What are you doing to make homeschooling simpler next year?

[elegantlion]

We're not doing a long distance move, that's going to help immensely. :D Aside from that I'm still working on the details on help take some of the stress out of school next year.

[Rebecca77]

I think I just decided to do CLE LA with my dd., instead of Intermediate Lang. lessons, Phonetic Zoo, and BJU handwriting. I'm going to stick with IEW for writing though.

Edited May 14, 2011 by Rebecca77

[Mommyfaithe]

You know what else I realized, I'm not uber planning this year. I'm grabbing the materials I use daily and simply using them. We get the work done, so why do all the writing and typing out.

 

I am printing and copying like crazy, ahead of time, but that's it. No color coded schedules that I'm gonna change 6 times throughout the year. We're writing things down and looping them out. That's it. SIMPLE planning!

 

What I did this year is make up a subject schedule...like a grid...and put subjects o. Post it notes. This worked great! I can move things around easily...and everyone knows what subject or chore etc. comes next....but it is not specific.....

We do much of ...do the next thing....:D. Much easier.

We also all study the same time period and the same science topics. I base my little guys science off my older kids topics....and many times have my older read the easy books to my little ones....that way, they get a simplified idea of what they are about to study and they have time with their younger siblings.

 

Faithe

[Mommyfaithe]

I think I just decided to do CLE LA with my dd., instead of Intermediate Lang. lessons, Phonetic Zoo, and BJU handwriting. I'm going to stick with IEW for writing though.

 

And, CLE LA for my ds. instead of FLL, HWT, and Abeka phonics. Sticking with WWE, and Abeka reading.

 

A weight has literally been lifted! I'm so at peace about this.

 

I hope you ,love CLE as much as I do. It has been a literal God send for my family.

 

Faithe

[Mommy22alyns]

The girls will be truly combined in MFW Adventures. It'll be nice to see them learn together.

[mom4him]

I have started using BJU. By the time we start up in Aug. both kids will be using it pretty much totally. What we have so far has been great and I am looking forward to having the whole of our school there.

[Violet Crown]

Dividing the subjects for dd8 into two categories: (1) the three "core" areas I really care about and want to do with me sitting at her elbow and actually teaching her, "doing the next thing" at whatever pace best suits her learning; and (2) Everything Else, which I'm filing as assignments for each week that she can do pretty much on her own, and if we don't get it all done, we just move on.

[SonshineLearner]

I would say "shoot the tv" but I don't have a gun. (And I'd be the one to clean up the mess!!:))

[Joyofsixreboot]

Combining the 10 yo and 7yo with an actual plan instead of recreating the wheel.

[mama25angels]

I would say "shoot the tv" but I don't have a gun. (And I'd be the one to clean up the mess!!:))

 

:lol:

[Holly]

We're not planning on moving or adding another baby next year, so that should keep it simple. :lol:

 

We're continuing with what worked this year and I've found a nice balance with school. I've also learned to let go of finishing every single math problem and completing every activity in our HOD teacher's guide...it's been very liberating!

 

I'm hoping to work on getting a good laundry/chores/cooking system down...that's where I've really been struggling! :tongue_smilie:

[LittleIzumi]

1) My oldest will be trying out a CM/uni-model charter school. *ducks the tomatoes*

2) We will use the drive to/from the charter school to get us out of the house. I plan to stop at the park on the way home & have the youngers run around, get all their wiggles out, and then do school.

3) I'm lowering my expectations. When I try to DO ALL THE THINGS I get almost nothing done & stress to the max. Mine are mostly littles. So, I'm setting lower goals, and I have plans for extras if we get the goals done. Today I had the fabulously easy goals of going to the library, getting everyone bathed, & doing spelling. When the wee babe is having a bad teething day, that may be just about all I can do!!! Since this was a good day instead, I accomplished my goals early and added park school (park playtime, and whenever they came over for a snack we did a bit of schoolwork. We hit a couple pages of science, some math, reasoning activities, and a story), more art, another library plus storytime, extra reading, Starfall, a sample day of another curriculum, etc. Plus laundry and dishes! But if I had planned to do all of that, it would have fallen apart, probably due to all my stress about it!

[Tarreymere]

1. Broke down and got a Kindle. No lugging the laptop around for read alouds. Discovered that .pdf files can go on the Kindle (yay) and that a lot of my favorite curriculum come in .pdf files (yay). Sticking with favorite curriculum that come in .pdf files or some type of electronic format. Contemplating going almost paperless.........watched dd complete math problems from the Kindle without printing the page! Yay!

2. No more micro-managing assignment by assignment type planning. Using a combination of 'do the next thing' and a daily journal short narrative to keep track and a one to two page list of quarterly objectives per kid to drive the whole thing.

3. Kids have been combined for everything but LA and math anyway, using common sense and trial and error to keep things working.

4. NO MORE BABYSITTING. Except for the two grands that belong to the dd that sparked our homeschool journey with her excessive negative socialization in ps, and only because dd continues that excessive negative socialization and those kids need normalcy.

5. Continuing to emphasize teaching the kids manners and behavior over academics, this is paying off big time as they get older.

[johnandtinagilbert]

Breastfeeding a new baby. I figure that even if things go absolutely crazy in the house I'll always have those hormones to bliss me out. :)

awwww congrats on your sweet surprise!

 

What I did this year is make up a subject schedule...like a grid...and put subjects o. Post it notes. This worked great! I can move things around easily...and everyone knows what subject or chore etc. comes next....but it is not specific.....

We do much of ...do the next thing....:D. Much easier.

We also all study the same time period and the same science topics. I base my little guys science off my older kids topics....and many times have my older read the easy books to my little ones....that way, they get a simplified idea of what they are about to study and they have time with their younger siblings.

 

Faithe

I'm dong the same for science and history read alouds :) I was amazed at how much freedom of schedule relaxed me and allowed me to enjoy grammar school again.

 

 

 

1. Broke down and got a Kindle. No lugging the laptop around for read alouds. Discovered that .pdf files can go on the Kindle (yay) and that a lot of my favorite curriculum come in .pdf files (yay). Sticking with favorite curriculum that come in .pdf files or some type of electronic format. Contemplating going almost paperless.........watched dd complete math problems from the Kindle without printing the page! Yay!

2. No more micro-managing assignment by assignment type planning. Using a combination of 'do the next thing' and a daily journal short narrative to keep track and a one to two page list of quarterly objectives per kid to drive the whole thing.

3. Kids have been combined for everything but LA and math anyway, using common sense and trial and error to keep things working.

4. NO MORE BABYSITTING. Except for the two grands that belong to the dd that sparked our homeschool journey with her excessive negative socialization in ps, and only because dd continues that excessive negative socialization and those kids need normalcy.

5. Continuing to emphasize teaching the kids manners and behavior over academics, this is paying off big time as they get older.

No joke on so many of the things you listed...and I read your siggy...I'm a little tired, too. Best wishes for a fantastic year to come!

[LittleIzumi]

Oh yeah--iPad 2!!!

[fourcatmom]

I haven't posted before and I just started HS my girls in January but I am already making plans to change things up for next year. I will be going from 30 hours a week to working about 19 hours over a 4 day work week. I think that will help things. I am also going to try and do a 4 day work week which we tried this year and it went well. I use Fridays for Field Trips and other things that come up and we also do our test taking on Fridays. I am also going to lighten the load of books that we have, meaning that I am going to use only an online program for math and writing and then use the standard books for History and LA but supplement with other reading material and resources. I am also going to do enroll them in some kind of science class...because that is not my forte! They are both going to study Missions and they are both going to do Spanish.

 

That's it for now...the plan changes as I get more information from more experienced teachers!

:001_smile:

 

BTW- the girls are going into 4th and 5th grades

Edited May 14, 2011 by fourcatmom

[Pam B]

I'm also going to change the way I write out the daily schedules and actually put "time limits" on subjects. They will get x amount of time for each subject. I will teach what I need to teach and they will have the rest of the time to complete the work. Anything they don't finish will be "homework" later that evening. I'm tired of them playing around and taking 2+ hours to finish math.

 

Hmmm... So you're going to have them do their unfinished work in the evenings? As a little heads up- Be prepared!!! I tried the same thing.

 

So, ya get tired of spending all day having school be dragged out to lengths unknow before. You place a time limit on how long they should take (at longest of course) to do each assignment.

 

What happens? They STILL stretch it to the max and then come back later on, when you call them in to complete their work, and what? Now you have your entire evening (and day) devoted to schooling! :rant:

 

 

okay, so I still get upset about it! Sorry!! :blushing:

 

Just wanted you to have all your bases covered and guns a blazin! :D

[dovrar]

Forgot to add that we schedule a make up day every other Friday. Helps to catch up if we get behind or extra/unplanned study on anything that needs more work than expected or study something that we didn't know would be so interesting and want more.

 

Our make up day is on Wednesdays, love it.

[Pam B]

My 9th & 6th grader will continue with American History together using Joy Hakim's History of US books 6-10. (This year we used All American History vol 1.) I will consider next year's course a credit for the high schooler as I am adding US History based writing lessons vol 2 from IEW + some extra required reading from Core 100 & some books of my own choosing. 6th grader will not be writing quite as much. I'll be adding lots of documentaries which they both enjoy.

 

I am planning on combining my 3rd & 6th grader for science using Elemental Science Biology for the Logic Stage. I'm a little iffy on this one... It remains to be seen how well my 3rd grader handles this. I don't expect as much writing & sketching from him. He might surprise me though. No science I've chosen for him yet has been quite enough.

 

Oh! I thought you were saying you were combining history & science. :tongue_smilie:

[Dolphin]

This is kind of silly but I'm taking almost all my IGs and workbooks to Staples to have the spines cut off and comb bindings put on. It's costing a fortune, but not having to turn to a certain page in every book will save us a lot of time next year. My kids also hate trying to write with a big, bulky spine in the way. The six-year-old is kind of compulsive about it, actually.

 

So, you finished your lesson? Turn the page and put it away. Tomorrow you just pull the book out and GO!

:iagree:

I am doing this too. For the workbooks I am having them put the comb bindin across the top, it is even less in the way.

[Dolphin]

I am about 90% sure that I will be switching to teaching textbooks for Math. That should clear up a lot of time

[FriedClams]

Some of what we do is already really streamlined: CLE reading, bible, LA and Horizon Math. I always struggle with history and science. Science is yet to be determined, but after a ton of agonizing we'll be using the VP Self Paced history course. I am SUPER excited about it. I am excited to be doing it alongside the kids and I am looking forward to seeing how they handle a different approach to learning. We'll be doing the full course, adding in SL readers and all the stuff I already have in the house. I am really looking forward to it.

 

Now my debate is limited to science... Ugh!

[Lovedtodeath]

I didn't hear about the WTM until after the first year of homeschooling. My oldest dd had just done Ancients Via Abeka Old World History and my then 1st grader just did the Abeka 1st grade history (:ack2:) So I started my youngest dd in Ancients in 2nd and my oldest dd in AAH 1 in 6th (because I already had it) Then put her in MOH 2 this year and dd now in 3rd read SOTW 2 and is starting 3 this year. It just kinda happened but now with having all 4 in school next year I would go out of my mind. I kinda rushed my now 3rd grader to get her "caught up" in the history cycle. But I am done with that. After re-reading WTM doing what we are doing I just don't see it doing any body any good. So we will all start ECC next year (K, 1st, 4th and 8th) Then they will all be in Ancients the following year, only with my oldest using MFW high school Ancients. I am planning on really making this super rich by using a TON of read alouds. It was basically my ignorance of not doing enough research my first year of homeschooling. All I knew about that year was Abeka, BJU and ACE. Since I absolutely HATED Abeka history I made it my mission to find out what is all out there, a friend introduced me to Rainbow Resource and WTM. That is my story and I'm sticking to it ;)

 

Also I have a local friend that combined kids using Abeka, so an example is 1 year she had all her kids doing 4th grade abeka, she had that year a young K'er, a 3rd grader and a 5th grader. The youngest was so lost she was in tears alot. The oldest was so bored out of his gore. He absolutely did not learn anything. So that kinda scared me away from combining kids until I learned how to via WTM and the classical history cycle. ;)

Thanks for explaining!

Mine are too far apart to combine and have them each at the appropriate level. My oldest has very different needs going into both science & social science than my middle guy, so ack, yeah, I have to have them separated AND studying different topics.

 

TY for the reply.

 

This is kind of silly but I'm taking almost all my IGs and workbooks to Staples to have the spines cut off and comb bindings put on. It's costing a fortune, but not having to turn to a certain page in every book will save us a lot of time next year. My kids also hate trying to write with a big, bulky spine in the way. The six-year-old is kind of compulsive about it, actually.

 

So, you finished your lesson? Turn the page and put it away. Tomorrow you just pull the book out and GO!

OH, great idea!

[JaniceO]

Hmmm... So you're going to have them do their unfinished work in the evenings? As a little heads up- Be prepared!!! I tried the same thing.

 

So, ya get tired of spending all day having school be dragged out to lengths unknow before. You place a time limit on how long they should take (at longest of course) to do each assignment.

 

What happens? They STILL stretch it to the max and then come back later on, when you call them in to complete their work, and what? Now you have your entire evening (and day) devoted to schooling! :rant:

 

 

okay, so I still get upset about it! Sorry!! :blushing:

 

Just wanted you to have all your bases covered and guns a blazin! :D

 

My kids were previous PS, so I am quite familiar with the evening homework struggle, lol. HOWEVER, it won't be as stressful for me because there will be nothing left for me to teach. The work left will be all on them. They can explain to their father why they are still doing their schoolwork at 9 pm when he gets home, lol. I will be soaking in the bathtub, glass of wine in hand!

[Heidi]

This week I taught my two oldest how to clean the house. They have a chore list... sweep, vacuum, load the dishwasher, straighten up every room...

 

I unload and clean off kitchen counters and mop. They are capable of doing everything else.... its so wonderful.

 

I get to have time to spend with my two neglected youngers while they clean and hubby comes home to a spotless home, a rested wife, and children that feel big and responsible (they actually like it... at least this week.)

 

AND when we wake up, school gets started on time because everything is clean.

 

It's been a huge time saver.

[Mom0012]

Things that have made homeschooling more stress free here are:

 

1) a generic weekly checklist for each kid - I mark off the things I don't want them to do in the upcoming week and print it out each Sunday

 

2) balancing teacher intensive programs with independent work - I used to work one-on-one with my kids for 6 hours a day using all teacher intensive programs. Now I work with each child for about an hour invidividually and then I spend an hour reading our SL core to them.

 

3) cutting back/streamlining outside activities - I will no longer participate in things earlier than 2:00 or 3:00, except swim team which begins on 1:30 2 days per week. I make all doctor appointments, playdates, etc. for the late afternoon.

 

Lisa

[Hunter]

Getting honest about what my current strengths and weaknesses are.

 

I have suffered some significant brain damage, and my continued seizing is causing still more damage and my lack of REM sleep, anxiety and some other factors has significantly reduced my functioning level. Yesterday was a wakeup call for me that I'm not having some random bad days, but need to seriously reevaluate and replan.

 

I need to pick and choose and tweak curricula to match my educational mission statement. I recently studied Ecclesiastes and I need to remember what I learned, when I create my mission statement.

 

Life is short. I need to remember that. I need to live it and not spend all my time preparing for a future that I might never have. I need to seize the moments more often and laugh and love and live more. Sometimes we take ourselves a lot more seriously than we should.

Edited May 14, 2011 by Hunter

[Lovedtodeath]

Getting honest about what my current strengths and weaknesses are.

 

I have suffered some significant brain damage, and my continued seizing is causing still more damage and my lack of REM sleep, anxiety and some other factors has significantly reduced my functioning level. Yesterday was a wakeup call for me that I'm not having some random bad days, but need to seriously reevaluate and replan.

 

I need to pick and choose and tweak curricula to match my educational mission statement. I recently studied Ecclesiastes and I need to remember what I learned, when I create my mission statement.

 

Life is short. I need to remember that. I need to live it and not spend all my time preparing for a future that I might never have. I need to seize the moments more often and laugh and love and live more. Sometimes we take ourselves a lot more seriously than we should.

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug::grouphug: So true and a lesson that I need as well, including your signature.

[Lovedtodeath]

This week I taught my two oldest how to clean the house. They have a chore list... sweep, vacuum, load the dishwasher, straighten up every room...

 

I unload and clean off kitchen counters and mop. They are capable of doing everything else.... its so wonderful.

 

I get to have time to spend with my two neglected youngers while they clean and hubby comes home to a spotless home, a rested wife, and children that feel big and responsible (they actually like it... at least this week.)

 

AND when we wake up, school gets started on time because everything is clean.

 

It's been a huge time saver.

Could you help me out by listing the exact sleep/eat/school/chore schedules for your kiddos? I really need some guidance in this area and since it seems to be working for you....

 

Thanks.

[Stacey in NY]

I am looking at a computer based math like TT or Kinetic Books, and I am using Abeka text books for Science. This is to make things a little easier on me, but also foster more independence in the boys (they will be 5th & 7th).

[Penny_P]

I signed the kids up for a local enrichment program through the school district. It's one day of PE, science lab, art, music, etc. Although it's a 30 minute drive both ways- it gives me a day with ds1 and freedom for me. They've only gone for a month, but I love it and so do they. I've signed them up for next year already.

[OnTheBrink]

Dd will be in 9th next year, and I'm using more "pulled together" materials. This year was a lot of pick and choose, combine and rush, etc. So next year, I'm using an entire language arts curriculum, not just grammar here, writing there, spelling somewhere else. I'm also going with Videotext for algebra, BJU for science, Ancient Civ and the Bible for history, and that includes art appreciation, too.

[Beth in SW WA]

Dd 8th will attend private high school. This will open up my schedule more to focus on younger dds at home.

 

I want more date nights with dh.

 

I'm in the midst of praying for God's direction for us for next year. I want to make Christ the focus of our homeschool -- and family -- even more.

[NittanyJen]

We absolutely loved our "Create our own curriculum" approach to history (Ancient Greeks and Romans) and science (Astronomy and earth science) that we have been doing since we started HS at the end of Feb with DS7 (bright kid with special needs) and DS10 (bright kid with special understanding of his little brother, but has gotten way to comfy with never being challenged in school).

 

However, I was spending all day teaching them or trying to do housework in between coaching them on their independent work or going on field trips, then all evening and night getting ahead on writing the new curriculum and shopping for supplies, searching the library catalog for the next set of books to read or put holds on ahead of time, looking over papers to make sure we were really ready to forge ahead, etc etc etc, and noticing how high the checking account balance can get when you don't bother to pay your bills because you just don't have time <grin>.

 

Not a good, balanced way to live, and thank heavens for DH who has been so supportive of this whole enterprise, and pitches right in with cooking, dishes, and laundry when he gets home from work!

 

Soooo . . . after much searching, and not wanting to break the parts of what was working . . . but knowing something had to give, we are adopting History Odyssey and Noeo Chemistry for the coming year (okay, Noeo will be heavily tweaked-- we're integrating the RS4K textbooks and the KOGS for the older son, plus the Science Wiz kits and additional Thames and Kosmos labs . . . we really love science here . . . but will still stick to the Noeo schedule, plus or minus some days here and there as needed to work in the other stuff; Noeo uses a 36 week calendar, and we target around 40 weeks, give or take). But that integrating piece has already been done; I went through and mapped out what I'm sticking in where and wrote it in on the Noeo calendar.

 

I then looked at what my kids have accomplished, struggled with, or sailed on in the past 4 months, and used that as a guideline as I wrote out a general (not set in stone) year plan: Our school year is based on goals accomplished, not a date on the calendar. So, what goals should be met in order to declare the end of the school year for each child?

 

Given those goals, then what sound like reasonable quarterly goals?

 

From there, weekly goal mapping is reasonably easy, yet also flexible enough to deal with life's issues (somebody gets sick, we get a chance at a field trip, somebody latches onto a serious interest and needs to focus less on history this week in order to nail down some grammar or chemistry, then pick up the history again next week, etc; we know where we're aiming to be at the end of 10 weeks).

 

I think the combination of having the lesson plans laid out for me in history/geography/literature and Chemistry, and letting WWE plan a lot of inspiration for read-aloud time, plus the pre-planning of the goals for time blocks will lift a HUGE time burden off of my shoulders for the coming year!!

 

or, that's the plan anyway-- check back with me in a year on my blog and we'll see how it went! My only nervousness is whether I've bitten off more than we can chew, but time will tell on that one too. If there's too much, we can jettison some, or cut back some components of the chemistry. Some of those extra experiments can always be done "for fun" with their friends on weekends if their interest remains as high as it is now-- we did a preview experiment (hydrolyzing water into O2 and H+, then popping the hydrogen) last week, and it really got them going!

 

If anybody is looking for inexpensive, easy to follow, and super exciting chemistry labs for their 8-14 year olds, I'd really recommend those Science Wiz chemistry kits! I used to do chemistry (genetics) for a living, and I love the quality, science value, easy explanations, and $$ value of those kits!

 

Jen

http://hillandalefarmschool.blogspot.com/

[Storm Bay]

This may not be what you're looking for, but in my case it's letting my 13 yo try ps next year (she really wants to go.) She has met my criteria of getting into at least some honours classes. I'll have only one at home, at least to start. My teens are very argumentative (I realize that virtually all teens are, but some more than others; mine have always been arguers, so now it's become much worse) and they have days where they are arguing or fighting amongst themselves and/or my ds all day.

 

Ways I have simplified this year are by having my middle dd take a group writing class, using an art programme that is taught on DVD, etc.

 

Things that don't always work here are:

 

time limits; mine will dawdle, some all the time and one some of the time, figuring that when the time is up it means they don't have to do the work

Combining dc to learn together

Edited May 14, 2011 by Karin

[momto2Cs]

You know what else I realized, I'm not uber planning this year. I'm grabbing the materials I use daily and simply using them. We get the work done, so why do all the writing and typing out.

 

I am printing and copying like crazy, ahead of time, but that's it. No color coded schedules that I'm gonna change 6 times throughout the year. We're writing things down and looping them out. That's it. SIMPLE planning!

 

While I already posted on this thread, I wanted to agree with this!

[Wildiris]

What I am doing to make thing easier is to use K12 and supplement the gaps. After years upon years of cobbling together my own courses of study, researching curriculum, writing detailed plans that somehow get jettisoned at the first obstacle in our week or day, I am looking forward to being a learning coach. Wearing the parent of a teen hat, the mom hat, the all-in-one house cleaner hat, the loving wife and business partner hat, and grandma hat has stretched me a bit thin.

 

:iagree:Hunter got it right for me, " Life is short. I need to remember that. I need to live it and not spend all my time preparing for a future that I might never have. I need to seize the moments more often and laugh and love and live more. Sometimes we take ourselves a lot more seriously than we should"

[TC5]

Hmmm... So you're going to have them do their unfinished work in the evenings? As a little heads up- Be prepared!!! I tried the same thing.

 

So, ya get tired of spending all day having school be dragged out to lengths unknow before. You place a time limit on how long they should take (at longest of course) to do each assignment.

 

What happens? They STILL stretch it to the max and then come back later on, when you call them in to complete their work, and what? Now you have your entire evening (and day) devoted to schooling! :rant:

 

 

okay, so I still get upset about it! Sorry!! :blushing:

 

Just wanted you to have all your bases covered and guns a blazin! :D

 

I'm dealing with this now, but not because I've set time limits or assigned homework. I've just allowed my 10yo more "independence" and freedom as to when he can do his work. He likes to get everything done the day before I've scheduled it, sometimes doing two days worth of work at once. That's great until he asks me to help here and there all morning, afternoon, evening, past his bedtime, Saturdays... I've tried to set limits on when I'm available, but I also recognize that I've had more time in the mornings lately to work with my younger children because my 10yo prefers to do his work after dinner. We need to sort this scheduling issue out to simplify the next school year.

[TC5]

This week I taught my two oldest how to clean the house. They have a chore list... sweep, vacuum, load the dishwasher, straighten up every room...

 

I unload and clean off kitchen counters and mop. They are capable of doing everything else.... its so wonderful.

 

I get to have time to spend with my two neglected youngers while they clean and hubby comes home to a spotless home, a rested wife, and children that feel big and responsible (they actually like it... at least this week.)

 

AND when we wake up, school gets started on time because everything is clean.

 

It's been a huge time saver.

 

You are an inspiration to me! If your little ones can do this, mine certainly should be able to more than they do now. I've been expecting more without really taking the time to teach and implement structure. I need this to be our focus this week, as we had already planned to take the week off to adjust to having a new baby (he was born Wednesday night). Now that I am more mobile than I had been in 8 months, we can really get something done this week!

 

My boys already do dishes and take out the garbage regularly, but everything else is by my request. I need a rotating system that works, and I need to teach them to clean the bathrooms. That would relieve so much of my stress and allow me to have more fun with all of the children. It looks like I've got some planning to do!

[Heidi]

Could you help me out by listing the exact sleep/eat/school/chore schedules for your kiddos? I really need some guidance in this area and since it seems to be working for you....

 

Thanks.

 

Sure! Keep in mind I'm only schooling the oldest two, and they are the ones that also do most of the chores. And we've only been doing the chores for a week, so this is all new to us. AND this will all change as naptimes change, I have a baby, kids academics increase in difficulty, etc. This is just how it works for us right now.

 

7:30 am - Wake up kids if they aren't awake already. Read-aloud for about 20 min. while they are in bed. Then they get dressed.

 

8:00 am- Breakfast. While we eat we take turns reading from the scriptures.

 

-After we eat, each kid takes their dishes to the sink. One kid loads the dishwasher, one kid wipes the table & chairs.

 

8:30-10:30- Do 3R's

 

-Both kids start on math.

 

-DD5's math is very short, so she finishes in about 5-10 mins. Immediatly after she is done with math we drill phonics flashcards (via PR1), then a reading lesson from OPG, then she reads a story or two out of the McGuffey readers, then we do WWE1. All of that probably takes about an hour. She then is instructed to play with the two youngest kids while I work with DD7.

 

-DD7 takes about 30 min or so to do math, depending on the day. When she is done, she plays with the babies until I am done teaching DD5.

 

-DD7 then does PR1 (right now its just spelling), then WWE2.

 

10 am- baby takes a nap. I usually finish up with DD7's 3R's around 10:30 am. Then we practice piano.

 

11 am- Devotional with all three DDs. (prayer, sing song, recite scripture, read scripture story, color)

 

Break

 

12:00- Lunch

 

-after lunch, one kid loads dishwasher, one kids wipes down table and chairs.

 

1:00 -1:30 World History/Science/Lit./Am. History - ONE of these, depending on which day it is. (sometimes I can squeeze this in before lunch if we get done with the 3Rs in time)

 

Play/snack

 

3:00-4:00 CHORES: Kid1 & Kid2 do their chores for a week, then switch. I clean the kitchen counters and keep the dishwasher unloaded throughout the day. I help them learn how to do their chores.

 

Kid 1:

DAILY-Tidy office, tidy kids bedroom, tidy hall, sweep kitchen, sweep front & back entries, wipe table and chairs after every meal, numbered chore**

WEEKLY-vacuum living room/halls (2Xs a week), vacuum master bedroom, clean master bathroom, wipe doors and baseboards in main living area.

 

Kid 2:

DAILY-Vacuum dining room after dinner (we have carpet in there :confused:), tidy living room, tidy dining room/kitchen floor, load dishwasher after every meal, numbered chore**

WEEKLY- Wash living room windows (2Xs a week), vacuum office, vacuum playroom, vacuum kids bedroom, clean kids bathroom, wipe out fridge/microwave.

 

**Numbered chores: (all THREE daughters get a numbered chore)

#1- Clean up blocks, little people, & dress up stuff in playroom. Put glasses on table for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

 

#2- Clean up legos, potato head, & tinker toys in playroom. Put utensils on table for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

 

#3- Clean up ponies, kitchen food/stuff, & other toys in playroom. Put plates on the table for breakfast, lunch, & dinner.

 

5:30 Dinner

 

-after dinner, one kid loads dishwasher & vacuums dining room, one kids wipes down table and chairs.

 

7:00- baby goes to bed. Other kids get ready for bed.

 

7:30-7:50 - Read aloud, prayers, song

 

8:00- Bedtime

Edited May 15, 2011 by hmsmith

[melissel]

Kid 1:

DAILY-Tidy office, tidy kids bedroom, tidy hall, sweep kitchen, sweep front & back entries, wipe table and chairs after every meal, numbered chore**

WEEKLY-vacuum living room/halls (2Xs a week), vacuum master bedroom, clean master bathroom, wipe doors and baseboards in main living area.

 

Kid 2:

DAILY-Vacuum dining room after dinner (we have carpet in there :confused:), tidy living room, tidy dining room/kitchen floor, load dishwasher after every meal, numbered chore**

WEEKLY- Wash living room windows (2Xs a week), vacuum office, vacuum playroom, vacuum kids bedroom, clean kids bathroom, wipe out fridge/microwave.

 

Your 5- and 7-year-olds do this? You're my hero! My 8-year-old would probably comply, but my 5-year-old would laugh in my face! How do you manage to get them to do it? What is your secret, o amazing one? :lol:

[mo2]

Your 5- and 7-year-olds do this? You're my hero! My 8-year-old would probably comply, but my 5-year-old would laugh in my face! How do you manage to get them to do it? What is your secret, o amazing one? :lol:

 

 

:iagree: No doubt! And my 9yo would only do it because I hold the amazing power to take away her Nintendo DS!

[Heidi]

:iagree: No doubt! And my 9yo would only do it because I hold the amazing power to take away her Nintendo DS!

 

Well every mom holds the amazing powers of taking or rewarding priviledges. And I know they can do it. It's not beyond them at all. (They're cleaning up after lunch right now actually).

 

I think I'm going to change things around this next week and just have them do the daily chores and I'll do the weekly chores for a while. And I think I might have them continue to do the same chores they did last week, this week. My goal is to have them master their chores. The more they do it, the better and quicker they get. Then, once they have them mastered, my goal is to have them do it without reminding them through a sort of reward system. At that point, the percentage of the chores they do and finish on time every day determines the privileges they earn.

 

We'll see. These are just my ideas. I'm a motivated mom because my belly is big and bending over is difficult. My energy is waning. I need reliable helpers before this baby gets here. Plus it is so good for them to learn these skills and learn how to work. Through all the complaining, I can tell they feel good about themselves for accomplishing their tasks. The biggest hurdle is not getting them to clean, but getting myself to get them to clean and resisting the urge to do it myself or to not do it at all.

[Lovedtodeath]

Thanks so much. Sleeping and eating are all messed up around here... it seems every kid is different and every time I try to implement any kind of schedule it must be wrong because they always need more, or aren't sleepy or hungry yet. :confused:

 

Just so I understand... the 3 year old sleeps from about 8:30-7:30 each night and doesn't have a nap? Same for your oldest 2?

Sure! Keep in mind I'm only schooling the oldest two, and they are the ones that also do most of the chores. And we've only been doing the chores for a week, so this is all new to us. AND this will all change as naptimes change, I have a baby, kids academics increase in difficulty, etc. This is just how it works for us right now.

 

7:30 am - Wake up kids if they aren't awake already. Read-aloud for about 20 min. while they are in bed. Then they get dressed.

 

8:00 am- Breakfast. While we eat we take turns reading from the scriptures.

 

-After we eat, each kid takes their dishes to the sink. One kid loads the dishwasher, one kid wipes the table & chairs.

 

8:30-10:30- Do 3R's

 

-Both kids start on math.

 

-DD5's math is very short, so she finishes in about 5-10 mins. Immediatly after she is done with math we drill phonics flashcards (via PR1), then a reading lesson from OPG, then she reads a story or two out of the McGuffey readers, then we do WWE1. All of that probably takes about an hour. She then is instructed to play with the two youngest kids while I work with DD7.

 

-DD7 takes about 30 min or so to do math, depending on the day. When she is done, she plays with the babies until I am done teaching DD5.

 

-DD7 then does PR1 (right now its just spelling), then WWE2.

 

10 am- baby takes a nap. I usually finish up with DD7's 3R's around 10:30 am. Then we practice piano.

 

11 am- Devotional with all three DDs. (prayer, sing song, recite scripture, read scripture story, color)

 

Break

 

12:00- Lunch

 

-after lunch, one kid loads dishwasher, one kids wipes down table and chairs.

 

1:00 -1:30 World History/Science/Lit./Am. History - ONE of these, depending on which day it is. (sometimes I can squeeze this in before lunch if we get done with the 3Rs in time)

 

Play/snack

 

3:00-4:00 CHORES: Kid1 & Kid2 do their chores for a week, then switch. I clean the kitchen counters and keep the dishwasher unloaded throughout the day. I help them learn how to do their chores.

 

Kid 1:

DAILY-Tidy office, tidy kids bedroom, tidy hall, sweep kitchen, sweep front & back entries, wipe table and chairs after every meal, numbered chore**

WEEKLY-vacuum living room/halls (2Xs a week), vacuum master bedroom, clean master bathroom, wipe doors and baseboards in main living area.

 

Kid 2:

DAILY-Vacuum dining room after dinner (we have carpet in there :confused:), tidy living room, tidy dining room/kitchen floor, load dishwasher after every meal, numbered chore**

WEEKLY- Wash living room windows (2Xs a week), vacuum office, vacuum playroom, vacuum kids bedroom, clean kids bathroom, wipe out fridge/microwave.

 

**Numbered chores: (all THREE daughters get a numbered chore)

#1- Clean up blocks, little people, & dress up stuff in playroom. Put glasses on table for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

 

#2- Clean up legos, potato head, & tinker toys in playroom. Put utensils on table for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

 

#3- Clean up ponies, kitchen food/stuff, & other toys in playroom. Put plates on the table for breakfast, lunch, & dinner.

 

5:30 Dinner

 

-after dinner, one kid loads dishwasher & vacuums dining room, one kids wipes down table and chairs.

 

7:00- baby goes to bed. Other kids get ready for bed.

 

7:30-7:50 - Read aloud, prayers, song

 

8:00- Bedtime

[Heidi]

Thanks so much. Sleeping and eating are all messed up around here... it seems every kid is different and every time I try to implement any kind of schedule it must be wrong because they always need more, or aren't sleepy or hungry yet. :confused:

 

Just so I understand... the 3 year old sleeps from about 8:30-7:30 each night and doesn't have a nap? Same for your oldest 2?

 

The baby and the 3 year old are usually up by about 6:00 or 6:30, which really puts a damper on doing anything in the morning for myself. I just hang out with the babes. They usually eat something first thing, but we still all sit down together at 8 for breakfast. It's the two olders that I have to go wake up sometimes. DD3 sometimes takes a nap on her own and sometimes she doesn't. I don't have a set nap for her. If she is grumpy, I'll put her to bed and she'll fall asleep. Most of the time she puts herself to bed. The older two do sleep from 8:30 to 7:30. Sometimes they wake up earlier. If so, we still stick to the schedule, or try to anyway.

[melissel]

The biggest hurdle is not getting them to clean, but getting myself to get them to clean and resisting the urge to do it myself or to not do it at all.

 

Oh, well...ahem...yes, there's that aspect too :D But you are right, you are going to need the help!

[mothergooseof4]

Well, I am starting now. We are decluttering which will help the house stay cleaner, I hope. All things that we are donating go to the donation center nightly so they will not find their way back into the house. As I go through each room, I am posting a list in a hidden area that details the things that need to be done in that room in order for it to be clean....not deep clean, just a daily tidying. I am also making a list room by room of things that need to be done on a monthly or seasonal basis. Once I am done, I will make a schedule that has each child do a room or two and at least one of the monthly/seasonal chores. This should make my job easier and keep the house cleaner, which makes a happy, focused momma. I have a very hard time focusing on school when the house is a mess.

 

Next, I will be doing the same with school....starting with our school room. I left it out of the above process since it is a huge project itself. My oldest already has some independent work, but my younger two have required me for everything. I plan to start them on their own independent time. For this coming year it will be simple....just speed drills, flash cards, etc. It will help though since I am usually sitting over them for all of this. I am going to go from having the younger two read to me everyday, to one per day and alternate them. They will read on their own the other day. I am planning to continue with MFW, but will use cds for as much of the reading as I can and make my oldest responsible for getting it done. I will do chores and listen so we can discuss, but this will help me to multitask.

 

No one around here starts school until mommas says. That is going to stop. They will have a list and the tools to get started. When they get up, they will be required to eat and get started. The bad habit of morning play/movie time has to stop. They are in for a shock and I know training is going to be painful, but once the habits are established, it will free up more time in the afternoon.

 

It all boils down to be being a better time manager. I have been WAY too lazy the last few years.

 

Oh, one more thing. I will be limiting my computer time. I spend more time talking about and researching school than actually making it happen.

[melissel]

Well, I am starting now. We are decluttering which will help the house stay cleaner, I hope. All things that we are donating go to the donation center nightly so they will not find their way back into the house. As I go through each room, I am posting a list in a hidden area that details the things that need to be done in that room in order for it to be clean....not deep clean, just a daily tidying. I am also making a list room by room of things that need to be done on a monthly or seasonal basis. Once I am done, I will make a schedule that has each child do a room or two and at least one of the monthly/seasonal chores. This should make my job easier and keep the house cleaner, which makes a happy, focused momma. I have a very hard time focusing on school when the house is a mess.

 

Next, I will be doing the same with school....starting with our school room. I left it out of the above process since it is a huge project itself. My oldest already has some independent work, but my younger two have required me for everything. I plan to start them on their own independent time. For this coming year it will be simple....just speed drills, flash cards, etc. It will help though since I am usually sitting over them for all of this. I am going to go from having the younger two read to me everyday, to one per day and alternate them. They will read on their own the other day. I am planning to continue with MFW, but will use cds for as much of the reading as I can and make my oldest responsible for getting it done. I will do chores and listen so we can discuss, but this will help me to multitask.

 

No one around here starts school until mommas says. That is going to stop. They will have a list and the tools to get started. When they get up, they will be required to eat and get started. The bad habit of morning play/movie time has to stop. They are in for a shock and I know training is going to be painful, but once the habits are established, it will free up more time in the afternoon.

 

It all boils down to be being a better time manager. I have been WAY too lazy the last few years.

 

Oh, one more thing. I will be limiting my computer time. I spend more time talking about and researching school than actually making it happen.

 

All excellent ideas, thank you for sharing!

[Susan in TN]

I'm organizing my supply pantry. I'm so lucky to have this storage space and I need to utilize it better.

 

I'm going to buy or make a table-supply caddie for pencils, scissors, crayons, colored pencils, pencil grips, tape, etc.

 

I may try SWB's method of writing out a daily lesson plan every morning for each kid. Our weekly student-made planning sheets were a flop this past year.

 

Make all the olders actually use the alarms on their alarm clocks.

[mamatohaleybug]

Taking my daughter to a psychiatrist? LOL Seriously, though, dealing better with medical and behavioral issues will help a lot.

 

This will be our second year and I'm much more settled in and know better what works for us. That alone will make things simpler.

 

I'm streamlining more. Focusing on what's important to us--not what the public school kids are doing. It took me a while to deschool myself. :lol: