This is the last year I will have an elementary student. My youngest is a 5th grader this year. To commemorate this I thought I might document what Homeschooling Through the Eyes of a 5th Grader looks like in our house this year. Hint: there is Singapore Math, Equine Science, a unique history exploration via biographies and more!

Just like a did with Homeschooling Through the Eyes of a High Schooler a couple of years ago with my oldest, my plan is to do this as much “in real time” as we can today. My plan is to snap photos throughout our day and then post them here with a description of what her day looks like at that moment.

So stop in to see what my 5th grader’s homeschool day looks like! {If you need a quick preview you can check out our 5th Grade Homeschool Curriculum!}

Homeschooling Through the Eyes of a 5th Grader

It’s 8am and you can find her still in bed.

I don’t really enforce a strict rise and shine policy anymore. As long as the kids are accomplishing what needs to be done each day they can roll out of bed when they wish. (Although I have yet to have one roll out past 10!)

But when 8:30 rolls around, so does she!

Part of our morning routine is to get up, dressed, and clean up our bedrooms before ever leaving them.

**Note that I didn’t mention breakfast. While I think breakfast is important, it is one of those meals that she doesn’t always eat. Or she grabs a dry bowl of cereal to munch on while she is doing her morning work.

It’s 9am and she heads to her planner to see what is on the schedule for the day.

While she is a fiercely independent child, she is also very self aware and was adamant that she was not ready to go to using a planner all by herself (like the Simple Middle School Planner her brother is using). For this reason I created a paper planner that would be custom made to both her needs and what I felt I could manage to keep up with. {Post on this coming soon!}

Up first is Singapore Math!

I have used Singapore Math with all three of my children in the elementary years to varying lengths. While we have Teaching Textbooks Grade 5 because we used it for our middle child, Ava here did not want to switch to a computer based program yet (and I am not sure if she will want to). Thus we are using Singapore Math again this year but I am considering other options (such as Math Mammoth) for her because I do not like Singapore starting in 6A.

Who Was Series Biographies for History

I created Ava’s history this year based on the Who Was series of biographies for kids. Using the Who Was Series Biographies for Homeschool History includes FREE Printable Notebook pages as well as a printable lesson plan for the year. She has really enjoyed reading these in the past and I think they are a great way to introduce influential people from history as well as time periods, movements, and events.

Growing with Grammar & Soaring with Spelling

While I was ready to be done with formal spelling, she was not. Soaring with Spelling is one of the activities she loves to do! Each Monday we take a picture of the spelling list so that I have it to give her the practice at the beginning of the week and the test at the end of the week.  She often has a buddy with her while she works and wanted to show that here!

What I love about these two programs is that they are self-contained, easy for the student to use on their own, and the spiral binding makes the books physically easy to work with/write in.

Equine Science

This is a program that I found solely for Ava, neither of our other children were that interested in horses so this never came in to play. She is working through the WinterPromise Equine Science for 3rd-7th graders. I love that this program uses both non-fiction and fiction books as its spine. From art to science, history and reading, this one has it all and Ava is loving every minute of it!

After Morning Work

After our morning work time the kids are free to do and explore as they please. You will often find Ava creating some piece of art or building a contraption of some sort. She also loves spending time with her guinea pig, Pippin and researching her latest interests on YouTube.

In this case she has been playing with her Zoob Cruiser a ton recently. She attached her iPod to it to take moving video of its travels and is now using pieces from various wooden kits to create a cart for it to pull.

Horseback Riding

The barn is a big part of Ava’s life. You can find her there at least 3 times a week plus a riding lesson with her trainer. Today is a barn day so instead of so much free time, we will spend a couple of hours at the barn grooming, riding, etc.

Check out all the Homeschooling Through the Eyes posts and link up your own!