What do homeschooled kids do the rest of the day?

[elus0814]

We've been homeschooling for the past year and do not know any other homeschoolers. I'm having trouble filling our days, the kids often seem bored or are running around making messes. The two oldest are the homeschooled ones, they are 4.5 and almost 6. We also have a 16 month old and are expecting another in September.

Right now our weekday time is spent:
- one hour or less on 'core' work, like phonics and math
- 1-1.5 hours of reading aloud or alone, all my voice can handle and they're both just starting to be able to read alone and they don't enjoy it for more than a few minutes
- one hour, give or take, on art or crafts; for the younger one it's coloring or cut/paste but the older who really enjoys art it's an all out first grade curriculum with reading, art appreciation, painting, oil pastels, etc.
- one hour on other 'organized' activities, such as board games or computer activities
- one hour on picking up and chores

It's only about five hours of things for them to do, which leaves another five hours without DH home and about four after he comes home. I can usually get them to play outside for an hour or so in the evening, we're on the gulf coast and it's very hot, sunny, and humid so they never really want to go out (we haven't lived here long and moved from a much colder climate so we're all uncomfortable outdoors).

We go to the library once a week and the older one has girl scouts once a week but that's it for out of the house activities. We live on a military base and while there are things for the kids to do everything, absolutely everything from swim lessons to soccer, takes place during the day on weekdays and requires a parent to actively participate for all kids five and under (when I questioned this I was told 'well, most people have babysitters or use the day care so they can do things', the day care is out of the question and we have been looking, unsuccessfully, for a babysitter). Where we live there is no zoo (100+ mile drive), only a very small museum the kids don't like going to, no art galleries, no anything! Our 'big day out' each week is going to the library and the grocery store, there is often no other place to go all week although we sometimes get so stir crazy we go into town (a 40 minute drive) to walk around in a store. I tried getting involved with the only homeschool group in the area but they required potential members to sign a statement of faith that DH and I didn't agree with (we're Catholic and the group was Protestant). We have a pool but I we have to go as a family because it takes both DH and I to keep all the kids safe, even when they are in lifejackets.

So what do other mostly home-bound homeschoolers do all day? I don't mind having to do a bit of planning or organizing the night before to set up an activity and it's not a big deal to make a few reasonable purchases to be able to do things in the house. Any suggestions?

[Eli&SkyesMom]

My youngest children take naps, and that takes up a couple of hours of our day. Their older brother has quiet time in his room during that time, which gives me a little me time! They get to watch an hour of t.v. during their free time. Other than that they play. They have lots of board games that they play, bikes/tricycles to ride, my oldest likes to take pictures. When they are bored I offer more chores, and then they suddenly have something to do. LOL!

You might want to have some activity boxes that they can choose from, or that you put out for them. Legos, play-doh, you can build things with mini-marshmellows and toothpicks, have some simple science experiments for them, how about blowing up a few baloons and playing a game where they have to keep them off the ground, you can make home-made paper, then use it to send letters to relatives, scavanger hunt or treasure hunt, you could bake together, set-up a make believe area, and change the theme every so often.....I could go on, but perhaps I have given you some ideas. HTH!

[kittywitty]

Mandatory quiet time for everybody, first of all. My kids usually play with their toys, read, beat the living heck out of each other (not preferable), watch a movie, play games, video games, or make art projects.

[Lillian J]

I think you might say they pretty much do what school kids do when on vacations - they play, get involved in simple activities, and like yours do now, they get bored, and run around making messes.

Here's something that might help you out a bit: favorite free audio resources. Do not miss this one:
Kiddie Records Weekly - Classics from the Golden Age.


Lillian

[sapientia]

Build stuff, read, torment each other, watch a movie or listen to music.

[Ravin]

Play.

Seriously, there is nothing wrong with kids having free time, and learning to find something to do when bored. If they make messes, make clean up before dinner part of your routine. As the weather cools off, chuck them outside more. Being bored outside is another thing that's good for them. They'll find things to do. Messes are okay, they can be cleaned up. That includes big messes, like rolling in mud type messes, as well as small around-the-house messes.

Find a park to frequent. Find a bigger park to hike in. Get everyone outdoors more.

Or watch TV, play on the computer, etc. Not an ideal option, but it's there nonetheless.

[Callimom]

Some brainstorming ideas:

Have you checked with the local library, LLL, the state association to see if there are secular groups or individual homeschoolers around you? Is there a secular group in a larger town? They may know of people closer to you who are looking to connect outside the religious group in your area.

Can you go out for walks etc in the morning and shift your indoor activities to when it is hottest outside?

Can you head to the beach if you are on the coast?

Can you do more exploring in town on your days in there? Art gallery? Museum? Pet Store? Music Store? Artist Co-op? Community centre, splash pad, outdoor pool? farm/CSA? Nature Centre?

Can you garden where you are?

Have you looked at the waldorf idea of a weekly rhythm (even if you don't follow that philosophy it might give you some more structure to your day)

You children are still fairly young - are there any preschool groups you could join?

Can you volunteer anywhere with the kids? Food bank? Seniors Centre? Nature Preserve?

good luck!
Karen

[nov05mama]

We do a lot of nature walks down to the creek and he can seriously explore the creek bed for HOURS. It's been too hot right now (in the 100's), but I am SO looking forward to going again. I could sit and read a book or whatever and he would just play and play.
Another favorite outdoor activity we do is letterboxing. It's similar to geocaching (that's really popular right now) but you don't need a GPS and I think it's way more fun! We have been doing it for a year and can't get enough!!

We also check out activities at local parks and events they are having...recently we attended Archaeology Day at one park. I also signed him up for a nature class each month at another park.

He plays alone fairly well though, and I leave him plenty of time to just be bored He finds things to do around the house. If he comes to me and tells me he's bored and has nothing to do, I just tell him that all those toys in his room can go to another child if he doesn't think they are interesting enough...that usually does the trick, LOL!!!

[sbgrace]

My kids mostly play and listen to audio stories outside of our "together" stuff like school and reading together.

I don't mind if they are bored though it can lead to play fighting and assorted other "junk" here and don't feel I need to fill up their day. In fact, I don't want to. I want them to be ok with "just being" and self entertaining and that sort of thing. Too many adults have to always be doing and I don't want that for my kids. If things get out of hand an audio story time is terrific (though we do it a lot anyway--my kids love them). We use kiddie records weekly and storynory and tons of others I suspect are on the list Lillian linked.

[inky leeuhhh]

honestly, i think 5 hrs of scheduled time is a LOT. thats almost as much as a public school anyway. i would just let them hang out. do you have an art area set up where they can create their own projects? my dd will sit and color sometimes for an hr, or cut and glue. if you have room inside for a small climber or maybe some play tents, it may help them get some energy out. sometimes they just need to work through being "bored". my dd is in the bedroom right now throwing a huge tantrum because she's bored. i bet anything in about five minutes i'll go in there, and she'll be sitting on her bed with a library book.

[RiverSky]

Free play is something my children love and whenever they can get it, they are so happy, but.... we are extremely involved in our local homeschool group, they both study an instrument and are in a number of sports and other educational clubs (book clubs, play-based clubs, etc.).

In your situation, I would look further to see if there are any secular or inclusive homeschool groups around that you don't yet know about. Does the small museum in your area host any homeschool classes or events at all?

Are there any gymnastics clubs or indoor bounce houses that have open activity days you can pay for and go to every once in a while? Have you contacted your local Parks & Rec to see what they offer?

Can you find any moms clubs or La Leche League or Attachment Parenting International Groups that might be in your area, that have regular playdates you can go to to try them out? You never know, there might be homeschoolers in those groups that you can meet. Then once you know some homeschoolers in your area, perhaps you can start inviting them once a week for a playdate, and voila, soon enough, perhaps they will start reciprocating.

Another option is for you to start your own homeschool group, perhaps via Yahoo Groups and Meetup.com and research your own town to try to figure
out what sorts of activities you can set up. Even local bookstores will
sometimes help you to set up a private story time for your group only,
as will local children's librarians.

I live in SWFL on the Gulf side and most of the homeschoolers here prefer
to focus on indoor activities during the summer (in addition to beach and pool
days) so I do understand that. We end up having a lot of in-home playdates
and get-togethers, but of course, you would need to get to know some more
homeschoolers, first. Chances are that many of the members of the
Statement of Faith homeschool group would be still very interested in joining an inclusive group, too, especially if you offer things that the SOF group
doesn't offer.

In our area, the big SOF group tends to focus on offering
classes and talks geared towards the parents, sometimes offering daycare
in another room for the kids, sometimes asking that parents come without,
whether our inclusive group offers tons of clubs and classes and playtimes
that welcome all members of the family, with no restrictions and focus on
child-oriented activities as opposed to parent-education talks. Many of our
members are also members of the SOF group.

Anyway, good luck!

[JuniperBCN]

Outside is what keeps us sane... we live in Spain, so it can get pretty hot during the summer, but we end up taking walks and exploring in the evening then which actually works out pretty well. We try and provide access to scooters, bikes, etc (even if it means the adults carrying them a lot) in order to make the walks more enticing... they're really more like rambles and we move sort of slow, checking out bugs and plants and stuff. DS also tends to find a lot of stuff on the ground. We also have got to know most of our neighbours and dogs in our neighbourhood this way which is nice and gives us concrete destinations. Kids come home pretty ready to drop into bed!

Also, making outside generally desirable and creating shade next to access to water helps us. I don't know if you have a yard, but a big shade umbrella, tarp or screen house water, dirt and sand can kill a LOT of time and you don't really need to clean up. Our sandbox is next to a tap. I made it by simply setting 4 railroad ties in a square without fastening anything and dumping sand inside. Took me 10 minutes once I had the materials at home and has given the kids HOURS of entertainment and me hours of peace. I can even read books out there! Another thing that's been a BIG hit this year has been setting up a swing, trapeze and some gymnastic rings with some stumps and more railroad ties that get pushed and moved around in various configurations. (DH is a landscaper so we have railroad ties lying around ) And I dream of a trampoline but that's not in our budget at the moment, but I imagine that it would also be fantastic.

Would doing your schooly activities in the late morning/afternoon help so that your day has a slow start and you can have another shot at outside before it gets too hot?

[ameliabedelia]

I definitely agree with starting your own homeschool group or searching around more. It sounds like you really want outside activities and just haven't found any. Create you own! There has got to be other homeschoolers in your area.

Getting out of the house and seeing other people on a regular basis makes a HUGE difference as far as filling the days go. We would go crazy without regular homeschool activities, field trips and play dates or playdays.

[luv2homeschool]

My kids play, or we go to the park or library or homeschool group get together. Sometimes we veg and watch a movie and sometimes we go food shopping. My kids were bored at first but they have learned to entertain themselves. Sometimes it is nice not to have anything to do and mom can sit back and relax and read a book!

[earthmama369]

I have a 4- and 5.5-year-old and most of their day is spent in free play. I rein in the egregious messes, send them outside to the backyard a LOT, and break up squabbles when necessary, but most of the time they play well together. We have no scheduled time for academic work, but I try to be available when they have ideas or questions that require my involvement. That generally runs from 15 minutes to a couple hours a day, depending on what they come up with. Otherwise they do a lot of pretend play, "reading" books to each other, drawing in chalk on the front walk, riding their bikes, running around the backyard, do art and craft projects, etc. I keep a loose eye on things and encourage them to clean up one mess before starting a new one. Before bed we do a final tidy and that keeps enough of a lid on the chaos to make it workable.

[shoefairy3]

lots of free play. They do use the computer and watch the TV, but mostly free play.

[Adamsmama]

We do a 2 hour nap time everday (or quiet play with each kid by themself in their room). We also do a lot of free play. They play games together, imaginative play, one of my children loves art -- so he is constantly making projects by himself/drawing/creating, one of mine loves music so he gets lots of cds/radio or musical type movies to sing and dance to.

[~Boudicca~]

Mine are 7 and 3.

They go outside. Harass each other until one (or both) cries and/or tries to beat the crap out of each other. Play. Draw. Paint. Dig holes in the yard. Ride bikes. Ride scooters. Harass me until I bring them to my mom's house to swim. Go for walks in the woods. Splash in puddles. Throw things down the stairs for fun. Draw fake tattoos on each other (or me). Build forts out of sheets. Watch movies either online or on T.V. (Animal Planet is pretty popular around here). Hang out with friends.

As I type, the little one is painting a fake cell phone in tomato sauce, and putting ziti on her fingertips, making them "talk" to each other. That's pretend play, theater, and art all in one.

[phathui5]

Mine are 9, 6, 4, and 3...

They:

- play with clay
- pretend they're a band (we have some instruments)
- watch something we taped from PBS or Discovery Kids (I like fast forwarding through commercials)
- pretend that they're a restaraunt and "cook" things for the customers
- ride bikes out front
- play games outside, like tag, "Mother, May I?," etc
- play on www.starfall.com
- paint pictures
- listen to books on CD

[Ruthiegirl]

My kids are 8, 6, and 2


We play a lot.


Swim at the YMCA.

Organized sports -- soccer, lacrosse and swim team

Dance lessons

Trips to the park

Play-doh. Seriously, play-doh has saved us during this awful heat.

Build forts

Cook

Chores -- the older kids are responsible for trash/compost/keeping their toys and rooms tidy



And honestly, they romp around, make huge messes, argue, watch movies, argue about what movie to watch, dig in the garden, ride their bikes, hammer nails into scrap wood, argue, play pirates, run in the sprinkler....they just go and go and go...until they all collapse into bed.