A Day in the Life - Homeschooling a 4 Year Old in Holland
A Day in the Life - Homeschooling a 4 Year Old in Holland
As introduction, homeschooling in Holland is a tricky business. Homeschooling anywhere is a tricky business, but in the Netherlands the educational stance on homeschooling is complicated, which adds an extra layer to the daily challenges of stimulating a child's mind and building their knowledge base (and maintaining personal sanity).
Currently we have a (second) official letter processing at the City Hall, and within the next month or two we hope to get official confirmation and acceptance of our notification of homeschooling. More information on Dutch laws here. It is possible that we would be denied (technically illegal, but possible), in which case there will be discussions at home, negotiation with the city hall, and who knows what after that. Other homeschool families have been denied and then negotiated their way to success, or given in and enrolled their children in school, or moved to Belgium, which has a more tolerant homeschooling approach. We're praying for success and for 'good coffee' for whoever's handling our case. The mandatory education age is five, so we still have a few more months of enjoying this legally, and then hopefully more years after that with acceptance!
For now, this is what a typical kindergarten day looks like. Times vary, but this is a rhythm that works for us while D is at work and baby Bloom (recently turned 1 year old!) crawls around.
7:30-8:30: Wake up, eat, tidy up. My children are devoted to oatmeal, and occasionally even ask for it for dinner; we adults are devoted to coffee. (I have been trying to substitute green tea. Less effective but better for my brain and patience.) We wave goodbye to Papa D and he leaves for work as we finish eating. After breakfast, I often turn on kids' Bible songs or nursery rhymes on my computer while we clean up. Pippin's chore is to put away all plastic dishes from the dishwasher, while I handle the dirty dishes and wash sticky little cute faces.
8:30-9:00: Calendar time. Depending on the day, I may have five different calendars on the table; my personal agenda, our family calendar, Pippin's whiteboard calendar, his wooden calendar, and my online Google calendar. This is when we talk about the weather, the date, and any plans. Playdates, grocery order, library days, city events, whether D is studying at home or working til late. (On magical, super-efficient days I note down meals and housework too.)
9:00-10:00: Schooltime. This is our most productive time of the day, when our brains are still sharp and energy is high. First I set out 'Explode the Code', 'Brainbites', activity books, and Pippin's binder. These workbooks and pages focus on handwriting, reading, and math. I let him choose which order to do them in, and he has his own special pencil case so he doesn't lose anything (plus it has the Minions on the cover so everything feels cooler :D). Sometimes Pippin blazes through page after page, and beams when I tell him how perfectly he shaped a "T" or "Z". Sometimes he grumbles and barely does the minimum. Most days he's in between the two extremes.
I write the amount of pages and subjects down in my teacher's notebook, as well as any school or learning activities we do throughout the day. When Pippin is done with his writing work (how fast it goes is his choice), he sometimes pulls out a board game or starts to paint. During schooltime, I switch the music from upbeat kids songs to classical music because, A, it's soothing background noise and, B: "because leading experts say Mozart makes babies smarter." Who am I to argue?
10:00-10:30: Snacktime. Of crucial importance. Provides us all a break and some nourishment, because some days two large bowls of oatmeal and yogurt just aren't enough to last til lunch. I do 'Mystery of History' readaloud during snack, and then afterwards Pippin sketches a picture of what the history lesson was about. Since January, when we began the book, we've studied the major points in history from the beginning of time to about 1000 B.C., and have had lessons on the Great Wall, King David, and the Trojan Horse. It's probably my favorite part of the morning. When we have questions, or when a lesson seems too abstract for a 4 year old brain, I can open my computer for extra help. The Internet has free coloring pages on so many subjects, and we've even done a virtual tour of the Mycenaean palace in Crete and the Kom Ombo temple in Egypt.
Sometimes I look ahead and check out library books on what we're studying, like the Pyramids, weather, or community helpers. We have multiple awesome professionals in our family - doctor, fireman, policeman, teacher, architect - so that was a fun theme to learn more about
11:00-12:00: Free time. Sometimes we're still having fun coloring King Tutankhamen's golden coffin at this point, sometimes I'm ready for laundry, a second cup of tea, and some breathing space while the kids play. Bloom and Pippin are actually good friends, despite the 3+ year age difference, and I think much of that is because we choose to homeschool. They both have their own friends, of course, but at home they happily play hide and seek, push around cars, or take turns on the mini-trampoline. One day Pippin came home from a playdate, realized his sister was napping, and complained, "But I miss her!"
12:00-14:00: Lunch and rest time. Pippin, my big boy, makes his sandwich all on his own, since I keep all supplies at his level. I also let him choose from the SciShow Kids channel on YouTube; he loves the quirky videos that teach him about asteroids, allergies, and animal fossils. That gives me time to feed Bloom, get my own lunch, tidy the kitchen, and message with my friends (yay, grownup conversation!) If the weather's nice, we may take our lunch outside and talk about how the garden is doing. Later, while Bloom naps, I set a timer for him to look at books or play quietly by himself, and after that he's allowed to watch one of his pre-approved shows on Netflix.
His shows are usually in Dutch, since most of our schooling happens in English, my mother-language. I'm fluent in Dutch, and we have occasionally discussed doing more Dutch-language learning, but there are VAST amounts of free English materials available and comparatively few Dutch ones.
Pippin and I also try to work on reading, which is going great thanks to his foundation of alphabet games and 'Explode the Code'. I recently bought a lightly used box of 'Hooked On Phonics' materials from a Dutch homeschool mom in my network, and Pippin loves the little books and the sticker chart. He can already read short CVC readers about cats at bat (which required an explanation of the game of baseball) and pigs who wear wigs. Whatever works, right?
14:00-17:00: Library/playdate/free time. This block of time varies per day. Wednesdays are our regular library day, because most primary schools let out at noon and the library is a popular place. Once a month there is read-aloud afternoon at the library, where we see friends (and sometimes Pippin's cousin) and do crafts. Pippin's library books are all in Dutch, and we check out storybooks as well as informational ones on weather, animals, construction etc. so that he also builds up that vocabulary.
Because of the schools' schedules, Wednesday is a good day for playdates with neighborhood kids or friends from church. We also do two child-swaps per week with a good friend and her son, so sometimes I have three kids running around and giggling, sometimes it's just me and Bloom here while Pippin is off playing there. We Skype two or three times a week with family in America, often while I peel potatoes or as Pippin helps me with mixing pancake batter.
17:00-18:00: Dinnertime. My husband often arrives home to the sound of cheers and hugs, which is good for his ego if not for his eardrums. I love that we get to eat together as a family every day, even if it's chaotic. We swap stories of what we've done and achieved ("Bloom took three steps! Pippin and I learned about the Great Flood of 1953!" "They still haven't fixed the metro line - surprise!- but I got a seat on the bus today.")
18:00-19:30: Clean up and free time. Pippin washes the table, I load the dishwasher, and Bloom practices licking things and people. Sometimes we go to the playground if the weather's nice, sometimes D joins us at the table and we play games like Uno and Skip-bo Junior, which are great for Pippin's math skills. Sometimes Pippin gets time on the tablet, which has a mix of educational and just-for-fun games.
19:30: Reading and bedtime. I cuddle with Bloom, try to read her a board book, and then put her to bed. D reads a Dutch book to Pippin and then puts her to bed. Then we parents do a victory dance, share a hug, and have a snack by ourselves in the kitchen. It's great. After that D often studies for a while, I go on a run, or do any more cleaning or laundry that didn't happen earlier. Then it's bedtime for us too. And then we wake up the next day and (get to) do it all over again.
As introduction, homeschooling in Holland is a tricky business. Homeschooling anywhere is a tricky business, but in the Netherlands the educational stance on homeschooling is complicated, which adds an extra layer to the daily challenges of stimulating a child's mind and building their knowledge base (and maintaining personal sanity).
Currently we have a (second) official letter processing at the City Hall, and within the next month or two we hope to get official confirmation and acceptance of our notification of homeschooling. More information on Dutch laws here. It is possible that we would be denied (technically illegal, but possible), in which case there will be discussions at home, negotiation with the city hall, and who knows what after that. Other homeschool families have been denied and then negotiated their way to success, or given in and enrolled their children in school, or moved to Belgium, which has a more tolerant homeschooling approach. We're praying for success and for 'good coffee' for whoever's handling our case. The mandatory education age is five, so we still have a few more months of enjoying this legally, and then hopefully more years after that with acceptance!
For now, this is what a typical kindergarten day looks like. Times vary, but this is a rhythm that works for us while D is at work and baby Bloom (recently turned 1 year old!) crawls around.
7:30-8:30: Wake up, eat, tidy up. My children are devoted to oatmeal, and occasionally even ask for it for dinner; we adults are devoted to coffee. (I have been trying to substitute green tea. Less effective but better for my brain and patience.) We wave goodbye to Papa D and he leaves for work as we finish eating. After breakfast, I often turn on kids' Bible songs or nursery rhymes on my computer while we clean up. Pippin's chore is to put away all plastic dishes from the dishwasher, while I handle the dirty dishes and wash sticky little cute faces.
8:30-9:00: Calendar time. Depending on the day, I may have five different calendars on the table; my personal agenda, our family calendar, Pippin's whiteboard calendar, his wooden calendar, and my online Google calendar. This is when we talk about the weather, the date, and any plans. Playdates, grocery order, library days, city events, whether D is studying at home or working til late. (On magical, super-efficient days I note down meals and housework too.)
I write the amount of pages and subjects down in my teacher's notebook, as well as any school or learning activities we do throughout the day. When Pippin is done with his writing work (how fast it goes is his choice), he sometimes pulls out a board game or starts to paint. During schooltime, I switch the music from upbeat kids songs to classical music because, A, it's soothing background noise and, B: "because leading experts say Mozart makes babies smarter." Who am I to argue?
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| Epic of Gilgamesh Battle: "They win and they chop him" |
Sometimes I look ahead and check out library books on what we're studying, like the Pyramids, weather, or community helpers. We have multiple awesome professionals in our family - doctor, fireman, policeman, teacher, architect - so that was a fun theme to learn more about
11:00-12:00: Free time. Sometimes we're still having fun coloring King Tutankhamen's golden coffin at this point, sometimes I'm ready for laundry, a second cup of tea, and some breathing space while the kids play. Bloom and Pippin are actually good friends, despite the 3+ year age difference, and I think much of that is because we choose to homeschool. They both have their own friends, of course, but at home they happily play hide and seek, push around cars, or take turns on the mini-trampoline. One day Pippin came home from a playdate, realized his sister was napping, and complained, "But I miss her!"
12:00-14:00: Lunch and rest time. Pippin, my big boy, makes his sandwich all on his own, since I keep all supplies at his level. I also let him choose from the SciShow Kids channel on YouTube; he loves the quirky videos that teach him about asteroids, allergies, and animal fossils. That gives me time to feed Bloom, get my own lunch, tidy the kitchen, and message with my friends (yay, grownup conversation!) If the weather's nice, we may take our lunch outside and talk about how the garden is doing. Later, while Bloom naps, I set a timer for him to look at books or play quietly by himself, and after that he's allowed to watch one of his pre-approved shows on Netflix.
His shows are usually in Dutch, since most of our schooling happens in English, my mother-language. I'm fluent in Dutch, and we have occasionally discussed doing more Dutch-language learning, but there are VAST amounts of free English materials available and comparatively few Dutch ones.
Pippin and I also try to work on reading, which is going great thanks to his foundation of alphabet games and 'Explode the Code'. I recently bought a lightly used box of 'Hooked On Phonics' materials from a Dutch homeschool mom in my network, and Pippin loves the little books and the sticker chart. He can already read short CVC readers about cats at bat (which required an explanation of the game of baseball) and pigs who wear wigs. Whatever works, right?
14:00-17:00: Library/playdate/free time. This block of time varies per day. Wednesdays are our regular library day, because most primary schools let out at noon and the library is a popular place. Once a month there is read-aloud afternoon at the library, where we see friends (and sometimes Pippin's cousin) and do crafts. Pippin's library books are all in Dutch, and we check out storybooks as well as informational ones on weather, animals, construction etc. so that he also builds up that vocabulary.
Because of the schools' schedules, Wednesday is a good day for playdates with neighborhood kids or friends from church. We also do two child-swaps per week with a good friend and her son, so sometimes I have three kids running around and giggling, sometimes it's just me and Bloom here while Pippin is off playing there. We Skype two or three times a week with family in America, often while I peel potatoes or as Pippin helps me with mixing pancake batter.
17:00-18:00: Dinnertime. My husband often arrives home to the sound of cheers and hugs, which is good for his ego if not for his eardrums. I love that we get to eat together as a family every day, even if it's chaotic. We swap stories of what we've done and achieved ("Bloom took three steps! Pippin and I learned about the Great Flood of 1953!" "They still haven't fixed the metro line - surprise!- but I got a seat on the bus today.")
18:00-19:30: Clean up and free time. Pippin washes the table, I load the dishwasher, and Bloom practices licking things and people. Sometimes we go to the playground if the weather's nice, sometimes D joins us at the table and we play games like Uno and Skip-bo Junior, which are great for Pippin's math skills. Sometimes Pippin gets time on the tablet, which has a mix of educational and just-for-fun games.
19:30: Reading and bedtime. I cuddle with Bloom, try to read her a board book, and then put her to bed. D reads a Dutch book to Pippin and then puts her to bed. Then we parents do a victory dance, share a hug, and have a snack by ourselves in the kitchen. It's great. After that D often studies for a while, I go on a run, or do any more cleaning or laundry that didn't happen earlier. Then it's bedtime for us too. And then we wake up the next day and (get to) do it all over again.
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