The Day in the Life of a Homeschool Middle Schooler Using Sonlight Curriculum

How to… middle school homeschool?

I’m glad you asked.

Good morning, world! This is me, Viv. I’m an 8th grader who is learning history, literature, language arts, and Bible through Sonlight 100. Are you curious about using Sonlight’s middle school curriculum? Come see what a typical day looks like for me at home. I’m about to start my day… and this is my pile o’ books.

MORNING

BIBLE

(We received Sonlight 100 in exchange for a series of blog posts that contain our honest opinion.)

Sometimes I wake up around 6:45 to enjoy my quiet time with God. Other times, I wake up around 7 or 7:30, eat breakfast with my family around 8 a.m. and enjoy my devotions after that. Here I am doing a lesson in the Holzmann’s Bible Study Sampler. (I love that it is straight-forward and simply teaching me to read, interpret, and apply the Bible.)

MATH

I like to do math right away in the morning. I spend about 30 minutes on Algebra 1 (from Math-U-See). Today, I’m learning about polynomials. Mind-boggling.

HISTORY

Sonlight 100 has me reading through Joy Hakim’s A History of US series. It is so interesting! When I read history, I read every which way: I stand, walk around, lay on the floor, stretch… In warmer weather, I lie on the trampoline or relax on the porch.

LANGUAGE ARTS

(That’s my sister, Lia. She’s in 5th grade and she is working on Sonlight E Intro to American History Year 2 of 2.)

After that, I tackle a bunch of desk work: I add details to my Timeline Book and maps, I practice spelling words, do Wordly Wise Book 8, and work on the Sonlight 100 Language Arts assignments. This week, I’m researching Autism for a research project that is due next week. (I’m exploring the ways we can best educate and nurture children with autism. My aunt has worked very hard to learn about this topic and she pointed me to The Autism Navigator and this podcast.)

Some days, I use this block of time to do my homework for my Science and Literature co-op classes. We meet on Thursdays. (So, get this: in science, we are studying Arctic Climates. I wonder if that’s why Antarctica came to us this year. It was 8 degrees today! Check out this cool YouTube clip of a scuba diver in Antarctica!)

Of course, I’ve gotta cuddle with this cutie whenever possible, too…

Lunch time! It’s “Make Your Own Sandwich Day” aka, “Make Your Brother’s Sandwich, Too, Day”. 😉

FRIENDSHIP, OUTDOORS, PLAY PRACTICE, READ, EXERCISE…

It just so happens that today, my mentor came over. (We get together a couple of times a month.) Right now, we are working through Life Purpose Planning. I treasure our friendship!!

After that, I went to play practice (I’m a Bird Girl in Seussical Jr.!) and went to a friend’s house for the afternoon, but USUALLY, on an average homeschool afternoon, my siblings and I play outside, exercise for 30 minutes (we circuit through rowing, running, and the 7-minute app), read for an hour, and work on art projects while my mom reads to us.

EVENING

We have dinner as a family around 6. We do the dishes, then we may watch a show, read, or play a game. (For those of you who know me in real life: I’m taking a break from all of the hours of ballet that I was doing earlier this year, and I honestly really like the regular evenings at home. It’s kinda nice.)

So, there you have it! I’m learning so much – and reading unforgettable good books – by using Sonlight 100. At this point, I am able to manage most of my coursework on my own, which I really like. I’d be happy to answer any questions that you may have about using Sonlight 100 (or homeschooling in general) from a middle schooler’s perspective.