Kayla Rokosz from Shut The Fridge – Homeschoolers ate Home Tuesdays

This entry is part 23 of 26 in the series Homeschoolers at Home Tuesday

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Today we’re talking with Kayla Rokosz of Shut The Fridge. Kayla is a member of the Schoolhouse Review Crew this year with me and I thought it would be nice to get to know her a bit and find out about her homeschool.
Kemi: Tell us a little bit about your children’s ages and grades?

Kayla: I homeschool 4 of my 6 children.  My 2 oldest, (16 and 14) attend a small local Christian high school.  The others are 5 – Kindergarten, 7 – 2nd grade, 9 – 4th Grade, and 12 – 7th grade.

Kemi: What homeschooling method do you use?

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Kayla: Hmmmm….a little bit of everything.  I guess I would call it Eclectic Traditionalism…..is that a thing? (Kemi- Yes of course! You are traditionally Eclectic!)

Kemi: Can you give us a peek into your typical homeschool day?

Kayla: Our “typical” day has changed many times throughout the years.  It has depended on where we were living, if I had a new baby or not, how many hours I was working outside of the home, and even where I was in my state of mental health.

Right now, this is what our “typical” day looks like.

The older two usually start class at 8:00, so I drop them off, come home and have my coffee and quiet time.

The other kids start getting up around 9:00-9:30……sometimes 10 or 10:30.  (I used to be very strict about having a set in stone start time, but I have relaxed over the years – because it was hard on me to get them to bed on time and get them moving – while staying in a good mood!).  So, yes, we have late bedtimes and late waking times around here. (Except me, of course!)

My husband takes responsibility for dividing up the material we want to cover and writing out weekly lesson plans.  The kids have these from first grade on, so by the time they are in the mid to upper elementary years, they are quite independent in their studies, and know exactly what they need to accomplish every day.

For the younger ones, our days depend on whether my husband is off or not.  He works an odd schedule, which means he works most weekends, so he is able to help with some days with the teaching duties.

If he is off, we let the kids pick who they want to teach them.  Some days they all pick the same person and sometimes they choose between us.

When my husband teaches, he sits at the dining room table and teaches them one at a time.

When I teach, we sit together in the living room and I ping pong back and forth between students.  I get one started in one subject and then pop over and help the next one get started in something else.  I read aloud to the next student and then pop back over to the first student.  Make sense?

I think it is an example of my husband not being as comfortable multi-tasking as I am!

Our 7th grade daughter works almost exclusively on her own.  We just review and check her work (hopefully) every day.

If I am teaching, we are done with school by lunchtime.  If hubby is teaching, it goes into mid-afternoon, since he works individually with the kids. (I love this very descriptive section on exactly how Kayla’s homeschool day goes)

Kemi: So you know that Homemaking Organized is all about homemaking or the details of home. And love to find out how others keep their homes. Can you tell us about your own homekeeping and how you manage to fit it in with homeschool?

Our home has 8 people that live in it.  Even the high schoolers only attend class 2.5 days a week….so we are here a lot.

Our house definitely looks lived in.  Which, yes, translates, as messy.  Not gross, just cluttered.

We have tried many chore systems over the years, and they have worked with various degrees of success.  But, what we usually do is have a “Ten Minute Tidy” once or twice a day to keep things picked up (when I can’t take it anymore!).

I am the main cook and bottle washer.  The kids are in charge of the dishwasher.  I usually wash pots and pans myself.

Vacuuming, bathrooms and bedrooms are assigned by me each week.

I actually sometimes have them clean each other’s bedrooms because they don’t get as distracted by their own “stuff” then.

My oldest three children are in charge of their own laundry (which was one of my best ideas ever!)

Kemi: Kayla do you also work at home (outside of all your home and family duties) or have a home business?

I work very part-time as a Recording Secretary. (I take minutes.) And I am an Independent Consultant for Jamberry Nail Wraps. (I’ve always wanted to know what on earth those are! If you do too check out Kayla’s link here.

Kayla-RokoszKayla met her husband, Rainman, through a matchmaking service, and even though they don’t make any sense, on paper, they have been happily married since 1996.  They have six children (and would love more) and have homeschooled since the beginning.  Kayla has worked outside the home in some capacity for most of their marriage.  Rainman is a meteorologist, so he handles all the upper level math and science course (which still scare Kayla!).

Remember you can visit Kayla at Shut The Fridge

 

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Series Navigation<< DaLynn McCoy at For the Display of His Splendor – Homeschoolers at Home TuesdayRenata from Sunnyside Farm Fun Homeschoolers at Home on Tuesdays >>

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