.
Do you have time for extracurricular activities? (e.g. field trips, co-ops, etc.)
We go to gymnastics once a week in the fall/winter months. We also meet with friends for outings and play-dates typically once a week. And we also visit the library once a week.
Do co-ops benefit you in any way? If so, how?
We have not found a co-op that works for us yet.
Do you utilize a “boxed curriculum” or do you gather sources together to form your own curriculum?
We use Timberdoodle’s Kindergarten curriculum for my daughter. We also use Fundanoodle for handwriting and I will be introducing my son to their Prek items this year. We will also be adding in Bibioplan for History and Geography. Otherwise, I find supplemental, hands-on activities through searching Pinterest, various blogs and websites, and Google.
Which Homeschooling approach do you follow? (Classical, Charlotte Mason, Eclectic, Unschooling, etc..)
I would consider us Eclectic, I cannot stick to one thing. We do Montessori inspired at times (especially for preschool age), hands-on/multi-sensory activities, with a mix of bookwork depending on the subject. Reading and Math tend to be our bookwork subjects currently. But I love using Math-U-See because it is so hands-on.
What is the main challenge you face of working with a homeschooling lifestyle?
I think the main challenge I face is feeling inadequate, comparing with others, and feeling like I am not doing enough. It is so easy to feel like you are not keeping up with the latest and greatest. I was homeschooled in the 90’s and we just didn’t have all the options that homeschoolers have now. So trying to figure out what will be a good fit for us and trying not to compare to others is a daily struggle for me.
What is your best time management tip you would share with a working mom who is just beginning homeschooling?
Prioritize your activities for the week and stick with your plan! I have a weekly accountability call with 3 other bloggers where we all share what we did the week before and what our plans are for the coming week. I keep a running list in a notebook and mark things off as I go. I tend to have a lot of a “squirrel moments” and get sucked into something that ends up taking a lot longer than I anticipated. Then my list suffers if I do that too much.
I pray that you find this interview insightful. As always, “We can do all things through Christ, who strengthens us” (Phil. 4:13), but we can’t do them all at once.
Beautiful article! Really helpful.