Help me get my school schedule in order, please?

[Sue G in PA]

I have ds8, ds6 and dd4. I just can't seem to get it together to write down a schedule and follow it! We get the work done, but it is so disjointed and haphazard and I know I need more structure for my boys sake. KWIM? Here is what each child does. What I need to know is how often per week you would do each subject and how you would structure your day and it it is enough (hah, the magic question!):

 

DS8 does the following:

Singapore 1B

AAS 2 along with Phonics Road (crazy, but it works for us)

Exercises in English

DITHOR

Will be starting WWE

American History (using guesthollow.com curriculum and my own additions)

So far science has been inconsistent but we are starting CKE Earth and Space

art and music are whenever we get to them

 

DS6:

Math

The Reading Lesson and phonics readers

AAS

Science, Art with MFW K (which his sister does)

Listens in on History...sometimes

My main focus with him needs to be reading so I don't make him do much with the History or Science unless he is interested.

 

DD4:

MFW K (progressing quickly b/c she already knows how to read)

ETC 1

Any other workbooks or computer programs she can get her hands on!

 

Currently we do Math, reading and either AAS or Exercises in English every day for ds8. History 3x each week and Science will start with 2 days. Should I be doing AAS every day AND grammar as well? Would you alternate? WWE will be every day, as well, correct? Ds6 does all core subjects every day...heavy on reading but lessons are split up so he isn't overloaded. Dd4 is easy. MFW K is FUN and a joy to do. The fun projects we all do together and save mostly for afternoon. Anyway, if any of you have any insights on how to make this all more "formal" so my sons KNOW what to expect each day...I would be so appreciative. Scheduling is NOT my forte.

[arcara]

I have kids almost the same ages as yours.

 

It helped us to have a subject per hour...

 

9-10am - Math (2nd grader does independent fact practice while I teach 4th grader's lesson. Then 4th grader does her Singapore workbook while I teach 2nd grader's lesson. Then I do math with my 4yo.)

 

10-11:30 - Language Arts (I do phonics and reading with the 4yo while 2nd grader does independent poetry memory work, cursive practice, and piano practice. The 4th grader works independently on Latin memory work, states and capitals memory work. Then I teach All About Spelling and Writing Tales lesson to the 4th grader. Then I teach All About Spelling, Writing with Ease, and Growing with Grammar with the 2nd grader while the 4th grader finishes Writing Tales on her own and then reads her assigned literature (Sonlight).

 

11:30-1pm Lunch and Free time

 

1pm 4th grader practice piano

 

1:30-2pm Religion for 4th and 2nd grader

 

2-3pm History - (I read history to 4th grader and discuss for 30 minutes while 2nd grader reads literature on her own. Then 4th grader writes a narration on her history while I do history, SOTW, with the 2nd grader.)

 

3 - 3:30 Prayer and Snack

 

3:30 - ??? Science / Art / Finish any work not completed earlier / Chores / free time

 

I hope this helps!! It took me a while to find a schedule that woeks for us.

[MamaofTwo]

Here is a copy of the schedule I am using with my dd8 and dd6 this year. Our curriculum choices are a bit different from yours, but it might help to see how we organize our day.

 

Some days we get through the material faster and I will just go ahead and move to the next subject. Then there are days that we really do spend an hour on math.

 

My younger tends to focus on the task and finish quickly, so I keep some activities around for her to work on or I let her have a break. It seems to work out pretty well for us.

 

HTH

[MyLittleWonders]

I have an 8 year old and 6 year old (the 3 year old is doing a mix of Sesame Street, Leap Frog DVDs and whatever he wants to do with us at the table ;) ). I have slowly been working on creating a routine, tweaking it, and sticking to it. :o Here's what our days look like:

 

9:15ish - 10:30ish (about 1 hour 15 minutes): Latin, math, spelling (we do AAS 3-4 days a week; we can't do Wednesdays because those are our quick mornings with PE, so they do ETC; sometimes we'll do ETC on Fridays as well)

 

10:45ish - 12:00ish (they have about a 15-20 minute break): copywork, grammar, HWOT

 

1:00 - 2:00ish (about another hour to 1 1/2 hours): reading (they read to me and then I read to them our next subject), and history or science or art

 

The goal is M&T for history, Th for science and F for art. I have once had pretty much everything I wanted to do in our "core" (the two morning blocks) done by Thursday, so we did science and art only on Friday. Wednesdays are spent mostly at the park, so we only do reading in the afternoons when we get home.

 

We do WWE/CW every day; we use WWE with ds#2 and CW Primer for ds#1. Math is done daily, and spelling/phonics is done daily. Grammar would be lovely daily (ds#1 has grammar stuff with CW), but in terms of getting through FLL, it is usually only 2x a week. So, I guess ds#1 does grammar daily, but ds#2 does grammar only 2x a week. History is 2x a week and science is 1-2x a week (when/if we do experiments, we do them on the weekend with dh so he can have fun too).

 

I hope that helps! It took me too a while to get get the schedule to where I liked it. I don't have read-alouds on it; usually I read to the boys in the morning when they get up, often at lunch (that is usually when I read our narration pieces), and in the evening.

[MamaofTwo]

Okay, My file is way to big to attach and I have no idea how to reformat it. :confused: I'll keep working on it.

[Leila]

We have almost the same age of children. Mine are 9,5 and 3. This is what I do.

 

The kids wake up around 7am and we start doing chores. They make their bed as I help the 2 young ones do this. Then we eat breakfast around 730.

 

Breakfast time : I sit with them and read aloud to them. This is mostly books for my 2 young ones. Then if there is time I read poems to them.

 

8:00 I let my youngest one watch his Leap Frog dvd, my eldest reads a chapter in SOTW or This country of Ours and make a simple narration/ while he is reading my 5 y/o practice his writing with me

 

8:30 My eldest do Grammar and Spelling (I teach for 10 min) (MTW) Writing (ThF) and then I'm off with my 5y/o with his reading as he does his work independently. My youngest stays with us and I let him color a picture.

 

9:00 we take a break for 30 mins. All of them usually go in our garage and play (most of their toys are there). And I get to do some cleaning around the house.

 

9:30 We all sit in the living room and do our Bible study. I read to them and after that my eldest memorize his verse as I help my 5y/o memorize his AWANA verse.

 

10:00 We do Science. I do simple experiments with all of them but of course it's for my eldest but I include the 2 young ones because they actually watch and learn something. This is actually fun for all of us and they actually look forward to this. While I and my 2 young ones clean up the mess, the eldest writes his report. We do 2 kinds of science this year , Chemistry (M/T) and Zoo 1( Th/F).

 

10:30 Break for 30 mins. I break every 2 subjects done because I find that when they get to break often, they behave more in class and they engage more with the lesson.

 

11:00 Math: I present the lesson to my eldest and then he does his work independently. after that I play with my 2 young ones with their math manipulatives.

Lunch Break

1:00 This is quiet time with my 2 young ones. They go to their room and play quietly. My eldest watch his Latin lesson in DVD or he does activities for his Latin lesson for that week. It only takes us around 30 min to do this

1:30 Read Aloud. If the 2 are still quiet. I read to my eldest and he reads to me. Then after that I call both my young ones and I start reading to them. This reading time takes about an hour for us.

 

*After this we break for a while and I get to finish my chores and they either watch 2 episodes of Magic school bus or they play outside. This is also the time after my eldest play with his brothers that he gets his 1 hr of reading time to himself in his room and practice his typing lessons or do his logic problems.

 

When it's 5pm and I am in the kitchen preparing dinner, they sit in the table and do some art stuff and I play a song in my iPod and they listen while they draw.

* We don't follow this schedule on Wed. because they go to their P.E. in the morning. I hope this helps. It also took me a long time to figure out a schedule that will work for us. This one with plenty of breaks in between gives me the sanity I need. I have 3 boys and boys have tons of energy and by doing short lessons and plenty of breaks in between, I see that they behave more and listen more.

Edited November 16, 2009 by Leila