We are the Malleys—often referred to as the MalleyCats! We have six kids, ranging in age from 3-12. We have been homeschooling for five years (my oldest went to Kindergarten and 1st grade before we decided to homeschool) and we love it! My husband owns his own company, so between being self-employed, and homeschooling, we are super flexible with our time. We love to travel, and are always working on planning our next adventure. My kids are best friends, which makes hanging out together our favorite thing to do.
:: Do you use a particular method? Share with us a few of your favorite curriculum.
I would say we are fairly classical in our approach to education—but we’ve added and subtracted a few things along they way. When I first started preparing to homeschool, I was so overwhelmed by the options/methods/curriculum available to homeschoolers, that I kind of panicked! I read a stack of books as tall as my toddler trying to figure the “best” way to do it. I finally realized that the best way to do it was the way that worked for us! I told myself that I needed to just do what felt right, and if we needed to switch it up along the way, no big deal! It didn’t take long before we figured out what we liked, and had a great routine going. I’ve loved Susan Wise Bauer’s, “The Complete Writer” for writing, and “Story of the World” for history. We’ve stuck with those through the years, and I can really see the fruit of that labor! I love studying history and writing as much as they do!
:: Are you involved in a co-op, and/or do you participate in homeschool groups?
We were involved with a homeschool group in the beginning, but as my kids got older it became harder to attend activities that were of interest to all my age ranges, and I repeatedly found myself more frustrated than fulfilled. We are super involved with sports, cub scouts, church youth groups and seeing other friends, so we’ve never felt like we are missing out on the social aspect of life—but we are looking into a once a week co-op next year that offers some classes my kids are interested in.
:: Do you follow a strict schedule, predictable rhythm, or do you work your lessons around that day's activities?
We definitely have a routine, but I consider us flexible! In the morning the kids have their breakfast, do their chores, practice piano, and then we get started on schoolwork by around 9:00. We’ve found out through trial and error that we all prefer getting school done in the morning, so we can have the afternoons free for other things.
:: How long does it take you to do school everyday?
We are usually “done” by lunch time, but our afternoons are often spent working on projects, and reading together. It is one of the best perks of homeschooling—it takes so much less time! When my kids have occasionally entertained the idea of going back to public school—it’s the amount of time they would have to be there that always makes them decide they’d rather homeschool!
:: What advice would you give to other homeschooling families?
My advice to other homeschooling families would be to listen to your gut. You know your kids better than anyone, and it’s ok if your schooling looks different than other families. That’s the whole point—to personalize it to your lifestyle! The other advice I would give is to read, read, read with your kids. We always have a book we are reading aloud together, which for me serves so many purposes: Obviously research has shown how much it helps comprehension and vocabulary, etc….but the best part for me is snuggling on the couch and getting lost in a great story together. It’s a shared memory that binds us all. We also love listening to books in the car! They never fight or ask “are we there yet” when they are listening to a good book! On days our regular school day has fallen apart, or life got in the way of our plans, I know we can at least read together. The other bit of magic I’ve learned over the years are to really embrace fun traditions. I have traditions throughout the year, not just associated with the holidays that make ordinary days extraordinary! Like “dress-like-a-pirate day” at Krispy Kreme to get a free dozen donuts, or the first bike ride of the season to the library, or “May the fourth be with you day” where everything is star wars themed that day. Creating fun through traditions gives everyone stuff to look forward to, and memories to look back on—all centered around being together.
Thank you Reyna for taking time out of your busy day to talk to us!
Channon
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