Our 2011-2012 Homeschooling Schedule
Yes, every year is different, and I usually end up tweaking our homeschooling schedule throughout the year as well. But this is what is (sort of) working right now!
8:00 Breakfast
8:30-11:30 Morning chores and schoolwork
11:30-1:00 Lunch, chores, and free time
1:00 Baby down for a nap
1:15-2:30 Afternoon read-aloud time
2:30-3:30 Quiet time (alone time for Mom)
3:30-5:00 Afternoon chores, instrument practice, dinner prep
5:00-5:30 Educational video
5:30-6:30 Dinner and after-dinner chores
I’ll post separately about the chores that the kids do throughout the day.
For the morning homeschooling time, the three oldest practice violin and do their written schoolwork. The written schoolwork includes copywork, handwriting, Bible Study Fellowship lesson, science, history, grammar, math, logic, and Latin (depending on their level). The younger kids also work with me on phonics, reading aloud, handwriting, phonics workbook, and lapbooks. For the last few years I have wanted to start the morning with a “circle time” where we read the Bible, pray, sing, do memory work, etc. But that has practically never happened. So, I finally accepted the fact that that is too difficult to do right now with all the little kids’ distractions. I let the kids decide which order they want to do their morning work (although I like them to start with violin practice, because if it gets too late in the morning they say they’re too tired to do it).
We have our dining room converted to a schoolroom. My computer is in there as well, so I often do emails or blogging in between helping them with their work. That is why you may often see my blog posts reading a little disjointed. I write one sentence now, another later, another later. . .
For our afternoon reading time, we move upstairs to the boys’ room (while the baby naps). The kids can play with Legos or draw, etc. while I read. Here is what we typically do during this time: review Scripture memory (right now we’re memorizing Colossians 3:12-17), read the Bible (Daniel), read a poem (from an anthology), read science and narrate (2 pages from Zoology 1 Flying Creatures by Fulbright), read history and narrate (one lesson from Mystery of History 1, ancient times), read historical fiction (Greek Myths and Theras and His Town by Snedeker).
For the next hour, the kids are to play quietly or read on their own.
In the afternoon, the older 3 kids have another instrument to practice (either piano or clarinet).
As you can probably guess, if we leave the house in the morning, it’s very hard to get this work done. Therefore, I have determined that we will keep that time “sacred” and stay home as much as possible. I have found a violin and a piano teacher who come to our house for lessons. We do leave to take my older son to clarinet lesson and band practice, though. On those days we sit in the car, and the kids bring their schoolwork to do. I usually get in some good phonics lessons during those days.
A book I highly recommend to helping to schedule your day is “Managers of their Homes” by Maxwell. See here for more details about our curriculum.
(Contains affiliate links.)
Great schedule, Gena!
I never followed one very closely, but love the flexibility you have built in there. And quiet hour in the afternoon is a mama’s sanity saver! I need to get my little guys doing that–with no baby in the house it’s been easy to get away from it!
Love those sweet, smiling faces at the top of your blog!
May I make a suggestion for your circle time? (Love that term!) With littles, sometimes just doing a “little bit” is helpful. I would have my younger ones on a bigger blanket on the floor with somewhat quiet toys (which they can still make noisy–imagine that!). Even if all you could do is 10-15 minutes, you could read a verse or two from Psalms, sing a few hymns/songs (we let them pick a hymn on their laundry day) and maybe a short memory verse with hand motions (really helps the little ones’ concentration). I would look up ASL signs or sometimes just make up my own as they made “sense” to a little person.
Hope you don’t mind me suggesting these things–I know how hard it is to carve that time out and then make it work, yet I’m convinced it’s more important than all the rest I do.
Oh, and marker board stick drawings as you tell a Bible story are pretty fun, too! 😉
HUGS and have a blessed rest-of-the-year!
~Trisch
I do appreciate your advice! Thanks!