{"id":61303,"date":"2020-01-06T06:00:24","date_gmt":"2020-01-06T11:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/?p=61303"},"modified":"2026-02-12T18:01:39","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T23:01:39","slug":"kara2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/kara2020\/","title":{"rendered":"Kara’s homeschool day in the life with a 12-year-old and 15-year-old"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Written by Kara S. Anderson<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

A note from Jamie:<\/strong> Welcome to the first post in our 2020 Homeschool Day in the Life round-up–as we celebrate a DECADE of this series<\/a>! Grateful to Kara for kicking us off…<\/strong><\/i><\/p>\n

As<\/span>\u00a0I sit down to write this day in the life, it\u2019s my very favorite week of the year – the <\/span>Week Between<\/span><\/i>, as we call it.<\/span><\/p>\n

We\u2019ve just wrapped up Christmas, and we\u2019re all home, waiting on the New Year, playing board games, drinking cocoa and doing puzzles.<\/span><\/p>\n

We have an audiobook going frequently, but TV and movies are sprinkled in too. It\u2019s a little lazy and I love it.<\/span><\/p>\n

So for this Day in the Life post, I\u2019m reflecting back on the fall, and our rhythm. I have such big kids now – almost 16 and almost 13 – two teens!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In many ways, things are much less hands-on for me. I thank my children\u2019s teachers<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

But we are still planning and keeping a <\/span>transcript<\/span><\/a>, and meeting the social and emotional needs of teens. It\u2019s full-time, but in an entirely different way than my <\/span>first Day in the Life post here in 2014<\/span><\/a>, when my kids were just 6 and 9!<\/span><\/p>\n

So what follows is a typical day from Fall 2019.<\/span>
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Morning<\/h3>\n

I am up first now – no longer are my kids waking me, and instead, I wonder how long to let them sleep. I\u2019ve read a lot about the importance of <\/span>sleep for teens<\/span><\/a>, and our days go much more smoothly when the kids wake on their own.<\/span><\/p>\n

Still, there is mama guilt as the sun warms and rises\u2026 shouldn\u2019t school start at 8 a.m.? And when do the desks and uniforms arrive?!<\/span><\/p>\n

I work part-time from home <\/span>writing<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>podcasting<\/span><\/a>, so most of my work happens in the mornings before kiddos emerge.<\/span><\/p>\n

I also make it a point to get the kids\u2019 math for the day set up before<\/em> they wake.<\/strong><\/p>\n

And I drink plenty of tea, and go through my morning routine to get ready. Sometimes if time allows, I take the dog for a walk and listen to a podcast.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Late Morning<\/span><\/h3>\n

My kids wake late morning, and I try to make a good breakfast-lunch hybrid. Think egg sandwiches, omelettes, or something with bacon so we can avoid sugar crashes.<\/span><\/p>\n

The kids do their math, and sometimes I work on <\/span>these math games<\/span><\/a>\u00a0(afflink) with my daughter.<\/span><\/p>\n

After they eat and tackle math, my son is on his own for a chunk of the afternoon.<\/strong> <\/span><\/p>\n

He\u2019s very self-directed at this point. For instance, yesterday he took an old laptop and learned how to install a new operating system. He also works a lot on music and is very interested in politics, economics and history.<\/span><\/p>\n

The only other subjects we do together are Spanish and <\/span>Chemistry<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Of course, he\u2019s invited to take part in other classes and programs we do, and sometimes will join in.<\/strong> But I know he knows HOW to learn now, so he works mostly independently.<\/span><\/p>\n

Early afternoons are mostly my daughter and I working together. We do a loop of Bitsbox, Kiwi Crates, You Are An Artist Chalk Pastels, SQUILT, Nature Study, Take Time for Art and other crafts, projects and activities that she is interested in.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We also loop in games, cooking and seasonal stuff, like making <\/span>cinnamon ornaments<\/span><\/a> or organizing and decorating projects.<\/span><\/p>\n

The life skills stuff that we focused on back in preschool is paying huge dividends here!<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Late Afternoon<\/span><\/h3>\n

Depending on the day, the kids alternate between skateboarding with friends (when the weather cooperates), or we go to the YMCA. The Y is where a lot of \u201clanguage arts\u201d gets done in the form of reading or listening to audiobooks.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

We also go to the library a lot. Basically, any time the kids see a book that interests them, our first step is putting it on hold.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We used to spend a lot of time browsing the library, but this stage of life seems to be more about putting books on hold, so we\u2019re at the library a few times a week picking up books and returning old ones.<\/span><\/p>\n

Some afternoons we need to run errands or go to appointments too – Orthodontics are no joke in the teen years.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Late-Late Afternoon<\/span><\/h3>\n

Later in the afternoon, we do a quick clean-up, reset the kitchen and start dinner.<\/span><\/p>\n

The kids alternate showers or shower after dinner.<\/span><\/p>\n

They tend to stay up later than me now, and that\u2019s okay – I get tucked in early with a good book, and they fall asleep according to their own circadian rhythm.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Some Thoughts<\/span><\/h3>\n

I think the biggest thing that has changed this year in our homeschool is that I am outsourcing a lot more.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s taken me a while to find resources we really love<\/a>, but now things feel very natural.<\/strong> I love that the time I spend with my daughter is often us working together instead of me \u201cteaching.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

And I\u2019m getting okay with my son\u2019s independence, although this spring, we plan to connect with the local community college about classes, and soon, he\u2019ll have his license.<\/span><\/p>\n

That seemed so far off when I first wrote a Day in the Life for Simple Homeschool back in 2014, but I\u2019m really enjoying this stage of life with big kids! They are interesting, unique people who love learning.<\/span><\/p>\n

The intensity of the early years feels so worth it.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Do you outsource in your homeschool? What classes and programs have worked well for you?<\/i><\/p>\n

My, how the days have changed:<\/h4>\n