[ViolaMum]

We homeschool. Our days have looked a little different over the years, I can give you a rough rhythm to tweak for your circumstances.

After breakfast (they help with clean up) we do Morning Time together. For us, that's a short devotion, usually some memory work, and read-alouds. (Almost always a novel, usually History as well, sometimes Science.) I try to make it as comfortable and homey as I can. We sprawl on the sofa, they can do anything they want as long as it doesn't disrupt the others. My oldest likes to draw, Secundus tinkers, and the other two color or just snuggle. I've gone through periods of lighting a candle to signal that we're doing school.

Then the Basics: Math, Spelling, Writing, Grammar, depending on their ages and needs.

Lunch

All other subjects that take longer. I've usually alternated between Math and Science in the afternoons so that we can have big blocks of time. My two younger ones are making lapbooks for Story of the World (so lots of cutting and gluing and mess-making), we've done timelines, science experiments, geography projects, worked on research or writing projects, done independent reading.

Some years I've taken a very long lunch break and the kids play for a couple of hours on their own, then we get together for Tea Time at 3:30. Tuesdays we read poetry at Tea Time and maybe another chapter of our read-aloud or play games.

I don't allow any screens until the Basics are done. At various times my kids have done Khan Academy and various online classes and research, but not until the Basics are done. (Otherwise they would be SO amped up or distracted that nothing would get done!) They can watch a little TV or videochat in the afternoons.

HTH