This post is sponsored by Danimals but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.
This year Grace is starting second grade. What?!! I say this every year and every year it just gets more unreal. How is time just flying by? If you’ve been following along for some time, you’ve probably seen that we decided to homeschool again this year. We were going back and forth between a great public school close by, or taking on another year of homeschooling. We decided on homeschooling and I can’t tell you how excited we all are about our new school year.
As a homeschooling family, we’ve had to find different ways to differentiate between a rest day and a school day. Obviously, on school days we pull out our school curriculum, but there are a few things I like to do to really make school days different and today I’m sharing them with you!
1. Set an alarm – Having an alarm gives us an “official” start to our day. The kids all wake up at 7am on school days and we get the ball rolling right away. This also means that they have a set bedtime which gives us structure and allows us to plan our days.
2. Write out a schedule – Having a visual schedule for the kids really helps keep our day organized and allows us to fit in all of our daily curriculum. The schedule is simple, but it provides a little more structure for us in comparison to our weekend or no-school days.
3. Pack a lunch box – So we have the kitchen at an arms length, but packing a simple lunch makes all the difference for our homeschooling day. I like to keep our lunches easy and having a pre-packed lunch, keeps us stay efficient. I usually pack a sandwich, a water bottle and a few fun options for them. These days, I turn to Danimals Smoothies – Strawberry Explosion, and Danimals Squeezables in Swinging’ Strawberry Banana flavor. They are a good source of calcium and Vitamin D, they’re mess-free and taste amazing. I can also freeze the squeezable the night before and have them thaw through the morning, just in time for our lunch break. You can head over to your local grocery store and find these by the yogurt aisle.
4. Have a school space/room – Having a designated area that’s just for school helps us focus and differentiate our playtime with our school time. Our breakfast table is the kids’ schoolroom and so far it’s worked out really well. One of these days I’d love to move us into the office but for now, this is working just fine.
We’re really excited about this new year and are looking forward to all of the things we’re going to learn!
