"classroom" chores

[prairiewindmomma]

I am trying something new this year: "classroom" chores. This has all fallen to me in the past, and I'm done. My time is too valuable to sharpen pencils when I have children capable of completing the task.  I need time to plan, grade, and teach.  Now that I have four at the school table, I'm finding that the amount of cleaning maintenance work has increased exponentially.

 

If you've had classroom chore time in the past, what has worked well for you? 

 

So far I have on the weekly list:

*pencil sharpener

*trash/recycling

*table wiper

*librarian

*whiteboard cleaner

*energy expert (I'm sending my 3 yo to turn off all of the other lights in the house during school time)

*floor sweeper

 

Any other ideas?

[OneStepAtATime]

Those All sound good. I found for the best success with those types of things I had to be consistent about when things got done, create lists that clearly break down what to do when, and we all do better if there is an external event that we train ourselves to use as a reminder, such as when we break for a snack/lunch. Just telling them at random times to clean up, etc caused frustration. I needed to get us on a consistent clean up schedule until things were more automatic.

 

Focus on successful moments, maybe even start an apprenticeship training program and have a small party when they reach a point of independently remembering and doing without lots of prompting from you. And make sure your expectations are really clear. Things may seem clear/simple/obvious to you but I found that sometimes my kids and I had a communication disconnect.

 

Good luck!

[Tita Gidge]

Well, we have a "school room" but we don't sit in there and use it public-school style so I'm not sure how helpful this will be. I also have some kids attending public school who use the school room for homework. The homeschoolers do a quick clean around 4pm before the public schoolers get home. Weekly chores are done by all kids, on rotation.

 

Every day we sweep the floors - not because it's super messy but because it's easier for us as a daily, rather than weekly, habit.  I tell the kids to figure it out amongst themselves, and if nobody does it ... I don't take them, or allow them to go to, their extra curricular stuff. 

 

Every day we wipe the whiteboards - it's clean up after yourself; homeschoolers do it at 4pm (at minimum) and everyone knows to do it anytime they use the whiteboards, even if it's after 4pm.

 

I play the librarian. I'm particular and nobody else does it right LOL. I do this once a week or four, when I get around to it.

 

Trash is emptied twice a week with the rest of our household trash. My public schoolers share this chore; the kids are all on a rotation.

 

We have a big "pencil sharpening and marker checking" event the first week of school every year. We plop in front of a movie to sharpen all 3000 pencils and to check the 20 million pens and markers for quality (weeding out the bad ones). I buy a 24-set of pencils for each kid at the start of school. And they all have a different pen preference, so I buy 12 of those then also (plus they have any left over from the year before that are still good.) Markers I buy as needed, but we test each marker and highlighter during our movie. Markers are the domain of my youngest, but everyone else sharpens their own pencils and tests their own pens.

 

I think the idea of energy guy is awesome :lol: you might add in a snack/lunch guy, too!

[happypamama]

Put away errant books and supplies guy. My kids generally put away their own things each day, but there are always stray items.

[MotherGoose]

Maybe your 4 year old would Iike to inspect the room after school and make sure everyone, including mom, put things away where they belong? Often I am so DONE that I walk away with books spread on the table. Right now it's spotless and neat, and just thinking about the beautiful schoolroom makes me happy. My middle child would be a great enforcer...maybe I'll give her that job even though she's 7.

[MotherGoose]

Maybe your 4 year old would Iike to inspect the room after school and make sure everyone, including mom, put things away where they belong? Often I am so DONE that I walk away with books spread on the table. Right now it's spotless and neat, and just thinking about the beautiful schoolroom makes me happy. My middle child would be a great enforcer...maybe I'll give her that job even though she's 7.