Skeleton Key to the Treasure Chest

On a classical list I am on, someone asked about what your "bare bones" priorities would be if you could only homeschool, say, half time or less. Hey, that is what my homeschool has been like regularly ever since we have started. I should have some sort of graduate degree in crisis homeschooling.

Anyway, here is what I wrote --posting it here because it fits in a bit with recent posts:
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Interesting topic because we used to have to do this cutting back at least once a year (pregnancies, new babies, medical crises) and even now when things are smoother I find it helpful to regularly consider what's essential to me and what's not.

• Math -- because it's the hardest to learn naturally for my kids at least, and it's of key importance
• Latin -- same as above and also it incorporates most formal language arts --grammar, vocabulary, logic, and composition/narration/copywork. For younger ones (primary) it would be phonics rather than Latin.
• Literature -- which is a broad enough category to include history and science and religion as well as the childhood fictional classics.

You already mentioned spiritual training -- which would include religious instruction and character formation and some incidental vocational training, I suppose.

Harder to describe for me but important-- setting an example for "how and why to learn" -- (I guess this is where my unschooly side comes in) -- discussion, stories about family culture, modeling research skills, strewing resources and reading materials and reading aloud to them. This would fit in odd corners of the day.... this is not formal ... basically I would call it "discipling" or "mentoring" or "enculturation" -- simply making it a priority to share what I am and what DH is and the "keeper" parts of our family and cultural heritage. Some moms do that enculturation naturally; I have to think about it and be aware of its importance.

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Sites I find helpful for my minimal liberal arts educational method:

• Robinson Curriculum
• Ambleside Online Emergency Lesson Plan
• Ruth Marshall's site -- particularly her review of the Robinson Method, but there are many more articles and helps on simplifying, and homeschooling a wide age range.
• Trivium Pursuit: Ten Things to Do with Your Child Before Age Ten

I usually go back to these whenever I'm feeling mentally cluttered or overloaded.

• Once I did this interview about Homeschooling Through a Crisis with some strategies for dealing with difficulties.
• Also, I just wrote out this Checklist of Priorities for my learning notes site.