This is a guest post from Kelly Hellmuth! I’m absolutely delighted to have a “peak behind the curtain” into Kelly’s home. Find more from Kelly at the bottom of this post.

“Maybe it’s the influence of the Little House on the Prairie, but I find the history of the one-room schoolhouse a little romantic.” - Denise M. Colby

Don’t we all? Most of us here are pursuing an educational path either with Charlotte Mason or Classical influences (or both!), and we know the value of educating our children together. There is an ease and even a necessity to discuss subjects such as history and science and fine arts as a family.

Do you have a middle schooler or high schooler at home, along with a mix of younger kids? And you're wondering how to homeschool with so many different ages under one roof? This is how one mom keeps her teens connected to the day with younger studen…

Denise is not wrong when she calls it romantic; we all have these idyllic images of our children sitting by our feet while we discuss Shakespeare over a cup of tea, the toddler sitting quietly in the lap of the eldest. This is how this looks, right? Right??

Of course, we all know that this is not reality. Home educating your children is a calling not for the faint of heart. It is good, constant work that looks forward to the future, but it can be messy in the moment. The procedures are also not lasting. As dedicated as we parents can be to a particular methodology, we have to be flexible. We have to be willing to adjust with the seasons of our children’s lives and maneuver with the things God places in our paths.

This is where we are now as a family. Our one room schoolhouse does not work for everyone anymore. Middle school is upon us, and my teenager cannot spend copious amounts of time on the good and the beautiful. Latin declensions and the Pythagorean theorem mean very little to those still in their early education, so he must move on apart from the crowd.

So how do I keep my teen connected in this moment of transition?

At the moment. We have two opportunities in our day that help us maintain that “One Room Schoolhouse” feel without sacrificing my teenager’s requirements for more rigorous work.

Opportunity #1- Morning Time

We all call it different things, but morning time is an essential tool for most one room schoolhouses. Right now, we loop several short activities:

family prayer
scriptural affirmation and growth mindset
Shakespeare
classic literature study
poetry
art

Our oldest son will join us for around forty-five minutes, and I will work with the younger children on our grouped subjects. With this, we begin our day focusing on the Lord before we ever crack a math book.

Opportunity #2- Read Alouds

Reading aloud has become something of a cultural phenomenon thanks to Sarah Mackenzie. She suggests reading aloud to children of all ages, and we love entering a world together as a family. Of course, this cultivates the life skills needed for that future to which we are building.

I do not know how this will change as my children continue to grow older. I do know that it will change. And it will change for you as well.

Teddy Roosevelt once said, “Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.” And this is worth it. So enjoy the transitions.

Kelly Hellmuth is a classical educator and homeschooling mother living with her husband and four crazy kids in Oklahoma City. When not leading worship or serving with the youth at her church, Kelly is working on her first children’s novel. She feels a calling to increase the number living books in the world. Kelly does not currently have a blog, but you can find her on Instagram at @khelmetwriter where she chronicles her writing journey.

Featured