The Allen Family
Children: Jayden (17) and Jordan (10)
Homeschooling since 2017
Q. What are some healthy habits that you use with your children regarding school?
A. With regards to school, a healthy habit we like to do is have reading time as part of their school schedule. We believe this helps with concentration and sparking imagination. It also creates dialog as to what the story or article was about.
Q. What kind of an outcome do you see with these habits?
A. One outcome we see is how our kids are learning about new words and what they mean. Another outcome is how they are learning to critically think about situations pertaining to what was read.
Q. What does your daily routine look like before and after school?
A. Our routine before school is to have breakfast. Having a meal really helps maintain their focus. We also have devotion and prayer. After school, we have lunch and leisure time, i.e., video games, bike riding, and drawing.
Q. What are some healthy routines your family engages in outside of school?
During the summer, we go on weekly outings called “We Be Out Wednesdays”, where we go to different places in our area that we like or find new places to go. We also ride our bikes, roller skate, and go for walks in the park.
Q. What are some foods that your children like? Do you think healthy foods are important in your child’s development?
A. Our kids love pork chops, beef, chicken, celery, broccoli, and various fruits. Healthy foods are very important for their development. They have more energy and are more focused on what they need to do for the day.
Q. How do you transition from summer being off school to back to school in August. Is it a hard adjustment for them?
A. What we try to do around 2 weeks before school, is to have an earlier bedtime geared more for Jordan than Jayden. Jordan loves her sleep time, so it’s more of a challenge for her to get up early. This way by the time school starts, she is already used to getting up earlier. Jayden is the early riser and is usually the first one up before anyone else.
Q. Why did you choose to homeschool Jayden and Jordan?
A. We decided to homeschool because we found that the work wasn’t challenging enough, there were restrictions that were added to Jayden’s workload that weren’t needed, and a limited timeframe to learn the material.