Welcome to another entry in The Great Homeschool Public School Experiment series! Today, I’m sharing how we had to adjust our schooling and living schedule to make room for public school.
It’s also time for another edition of the Laugh and Learn linky, so be sure to check out our favorites from last week and read some great new posts this week!
Since we’d been homeschooling from birth, adjusting to a public school schedule was a MAJOR event in our family. Honestly, I had forgotten how much of my day revolved around school as a child. During the week, school pretty much consumed my waking hours. It’s only gotten worse since then.
Here’s a look at how we had to adjust our schedule when we took a break from homeschooling and enrolled our kids in public school.
Getting Up Earlier
First, we had to start getting everyone up earlier. A LOT earlier. Generally, we allowed the kids to wake up on their own (usually around 8 a.m.) and then we’d start our morning routine. Fortunately, our kids’ school is located less than a mile from our house. But we still have to get everyone up no later than 6:30 a.m. so that they could make it to school in time for breakfast.
Apparently, they got the most important sleep of the night during that last hour and a half. Because without it, I have some seriously grouchy little ones. Pooh, in particular, has had a difficult time adjusting to rising that early. Sometimes, I actually have to shake him awake.
Reshaping Our Afternoons
I figured that the morning overhaul would be the biggest adjustment, but I was wrong. I had no idea how much homework kids receive these days. Even Roo has homework and he’s in kindergarten.
So, when I pick them up, I bring them home for a snack. (They’re always starving, because they eat lunch at 10:10 a.m. Truly.) After they have a snack, they get right on their homework. I’ll talk more about how we adjusted to the very idea of homework in another post. In general, homework takes about an hour, sometimes more for Tigger, and then they get a chance to unwind before dinner.
What Happened to Our Weekends?
I didn’t even consider that our weekends would be affected by public school, but they are. I had seriously taken for granted how much homeschooling helped me with errands. Now, I have to wait until the weekend to take the kids shopping for anything. Of course, every other person in our town is also shopping on weekends, so those trips now take three times as long. Fun!
If you have kids in public school, I’d love to hear how you tweaked your daily schedule to make room for their assignments. Let me know in the comments!
This post is part of the series “The Great Homeschool Public School Experiment“! Read about our other adventures in trying public school for the first time!
And now it’s time for the Laugh and Learn linkup! 🙂
Welcome to our 15th week of Laugh and Learn – Homeschool and Parenting Linkup. Join us in the fun and help us spread the word! Laugh and Learn – Homeschool and Parenting Linkup will be open by 6 am every Tuesday morning. We will pick our three favorite posts and feature them on the following weeks linkup. Be sure to link your best content and maybe we will pick you! When you link your post with us it will be featured on three blogs.
We pin our favorites to a special Pinterest board for #laughlearnlinkup – homeschool and parenting posts. Check the board out here: #LaughLearnLinkup {Featured Favorites}. It’s added exposure for your awesome content!
Your Fabulous Hosts 😉
Tina
Tina lives abroad in Latin America with her husband and four children. Currently in Mexico, Tina is active in homeschool, travel, and her Bible ministry. She blogs about all of their adventures and more at Los Gringos Locos.
Find Tina at her blog link above, and on the following social media networks:
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Tsu
Selena
Selena is a writer and a homeschooling mom to four kids, including three with ADHD/SPD. Selena and her husband, Jay, are committed to teaching their children at home and loving every minute of it! You can read about the family’s homeschooling experiences at Look! We’re Learning, written by Selena!
Find Selena at her blog link above, and on the following social media networks:
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Pinterest
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Sarah
Sarah lives in Kentucky, USA, where she and her husband homeschool three children. Sarah writes for and about, families with special needs. She hopes to provide support and encouragement to all special needs parents in the homeschool community. Visit Sarah at Dedicated Homeschooler.
Find Sarah at her blog link above, and on the following social media networks:
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Our Favorite Posts for the Week of January 12th:

Written by Brand New Mom at Brand New Mom
Thanks to everyone who submitted a post. Please check out the posts above by clicking on the image.
Now, let’s see your best posts for this week so we can share them as next week’s favorites!

I can’t tell you the difference it’s made for my family going from traditional school to homeschool. In a way I’m glad I did it the opposite way (starting them homeschooling at an later age). We had a tight schedule when my kids were in school so I did all the meal planning and prep on Sunday’s. I shopped mostly online (amazon prime was the best friend ever). I put a shelf hanger in their closets for the clothes they were to wear and labeled it for the day. My kids were made to be very independent since both my husand and I worked. They were responsible for dressing themselves. Packing their backpacks at night before bed (either me or hubby would double check them). My kids didn’t buy lunch or breakfast, so we did lunch the night before but froze the sandwhiches on Sunday and Wed nights.
We’ve homeschooled from the beginning too. I can’t even imagine trying to get the kids all up, fed, and ready to go out in time everyday. We manage a week that in the summer for vacation Bible school in the summer, and I’m always ready for it to be done by the end. I wouldn’t have thought about errands, and weekends either!
It’s not fun, I can tell you that….lol. The schedule alone has probably been the roughest adjustment yet.
Thanks so much for the feature.
Interesting news about your homeschooling journey. You certainly have a lot on your plate right now. I wish you all the best in your journey 🙂