homeschool schedule Archives - Growing In Grace

The Great Shake Up

February 26, 2014Tracy

At the beginning of January, as we restarted school after Christmas break, I noticed something in our school schedule that I really didn’t like—Littlest wasn’t attended to. He was daily wreaking havoc. And though our schedule had been awesome all fall, I’d never felt as though I’d found a place for Littlest in all of it. And apparently, he felt the same way. Remember this?

So, in a desperate attempt to find a solution, I turned our whole schedule on it’s head. Literally. I mean we worked totally backwards. I left the mornings very open-ended, doing some Tapestry activities and our extras (art, music, and the light stuff); and we did the serious stuff (math and language) in the afternoons while Littlest napped.

We did this for about 3 weeks. Littlest and Middlest loved it. Oldest hated it; he’s my OCD, gotta-have-structure child. And to be honest, I had a love-hate relationship with it, too. I loved the mornings. I HATED the afternoons, which seemed to drag on forever. Then just as we finished up, it would be time to make supper.

But it was exactly what I needed to convert our schedule. Here are some things I learned from our great shake up:

I had the opportunity to watch Littlest, to see what he liked doing, what he wanted to do, and when he was ready for a break of his own. For example, every morning at 10 almost on the dot, he was leading me to his pack ‘n play and pointing out the toys he wanted tossed in with him. I got to observe his natural schedule so that I could incorporate it into our family rhythms.
I learned how important it was for us to have a little flexibility in the mornings, since our ministry lifestyle often has the kids up really late.
I learned how quickly the kids forgot how to discipline themselves to be ready to go somewhere on time when we eliminated our structure. Truly astounding!
I started holding myself accountable to shorter lesson periods with the kids (15-20 min. per activity, a suggestion from Charlotte Mason that is gold, people!)

We’re now settling back into some structure and a new schedule (which I’ll reveal in another upcoming post), but shaking things up was crucial to coming to this point. So I just wanted to encourage you, if you’re struggling to find your groove, do something drastic! It just might shake things into place.

Our 2013 Routine

October 16, 2013Tracy

I love getting a glimpse behind the scenes of someone else’s household, not just for curiosity-sake but for ideas. So, I’m offering up the same privilege. Here’s the behind the scenes look at our schedule for mornings and homeschool. Yours doesn’t need to match mine; but if you’re wondering how to “fit it all in,” here’s my routine for some ideas.

My Morning…

begins at 5:30 a.m. with a cup of coffee and the Lord. This is my hour of power, my time to meet with God for those new mercies He’s promised to give each morning. I spend time studying the Word (I’m in Romans, currently) and praying.

At 6:30, my ipod alarm sounds for me to jump in the shower. I have thirty minutes here to make myself presentable, and another 15 minutes or so to get breakfast for everyone. Then, at 7:15-ish I wake the kids and have them dress and make their beds before coming down for breakfast. Their “chores” are simple: brush their teeth and hair, make bed and put pajamas away, sweep crumbs under the table or wipe the bathroom counters.

Our school “bell” goes off at 8 a.m., and everyone is expected to be on time.

Our School Day…

starts with prayer and our calendar time in our upstairs space. Then, we bring our boxes downstairs to the table for “Memory Period.” This is my time to go over our memory work: Bible, Latin, and History. Most of this is set to music, so in essence, we sing different songs and chants for about 15-20 minutes.

Bible: Teach them the Faith catechism songs and their AWANA work

Latin: Song School Latin songs

History: some flashcard facts (using an ipod app) and our timeline chant (Veritas Press timeline facts from a youtube video)

We end this period with any particular announcements that I need to make to both of them about their work.

8:30

Oldest goes off to do his independent work and his Reflex math game (for math facts review). Middlest begins her time with me. We start with her math and finish with phonics, reading, and cursive. I also assign an art project or motor skills activity for her to complete during my time with Oldest.

9:30

Middlest begins her project/activity while Oldest begins his time with me. (When Middlest finishes, she has the rest of the hour for recess up in her room.) We go over his work pages that he did during his independent time and cover new concepts. Then, we move on to his language arts—phonics, spelling, and grammar on alternating days. We’ll finish with some reading if we have time, if not we save his reading for a break later in the day or after lunch.

10:30 or 11

Sometimes Oldest’s time takes a little longer, so I keep this time a little flexible from day-to-day. During this time, we’re back together. And it’s time for some hot cocoa! We go over some very basic map work (from Story of the World [SOTW]), and I start their SOTW audio lesson. Usually, we’ll do a coloring page or other activity during the story or after it is finished. I’ll also ask some review questions after the story to highlight what I want them to remember (and to make sure they listened).

Following the audio, we’ll do a read-aloud from the Tapestry curriculum. This is either classic literature (i.e. King Arthur) or Church History (biography of Martin Luther). Sometimes I will read, and sometimes Oldest will do some of the reading.

11:30-ish

It’s time for our extras. This alternates on different days of the week. Two days are devoted to science, two days to Latin, and one day to art/music.

Noon

On a good day, we’re done! On other days, we’ll wrap up anything left after a lunch recess. But by noon, it’s definitely time for a break.

And what’s the Littlest been up to all this time? He’s either napping or playing with an activity. I try to find at least one special activity for him daily, either from pinterest or from the Flowering Baby curriculum that I have for him. And Middlest loves to play with him for me; she’s a big helper. He wanders in and out of our lessons, sits in my lap or on my hip, goes off to play, sits in his high chair for a snack or some “coloring”, and then takes a nap.

I also have certain ipod activities or activity pages for the kids to do if I get interrupted. When the phone rings, when Littlest needs a diaper change or has gotten into trouble, the kids can stay busy for the 3-5 minutes that it takes for me to get everyone settled again.

After School…

our schedule varies from day to day. But essentially, the kids play—sometimes with me, sometimes on their own—until about 3 p.m. Then, everyone is down for either naps or quiet time. Most of the time, the older two get quiet time, which is a time to work on projects, play in our art bag, or listen to audio stories. This lasts until 4:30 or 5. It’s my time to get a few things done, or welcome people into our home.

Then, 4:30 begins my dinner prep routine, followed by supper, some family time, and bedtime. That’s my day, roughly. There’s always the unexpected that pops up and throws the day off, but this is our go-to, the ideal we are striving for.

Now, I ask that you pray for us. This is a schedule that works well for us, so please pray that we can maintain it as much as possible, and that I have the wisdom to tweak it when needful.

Thanks! It’s good to have friends on this journey.

Finally—a new 2013 routine

January 30, 2013Tracy

Finally, and it definitely feels like finally, we are getting into a groove around here. After many failed attempts at setting up a schedule for myself and our homeschool, I think I’ve finally settled into something that will work—as in, we’ve been able to successfully stick with this one for a couple of weeks now!

Being flexible is a definite strength of mine, but my strength can also be my weakness. I can be so flexible that I have no shape or structure at all. And I hate when that happens. So after a year and a half of being flexible through late pregnancy, giving birth, and adjusting to life with baby #3, “finally” is no overstatement.

Welcome to a day in our lives…

6 a.m. My alarm goes off, and I stumble out of bed (or try to shortly thereafter). I pour my cup of coffee with cream and an 1/8 cup of sugar, and yes! It’s finally caffeinated coffee! I get out my Bible study journal, Bible, and prayer box. Sipping on my coffee, I pray and then journal through a book of the Bible (finishing Hebrews right now).

7 -7:15 I finish my study time and begin getting dressed for exercising.

7:15-7:45ish I exercise. FINALLY, I’ve found a time and workout to fit my “life with littles” day. Awhile back I’d purchased these “10 minute solution” exercise videos that offer five 10 minute segments. I can piece together a workout to fit the time I have. My goal is for 30 minutes, but if life happens and duty calls I can easily adjust my workout. Love it!

8-9 Everyone is up by now. The kids make their beds and feed the dog before eating breakfast. I empty the dishwasher and begin making breakfast for everyone and a bottle for Littlest. I’ve also started filling one sink with some soapy water. My intention was that the kids could throw their oatmeal bowls into the water to keep the oatmeal from crusting before I could wash the dishes, but Middlest has decided that she loves washing dishes. More power to her! I got her a stool and let her have at it. She rinses in the soapy water and puts them in the dish washer.

Once the kids finish breakfast, they dress and begin morning chores. Oldest wipes the bathroom counters down; Middlest sweeps the crumbs from under the table with a small broom and dust pan. I finish feeding Littlest his oatmeal and apple sauce mixture and scarf down a few nourishing bites for myself. We say “good-bye” to Daddy, and I inspect chores.

9 – 9:45 At 9 the alarm sounds for school and the kids are learning to be ready for that sound. I start them off with what we call their “pocket pages,” independent work pages that I have placed in their notebooks at the beginning of the week. I explain directions for the different pages, and they get to work. Middlest works at her desk in the schoolroom. I’ve moved Oldest to his bedroom with a timer for this particular task; he seems to work much better without the distraction of his little sister. Littlest goes to his playpen for a little independent time before his morning nap. And I get a shower, dress, do my hair and make-up, etc.

The “alone” time they have is not really that long, long enough for me to shower and dress (about 15 min. or so) and then I check to see how everyone is doing. I leave them to finish my hair and make-up but am available for questions during that time.

9:45-10:20 We all meet back up in the schoolroom (except Littlest—he’s napping now) for “Assembly Time.” During this time, we do our pledge, sing the national anthem, and go over our calendar. We review our Bible memory work, our timeline of history, our history flashcards, and our science facts. Each day I’ve been adding just a couple of minutes of science, reading a short paragraph and going over our memory work (more on that to come). Depending on time, we may sing a few songs together as well.

10:20-10:40 Oldest sets to work on his phonics flashcards, new history facts, and his spelling list. I work with Middlest with her reading and math.

10:40-11:00ish Middlest chooses an activity (playdo, shape puzzles, or a computer program) while I work with Oldest. After several months, she is doing MUCH better at not interrupting us during this time. She will curl up in my lap to hear the story that Oldest is reading or join us to see what new math concept he’s learning; I allow her to come and go as she wants as long as she doesn’t distract. Oldest and I work on his reading and language concepts, then transition to math. For reading, he only reads the A Beka reader if I don’t have anything else for him to read. Otherwise, he will read a title from our Tapestry plans or read the Bible story that is part of our Tapestry lesson for the week.

11-ish to noon This time is approximate because there are days when Oldest needs a little more time from me to understand a new concept or to work on problem areas. But around 11 or 11:15 we usually finish up, and we all begin Tapestry together. Littlest will sometimes join us around this time as well. During this time, we work on maps, lapbooking, or read our history titles from Tapestry.

We finish up around noon or 12:15 everyday. It feels so good! I make lunch, the kids play, we eat, the kids play, I finish up my chores and feed Littlest. We have a little play time together, and then the youngest two go down for naps. Oldest begins his quiet time, and I either finish my tasks or have an hour or so for computer work, blogging, etc.

4:30-10:30 I begin supper prep and our evening routine begins. Bedtime is the one aspect of my routine that I really need to work on. 10:30 is my goal but one I rarely meet right now. I’ll be honest that sometimes it’s 11 or 12 before I make it to bed. And yes, that makes the next day much more difficult. I am working on this.

But to have the day running so smoothly is a huge, HUGE blessing. {Sigh of relief}

So what adjustments have you made half-way through the year? Are there any finally‘s that you are rejoicing over?

Memories of a Homeschooled Homeschooler: the homeschool schedule

December 13, 2011Tracy

I have memories of my mom surrounded by books and tons of paper in the corner of our home that was her “office.” Usually, she was either in the midst of taxes and bookkeeping or scheduling homeschool. We went through a lot of schedules during my homeschool years, and like any great master, Mom was always sure we could do something better or more efficiently. Tweak this subject here, add a little more time there, take out this activity and move it to that time slot. But we were kids, and school was—well—school, no matter where we did it. And I know we didn’t give her an easy time, in spite of her homeschool schedule overhauls. Because of all that scheduling though, we did have time for a lot of really unique experiences that have made for fond memories.

As little kids, we did four day school for a long time. So as early as second grade, I learned how to take five days worth of assignments and work to get it all done in four days. Each one of those four days, I’d work ahead one assignment in at least one subject until I’d earned my extra day off. We loved those three day weekends!

When we got older, working ahead was much harder to accomplish each week, but we still plotted out our assignments and worked ahead where we could for that end goal: to finish school as early in the year as possible. When other kids took extra holidays, spring breaks, and snow days (in Texas, snow days rarely had the same significance as they might in other states), we worked tirelessly, though sometimes reluctantly, toward that goal. And it paid off. We often had the bragging rights of the neighborhood, having finished all of our school books in mid April or early May while everyone else plodded along for another 4-6 more weeks.

In high school, Mom’s scheduling paid off significantly as she helped us plan our extra-curricular activities into our school day. My junior and senior year of high school, I had the opportunity to work part-time at our local newspaper office and have my own ballet studio where I gave lessons and planned performances.

Then, the real test came—college. All of Mom’s hours surrounded by stacks of books and loose paper finally culminated in one great overall success. After watching my mom plan scores upon scores of schedules through the years, my first freshman college schedule was a breeze. Seventeen years old and 12 hours from home, I remembered all those lessons of scheduling and planning and breaking down large tasks, lessons that my mom probably wasn’t always aware that she was teaching me.

And when I began to teach college English and writing classes, I was more often teaching my students how to schedule their time than I was tutoring them in the rudiments of grammar.

So for all of you homeschool moms who think you are “ruining” your children or their learning experience with all of your tweaks and overhauls to the homeschool schedule, take heart. Include your kids in the process. There’s some valuable learning going on behind those wadded up pieces of paper.

My Homeschool Memories—the When, Where, and How I was homeschooled

November 29, 2011Tracy

My earliest homeschool memories are of doing school at the kitchen table, with a blue dish tub full of A Beka homeschool books, and my mom trying her best to mirror the experience we’d had in our private school setting. My younger sister schooled at the table with me, and my brother (six years older) did his work in his bedroom, away from our elementary noise. Kindergarten, second grade, and eighth grade was what my mother began with, back when homeschooling was much less defined and understood.

We said our pledge, sang choruses, memorized Bible verses, and practiced math speed drills with the same regularity I’d known in the classroom. And any time there was any deviation, I would remind my mother, “That’s not how Mrs. Bell did it.” But we grew and learned together. We turned from strictly A Beka to a mix of A Beka, Alpha Omega, and Bob Jones, and I welcomed Mom’s changes more graciously.

When I was twelve, we sold our house, moved to some acreage, and began living in a 40 ft. RV while Dad worked on building a new house. For two years, we did homeschool at the small table or back bedroom mattress of our RV. It was a true testament that learning can take place absolutely anywhere. And while other children assumed homeschooling meant that I had the privilege of going to school at 10 a.m. in my pajamas, it was far from our reality. At 5:30 every morning we were dressed and outside bottle-feeding our calves. I was finishing up with my other chores and heading inside for school as the local school bus flew down our dirt road with the other school-aged kids. But we were done with our school when our work was done, which was usually much sooner than the afternoon bus. We took our school on the road to dentist appointments, grocery trips, dance lessons, and homeschool co-op meetings. I learned to concentrate on an assignment through an assortment of chaos and learned to memorize a list of spelling words through any number of distractions.

When I was about fourteen, our house was finished enough to move in. Bare cement floors and walls without sheet rock were a very welcome change to our tiny home in the RV. My school space moved around through out a day from kitchen table, to bedroom vanity, to a desk inside a large walk-in book closet. Our curriculum changed yearly as well. For one, there were more options now. And, too, we knew when to identify when something just wasn’t working. My sister studied from one curriculum, I learned from a couple of others, and we made changes as necessary.

Overall, the greatest lesson I took from these homeschool memories was the fact that education is not a one-size fits all. Different lifestyles, patterns of life, and personalities all factor into the decisions of when, where, and even how of homeschooling. Now, as I launch out on my own journey, I’m more free with curriculum, I’m confident that I know my children best, and I know it really doesn’t matter where we pull out the books.

Learning is not a place or a textbook; it’s a process—a glorious, stressful, fun, terrifying, fabulous experience that teaches a family much more than math and history. It teaches us to make every memory a learning moment.