Q & A | Answering Frequently Asked Homeschool Questions

I'm answering some of the recent questions I've had here on KZbin.
-How do you keep preteen boys busy?
-What is narration? How often do you check it?
-What does your morning routine look like?
-What order do you work with your kids?
-Meal planning/ grocery haul?
-What do you do when your housework gets behind?
-Older kids and independent work?
Leave a comment and let me know what questions you have about homeschooling!
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[@emilyribnicky9410]

I would love to see your go-to lunches for your family. I'm so sick of serving pb&j, chicken nuggets and cheese and crackers over and over!😬

[@OurLifeHomeschooling]

I'll keep that in mind for a future video! Thanks for the feedback. As a quick answer, I generally make homemade dishes and just make double so we can have it again another day. It does take more work, but I guess I like having something tasty for lunch. Here's a few of our go-to's. -chicken quesadillas (with leftover chicken) -sausage and rice with black beans and I mix in cheddar cheese -soup with bread -salad -smoothies and popcorn -sausage/sweet potato/ apple/ green bean skillet meal as seen at the end of this video (kzbin.info/www/bejne/rneWiWtterSoidEsi=S91eI-iFVCDHJdo5) -sausage/corn/green bean skillet meal as seen in this video(kzbin.info/www/bejne/kKPEo5iQnpWJn6ssi=0OnsFml9AwznzPv- -chicken or egg salad in a sandwich or burrito -hard-boiled or red beet eggs with veggies or fruit Hope that gives some ideas for starters!

[@emilyribnicky9410]

@@OurLifeHomeschooling This is great! Thank you!!

[@matthewlaverman999]

(Wife typing) I am SO happy I found your channel! I cannot even express how happy! We have just about everything in common, including the homestead, ex-public school teacher, Christian, the curriculum, how we (don't) meal plan but instead have a list....what a treat to hear things I thought I was doing aimlessly are actually ok and even productive! Thank you thank you thank you! I hope we get an opportunity to meet someday. God's blessings to you. You have a loyal follower in me now! PS We have 5 boys, and your recent video on schooling boys was absolutely a treasure. I saved to to my list "Amazing Videos" and will be referencing it often. -Maggie

[@OurLifeHomeschooling]

Oh wow, thank you so much! I'd be honored to meet you, Maggie. Sounds like we have a lot in common! It's really nice to hear back from viewers. I'm so glad to hear you are enjoying my channel. Blessings to you and your family!

[@thismamasviewfromhome]

I love your channel I’m a mama of 6 and I’m loving your perspective. Of not having to be so perfect. And do what works for our family

[@OurLifeHomeschooling]

Wow, thanks so much! Yes, do what is best for your family!

[@amandab.6815]

We do meal planning much the same way! Unfortunately, we don't raise or grow our own food yet, but I have a standard grocery list that we work off of every week. I send my husband to the store with it (because I also don't enjoy grocery shopping) and he brings home the goods lol. I make the same meals on rotation. For me it's about putting it on autopilot and not having to make fresh decisions every week about what we need to buy and what meals to make. We decided once and just stick to the plan. I will update the meal list and grocery list every couple months as we get sick of things or want to incorporate a few new meals.

[@OurLifeHomeschooling]

Nice to know there are others out there who do things similarly to us!

[@emmymartinez7497]

I love these topics. I can especially relate to keeping pre-teen boys busy. My son isn’t interested in sports, unless the family is involved, then he’s all in. He does keep busy other ways, taking walks, looking up recipes. He takes an interest in cooking. It’s def hard keeping them busy

[@OurLifeHomeschooling]

Glad this was relevant to you! I can relate!

[@katieb9312]

I’m soooo excited to watch this! Thank you so much for taking the time to make these videos. They really are a blessing ❤

[@OurLifeHomeschooling]

Oh good! You're very welcome!

[@kendratai]

How do you balance gardening with schooling and everything else? I'm feeling very overwhelmed but i LOVED gardening with my kids last year! We all learned so much

[@OurLifeHomeschooling]

Do you have a lot of littles? It was really hard when my kids were all little so that may be a difference for you. At this stage in our lives, it has become part of our lifestyle. We do less book work as spring rolls around because I want them outside. I think they learn so much from being a part of the gardening work. After homeschooling for 14 years, I've become more laid back with the amount of time we spend on book work because I've seen how it evens out in the long run.

[@wesleygibbard8766]

I’m so glad you came up at my feed. Sooo inspiring! Can you talk about how important it is to have pets at home?

[@OurLifeHomeschooling]

Thank you so much! I'll make a note of it! We have two cats for pets, but that's all for us right now.

[@BirthingBravelyandBeyond]

When you answered the first question about keeping older boys busy all I could see were your wood working and carpentry books beside you and I kept thinking you were going to reference them 😂

[@OurLifeHomeschooling]

Haha, oh my, that's funny! Yes, we do a lot of woodworking here (well, my husband does!)

[@laurenrasmussen7997]

Can you share your meals?

[@lizhunter6737]

Yes! I think we do meals similarly. I would like it if you shared your large family recipes. We eat from our garden alot as well.

[@lizhunter6737]

I mean similar to you, Cheri :)

[@OurLifeHomeschooling]

Sure! I actually shared it in another comment and then saw this one, so I'll copy and paste. Here's a few of our go-to's. -chicken quesadillas (with leftover chicken) -sausage and rice with black beans and I mix in cheddar cheese -soup with bread -salad -smoothies and popcorn -sausage/sweet potato/ apple/ green bean skillet meal as seen at the end of this video (kzbin.info/www/bejne/rneWiWtterSoidEsi=S91eI-iFVCDHJdo5) -sausage/corn/green bean skillet meal as seen in this video(kzbin.info/www/bejne/kKPEo5iQnpWJn6ssi=0OnsFml9AwznzPv- -chicken or egg salad in a sandwich or burrito -hard-boiled or red beet eggs with veggies or fruit Also, we do PB and J and sometimes scrambled egg burritos with sour cream and cheese.

[@OurLifeHomeschooling]

I shared my meals in the comment above if you want to check it out. I think I'll make a note of this for a future video since so many people are interested! Thanks for the feedback!

[@starzyk6897]

Thank you so much Sheri!!!!!! You always give me encourage I need!!!!! Love from Ania from Poland

[@OurLifeHomeschooling]

You are so welcome!

[@weaverwagon6084]

Your videos are so encouraging and I thank you so much for taking the time to film them. I’m always rushing to get school done and I need to slow down and remember that learning how to clean up is part of our school day. Also, that gardening and cleaning up the backyard is part of school as well. Thanks for the reminder.

[@OurLifeHomeschooling]

I'm so glad these videos have encouraged you! You are very welcome!

[@TheChan7]

What a great video. I am encouraged to do more narration. Thanks for sharing.

[@OurLifeHomeschooling]

Thank you! I'm glad this encouraged you. Thanks for watching!

[@chiaraboccelli4189]

I am new subscriber. Wow you have a big and beautiful family ❤️❤️ God bless you 🙏🏼

[@OurLifeHomeschooling]

Thank you! Thanks for supporting my channel!

[@apologiaworld]

Narration is such an important (and underutilized) skill!

[@OurLifeHomeschooling]

100% agree! Narration (and copywork) are so simple that most people miss it, but I've seen the best results in my kids from consistent practice over time.

[@sarahguiton6503]

Loved this! I would love to hear more about meal times, it seems like chaos at our house every meal 😏 Do you have any boys that have extra energy and can't stop making noise? 😅 The little ones make it hard for everyone to work. Any tips?!

[@OurLifeHomeschooling]

Thank you so much! Meal times can be crazy at our house sometimes too, but I'll make a note of this for future videos. Sometimes we play the quiet game where they compete for who can be the quietest. This gives us a little peace sometimes. Yes to boys with extra energy! I did a video on this if you want to check it out. kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZmOyf5WBg5iEhKMsi=ncm_dsRbn_XXO1PR Also, this is the one I did on homeschoolint with littles. kzbin.info/www/bejne/fGq3i2l6l8-ap68si=MkGBV1Dx43m4RSC4 I hope these help!

[@valerieleblanc8066]

I am reading: Know and tell by Karen Glass at the moment. An easy read with clear and simple explanations; I definitely recommend the book too.

[@valerieleblanc8066]

For younger teen boys, a Slöjd (sloyd) knife for carving is super fun and educational. You do have to spend a bit for the knife but then they can kind of find sticks of wood or even buy particular woods to make anything.

[@OurLifeHomeschooling]

Yes! I'm really enjoying it! It's definitely clarifying some things that I have seen in my kids as they've done narration over the years.

[@OurLifeHomeschooling]

Oooh, I haven't heard of a Slojd before, but sounds like something our boys would enjoy!

[@laurenrasmussen7997]

Do you read straight through the Bible in a year or pick and choose? What's your approach? I often try to do a one year Bible but fail every time. I don't know where to start.

[@OurLifeHomeschooling]

Great question! I don't try to read the Bible in a year. It would be too much pressure for me and I know I'd always feel behind. I do read through the Bible though so I'm always somewhere working my way through, but it's probably more like a year and a half or two years until I finish. I read 1-3 chapters a day depending on the length of that passage and how much free time I get. Then I pick a verse or two that stood out to me and copy it by hand in my planner for the day for reflection. Writing it down really helps me remember verses over the years. When I'm nursing a baby, I'll sometimes look through my planner at the various verses that have stood out to me over the past few weeks.

[@laurenrasmussen7997]

How do you avoid falling into having high schoolers do most of their classes online? My ninth grader does math, Spanish, writing and literature, science all in the computer and I don't want to do that with my younger set.

[@OurLifeHomeschooling]

I can understand not wanting them to be online for everything. I outsource the subjects I don't want to teach either to co-op teachers or online courses. For me, that is usually math, science, fun electives, and sometimes writing. The other credits I can usually assign them here at home. Our kids have been able to take many of their high school credit classes at a once-a-week co-op so other than getting assignments/communicating via email with their teachers, they have a lot of work offline as well. If co-op classes are not an option for you, I would try doing some credits on your own with a textbook (especially for History or English credits) or random book selection or field trips/apprenticeships. My kids read the History Lives Series adn Story of the World for some high school history credits. I hope that helps!