My Homeschool Learning and Classroom

How do I learn every day and what does my homeschool classroom look like?

I do a combination of 'classroom' based homeschooling and out & about schooling.  We follow a timetable and typically work from 9.30am to 3pm with a lunch break.  We have at least one day or part day out and about each week - visiting somewhere or doing something educational.  If it's really sunny (rare in Ireland), we head out somewhere.  Every day, I learn English, Maths, Irish and depending on the day, I might be doing science, French, geography, history, life skills, business, P.E., Art, project work or an online course. 

My classroom is my parent's home office where I have my own desk and all my 'school' stuff.  Either my mum or my dad works alongside me depending on which one is working from home that day but it's mostly my mum.  My mum is the one who teaches me but when she is working, my Dad helps me with my work too.  Crosby, my dog, is also usually at my feet as I work.

My homeschool classroom set up

Here's a rundown of what I do for each subject...

Maths
For maths, I follow the same curriculum as any other 5th class student for Maths.  Every morning I do some mental maths either in Mata Meabhrach 5 (Mental Maths) or New Wave Mental Maths 5.  I learn new topics through Magic Maths 6 and Help Your  Kid with Maths by Carol Vorderman.  I also use different websites to practise maths such as IXL.com, mathisfun.com and smartlearningforall.com

English
I read a different novel every fortnight.  I just finished A Wrinkle in Time and we are just about to start The Diary of Anne Frank.  I also attend a Junior Book Club in the local library.  I love reading.
I do lots of different creative writing using storybird and a cool book called "Writing Prompts for the Creative Scribe" and LOTS of grammer worksheets because my Mom is obsessed with good grammer.  For National Poetry Day, we studied Digging by Seamus Heaney because last week we were on a 'Farm' theme.

Irish and French
I learn French using a workbook, activity sheets, vocab games and Duolingo.  I also have a penpal in Paris and we exchange postcards regularly.  For Irish, I use books Cliste and Gleasnotaí, Duolingo, TG4 and worksheets.  I also speak Irish with my brother who goes to school in a meánscoil.  I recently started going to an Irish language youth club locally.

Science, History, Geography
I learn these subjects through project work and depending on the theme of the week.  For example, last week was 'Farming' so we've watched RTÉ's Big Week on the Farm daily, visited the local Mart to watch a livestock auction, visited a local farm shop, learned about Milk and Cheese production, completed the Agri Kids farm safety programme, made butter at home and even my maths and poetry was farm themed.   This week is a Maritime theme so we visited Arklow Maritime Museum and I'm learning about the history of ship building, the life of the fisherman, sailing technology and the RNLI.
I've done projects on Barcelona and Berlin ahead of trips there.  I've studied the Egyptians, Romans and Greeks.  Next up is Russia.

P.E. and Art
I do a lot of sports so it's easy to cover P.E.  I do soccer training twice a week, badminton and swimming once a week.  For P.E. during 'school' hours, I sometimes go for a walk/run with my mum in a forest, on a beach or in a park.  Recently I used an obstacle course and go-kart track at a farm.

I do online courses through the library and free MOOCS.  I mostly use my iPad with a wireless keyboard and we use a shared Google Sheet to communicate the timetable and any links or instructions for each subject.

An 'Out and About' day homeschooling

I really like the flexibility of homeschooling.  Although we do follow a timetable and we learn in our 'homeschool' classroom, we can choose what to do any day depending on the weather or if something interesting has come up.  For example, I recently discovered a robin's nest and watched an egg hatch live.  We were able to research robins and learn about that instead of what was planned that day.  I like choosing my novels and having a say in what I learn.  My favourite part of the week is our outing day.  I think I'm a hands-on person and much prefer being active. 
I'd love to hear from other homeschoolers and how you learn.