As we continue to transition from one formal homeschooler to two, lately I’ve been contemplating how this will look, and if there are ways we can do more group lessons.
My children are 3 years apart and while my youngest is only in Kindergarten this year, he’s taken an interest in some of our lessons such as nature study, natural history, morning collective, art, poetry, and some literature read-alouds that I’m doing with my Year 3 student.
How “Family Studies” Came Organically
While I read aloud with my Year 3 student, my youngest would quietly sit in the same room and draw, or play with something quietly. Over our 1st term, my Kindergartner began to also narrate without even asking him to do so. He just wanted to be part of the conversation we were having and often had interesting observations or thoughts to add.
Why I love This Living Education Approach
Each child hears the same book, or passage being read. Each child is observing the same object in our nature study lesson. Each child is taking in the beauty of each term’s artist’s pictures we look at.
Togetherness is already taking place within our homeschool without me even “scheduling” it so.
We are coming together to learn and partake in the same feast. Yet, because we consider children as born persons, it’s through their personhood that the feast becomes a living education for all.
The Feast Of Our Family Studies
Our Family Study Days have the benefit of motivating one another to be lifelong learners, encouraging one another in observation, and habits of narration, and a joyful way I *get to* prioritize community, freedom, and variety within our homeschool.
Family Studies Subjects
- MIND/BODY MOVERS
- MEMORY/RECITATION LOOP
- HYMN LOOP
- BIBLE/THEOLOGY
- POETRY
- FOLKSONG LOOP
- CAREER EXPLORATION
- ART LOOP
- LOGIC GAMES
- SCIENCE/ NATURE STUDY
- TERM’S TIME PERIOD FREE READS
- TERM’S BIOGRAPHY
- LITERATURE/TALES
- PIANO
On other days, we still share in our morning collective subjects which are the term’s poet, artist, monthly hymns, monthly folksongs, catechisms, bible reading, and recitations.
Independent Studies On Family Studies Day
We still have some independent subjects on our family studies day which include math, reading, and typing practice (typing is only for my oldest).
When Do We Have Family Studies?
I chose Mondays for our 2023-2024 year because we are more often than not on the struggle bus to get going from the packed full weekends we’ve been having. We begin our homeschool week together, delighting in a rich feast of subjects, and that has been a gift in and of itself.
*An updated note on Family Studies
As I prepare to plan for our upcoming 2024-2025 homeschool year with a Year 4 and Year 1, we will continue to heavily depend on our family studies. We have genuinely enjoyed the time in these subjects, and have loved holding Family Studies on Mondays. However, as I begin to think through our upcoming homeschool year, Family Studies might become part of our homeschool time throughout an entire week, rather than just on Mondays. I haven’t decided for sure just yet, but I will share an update in upcoming blog articles.
If you have any questions about our Family Studies, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment and ask!
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