Any large families willing to post their schedules?

[Jane]

I'm getting ready to lay out our schedule for next year and would love to see how others do it. I don't need to hear *which* program you are using or *how* you fold in your toddlers/babies, rather the flow of your school day. Does this make sense? If not, let me know and I'll try to be more specific. As I make out our schedule, I just want to see how others handle the details in case there is something I'm missing that could make my days easier. :001_smile:

 

Thanks!

[BakersDozen]

I was thinking about posting this same ? myself! Here's what we've done; whether or not it changes in the fall remains to be seen.

 

Our school day begins at 8:30. I spend 1 hour with the "littles" while my 5 older dc do chores, piano, typing and YOYO (You're On Your Own) work. Snack and 15 minute break at 9:15. At 9:30 I meet w/my 6 & 8 yo for math while older 3dc do more YOYO work (grammar, vocabulary) for an hour. At 10:30 I am with older 3dc going over morning work and doing mom-intensive work (writing, logic). Lunch is at 11:30. After lunch we have reading time where I listen to my 6 or 8yo read out loud and older dc read to little girls. Nap at 1:00 then I spend 2 hours w/older 5dc doing History and Science.

 

In the fall I am adding Spanish and a few other fun topics into our day so I have to find more time somewhere and hope our day can still be done at 3:30. It's a balancing act for sure! My goal is to have a good 2 hours of YOYO work for my older ones so I am free to work with my 6 & 8yo who need more mom-time as well as spend good time with my "littles".

[swainsonshawk]

I have 6 kids, ages 10,8,6,4,2 and 7 mo., so I only really have to school three. We are using workboxes. That means that I have to fill 12 boxes at night for each kid (36 boxes), plus plan history/science/art, but it's great for the kids for getting their work done.

 

We start at 9 am with group time. We sing a few songs, practice memory work, and start reading from science/history and do an activity together. This takes 30-45 minutes. After this, we work on the first 4 boxes, while I help each child with math, one-on-one. Snack is at 10:30 ish. We start back in at 11 with the next four boxes, while I work on writing with individual kids one-on-one. Lunch is 12 ish. We do our read aloud at 1, and finish the final four boxes and are done around 2:30. Afternoon is when I listen to everyone read aloud and work on Phonics with the six year old.

 

My 4/2 yo kids are bopping around, making messes and noise, so the older kids sometimes do their work in their rooms or in mine for some peace. I usually have the baby with me in the highchair or he is napping for some of this. Of course, this is ideal. I rarely happens exactly like this, but this is the goal we start out toward three days per week.

 

Becky in WA

[Jane]

Wow. Overall, I'm really suprised by how similar our days are to one another--seat work in the morning and science and history in the afternoon, chores while mom interacts with the youngest ones. It's nice to hear that your families function best with that morning snack too! Maybe we will need a new thread on what to serve for that morning snack to keep everyone going. :)

 

You ladies are so creative with what I simply call "seat work." Yoyo work and boxed systems. Fun names and systems.

 

Thanks for the thoughts. I know it sounds simple to write out, but sometimes those simple details do help.

 

Neither of you mentioned outside activities. Do your children take any classes or attend any co-ops during the week?

[Quiver0f10]

Deleted I made an error. Will try to post later.

[BlsdMama]

If anyone can tell me how to make an Excel spreadsheet "share-able" I would be more than happy to do it.

 

We are expecting our 9th child this January, our eighth living child.

The oldest is 13, then 10, 7, 5, 4, 2, 1, and the expected baby.

 

I am NOT a believer in preschool. BUT, I'm a huge believer in sanity. And the only way I know to keep staying sane and prevent me from putting the 4yo in a dog crate is to do preschool. :P Okay, I'm joking, but it's crossed my mind. With toys, mind you, WITH toys! He's REALLY busy and he and the 2.5 year old are really at about the same developmental level. I was just telling DH that I am SO looking forward to this year because our current 2 year old LOVES preschool stuff, singing, doing activities, sitting still, being read to.... And the 4 year old, well he FINALLY sits still. Thank God we are past the three's with him. I don't think I could have lasted much longer... :)

 

This is last year's routine.

 

I have NOT made up my routine for this year yet as Tapestry is all new to us. We do NOT do block by block schedule as I get all uptight and cranky. So we do a routine marked by set times, if that makes sense. It lets the kids get the ebb and flow of "what comes next" without constantly looking at the clock. It also gives us the freedom to let things go a little long and make up the time sometime before lunch, or sometime during naptime, etc.

 

This year we'll be combining the 5yo and 7yo in many things. With that and being able to keep both the 2yo & 4yo busy and the 1yo is SUCH a good baby, I'm REALLY looking forward to planning this year!

 

 

Last Year's Schedule:

 

Mom wakes at 5AM

Devotions

Shower

Prep work for school

 

Ana (13) wakes up and makes breakfast while Christian and I do outside chores. Little ones (5, 4, and 2) get dressed. Lizzie (7) dresses Sarah (1)

 

8:00 Breakfast

Clean-up All

Chore Charts All

 

9:00 Bible All

I do some preschool (the active, jumping around, singing parts) with littles while Ana (13) helps Lizzie (7) with piano and CJ practices guitar.

One hour of table time

Littles doodle/draw, do activities like cut/paste, play-dough, etc while biggers do math with me to help. Then we roll into Language Arts which the big kids (13 & 10) can pretty much do on their own, but I'm present to help as needed. For the littles the arts & crafts take up half of table time, free play for the other half in the living room.

 

At 11:00 Caillou comes on and they got to watch that while I helped out bigs as needed or played with Sarah/nursed, etc.

 

Everyone goes outside while I make lunch.

Lunch at Noon.

Big kids do the quick lunch clean-up while I read aloud to the little people (7 and under)

The 4yo, 2yo, and 1yo go down for nap at 1:00

 

NOW my clock is ticking.

 

Big kids were reading their history spine together at this point and then notebooking. In the meantime I did phonics with the 7yo and 5yo. We alternate history (MWF) with science (TTh)

 

Latin if we did it. Kind of hit or miss for the 10 & under crowd. Ana is good at studying it herself.

 

Everyone can either A.) Read B.) Look at books quietly or C.) Sleep

These are the ONLY choices. If you do not choose by NOT doing A. or B. then you, by default choose C. And that's just the way it goes. Because I get ONE whole hour to do whatever I need to do, do dinner prep., play on the computer, or breathe.

 

3:00 Afternoon routine

Snack

Outside

Laundry folding from the day's laundry

Clean-up for Daddy as I do dinner prep.

We usually eat around 5:30-6:00

Kids all have their own jobs to clean-up after supper. I do pans.

This fall we'll be saving the family (not the little people) read aloud for night instead of during the day. Family time, and for something new this year, we're switching bathing to a night time thing. Any tv time, radio program, etc until 8:00 PM

 

8:00 PM Bedtime for children

Big kids that can read easily can read until 9:00.

When you can read easily you are gifted with a reading light. It's a motivator!

 

That's it.

 

Ask me when I check papers. Sigh. I have no idea. I HAVE to figure this out. I think when everyone goes to bed, but I REALLY like to check math immediately and do the corrections with them RIGHT away. We have outdoor chores (2 pigs, four goats, one dog, several cats, and lots of chickens to do) so obviously that has to slide into our morning.

 

It looks really nice color coded on the Excel spreadsheet. I just don't know how to make it so others can open it! :)

 

ALL errands (ALL, with virtually NO exceptions) are saved for Fridays. I don't like the massive interruption that this can bring to a routine.

 

 

ETA: There are no planned outdoor activities. DH made them a tree fort that they climb to get into, we have lots of animals, bicycles, chalk, sandbox, and sports equipment. They DEFINITELY do NOT need help from me. We have very active, outdoorsy kids, so it's just kind of one of those things where I try to pump enough food into them to maintain their energy level. :P

Edited June 24, 2009 by BlsdMama

[johnandtinagilbert]

Well, the time involved and specifics for the gang are in this thread

My general plan, having dc 13, 12, 11, 9, 7 for the start of the school year is something like this:

Mon-Thurs

7:30 bible/hymns

Group Science/fresh fruit during read aloud

Breakfast

YOYO (gotta use that, I love it! Sounds much more exciting than independent work) for 4 oldest

Phonics Road for 7 yo

PE (any outside physical activity....exercise machines in garage on rainy or super hot days)

Group History {usually includes an apple or banana or carrot sticks for always hungry teens}

Lunch

Quick clean up

Phonics Road for 9 yo while oldest 3 YOYO

Math for 9 yo

snack for all

Math for 7 yo

Piano with 7 yo (only about 5 min)

start dinner

be available for oldest 3

 

Fridays

bible/hymns

fresh fruit

video for younger 2 Science/fresh fruit during read aloud---Latin instruction for the following week for older 3

Breakfast

YOYO for 4 oldest

Phonics Road for 7 yo

Phonics Road for 9 yo

PE

Group History {Fri are tests and intro into next week, so they're only about 30 min.}

Lunch

Quick clean up

Group Art

Math for 9 yo

Math for 7 yo

Meetings with older 3 to teach math and go over oldest 2 boys independent science for the week.

start dinner

 

My plan is that every time I'm with one of the littles (9&7yo) the oldest are being YOYOs (just plain fun to say!) And on Fridays, really have blocked sessions for the oldest three so they are mostly independent throughout the week. I grade papers in the early am, so I know where they are daily and if and when they need extra help. We start at 7:30 and I hope to be finished teaching by 3, although they all have independent work until whenever they are finished for the day. My hope is to start in August and finish our school year end of April, with May & June for some summer-light stuff and any spill over.

 

Whew! It's much easier to walk it out than to see it on paper. It flows along and their desire for free time pushes our day along :)

[Jane]

Thank you, ladies. :thumbup1:

 

I'm going to print the new responses and read through them while I help my children with a variety of projects this morning. :o)