How do you seperate the schooling from everyday living?

After 4 years of homeschooling we had stuff everywhere, but I thought we had our school time and then the rest of the time. Because my son is autistic, having a routine was very important.

Then it was the day before my son's birthday, and he started begging to have the next day off. I was really trying to stick to our schedule, but I reluctantly gave in when he promised to make it up on Saturday. My son smiled happily, and then, apparently thinking he was on a roll, he said, "And..." I was worried, but what he said was, "I also get to watch two calculus lectures instead of just one." That's when I realized that learning had become a way of life, rather than just "school".

 

I agree that it becomes a way of life, in that the days aren't as compartmentalized as they are when you're sticking to a school calendar & daily routine. Like others have said, art, PE, etc. can take place at any time of day, whenever the kids drag out the art supplies or go run around outside.

I also have overflowing bookshelves and cabinets stuffed with HS materials. I try to keep all of it in the built-ins in my dining room, which is also the room we do most of our schoolwork. (Though I'm flexible in that we often read in the living room or bedrooms, sometimes I let them do their workbook-type stuff in the treehouse, etc.)

I'm also often thinking about planning, reading up on things or researching resources online, etc. Probably half of my time online each day is linked to HS one way or the other.

However...as far as our daily routine with school goes: I have to set aside a certain block of hours as schooltime. We try to start at 10 and end around 3...sometimes it's more like 11 to 4 (esp. if DS2 wants math help, which dad helps him with after he gets home from work around 4). I don't like schoolwork starting too early, as we aren't really morning people, or extending too far into the afternoon. For me it's really important to have our work hours separated from the rest of the day, if for nothing more than to help ME structure my time (an issue I struggle with).

But as I said earlier, the learning never really stops, whether it's an impromptu art project before dinner or catching a great documentary on TV at night. My kids rarely sought out that kind of entertainment when they were in school...most evenings they just wanted to veg after they did their homework.

The joys of life without homework is another post, however! LOL

Good luck with finding a balance that works for you. It's been 3 years for us and sometimes I still feel like I don't have it figured out!