Wren from FinchWren on Homeschoolers on Tuesdays

We’re off today to hang out with Wren of finchnwren. Wren is a member of the Schoolhouse Review Crew this year with me and having gotten to know her and her sweet spirit I really wanted to introduce her to you today!

Kemi: Wren can you tell us a little bit about your children’s ages and grades?

Wren: We have an only child; a Lego-lovin’ boy who’s in 7th grade this year.
Kemi: What homeschooling method do you use?

Wren: I guess you could call us an eclectic homeschooling family.  We love literature-based methods like Sonlight, but (to my shock) we also like using computer curricula.  In fact, some of our favorites are computer-based, like Teaching Textbooks and Mango Homeschool.  Our favorite subjects include foreign languages, science and art.  (I’d actually adore a homeschool day that included nothing but that!  But yes, we do study math…and grammar…piano…history and geography…..and so on….)

Kemi: Wren what does your typical homeschool day look like?

Wren: Most days I wake up at 5:30A or 6:00A.  The first thing I do is slog down the stairs, get a cup of coffee, and head back up to make my body and head realize that this is indeed a new day.  Eventually I do my Bible reading/quiet time, and then I get on my stationary bike.  Then, my head is in the game!

At this point, I go downstairs and start getting breakfast together.  My husband has been up for awhile and my son’s generally just waking up.  We all work better on a hot, cooked breakfast, so that’s what we have; anything from slow cooker steel cut oats to scrambled eggs and toast made with homemade bread.

And THEN!  It’s time for school.  We start with Bible first every day.  We use a devotional of some sort first, and then do some actual reading of Scripture.  We move on from there to the usual suspects:  grammar, literature, math, geography, foreign language, science, spelling and piano.  We generally get about 2/3 of these completed in the morning, then finish the rest in the afternoon, post-lunch.  We go to a homeschool coop one day per week, where my kiddo gets to take enrichment classes, and piano lessons once per week as well.

Kemi: We love to see where homeschooling happens. Can you give us a peek into your homeschool room?

Wren: It’s just our dining room table!
Kemi: So you know that Homemaking Organized is all about homemaking or the details of home. We 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?

Wren: Oh, me.  This is an area I am still working on success in.  I am GREAT with a few tasks; laundry and cleaning the kitchen.  I enjoy cooking and we like a diet of whole foods.  But I struggle continually with clutter.  Books, paper, curriculum.  I don’t always know what to do with it so I stack it.  The only problem with stacks is that eventually you have to come back and go thru them!

I’ve found that it is easier to teach my child a subject than it is to train him in a life skill; aka home chore.  So I’m working on that.  Really, my son has some good skills already, though, as I think about it.  He does REALLY well at bathroom cleaning, dusting, vacuuming and laundry (he sorts and folds, I wash).  This year as he’s older we’re broadening that a bit.  Doing more cooking, especially.

Kemi: Do you have any crafts or hobbies that you would like to share?

Wren:  I love reading.  Fiction, please; I have wonderful intentions of reading nonfiction but I don’t generally get past the halfway mark of the book.  And I love creating art with my son.  I wouldn’t call myself an artist, but when we create together it’s wonderful for our relationship AND for soothing my soul.  I totally recommend this!  Buy a couple of art journals from Hobby Lobby and set aside time to paint, draw, collage.  You’ll be astonished at what it does for your spirit!

About Wren: I’ve lived in the West since I married the love of my life!  We met on the mission field and still have a heart for missions.  We’ve homeschooled from the get-go and our only son loves it.  I co-write my blog with my sister, and we cover everything from homeschooling, to beauty, to fitness, to food.  Come and visit us at finchnwren.com and see what we’ve got going on this week!