Our new school schedule

While on vacation two weeks ago, I came up with a modified school schedule which we started yesterday.  So far, so good!  We’ve had a fun and productive (though not perfect) couple of days. 

Here is the new schedule:

Time               What to do

6:00-7:00     Wake up, shower, breakfast

7:00-8:30     Morning Chores (vitamins, brush teeth, dishwasher,                         violin)

8:30-9:15     Bible Time (story or doctrine, read Bible, memory practice, sing, and pray)

9:15-9:45     B, J, M handwriting or copywork; B, J phonics dictation/spelling; B, J history notebook entry

9:45-10:15 M: Math (game);

T: Musikgarten;

W: Math (manipulatives);

Th: Violin lesson or Musikgarten;

F: Math (living books and/or worksheets)

10:15-11:30 M: read library books or go to library;  

T: read library books or science experiment;  

W: Lapbook or history project;  

Th: Violin lesson or art; 

F: Lapbook or art

11:30-12:00 Lunch and clean up

12:00-1:00   P.E./ play outside, computer for Mom

1:00-1:15     T & R down for naps (read first)

1:15-2:30     B, J read to Mom; M phonics; read-aloud of poetry, history lesson, and novel

2:30-3:30     Quiet/ rest time

3:30-4:00     Snack and free play;  W: clean up downstairs

4:00-4:30     M, T, F:  Fold clothes;  W: voice lesson;  Th:  clean up basement

4:30-5:00     Clean up downstairs;  W: voice lesson

5:00-5:30     Video and dinner prep (only educ. videos during the week)

5:30-6:30     Dinner and clean up

6:30-7:00     Family worship time

7:00-7:30     T to bed

7:30-8:15     Other kids to bed

Here are some of the things we did yesterday and today:  the boys started cursive, my daughter started on her handwriting book again, we continued with Bible Time (after a break of a couple of weeks), we started Mystery of History vol. 2 beginning with Pentecost, we acted out the story of Peter and John healing the lame man from Acts 3 and sang "Silver and God Have I none; the boys did a history notebook page on Pentecost (drew a picture and wrote a sentence), we read many books about ocean animals, I printed out all ocean lapbook booklets and started cutting them out, we started reading "Pagoo" about a hermit crab (it’s teaching us a lot about the ocean), we did an "experiment" about how a squid squirts ink out to protect itself (put a laminated paper squid in a bowl of water and squirted Poly-Vi-Sol vitamins in it), the boys played Checkers for a math game, the boys started dictation of phonograms and spelling words, we continued memorizing 2 Cor. 5:21, we finished up listening to "Jonathan Park and started listening to the book of Acts on CD, we did a session of Musikgarten at the Seashore (activities included using scarves as waves and sails–or as a hypercane from my oldest son–; looking at starfish, sand dollars and shells; doing the movements of pelicans flying and diving for fish, baby sea turtles crawling to the sea, sandpipers running on the sand, dolphins diving up out of the water, and crabs walking; we listened to ocean animal sounds; worked on tonal and rhythm patterns; and played two singing games), we changed our folding of clothes to the afternoon instead of the morning, they played outside, my oldest son started writing a comic book, and my 2nd son learned to ride his bike without training wheels!  We didn’t have time for a video either day.

Yes, I am tired!  I know we’ll be taking a break in about 7 weeks when the baby comes, so we’ll continue at this pace for as long as possible.  We also have a few field trips planned:  county fair this week; Shedd Aquarium next week; Brookfield Zoo, Botanic Gardens, and Kohl Children’s Museum in August.  I love homeschooling!