The 5-Hour School Week: An Inspirational Guide to Leaving the Classroom to Embrace Learning in a Way You Never Imagined

by Kaleena Amuchastegui, Aaron Amuchastegui

Up early for class and up late for homework. Outdated, overcrowded schools are taking up our children’s time and taking away from valuable life experiences. There’s a better way to learn—and The 5-Hour School Week is how we hacked homeschool so we could enjoy our life and our kids!When Aaron and Kaleena Amuchastegui took their kids out of school to travel the globe and educate them through experiences, their children became more engaged, self-aware, curious, and passionate about learning. Now, they share their inspiring successes and practical advice to give you the tools you need to create your own unconventional education plan, no matter what your budget, walking you through topics kids to love learningProviding a social educationIncorporating travel into lessonsEmphasizing practical skillsAnd moreThis isn’t your mom’s homeschooling. This is an innovative, eclectic approach to education that will revolutionize your family’s life.

Genres: Education, Nonfiction, Parenting

266 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 25, 2018

Reviews

[Tish · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inspiring but repetitive

This was an enjoyable, quick read, but not as informative as I’d hoped. I finished still not really understanding how the 5-hour school week works. I *think* it’s basically one hour every day of whatever subject or subjects the student is pursuing. I would have appreciated more details on what that looks like.

Instead, there were a lot of anecdotes about things they have learned during their travels. The authors acknowledge that travel is just one way to pursue knowledge and spend your time, but they don’t provide many other ideas for those of us who don’t desire that lifestyle.

In my opinion, the “5-hour” piece of this is gimmicky. The family seems to have an amazing lifestyle and I absolutely think their methods of educating their children are valuable. I just don’t think it has much to do with five hours a week.

This probably would have resonated with me more under a different title/concept. However, I sincerely appreciated reading about their journey and may continue to follow them for inspiration.

[Kristen DeChaine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly, I couldn’t make it past chapter 3. This family seems to have an endless supply of money that allows them to travel wherever they want, whenever they want. I couldn’t relate at all.

[Shana Shroll · Rating 3 out of 5]

The authors make some compelling arguments for “world schooling”, and I could certainly relate to their motivations for doing so - feeling as though school is taking the best hours of your kids’ childhoods and forcing a rigid and arbitrary concept of “grade level achievement”. Part memoir, part guide- I felt this book was unsatisfactory in both regards. As memoir, the details of this family’s journey beyond the introduction were unspecific and a little too rosy to feel authentic; for example, all four children become savvy world-traveling entrepreneurs seemingly overnight. As guide, it was awful short on details to be helpful. Who doesn’t like the idea of spending only 5 hours a week doing “school work”? But the question is - how are you doing it, specifically? If one isn’t able to take off on a moment’s notice to hike to Havasu Falls or watch solar eclipses in Jackson Hole, how can this approach be modified - specifically, beyond “go to the museum”?
An interesting read but would have been better if more focused on specifics- either as memoir or how-to guide.

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had some good ideas and interesting perspectives. It also had quite a bit of inspiration and encouragement. It was very repetitive and weak on overall content and expertise. It seems like the authors tried to stretch out their limited experience to fill pages and so they repeatedly referenced the same experiences, benefits, and ideas. The authors also emphasized learning opportunities only applicable to families who can either travel a lot or live in cities. Overall, I’m happy I read it and it gave me some things to think about.

[JennySue · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not at all as informative as I was hoping. Felt like a lot of bragging about their travels (which “aren’t required”) and the accomplishments of their kids. Irritating. Kept hoping it would get better but it never did.

[Ann Adams · Rating 2 out of 5]

Love the title but wish they would have talked more about what the 5 hour school week looks like and less about their travels.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a homeschool mom. I have homeschooled my children for 6 years and I truly enjoyed this book. This book is great for all learning styles and all educators. No matter how long you have taught I feel that you can incorporate something in your lessons from this book. It shows how a family can grow from chaos and doubts to happy and succeeding. How a family can go from dread to being excited about learning. It covers everything from how school has changed, technology, business, travel, regular school work, life choices, the real world and so much more. The book was a big encouragement to me. Reading the joy her family has experienced made me rethink how I plan the days in my home. I made some changes the day after I started reading the book. In her book she discusses nature schooling, allowing our children to thrive in their interest, using all your senses, bookwork, independence, being a team, business, travel, taking care of yourself, growth, confidence, enjoying one another, freedom, the real world, passions, making information inspiring, making each day have purpose, making memories, overcoming obstacles together, happiness, understanding one another, friendships, flexibility, patience, honesty, and the future of jobs. It shares so maybe little tips. It was a pleasure to read. I have recommended it to all of my friends!

[Nikki Schumacher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Comforting.

I could have written this book myself our philosophy is so similar. It was comforting to spend time (via the pages of this book) with someone who is supportive of my homeschooling choices. The only improvement I would add is how to be intentional about teaching about their faith. If I spend five hours on academics how much more so would I spend five hours on spirituality. Until the age of 6 or 7 I believe in a lot more free play.

[Emily Freeman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m a homeschool graduate and I’m now homeschooling Kindergarten. The book makes some good points about busy work in classrooms or certain curricula. I absolutely agree that the younger grades need far less time doing book work. It’s wonderful to let children have the time and resources to explore their interests and to direct their learning in that way.

I thought the book was very repetitive and overly focused on teaching entrepreneurial skills.

[Robyn Galbreath · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wordy and heavy on their travel experiences. I wish the author had spent more time talking about their time learning at home. The travel stuff was still helpful because I can apply what she was talking about with trips to local museums but I think it can make it feel like this only works if you can take your child on a last-minute trip to the Grand Canyon because they read about it and wanted to see it. I do like the premise, though, and am glad I read it.

[Aimee Rebecca Larsen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading about their adventures, but couldn’t help thinking throughout that “it must be nice” to get to travel and see the world with your kids. Who wouldn’t love that, but the reality is it’s not accessible for most. The meat is the book would have been better spent talking about those 5 hours we would all love to master. I’m so glad they made a change and a difference field their little family. It is inspiring.

[Jolène Fender · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF - returned the audiobook. Content was repetitive and author spent a big part of her time bragging how well behaved her kids are. We homeschool as well and know that not all days are perfect. I typically enjoying uplifting material but when the author spends half the time discussing how accomplished her kids are compared to school kids it’s frankly annoying.

[Kathryn Martin · Rating 1 out of 5]

What could have been said in a very inspirational 20 page essay has been drawn out and redundantly touted for 200 pages, seemingly for the sole purpose of selling a book and starting their 10th “business” under the same name as the title. Don’t waste your time and money. There are far more helpful homeschooling books out there.

[Zoe · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had some lovely ideas, and I would absolutely love to live the way this family lives. However, their lifestyle is completely impractical unless you are independently wealthy, have extremely flexible commitments, and have neurotypical children. Since none of these describe us, this style of homeschooling is only a daydream.

[Fatima Asad · Rating 4 out of 5]

I follow the author's instagram account and like what I'm learning. I liked the book, but I was hoping to have a couple chapters on how to set up a 5 hours school week.

[Veronica Sarmiento · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's more of a bragging then really a guide. This book didn't do anything for me.

[Jordan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inspiring but not what I expected. Barley covered how they get through the core subjects. It's a decent quick read, but I don't think it's titled appropriately. Read more like a memoir.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great for families looking into or new to homeschooling and wanting to learn about a more unschooling/self-directed approach.

[Bethany Beasley · Rating 3 out of 5]

FiveHourSchoolWeek.com

The skills kids need today to thrive in the future are so different from what their parents learned! Research. Navigate technology. Analyze information.
80% of the jobs our kids will have in the future haven’t even been invented yet. How important is it to teach our kids flexibility? And the ability to adjust to a changing world.

The personal commitment to and exhaustion from homeschool is what drives people away from homeschooling. Remember: learning is FUN! Learn right alongside them! This experience with our kids is important and a gift.
Mindset matters. Not “having to do anything” but rather “getting to do everything.”
When daily errands can be turned into life lessons, we value the chaos much more, and have fun along the way.

Challenge yourself the same way you challenge your children.

Kids are born with a curiosity to learn. Give them freedom to learn, and they will learn more and take it beyond what you can imagine. If they are asking the questions, they need to know the answers. If something interests them they need the freedom to learn about it.
When we set strict guidelines about what kids should learn (as in a traditional school setting), we limit them to “only need to learn what we decide they should”. Schools limit kids significantly with these standards.

Different skillsets. Similar mindsets.

Knowing how my kids learn, receive information, and how their minds process helps me teach the other really important lessons (manners, kindness, faith, growth mindset).

The more interactive the experience, the greater and more impact the lesson will have.

You can’t make kids care about something unless you provide the tools and the planning necessary to spark their interest. Make every moment a learning moment.

It’s our responsibility to be present in our children’s journey.

I have never let schooling get in the way of my education. Mark Twain

School limits the ability to thoughtfully choose your friendships…when else in real life does this happen? Is it healthy?
We are the sum of the five people we surround ourselves and spend the most time with. Be incredibly picky over who they are. Be kind, have manners to everyone, but that doesn’t equal real friendship.

Confidant that they can learn whatever they need or want to learn. Confidence brings a wonderful lack of stress…

Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to Pause and reflect. Mark Twain

[Jennifer Ortiz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect way to explain

This was a great book and I’m so thankful it was recommended to me from a friend. Although I feel like the author and us are worlds apart in what we can offer as far as traveling she brought up so many things that we could relate to in our homeschooling experiences. Public school has gone so far down hill and it is not something that prepares you for the real world. I would never ever put my kids back in “real” school. This book just brought a whole other level of excitement in how we can make learning even more fun!

[Katie Rowe · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very disappointing

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book...but totally unrealistc way to live for most people. It ended up making me just jealous of the way she is able to homeschool and travel. hahah!

[Jennette Bratzler · Rating 3 out of 5]

+ This book allowed to evaluate how we educate and consider far more creative options than I have in the past.

- This book didn’t address other types of families, the book shares personal experiences. This family being girls, you get (grammar school years) and a lot of flexibility with family schedule and less concern for budgeting. Most families don’t fall in line with those exact circumstances and the author says “find what you value” yet there aren’t stories or ideas for other types of families.

-also the hardship of homeschool really isn’t shared, as a seasoned homeschool mom learning moments are beautiful (going to the grocery store) but also the reality of juggling all the kids in various stages isn’t as magical is the book reads

-the 5 hour school week wasn’t truly broken down, it’s just a concept of “less book work”

-author mentioned in less than 2 sentences she has a nanny come, which I think is great. I did the same when I worked + homeschooled. I tell every homeschool mom- get a house cleaner if it’s feasible. The authentic struggles and recommendations for “real mom life” were missing, the book was an instagram reel composed of only beautiful moments of the journey.

-I wondered if this book was written by AI

Overall glad I read it for the ideas and enthusiasm the mom has for her kids

[Kelly Bailey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t disagree with anything she says in this book. As a former homeschooler that had been at private school prior, I’ve experienced a lot of what she talks about with her kids’ school experience as well as the joys of homeschooling. However, her book has the wrong title and is misleading. I read this looking for a fresh approach in case we decide to go back to homeschooling at some point. I felt like the book was mainly about traveling the world and how amazing her girls are. While I am genuinely happy for her, I didn’t find much helpful information at all as to how one actually implements the focused time of the 5-hour school week.

I have 3 boys who could never get a week and a half worth of private school work done in 2 hours like her daughter did. It just wouldn’t happen and frankly that sounds far too good to be realistic. I have so many questions like how you manage to cover all subjects in a week and how this could possibly work for junior high and especially high school when GPA’s start counting and grades are needed. The title indicates a helpful book with useful tools to make this ideal possible but unfortunately I did not find anything actually helpful in this book.

[Chris Konkel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I agree with most comments. The first couple chapters do a descent job of making the author’s argument against traditional schooling in favor of home school education. She explains well the inefficiencies of a classroom setting and how homeschooling can be a more productive use of our children’s time… if you have the ability to stay at home with your kids.

The rest of the book is all bragging and bragging and it never stops. It great that her kids are thriving in this style of living but it can’t all be this perfect school model that she portrays. Very unrealistic picture of what homeschooling can be and like others have said there are no guides or tip or any instruction in how the 5 hour school week can be implemented.

[Kate Wooten · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the idea of time management to get the most out of educating each individual child. We are starting homeschooling so this was a helpful delve into what that can look like. This book however, is highly anecdotal. There were a lot of parts I found repetitive. I’m happy that they have a child that is so precocious and outgoing, the stories of her are inspiring but I did not find it relatable in the least. If you have expendable cash laying around, a highly flexible work schedule allowing you to travel 2-3 weeks a month and gifted children this is the book for you. My mantra while reading was “comparison is the thief of joy”.

[JennyDW · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some thought provoking ideas here and there, but unfortunately my takeaway was that this is a lifestyle out of reach for the average homeschooler. If you’re not someone with deep pockets it’s not very relatable. And this is from a family that road trips 2-3 times a year. We are blessed with a remote work and some financial flexibility, and I still felt like I could not relate to much of what was shared. But for those at their economic level it could definitely be inspiring. Free to Learn by Peter Gray was a much more inspiring read that offered ideas the average family could accommodate and afford.

[Elyse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Since I started working in a school, I have become even more interested in what education *should* look like. Like the authors of this book, I constantly see kids who are drained, bored, and learning things that they genuinely don’t need. Their love of learning is squashed.
That’s why I love the idea of more world schooling. The world is big and beautiful and we can always be learning more about it. I think school is the worst way to do this.
This book is obviously biased and this family is lucky to have so many opportunists and resources to travel. But it really is my dream.

[Molly Regan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The authors make for a very interesting narrative of how outdated our views on traditional education are. Schools provide plenty of “work” but with very little learning actually happening. Further spurs narratives of how our traditional education system needs a major update to function in current times. It advocates for parents to be more involved in their children’s educational choices, because education is definitely not one size fits all. This is not an instruction manual on non traditional education. But how they tailored non traditional education to work for their family.

[Ashley Wells · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book sparked something in me as a homeschooling mom. A wonder of what I really want my children's education to look like. I've been at this thing for many years. However, I've been feeling a gap between real life and the ideas I've held on to. I have a feeling this may be the first of several books about education for me as I explore a different sort of path of homeschooling than I've thought about before.