What Homeschool Actually Looks Like for Us
We get a lot of questions about homeschooling. How it works, what we use, and mostly how we do it all. The short answer? It’s not always perfect, but it’s perfect for us.
If you’re curious what this actually looks like day to day, or what we use, we’ll link everything that’s working for us at the bottom.
We live a very full and sometimes chaotic life, running multiple businesses, raising kids, traveling often, and living on a small farm. But the truth is, we actually like being around our kids. The idea of sending them off for eight hours a day just didn’t feel right. It’s not like it was when we were kids. We didn’t want someone we don’t know having that much influence over our daughters, especially while they’re little. We wanted to protect their hearts, keep their childhoods simple, and be the ones shaping what they learn and believe. With how much we travel and spend time outdoors, whether it’s hunting, riding in the backcountry, or heading out on a trip at a moment’s notice, the flexibility of homeschool just made sense.
We believe as parents we have a vital role to play in our kids’ lives. For now, this is the right choice for our family. We kept looking around at what was happening in public schools, realizing it wasn’t how we grew up, and decided to tackle it ourselves. I try to keep it fun for her. That’s how I learned best as a kid. So anytime we can make it fun, laugh, or turn learning into a game, she loves it.
If you picture a perfectly color-coded homeschool room, that’s not us. Some days we’re thriving, other days we’re just doing our best. We use a mix of online programs for reading and math, then focus the rest of the time on real life learning and extracurriculars like dance, jiu-jitsu, and tumbling. We love OutSchool Online Learning because we can choose her teachers and classes for extra one-on-one help with reading and numbers. Through Overture Distance Education we also get a $1700 credit that we can apply toward those classes, which is a huge help. To round things out, we use The Good and the Beautiful Curriculum and a lot of hands-on learning tools like Montessori beads, counting cubes, and other tactile materials.
Some days she has one class, some days three. Every day looks a little different and that’s exactly how we like it. We’ve learned to build our days around our life, not the other way around. At this stage, first grade, we typically spend about one to two hours a day on “schoolwork.” The rest of the day is just life. That’s really the goal for us.
Living in Idaho means learning happens everywhere, from the barn to the backcountry. With over 100 animals on the farm, science and biology kind of take care of themselves. We talk through how things work, why things happen, and encourage her to ask questions. Right now she’s really into bugs. There’s currently a caterpillar in a terrarium on our kitchen counter that she’s been studying, learning what it eats, how it grows, and what it needs to survive.
Everyone’s involved. Broc takes point on math. Grandma loves to read with the girls. And when we’re traveling or out for work appointments, our nanny helps make sure online classes happen. It really does take a village.
People always ask two things: how we do it all, and what curriculum we use. The answer is that we just figure it out one day at a time. We’ve learned that it doesn’t have to look perfect to be effective. And when people bring up the classic “what about socialization,” we laugh. Our kid has never met a stranger. She’s in multiple extracurriculars and spends most of her days around people of all ages. We’re not worried about socialization. She’s out and about with us every day and she’s probably more social than most adults we know.
We put together a list of the homeschool tools and resources we actually use—the ones that have worked for us day to day.
Nothing fancy, just the things we’ve found ourselves reaching for over and over.
Our biggest homeschool hack is tag team coverage. It really does take a village. Lean on your spouse, grandparents, friends, and support network. And for the mom who’s considering it but isn’t sure she can do it, you totally can. It’s a learning curve, yes, but you’ll love the extra time, the freedom, and getting to see your kid learn in real life.
Homeschooling has taught me that learning doesn’t have to look perfect. Some of our best lessons happen outside of a workbook—on the porch, in the truck, or while feeding animals.
More than anything, I hope our kids remember that we chose this for them. That we wanted the extra time, the flexibility, and the kind of learning that keeps childhood intact.
It might not be right for everyone, but it’s right for us.