New schedules are done and posted...wondering

[HFClassicalAcademy]

would you all post your schedules? I have a kinder, 1st, and 3rd grader. I keep wondering how I'm going to do it once my next 2 kids join the party!!

 

I have 3 different schedules for different days. And I'm going to be BUSY! But last year, my schedule looked very similar and it worked out well.

 

But....how do you moms of many split your time when you have kids who need you? I welcome advice and comments!!

 

My schedule is here...Schedule. I don't know how to paste it in here.

 

Thanks!! Looking forward to seeing how others schedule their days too!

 

Liz

[Underdog]

I think your schedules look nifty...maybe I'll post mine when I'm done.

[mamamoon]

i would love to see some too!!

[charlestonmom03]

Wow, I am very impressed with your schedule! What program did you use to create this? Did you post your schedule for last year somewhere on your blog? I've got boys ages 7, 5, 3, and just-turned-1, so we'll cover 2nd and K this year. I'd love to see how you pulled it together last year!

[missmoe]

I don't have mine up yet, but yours is pretty inspiring. I guess after I finish with planning our history for the year, I need to get a schedule in place.

 

I did make a fancy list of how chores will get done during the school year! :tongue_smilie:

[NanceXToo]

I could never be that scheduled. And don't think I'd want to be lol. (Not knocking it for those of you it DOES work for)!

 

Personally, I could never schedule everything down to the hour like that though. I like being flexible, seeing what works for us on a given day, being willing and able to drop things or change things around if something fun, or something necessary, or something unexpected or whatever comes up.

 

I have certain subjects I plan to do on certain days. But we kind of get to it at whatever time we get to it, depending on what else is going on that day. If we have no other plans, we'll probably get our work done in the morning. If we have a field trip (and our homeschool group offers plenty of those), we go have fun, and get to curriculum stuff later.

 

Sometimes we get all the work done at once, other times we just need a break or want to spend more time doing something like reading a good book or enjoying the outdoors or whatever, so we break it up.

 

I often try to let my daughter pick the order in which she does things, because that gives her more opportunity to exert her own independence and to make her own choices, and it makes things more fun for her.

 

It worked for us all of last year, for fourth grade, and I'm hoping and assuming it will work fine for us this year, for fifth grade, too, even with adding a Kindergartener into the mix.

 

I think if I tried to make some sort of very organized or strict schedule, I'd just end up feeling pressured and stressed out and feeling like I didn't do what I was "supposed" to do if (when) I don't find myself willing or able to follow it.

 

We're definitely more of a fly by the seat of your pants kind of family, but somehow, we get things done and it works for us! I'm actually not anywhere near as disorganized as I must sound based on this post haha.

[Heather in OK]

I will preface this by saying, even though we have this schedule, we are still flexible. If we are done with Latin at 9:15, we start History. I think today we were done with all of our morning stuff by 11:00. On Thursday last week we didn't get done until 11:45.

 

8:45 - 9:00 Bible Study

9:00 - 9:30 Latin (M - Prima Latina w/ the 3rd grader; T - Latina Christiana with the older two; W - they do their workbook pages; T - Review)

9:30 - 10:30 History

10:30 - 10:45 Poetry (T, W, Th)

10:45 - 11:30 Science (oldest does Apologia on her own, I do CKE Earth/Space with the other three)

11:30 - 12:00 Quiet Reading

12:00 - 1:00 Lunch (play, take a walk...)

1:00 - 4:00 Individual School Work

 

This is the first year I have made a little flow chart for their individual school work. Always before it wasn't a problem for me to sit and be available when they needed help or had questions. I realized that my youngest would absolutely need 100% of my attention at some point during this time. I also wanted to be able to be available to the others. So I came up with this:

 

7th grader: Vocab., Typing, Math, LA, Literature

5th grader: Typing, Reading, LA, Math, Vocab.

3rd grader: Copywork, LA, Typing, Math, Vocab.

K: Math, Phonics, HWT

 

This way, the olders do not need my help when I am doing things with the little one. By the time he is done, I am available to help my 3rd grader with LA, then my oldest with Math/my 5th grader with LA if she needs it (they overlap a bit usually but it works). And so on.

 

I am somewhat flexible with this. However, I ask that they stick to it as much as possible. They can switch stuff around if they want but it's understood that if I am helping another person, they will wait until I am available. They will not interrupt someone else's instruction time with me. Last week I had ALL FOUR OF THEM requesting help at once. I almost ate a whole box of fudgesicles that evening. lol Anyway, it became very obvious, very quickly that following this works for us.

[rootsnwings]

I do the same thing as Nance. I schedule certain subjects on certain days. I write a week of assignments in my ds9's planner and he works them as he wishes, checking them off as he goes.

 

Our list of subjects/days looks like this:

 

MWF:

Spelling, Lit, Math, Italics, Grammar, History, Latin, Keyboarding

 

Tu & Th:

Spelling, Lit, Math, Italics, Grammar, Vocabulary, Writing, Science

 

Wednesdays:

PE Co-op

 

Every other Friday:

Another Homeschool Co-op

 

This has worked great for us the past two years and this week has been incredibly easy, getting back into the swing of things!!

 

:D

Edited August 11, 2010 by rootsnwings

[~Amanda~]

I've got mine done in pencil, but I seriously don't think I'm going to be able to block hours. I know which subjects we will be doing on which days, but I like the thought/idea of doing what we want to first. or maybe what we don't want to ROFL

[HFClassicalAcademy]

Wow, I am very impressed with your schedule! What program did you use to create this? Did you post your schedule for last year somewhere on your blog? I've got boys ages 7, 5, 3, and just-turned-1, so we'll cover 2nd and K this year. I'd love to see how you pulled it together last year!

 

Here is the link to last year's schedule.

 

It was a lot different having a kinder, pre-k, and 2nd grader. I never really worried about the young kids too much because part of their learning was from having fun and playing.

 

Things are getting a bit more serious now! I know that if I had just 2 or 3 kids, I would not feel the need to be as scheduled as I am. But with 5 kids, I NEED to be on a schedule or we would never accomplish anything!

 

I do take lots of time for field trips and fun days, which is one of the major reasons why we homeschool year-round. Working it that way also helps break up the routine and burn-out.

 

My biggest fear is having 3 school-age children who all need my help at the same time, while the two little ones need me too. But we'll see how it goes. I do want to stress that I have always been flexible with our time and I have never been one to feel bad because we didn't do what we had scheduled. I just keep going!

 

Thanks for the comments!!

 

Also, I just made my own template using word and the table feature. I use Managers of Their Homes as well.

 

Liz

[i.love.lucy]

I do a "family" schedule/plan for the day. That makes sure I get my exercise time, quiet time, shower, chores, etc. Then in the hours I have blocked off for school I have a schedule by subject. Not sure if that's what you are looking for.

[Narrow Gate Academy]

Here's our schedule for the upcoming year. I'll have a 6th, 4th, 1st, and toddler. HTH

[Melissa B]

Our 2010 schedule - just finished yesterday

 

ETA: The morning schedule is for dd12 and dd10 (younger children have free time.)

Afternoon schedule is for dd6 with ds5 tagging along. Older two work independently.

 

Sorry the colors don't show well. It is easier to read with the color coding.

Edited August 12, 2010 by Melissa B