yellowperch Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 How does your family make the transition from waking up/breakfast/chores to your school day? Morning meeting? Songs? Prayers? Poems? Calling out, "hey where are you guys?" read aloud time? Do you like what you are doing? Is it an effective way to begin the day? Just looking for ideas.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m0mmaBuck Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 I get up and go to the gym. When I get home, I am greeted by DD who is awake and has usually fed herself breakfast. I go wake DH and then DS. DS eats breakfast while DH and I shower. The kids clean up and get dressed while I beautify myself and DH leaves for work.... And then school starts... Usually with Latin so they can sing, "Here comes magistra. Vale. Vale. Teach the discipuli. Students. Students." It works well enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 We just get up. :001_smile: When we've had breakfast and are dressed, we do the next thing. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Lulu* Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 Our morning starts after/over breakfast with Bible and read alouds. This is followed by chores, then group work. After we finish our group activities we take a break, get a snack and start individual work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom0012 Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 I naturally wake up very early, so I like to get the kids started early. I play around on the computer for a while or exercise and then get them up at 7:30. My son always does his SL reading in bed for about an hour before getting up. Sometimes my daughter will do the same, but other days she just jumps into her piano lesson. Then I take turns working with each of the kids in my room one at a time. We go over their lessons from the day before and cover any new material. While they work on their math, I make breakfast. Usually, they are done with math before breakfast and then I read our SL stuff to them while they eat. After that, they have lots of independent stuff to do and I go back and forth between working with them or helping them with something quickly and doing housework. Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brijen97 Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 We started using workbox system in January. One of her ideas that I love is to "clock in" to school. I made my daughter a study board out of a trifold board (cut it in half to make it smaller). We put some reference items in it, decorated it and added 2 pockets that said "school time" and "finished". I tell Maddie its time to start school and she moves the card with her picture on it to the "school time" envelope. We have in home day care so I had to do something to help her define her day and get her moving. It helps a ton and she loves it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mama2cntrykids Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 We get up, get dressed, eat, and I grab our read-aloud books and head for the couch. We the kids see me taking out books, they know "it's time". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mynyel Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 I am in the "HEY where are you guys?" category. They roll/stumble out of bed by 10am, eat breakfast and change clothes. I then commence with "What subject are you doing first?" They groan, get their binders and choose. :D Works for now, we shall see in a couple months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
black_midori Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 I am in the "HEY where are you guys?" category. They roll/stumble out of bed by 10am, eat breakfast and change clothes. I then commence with "What subject are you doing first?" They groan, get their binders and choose. :D Works for now, we shall see in a couple months. :iagree: I'd kind of like to be in the "It is now 9:30 - please be seated and open your books to page xx" group - but we are SO NOT THERE!! :) I tried to start with sit-down-on-the-couch read-alouds for awhile, but it seemed like they were too easily distracted and not really in the "school swing" of sitting and paying attention when I did that. I also tried to start with pick-your-favorite-subject and pick-the-easiest,least stressful-subject - both of those ended up the same as the read-alouds, though. Somehow, it seems like if I don't just say "Come here. Sit down. Start doing this particular subject." then we don't get into the groove very quickly!! Once we've really buckled down to do stuff, it starts to go pretty quickly and we can move into more fun, hang out together, do interesting things world. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diana B Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 It depends on the morning. I'm trying to get my DS to get in the habit of prayer and Bible reading first thing in the morning ~ usually while I'm doing mine. If he woke up later than me and I've done mine, I'll fix him breakfast while he's doing his Bible reading. Then it's morning chores if he has any. While he's doing his chores I'll get the school stuff prepped. If we are having a particularly rough morning (late wake up, just can't get moving, etc), I'll pull out our read aloud to get us thinkin'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daisy Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 Getting up, dressed, chores, etc. all lead up to breakfast. After breakfast the kids go brush their teeth and then return to the table. We start off... Round-robin Bible reading Prayer Sing a hymn or other song. Catechism memory practice. Then I tell the kids to get to work. LOL. They have drawers for their subjects. I don't care what order their independent work (handwriting, spelling, English, assigned reading, map skills, etc.) is done in. They start work on an independent subject and then I call them back to the table for subjects that need my supervision or teaching (math). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom4him Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 How does your family make the transition from waking up/breakfast/chores to your school day? Morning meeting? Songs? Prayers? Poems? Calling out, "hey where are you guys?" read aloud time? Do you like what you are doing? Is it an effective way to begin the day? Just looking for ideas.... We generally start a bit later than most, 9-9:30. I spend the first 3+ hrs of my day helping my oldest ds get up and ready for work. When I am finished eating my breakfast, I normally just tell them it is time to start school(unless they are already in the school room working), we sit on the couch I have in there and pray, do our Bible reading, and do our history and science reading. We then move to our desks and start the paper work. Yes, I do like it. It seemed that before I did our reading first some things simply didn't get done.:tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 How does your family make the transition from waking up/breakfast/chores to your school day? Morning meeting? Songs? Prayers? Poems? Calling out, "hey where are you guys?" read aloud time? Do you like what you are doing? Is it an effective way to begin the day? Just looking for ideas.... "Go get your math." Works for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zaichiki Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 (edited) We seem to do things differently nearly every day. But uniforms wouldn't work for us b/c we fit in homeschooling "lessons" and stuff in bites all throughout the day. We'd be taking clothes off and putting them on constantly! :tongue_smilie: Otherwise, the thread about uniforms (and Mom's apron) sounds really appealing to me, actually. Uniforms on? Time for lessons! Seriously. The first thing we *always* do is breakfast. Next is usually barn chores. But sometimes I read to them over breakfast and we continue with that. Occasionally it's instrument practice first and then breakfast or vice versa. This morning we did history right after barn chores, which were EARLY due to the heat/animals needing water sooner rather than later. I'd like to get into a routine if it would make it easier, but honestly, I balk at too much routine. Feels like a rut. Ahhh! Now I know why we're so disorganized! Ha! It's ME! Edited July 7, 2011 by zaichiki Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandy in TN Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 "Go get your math."Works for us. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaxMom Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 Getting up, dressed, chores, etc. all lead up to breakfast. After breakfast the kids go brush their teeth and then.... And then I go into the "hey! Where are you guys? What?!? There is no PLAYing! you have school work to do. This is not NEW..." and so forth. And then I eyeball the booze on top of the school cabinet. But I get another cup of coffee. I think my children have dementia. Or, they're gas-lighting me. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandy in TN Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 How does your family make the transition from waking up/breakfast/chores to your school day? Morning meeting? Songs? Prayers? Poems? Calling out, "hey where are you guys?" read aloud time? Do you like what you are doing? Is it an effective way to begin the day? Just looking for ideas.... Our day starts with hugs. I love on my kids. That's how we start the day... always after my dh leaves around 8:30 or later and I have alone time. Then, at 9:30 or so I wake up kids. My oldest is already up, but he leaves me alone. He likes his quiet time, too. Only one of mine, middle ds, wants to eat when he first wakes. Right now this one is taking US History 2 through dual enrollment at the CC. It meets Monday-Thursday at 11. So, after the good mornings he showers, eats, and goes to class. With the little man we tend to do first whatever he can do in bed without using a pencil. He isn't at his best until afternoon. HTH- Mandy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peela Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 Our morning routine worked well for us for years- just get up (7am for the kids), have breakfast, do chores and music practice. At 8.30 we were in the schoolroom ready to start- usually maths. Straight into the more difficult subject to get it done. When we tried to start with the fun stuff it was much harder to get to the harder stuff later. But if my kids were little I might start with "circle time" or something like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koerarmoca Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 Our morning starts after/over breakfast with Bible and read alouds. This is followed by chores, then group work. After we finish our group activities we take a break, get a snack and start individual work. This is pretty much us too. After lunch when dd2 naps I do 1 on 1 w/ dd5 while the older 2 do their own things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NanceXToo Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 We start with a read aloud at breakfast. When breakfast is over, I tell my daughter to go brush her teeth and so on and to meet me back at the table to start schoolwork. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mimm Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 Most days I'm up early at about 6:30 or so. I have a very hard time sleeping in, even when I stay up rather late. My ten year old is up by 7:30. She eats breakfast and plays till school starts. My eight year old stumbles out of bed around 8 and eats breakfast. This is a carry over from school when we all had to be up at 7 in order to get out of the door on time. The mornings were a mad scramble to finish packing lunches, find uniforms and backpacks and shoes, eating breakfast and rushing out the door. It's the main thing I don't miss. :) Anyway, I have reward system in place that gives my kids stickers for various things and trades those stickers in for other rewards. They get a sticker for starting on time at 8:30 and ever since I implemented the reward system we've started on time almost every day. We've been ten minutes late only two or three days. They rush into the schoolroom and say, "We'd like our start-on-time sticker!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lily_Grace Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 After chores we sit down and go over that day's to-do list. We talk about which subjects can be done mostly alone and which ones are with mom, and then he chooses which subject he wants to do first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frontier Mom Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 Mine get up at different times but I like to be started by 9. Mine starts with several good cups of coffee and getting dressed. I also like to check email, etc. before the day starts. My dss begin their morning with Sports Center while they wake up. They turn it on in their rooms while they shower and dress. Once they are awake, one eats breakfast immediately while the others will eat in an hour or so. We don't really have a consistent standard in the morning but they are older and have always been home educated. They just know what is required and that it must be done. I laugh hysterically when new homeschoolers ask to come and observe our typical day and for some reason I am asked that quite often. They would be horrified I am sure because we are home educating - certainly not homeschooling. My teens may be working on academics well into the night sometimes but it just gets done. I think it really depends upon the ages and the style of Mom you find yourself to be. When mine were smaller, we started a little more structured but never very structured. I would start with a read-aloud every morning. Now we "touch base" in the morning to make sure everyone has a plan. Personally, I would vote for specific things at specific times but now I just realize it is only my desire to do that and their academics are not falling behind. My systems and charts took me many hours over the years and never made it past a week. Not worth it to me. The beauty of home education if flexibility. However, flexibility is never an excuse for inadequate completion of requirements or lack of excellence in our journey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiegirl Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 After breakfast and chores we have Morning Time. We use this time to read the Bible, poetry and read aloud. I also use this time to do the things that never get done: Shakespeare, Plutarch, picture study, etc. I don't do these things every day, they have their own day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 We get up, stare at the TV or computer for 30 minutes or so, eat breakfast then get dressed. At some point 10am rolls around and I remind dd of the time. Eventually she starts school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jelbe5 Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 We officially start our day at 8am by getting up and listening to"Keys for Kids" and "Adventures in Odyssey" through internet radio. It was at the suggestion of my teen dd; no more wrangling with her to get her up in the am! :D:lol::D We eat breakfast as we listen (usually cereal, but if I get up earlier it will be a hot breakfast). Then at 8:30 we have am chores (dressing, grooming, breakfast cleanup, etc). School begins at 9am. Things have fallen apart for the summer(only reading and math for school right now, so we don't always start at 9am . . . but we still get up for the radio shows most mornings! It has been a really nice way to start our day together!:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Rat Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 After showers, breakfast, and chores, we all plop on the couch for read aloud time (currently The Witches by Roald Dahl). Then ds8 spends some time reading to me while ds11 does his work on the computer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Endorphins Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 I wake up and make coffee, check e-mail, and all that jazz. The boys wake up a little later and grab their "fun books" and read for an hour. We do the "fun" reading in the morning and "structured" reading in the afternoon. We eat breakfast and then start with handwriting which kicks off the rest of our day. Handwriting because it's easy, but still requires a little effort, so I thought it was a nice transition into the more brainy stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PIE! Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 After breakfast and chores we have a little devotional: song prayer scripture (and other) memory recitation read an article from a kids' church magazine then we play a game (we've got a little wheel so they take turns picking the various parts of this) after that comes circle time - which is just filling in a calendar and weather chart. my kids like to do show and tell too - which i think is pretty silly, but they love it, so I indulge them. then they each go pick out one of their workboxes and the academics begin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CourtneyBrooke Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 My children are 10, 6, 6, and 18 months. The oldest three wake up around 7 and start their morning. They have to be done with their "list" by 8:30. This includes breakfast, clearing table and putting food away, getting dressed, making bed, and brushing teeth/hair. At 8:30 we gather in the family room for Bible/ prayers/hymns and then History. Our History (SOTW + MoH) ties in with our Bible time so we do them together. After that, we go our separate ways for school or music or chores, etc. Even when we don't have official school that day, we still start our morning the same way. I am *not* a fan of schedules in our home, but this way works for us, so I'm keeping it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenangelcat Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 We didn't have a schedule at all this past year. This year however, I think I'm going to have to start us on one. I'm hoping that we'll get up, have a quick tidy, feed the animals, milk the goats, make breakfast and be all done by 10. I'm still thinking about what happens after that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nestof3 Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 I have never been one to use an alarm to get up, and I tend to sleep in, but I really need to do things differently this year because of an outside co-op, my boys are getting older, and because I am committed to jogging daily for 45 minutes. I have no idea how this will pan out, so I may need to tweak things, but this is my opening to the day: 7:00 am I get up, drink coffee, go online, do any paperwork 8:00 am Get boys up; I workout. They get to play for an hour while I work out. 9:00 am I shower and get ready for day while boys eat breakfast and do independent work. I squeeze breakfast in as well. I cannot eat prior to jogging for bathroom reasons. :lol: I've learned that this summer. 10:00 am We start with Latin and then do the next thing I am attaching a schedule. Again, I will not know how feasible it is until we get through a week or so. I may have to teak based on how long we spend on subjects. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Endorphins Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 I have never been one to use an alarm to get up, and I tend to sleep in, but I really need to do things differently this year because of an outside co-op, my boys are getting older, and because I am committed to jogging daily for 45 minutes. I have no idea how this will pan out, so I may need to tweak things, but this is my opening to the day: 7:00 am I get up, drink coffee, go online, do any paperwork 8:00 am Get boys up; I workout. They get to play for an hour while I work out. 9:00 am I shower and get ready for day while boys eat breakfast and do independent work. I squeeze breakfast in as well. I cannot eat prior to jogging for bathroom reasons. :lol: I've learned that this summer. 10:00 am We start with Latin and then do the next thing I am attaching a schedule. Again, I will not know how feasible it is until we get through a week or so. I may have to teak based on how long we spend on subjects. I love seeing other peoples schedules, so thank you for attaching that image! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbemom Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 We don't start school until some time in the afternoon. DH leaves at noon for work, so mornings are our family time. When he leaves, DD and I have lunch, and then if someone needs a nap (either myself or DD LOL), we take a nap, then school. Sometimes school doesn't start until 4pm! Love the flexibility homeschool gives us. I just say "Time for School" and DD comes running. She really enjoys school and so I am enjoying spending all this time with her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nestof3 Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 May I just say I miss my boys being little. I loved those light schedules. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tadbhoward Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 We start school with Calendar Time. The girls love it and it seems to help center them and get them focused for school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbemom Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 We start school with Calendar Time. The girls love it and it seems to help center them and get them focused for school. That looks fun! I'm not sure I'd have room for it. Our 'classroom' is the kitchen table which is in a room off the kitchen that also serves many other functions and has 3 doors and four windows so wall space is at a premium. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T'smom Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 That looks fun! I'm not sure I'd have room for it. Our 'classroom' is the kitchen table which is in a room off the kitchen that also serves many other functions and has 3 doors and four windows so wall space is at a premium. I've seen these done on those 3 panel display boards, like kids use for science fair projects. You can get it out, do calendar time, fold it up and put it away! It will fold up and can be stored behind something. You can put whatever you want to do daily on there- totally versatile! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6packofun Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 LOL Yes, our *school* day usually starts around 10 or so when I remind people that no one eats lunch until every kid has their math done! We play it loose and casual before lunch, though, because I'm barely conscious until then and the same goes for half the kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daisy Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 LOL Yes, our *school* day usually starts around 10 or so when I remind people that no one eats lunch until every kid has their math done! We play it loose and casual before lunch, though, because I'm barely conscious until then and the same goes for half the kids. LOL. Complete opposite here. We are up and out for a walk by 5:30-6am. Fairly busy schedule right up until lunch time and then we play it by ear the rest of the day. We are morning people. After 3pm, I'm dragging without some caffeine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meena Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 We officially start our day at 8am by getting up and listening to"Keys for Kids" and "Adventures in Odyssey" through internet radio. It was at the suggestion of my teen dd; no more wrangling with her to get her up in the am! :D:lol::D We eat breakfast as we listen (usually cereal, but if I get up earlier it will be a hot breakfast). Then at 8:30 we have am chores (dressing, grooming, breakfast cleanup, etc). School begins at 9am. Things have fallen apart for the summer(only reading and math for school right now, so we don't always start at 9am . . . but we still get up for the radio shows most mornings! It has been a really nice way to start our day together!:001_smile: Great idea! My kiddos love those programs, so they would be great incentives for them to get up and going in the morning. Thank you so much for sharing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 We dither and breakfast and drink coffee until around 8:30, when dh and dd15 bike over to dh's office. There is no getting work out of dd8 or dd3 while beloved Daddy and Oldest Sister are about. Then we say our morning prayers and hit the books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarreymere Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 After I get breakfast cleaned up, I sit down with the newspaper and call them to come to me. We look together at the date, the headlines, the weather, and some of the stories. We talk about whatever this brings up. DD reads the funnies. We go from there. This usually happens around 8 am. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nestof3 Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 After I get breakfast cleaned up, I sit down with the newspaper and call them to come to me. We look together at the date, the headlines, the weather, and some of the stories. We talk about whatever this brings up. DD reads the funnies. We go from there. This usually happens around 8 am. That sounds fun and cozy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luckymama Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 I have to drive dd16 to her high school almost every morning. Dd11 and I are usually home from that around 8:00. I drink another cup of coffee, we eat breakfast, I check email, she reads a (fun) book, then we clean up the kitchen and do other chores. By 9am I have all the books for the day set in piles on our quite large kitchen table. We sit next to each other at the table and start :) Every night before bed I do make sure everything is ready for the next day. The few times I didn't resulted in disastrous school mornings :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 It varies a little year by year. Next year, I have a reading hour scheduled first thing in the mornings for him. It will include his Bible/Religion related reading, as well as his literature reading.... Math comes next.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zaichiki Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 This is a great thread! Thank you OP! I'm getting some ideas -- things I'd like to try. Rainefox -- I LOVE the "gather 'round the newspaper" thing. I'm going to do that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.