10 Things We Don't Do in Our Homeschool | How We Make Room For The Things We Love

[@elocinwad]

This video made me feel so much better about how we homeschool! We don’t do a lot of crafty things and we don’t limit screen time a whole lot. It works for us!

[@erikabarnes3630]

I needed this video when we started homeschooling 5 years ago. lol It took me 3 years to come into our own as homeschoolers. So my don’t is, I don’t follow what other homeschool parents are doing. We also don’t stick to a schedule. Such a great video!

[@jessiek7041]

There's something so cozy about morning basket with pajamas on

[@leslierowles5737]

Your perspective is such a breath of fresh air! Thank you for posting this to your page.

[@ArianaM1975]

What a wonderful session, so helpful and freeing!

[@chellas2985]

Necrobumping this to say that I'm over-the-moon happy to have found a homeschool channel that I resonate with! Every single one of these - from the late starts, jammies all day, no limits on screen time (yay!), CRAFTS - all of it. I'd have to remortgage my house to have a room that looks like yours but... #homeschoolgoals.

[@Videos4Diamond]

Your honesty is wonderful. We are who we are! My little man has a pj obsession. I actually let him wear them to the grocery store, on fever days. You are a great mom schooler!

[@discipleoftruth1985]

This just blessed my soul!!! Thank you so much for making this video! We start later in the day and do not stick to a schedule. I am a single mom of 4 (2 month old, 2 year old, 8 year old, and a 12 year old,) and often feel like I am doing my kids a disservice by not being so structured. Thank you for your transparency! I needed this reminder! I am not superwoman...and that's okay.

[@connyrivkamartinez9889]

OMG FIRST MOMMY I CAN TOTALLY RELATE TO!

[@TheWaldockWay]

YAY!!

[@GraceFilled]

I love your honesty! Thanks for sharing and being so open.

[@martellhomeschooljourney4338]

Breath of fresh air seeing this video. What a great idea in sharing with all of us the 10 things you don’t do. Made me feel like a normal homeschool mom..... especially not being a morning person...... loved the video. Thanks for sharing.

[@TheWaldockWay]

I wanted to show everybody that we all have our strengths and weaknesses.

[@marlanamonique8298]

I don’t start early either. We start around 9:30. Works better for my son. New homeschool mommy here so I’m learning as I go. And sometimes we get done with all lessons for the day at 12. So he doesn’t have a full day of school. It has helped him so much to be on his own schedule. He’s much more relaxed and less frustrated with his work. Thanks for sharing your tips.

[@jessischullarramblingthoug3030]

YESSS!!! I'M NEW TOO!!! LOL!! We are not morning people and my husband is stuck on public school mind set! Bruh! Let us learn as we flow! Lol!! And we're still in the "deschooling" period as well! And he's trying to be a total dictator! Face Palm!!🤯🤷‍♀️🤣

[@TheBraveHomeschoolingMama]

I don’t do lesson plans either. Mia wears pjs all day also. We don’t limit screens either. This was so fun!!

[@homeschooledaroundtheworld4660]

We don’t wake up early. Sometimes during the month I work nights and the girls love to sleep. I enjoy happy faces in the morning. They chose to stay on PJ’s or to get dressed. My kids are very diligent about their school work and they get all done at their own pace. We don’t do Morning baskets anymore. My kids are two years apart with very different interests and what really work for us together are Unit Studies and Read aloud. We read aloud at night. We do blocks of unit studies and include Art, Music, cooking, etc. We alternate those with a combination of curriculums but we don’t stick to any curriculum either. We do cursive writing but I have realized that my daughters already have a nice handwriting and it might be a waste of time now that they are older. We don’t do and don’t plan to do co-ops. We do plenty of activities, sports, music and traveling. Thanks for sharing!

[@faithmomlife1504]

I love this! As a new homeschool momma there is so much pressure to do ALL of the “things” even though it’s not realistic. Thanks so much for sharing!

[@TheWaldockWay]

Yes! As a new mom I was overwhelmed and felt like I was failing everyday. Let it go, you will be fine.

[@shaialguno9788]

This is one of maybe many (because I am new to this channel) videos of you or out there that can give me so much relief that I just do not do lesson plans, I cannot cook too, and I like crafts but I just cannot do it, hahha and screen time, extra curricular activities cannot be done in a place that has always been on lockdown! hahaha so super thank you for bringing these up!

[@SuperDuperBrit]

We are new to this but I don't follow every single activity listed in our curriculum. If I think a worksheet is too repetitive and not bringing any great benefit to us we skip it. They suggest things but we add things in that I know they'll like. We don't limit screen time either really. I do say we have to get our school stuff done before we can have those things but once school is done you can chill.

[@goldiemontesano7237]

I'm also homeschooling an only child. I really appreciate watching your videos ❤️ Thank you, I am so grateful for your resources. My daughter Quinn will be 5 in September

[@learningmadsway2859]

I don't do anything early either. My husband works seconds so we wait and start when he leaves for work so she can spend time with her daddy. ❤

[@TheLadyAli]

I love how real you are about homeschool. I don't use a full curriculum as well and I'm glad I'm not the only one that doesn't use them the way they are intended. We don't start morning basket till around 11! I'm so glad you shared this video. You made me feel so much better about how things have been going this past couple of months for homeschool and us. I can't stand limiting screen time either. My kids learn so much from their screen time.

[@TheWaldockWay]

That was my goal! To show that no one is perfect and we are all in the trenches together.

[@LearningPlantingGrowing]

That list sounds awesome! We dont stick with anything if it's not bringing us joy and I've become okay with that. We dont do tons of extracurriculars either. I have 4 and I figure I can either be mom or executive activities director not both. We also stink at a schedule lol One thing we dont do and I am actually trying hard to work on is letting them help more like in the kitchen. I have a hard time with chaos and mess. I need to separate them out one or two kids but then I'm not consistant with it. We are working on it lol

[@blondestyleslife6534]

We are very similar. :) I am not a morning person. The only reason I am up early at all is because of my job. I would sleep till 9am or later every day if I could. My kids aren't morning people either. If I am at home you can guarantee I am in lounge wear or pajamas so I don't require my kids to put on real clothes. They can wear what they want. I have never purchased a boxed curriculum, I don't follow curriculum as it's intended and I don't lesson plan. My kids aren't involved in much because I'm at work when all the homeschool activities happen. My husband could take them but it's not a dad friendly environment. I love crafts! I will actually plan crafts usually around a theme or season. My husband is the primary cook in our house. We do have to cook and bake a lot from scratch. It's due to having a house full of food allergies and not because it's enjoyable.

[@subscribee9792]

I don't seem to interested in nature studies either. I think that it's just fine to watch documentaries, take an occasional walk around the block to walk the dogs, and read books around nature, with maybe a few trips to the zoo or aquarium. I don't think there needs to be a specific time set every day or each week to go somewhere and study nature outdoors, I think that you can study nature anywhere and that it isn't really something you specifically have to make time for.

[@jdeanna9444]

I love this video. It took away my mom guilt. I do not do early morning class time and while we do have some set curriculum pages, because it helps us stay on a guide, I do not do crafts either! Omg my son hates them but he loves painting letters on the window, or making a mazes with paper.

[@alwaysaperdue1]

I don't limit screens either and I've noticed my kids can self regulate it better than other kids who are limited. It isn't "forbidden" it is just there and they use them moderately like I do! Kids get bored on them anyways and want to run outside!

[@rlewis9562]

Love it! Thanks for sharing, makes me feel a whole lot better!

[@AM-xi1lh]

I start school at 10:30 but sometimes it's after lunch. I tried and we aren't morning people. We get up due to toddler but yeah we school out on the patio when it warms up 😁

[@ProjectHappyHome]

You crack me up. Your face when you describe glitter, lol! This is a great collab idea - I may join in later this month. TFS!

[@TheWaldockWay]

I HATE glitter it makes me cringe to think about it 😂

[@jupiterfarmhouse6]

Loved this video, so funny! Thanks for sharing!

[@audria31]

Jessica! I LOVE THIS VIDEO SOOO MUCH!!! Glad I’m not alone on a lot of what you shared.

[@stellareverie9020]

I officially love you. This video speaks to me. 😂

[@valerieheyn1663]

Lol! I’ve gone through so many handwriting curriculums this year and my creative kiddo is just not having it 🤣. She will write cards and comics for days but she finds handwriting books monotonous and pointless

[@threatlevelmidnight3588]

I don't limit screen time. I always feel guilty about it. They love playing games so I let them. I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who doesn't limit. We are the exact opposite. We usually start school by 7 or 8am bc the later in the day it gets, the harder it is to get them focused. My kids are early risers on their own. Usually better 530 or 6am. We need to be done by lunch or it will be a struggle.

[@Isamariemar]

I hate crafts too 😆 my kids love to draw and tape and cut and glue but if I have to help much I’m not into it. + my kids are not morning people but I am, so that’s when I get my mama stuff done and allow my kids to start school 10/11/12 👍 The one thing I DO love is baking 💜

[@elizabethw1892]

We do not do nature study in the winter. 🤷🏻‍♀️ We hate the cold, snow, and ice! I’m sure there are a lot of neat things to learn about nature in the winter but we prefer to read about them instead! Also we do not set an ending time for homeschool. If we are having fun playing a game or reading about something we find interesting then we keep going. It is not uncommon for us to still be “schooling” at 4 pm. We also read and/or play games after dinner too!

[@Creative2xmom]

We find that our curriculum becomes more of a guide as we get deeper into the year and just need more freedom. We gave up on handwriting practice this year. I just couldn't find time to "do another thing." Lately, we've just been copying Scripture while I read during our morning basket time.

[@TheLearningLadder]

Great hearing your answers. Thanks for sharing.

[@SimplyLivingIt]

Thank you for sharing this and for being real! 💗 Fellow homeschool mama of 3 boys!

[@TheWaldockWay]

You are welcome! Being real is important to me.

[@Three721]

Yeah 🎉

[@elissastaaf8738]

I also LOVE your shop Jessica!! I have so many things I will be purchasing from your shop too. I love the unit studies you have on the historic people...I will be using most all of them for my 2nd graders history this year. And the games ❤❤❤ thank you for being my favorite homeschool mama to follow!

[@thetherapymama6404]

You and I are very similar! We match up on almost everything we don't do...except crafts. Though I really just usually give the girls supplies and let them run with it.

[@Gemini0110]

Loved this video. I relate to almost every single one.

[@saraasoian3031]

Thank you for this video! One thing I don’t do in my homeschool is nature studies.

[@tarah7050]

I agree handwriting curriculum is not worth it. Lol, My son is also a perfectionist and forced handwriting practice always brought tears. I enjoy homeschool co-ops/meet ups/activities but my son felt overwhelmed by the large amount of kids. He prefers small groups. Maybe, 2-4 kids. Yes, you have to find what works best for you and your child. That's the beauty of homeschooling :)

[@aprilhutchens2105]

I don't even buy pajamas lol. All of my boys' play clothes are in their dresser - short and long sleeve t-shirts and elastic waistband pants and shorts (of course not folded because why would I ever?). They put those on after bath at night and wear them the next day. Nicer clothes are kept hanging in the closet and worn when we leave home. I'm the same way with screens. I try to encourage other things but my husband (who defers to me in most things) chose screens as a hill to die on. He doesn't believe they should be limited so we don't. My only rule is schoolwork is first, and my husband isn't allowed to suggest tv when the kids are reading (which has happened 🤦). All five of my kids (the grown ones and the younger ones) have learned SO much from games and tv. I do lesson plan because *I* need it.....but we don't always stick to them because my SON needs that lol.

[@letitiam7985]

I know I can’t do it all but thanks for helping me believe I can still do it without going overboard!

[@melissamoffat742]

So love this I am a first time homeschooling mom have 7 kids homeschooling 3. One is in college and my 3 in high school go to public high school. I love that your just honest can I say so so very busy so I don’t exercise every day 🤣 I am not always a scratch mama we stick up in cake mixes and brownie mixes as it’s just as easy we do make scratch cookies but that’s it I am so Type A so we do have a heavily planned school do but I also have 3 kids not one and a son on the spectrum that I still have to take to speech and OT but we have learned we can change the day if mom needs it that way. Like today is all crafts they can do in their own and educational apps. Mom needs to do house chores so it is what it is.

[@thehomeschoolinglifestyle7059]

Great, fun video. Thanks! The 10 things we don't do -- hmmm... We aren't members of a co-op. There are co-ops near us that every now and then will put on an activity that we join in, but we are more of a one-off family than a commit-for-the-term family. We don't do "school" for hours a day. Typically we cover four topics each day and it takes an hour. Longer if we decide to dig into it. We don't pass up opportunities for meet-ups. We don't drive when we can take public transportation - trains and trams. We don't go on adventures alone if we can invite others to join us. We don't worry over it when things don't go to plan. We don't buy lots and lots of books, but we do visit the library weekly and check out LOTS of books. (This may change as I can't find any John Holt in any of the libraries here in Melbourne. gah!) We don't do lapbooks. We don't have school room, but then we're not looking to hold school at home either. We don't have grades or year levels.

[@TheWaldockWay]

Oh Lapbooks! We don't do those either that falls under my crafts aversion 😂

[@amandam.6148]

Great list Ann! :) Regarding your library not stocking John Holt books...I'd make a specific request and see if they'd be willing to order some, before you go out and buy them yourself. Many libraries are happy to order books that they know people specifically want to read :) Good luck @Ann Denee !

[@jessicazanetti4781]

We don’t do co ops or any group activities. Besides the current social distancing situation were still a very introverted family.

[@flourishing.flowers6925]

Oh my gosh finally a homeschool mom I can relate too 💯 🤗😂😁 Except the curriculum part for certain subjects cause I'm just not that confident yet lol

[@joannemepham29]

Yeah I found another later in the day mom!

[@TheWaldockWay]

YEP! So not a morning person!

[@jessischullarramblingthoug3030]

Ladies I'm so with you!!

[@jessischullarramblingthoug3030]

THANK YOU!!! I SERIOUSLY LOVE YOU!!! LOL!!! I have this same mind set!! I'm trying to get my husband in this mind set!!! I just want them happy to be learning!!!🙌🙌❤

[@TheWaldockWay]

Just have him watch all the videos 🤣

[@simplyraisingarrows7369]

Great video!!!

[@boybossmamahomeschool]

My boys are half naked somedays for HS lol I do require pants ☺️... I don’t limit screen either buy do take brakes after sometime ... theres so many educational shows out there. TFS!!

[@priscillashaw5715]

'I do require pants' 😂🤣😅 thats our house too.

[@TheWaldockWay]

This makes me crack up 😂

[@SamanthaH]

I’ve been trying to force myself into a peg of being an early riser and I am not either. Im 🤏🏽 this close to fully embracing staying up late and waking up at 9/10am haha Also not a craft person

[@leospiritlovereading3388]

So glad I'm not alone lol I love crafts but everything else we do the same.

[@RockSimmer-gal4God]

Curriculums should be a guide.lesson planning should be a guide and doesn’t always need writing out. Nothing wrong wiv homeschooling at watever time u want. Nothing wrong wiv wearing pjs wen homeschooling. Handwriting curriculums aren’t that cool. I buy cakes or brownies already made. Screens are awesome and instead of limiting them use them in a cool way. School can be done anywhere in the house.

[@elissastaaf8738]

This will be my 1st year homeschooling and I love your number 3!! Thank you!, that was the 1 thing that I've been already preparing to beat myself up over is that I am not a morning person at all and never have been, but I feel like there's so much to get done if I dont start earlier.... For the craft kits you mentioned Meghan...from where? I replay and still can't make out that part. Can you comment back what you said there, or her store link?

[@StephanieMT]

Glitter is evil. I let the kids help cook but only a little. We dont limit screen time, now that we have it we watch disney plus all the time. We dont do extra curricular activities because we have too many appointments and work. We dont have a school room we read books on the couch or use the kitchen table.

[@littlelearnerandmom]

Set yourself free non crafting Mama here.

[@amandamellen6937]

We don't do glitter! ::shudder::

[@LearningPlantingGrowing]

What is 4h like?

[@TheWaldockWay]

It is a lot of public speaking which we love!

[@amandam.6148]

There's a huge range of options available through many 4H clubs. The ones I'm familiar with run in rural areas & offer things like: raising & showing a variety of animals/livestock (my hubby raised calves as a teen & my nephews raised sheep :); sewing; cooking; gardening/horticulture; astronomy. I imagine there are different classes offered in different areas, depending on local interests & who's available to teach what etc. I'd google what comes up for your area :)

[@LearningPlantingGrowing]

@@amandam.6148 Thank you Amanda :0)

[@ArispeLand]

Just found you and already love you ! We definitely think alike ! I'm also in love with your bookshelves 😍. Just subscribed! I'd love for you to check out my channel. I need to join in on this collab , so fun !