does anyone not schedule?

[lorrainejmc]

We are on our summer break, and we are all enjoying the relaxed way of life, yet the kids seem to be learning more, writing more, reading more, drawing more, exploring more, than when we are officially in school time. I long for a semi unschooled way of life, where we have all the resources that we have now, but we use them more freely. For example, if my dd wants to learn about birds right now, she can take out her Apologia Flying Creatures book and do the whole lesson of her choice in one day, if she wants. I still would like to keep maths, LA structured in some way, such as a minimum amount to be done each day, but I would love a more free way of studying the other subjects.

 

One of my reasons for homeschooling was that I didn't like the distinction between school and life, and hoped to have more integration than we have ATM. My younger 2 who never went to school do this sometimes already and will often continue to use their school resources in their play and self directed activities, but my dd9, who went to nursery school at 4, then 3 years of school in the UK, doesn't look at her homeschool resources unless she is told to. She has been homeschooled for 2 years but has never shaken off that "spoon feed me what I need to know" mentality.

 

Has any one tried this sort of "unscheduling"? If so, how did it work out?

Edited July 21, 2011 by lorrainejmc

[lorrainejmc]

What you have described is what I have in mind. My dd loves nature/science and reads many books from the library on her chosen subject, then creates her own notebooks, all self motivated, self directed and in her free time. But she somehow separates her "school" science as a subject to be endured, even though she chose it herself. I would like her to understand that she can do this with her Apologia course but she seems worried that she is not allowed to use it unsupervised or that she make make a mistake with it.

[....]

I'm basically unschooling our 1st grader this year. OK, er...relaxed homeschooling. There are a bunch of websites out there about it if you google it. There is even a good Youtube video about relaxed homeschooling. We've been trying it for about 6 weeks now. You're right, my 1st grader is a lot happier, too. She's also quit running away when I told her it's time for school. Just to clarify, I'm not delving into the radical no-schooling unschooling...there are people who would say having schooltime is not unschooling...I think radical unschooling warped unschooling...anyway...a debate for another thread.

 

So, here's what's working so far...and I am no means an expert.

 

1. The TV goes off completely from 10am to 3pm. NO TV/video games.

2. I start off with asking her, "What do you want to work on?" and she almost always says, "Math." (She seems to really like math.)

3. I told her that she has to read to me everyday, but she can pick what she reads. She keeps picking Dr Seuss books, so whatever...:D

4. I've been reading a LOT to her lately - more than usual. She's on a huge penguin kick right now (yep, penguins) and we're reading Mr. Popper's Penguins, a bunch of books about penguins and we bought a tube of plastic penguins. She lined up the penguins against the penguin books and spent about half an hour identifying the types of penguins.

5. This sounds silly, but I've been letting her do art to her heart's content. She's been drawing, painting, making clay birds, etc.

6. I've been asking her trivia questions throughout the day (yeah, we're really weird), like, "Count by 100s to 1,000." Or "Name the continents." Well, you get the idea. :tongue_smilie:

 

I don't have any answers on the unschooling thing, but this is just our experience this summer. My 1st grader has SPD and I don't know if there are emotional issues going on (we went thru some huge traumas a couple of years ago) and this kid is just not recovering OR I suspect this kid might fall in the gifted category (which would actually explain a lot), but anyway...this kid can not do normal schoolwork. If she were in ps, we would have some serious problems. So, I'm trying this. Ugh. That's my long, drawn-out story.

 

I'd be interested to hear how your unschooling trial works out! I was scared to even post about our summer. Unschooling! On a classical ed forum! Ahhh! :eek: And I'm just using that method with one kid. Lol.

 

Like I said, there are tons of websites about unschooling or relaxed homeschooling and there is definitely a learning curve if you're doing it right. Oh, someone mentioned setting up 5 learning stations around the house...I honestly might try that. I don't know what I would put on them, tho. Definitely takes some planning.

[....]

I don't know if I'm allowed to post this, but here is a link to an interesting website I saw. It has religious content (don't want to offend anyone). The leaf assignment sounds like stuff I'm doing with the 6 yro.

 

http://heartofthematteronline.com/2009/11/relaxed-homeschooling-taking-advantage-of-environment/

Edited July 21, 2011 by starrbuck12

[Ellie]

That was us mostly. We had a routine (Monday, Tuesday: Official School Days, when we stayed-the-heck home and I put anything that looked like Official School Stuff on the kitchen table for dc to do or not; Wednesday: library; Thursday: field trip. Yes, every week; Friday: clean house/once-a-month park day) because *I* can't live every day without knowing what's happening, lol. But I didn't schedule academics (other than knowing where the dc were in their Official School Stuff, and I did do Spalding with younger dd for 4 or 5 weeks when she was 5 and 6yo) until our sixth year, when we did KONOS.

 

Dds did 4-H, soccer (a couple of years) and Highland dance, which were all scheduled in the afternoon when most children were out of school; we did Camp Fire on our own as independents; and dds were in Missionettes at church. We would *not* have participated in co-ops or homeschool dance/sports if they had been scheduled during the day, because I liked our daily routine.

[threeturn]

I am striving for a balance here too. My two biggest fears about unschooling are that it takes so much work on the part of the parent (and not working in a way I am comfortable) and am I selling my kids short by not encouraging them to develop some discipline. We were pretty relaxed last year and while it was a wonderful year and we love "school," I just feel like my DD could have gone much farther if I had required a little more. Then I have read John Holt and know what he would say about that too. :confused:

 

So for the fall we have curriculum and we will develop a routine, but not a schedule. BUT if we go off on a rabbit trail for a while or stop to dig into an interest topic in depth, that is ok. I am not trying to check off a list or "get finished on time".

 

A few thoughts:

Thomas Jefferson Ed has a concept called "schedule time, not content." Every day you have a block of learning time and a prepared environment. The kids get to pick what to do within parameters. Very Montessorish.

 

Keep all "lessons" short enough that you have plenty of extra time for interests. If you take a bunny trail on Native Americans and you start reading more books and doing projects with that topic, just keep reading through the rest of the curriculum without requiring anything more than listening. That way you continue moving forward with what you need to do, but the kid gets to stop off and focus on what they love.

 

You can fill in a multitude of "gaps" with read alouds.

 

Ask the kid what they want to study. If they miss biology in the grammar stage because they really want to focus on Earth and space science I don't think the world is going to end. Build the curriculum around what they love.

 

Use their learning style as a guide. If they hate to write, continue oral narrations and you type it. If they hate oral narrations have a conversation instead where you share and they share. Do a puppet show, draw a picture and describe it, build it out of legos, make a lapbook. What do they want to do. Skip all busy work. Never finish a math page that is completely understood for the sake of finishing. Be genuine with their learning.

 

Great conversation. I am on this journey too and it is a tough one.

 

Pam

[2squared]

We are on our summer break, and we are all enjoying the relaxed way of life, yet the kids seem to be learning more, writing more, reading more, drawing more, exploring more, than when we are officially in school time.

 

We do some of this, but my dc are still on the young side. I limit our school hours and only formally work on the 3Rs so that they can cover everything else through reading, discovery, and discussion. Within the 3Rs, we are transitioning to a full Charlotte Mason approach for LA, so that should feel more natural this year.

 

Interestingly, my oldest scores highest on her standardized tests in the areas that we cover through reading, discovery, and discussion.

[tammyw]

We don't schedule. I do have curriculum, and we do it when we can here and there, but no real sense of pressure. I like it for the most part. It works for us.

[Ellie]

This is exactly why I am not interested in unschooling. I like to pick books and work through the books. That is a heck of a lot easier to me than running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to help my child pursue his passion (assuming he even has one). Plus I value academics.

But unschoolers don't do that.

 

I don't know why people think unschoolers spend their time trying to follow every single rabbit trail their dc are interested in. That would still be the total opposite of unschooling.

 

:confused:

 

Unschooling is living life and involving your dc. It isn't spending your life focussed on them like a laser beam. Unschoolers value academics, too; they just approach learning differently. Just ask David and Micki Colfax, three of whose four dc went to Harvard; or my friend Beth, three of whoss nine dc (so far) are in university and seminary, and who has several dc who don't read until they are past 10yo, who decide on their own what they want to learn and figure out how to learn it. Beth certainly doesn't have time to run around like a chicken helping all nine children pursue their passions.

 

I'm not trying to talk you into or out of any specific philosophy of education. I'm just pointing out the holes in your theory of what unschooling is.

[zenjenn]

When I started, I hardly scheduled at all. Now I schedule a lot more though I'm not a slave to it.

 

I think for many homeschoolers this is an ever-evolving thing. It seems to me that most people I know who started structured loosened up over time, and those whose who started unschoolish eventually develop more structure.

 

I think you have to do what works. I think the biggest mistake is zealously clinging on to a philosophy and not re-evaluating as you go. Every family/child is different.

 

I have one friend who is very strongly committed to unschooling (or maybe she's just lazy, I dunno). It seems to work OK for her oldest, but her youngest is now nearly 9 years old and is functionally illiterate. Several people who have encountered her child (religious school teacher, girl scout leader, etc) have approached her and gently suggested that maybe she should *do something* about her child being illiterate and she just makes up excuses to rationalize that her unschooling will work out fine and that her daughter will read "when she's ready". :glare:

 

Heck, we know that there are people who get through public school and come out functionally illiterate at age 18. We know that even the socially accepted, professional way to school sometimes leaves people behind. Ultimately you have to evaluate what is working or not working for *your kids* (as well as your life and your desires) and be open to change if what you are doing is not working.

 

For us, unschooling worked when the kids were a bit younger.. now with their combined interests and extracurricular, a schedule is a must. I also discovered through experimentation that, for example, math is not a good idea in the afternoon. It just makes my daughter cranky and frustrated to do math after lunch, but after breakfast, no problem.

[Ellie]

I wouldn't know how to do that. My living life doesn't involve much. I'd have to artificially insert stuff is what I'm saying, not necessarily following their every whim.

 

I don't know if that makes sense.

No, it doesn't make sense, because as an unschooler you wouldn't have to artificially insert anything. You just get out of bed everyday and do normal stuff. :-)

[Ellie]

I don't do much is what I'm saying. I don't think my kids would get much out of watching me wash dishes, cook dinner, and straighten up the house once in awhile. That is all I do. If I didn't stay home with my kids I'd go out and get a job (not the kind where I could bring my kids with me).

 

I want my kids to be exposed to more than watching me do those things.

 

I have met unschoolers who were heavily involved with helping their children pursue a passion. Those are the only type I'd want to emulate.

:D

[Hedgehogs4]

I don't know if I'm allowed to post this, but here is a link to an interesting website I saw. It has religious content (don't want to offend anyone). The leaf assignment sounds like stuff I'm doing with the 6 yro.

 

http://heartofthematteronline.com/2009/11/relaxed-homeschooling-taking-advantage-of-environment/

 

:lol: Thank you for your sensitivity! But really, the Christian content (usually marked with a cc) on this board is overflowing, as well as other modes of thought and belief. As long as you are not attacking another faith or ideology, you are unlikely to be offending! :001_smile:

[Mommamia]

We don't schedule. Never have. We basically just do the next thing (m-f). I have a notebook where we write what we accomplish each day. Sometimes I may write in what I hope to accomplish each day. Either way, it gets done. I tried writing a schedule one year, but it was just a waste of ink.

[desertmum]

So for the fall we have curriculum and we will develop a routine, but not a schedule. BUT if we go off on a rabbit trail for a while or stop to dig into an interest topic in depth, that is ok. I am not trying to check off a list or "get finished on time".

 

 

A few thoughts:

Thomas Jefferson Ed has a concept called "schedule time, not content." Every day you have a block of learning time and a prepared environment. The kids get to pick what to do within parameters. Very Montessorish.

 

Keep all "lessons" short enough that you have plenty of extra time for interests. If you take a bunny trail on Native Americans and you start reading more books and doing projects with that topic, just keep reading through the rest of the curriculum without requiring anything more than listening. That way you continue moving forward with what you need to do, but the kid gets to stop off and focus on what they love.

 

You can fill in a multitude of "gaps" with read alouds.

 

Ask the kid what they want to study. If they miss biology in the grammar stage because they really want to focus on Earth and space science I don't think the world is going to end. Build the curriculum around what they love.

 

Use their learning style as a guide. If they hate to write, continue oral narrations and you type it. If they hate oral narrations have a conversation instead where you share and they share. Do a puppet show, draw a picture and describe it, build it out of legos, make a lapbook. What do they want to do. Skip all busy work. Never finish a math page that is completely understood for the sake of finishing. Be genuine with their learning.

 

Great conversation. I am on this journey too and it is a tough one.

 

Pam

 

Interesting post. I agree with the above. I am a newbie so I find really hard to schedule everything down to the number of lessons to do per week. I am still figuring out how long it takes to teach a lesson and how long it takes ds to learn it. I also keep lessons short as ds is still very young.

 

I am keeping "slots of time", not content. I know I want to do Math, Reading and Handwriting 5 days a week. I do Science 3 times (ds is mad about Science). I do Social Science 2 times a week. I write down in detail what we did on the day after we are finished. I have my goals written down so I can check if we are falling behind. I also take breaks when and if we need them. All in all I'm fairly relaxed because I don't want to put ds off "school". At the same time I can just pursue ds interests alone because then it would be science to the exclusion of everything else.

[MelanieM]

We do what I like to call "opt-in schooling". Basically, I have things here I think the kids will enjoy, I make suggestions based on their interests, and they get to choose what/when/how they partake. It works very well for us, and my kids are quite interested in 'schooly' things overall. I.e. they *love* math and beg for more, more, more on a regular basis.

 

I have started using file folders to have things at the ready for whenever they're interested in working on something. I have been doing 12-week "plans", with one folder per week. I cram it full with various things -- notebooking pages, lapbooking elements, math worksheets, puzzles, copywork, grammar and spelling worksheets, reading assignments, etc. The kids pull their folder and work at things throughout the week. My daughter seems to enjoy working on all of the pages for a particular subject at once rather than over time, so for example she'll sit and do 20 pages of Math Mammoth, then later sit down to do all of her SWO for the week, etc.

 

I also log on to our library site every week or so and request books based on whatever the kids have shown an interest in and/or whatever I think will tie in nicely to what is in their folders. I keep these books in our book basket and we use them for read-alouds, and for independant reading.

 

I do think I will add a scheduling element this fall in terms of blocking a specific school time for each day. I think my kids in particular would enjoy a little more structure to their days, and I think it will help keep me sane to have more daily routine. The kids will still get to decide what they do within that time, but it will be the block that I put aside for *me* to focus on gathering with them.

[momto2Cs]

We are on our summer break, and we are all enjoying the relaxed way of life, yet the kids seem to be learning more, writing more, reading more, drawing more, exploring more, than when we are officially in school time. I long for a semi unschooled way of life, where we have all the resources that we have now, but we use them more freely. For example, if my dd wants to learn about birds right now, she can take out her Apologia Flying Creatures book and do the whole lesson of her choice in one day, if she wants. I still would like to keep maths, LA structured in some way, such as a minimum amount to be done each day, but I would love a more free way of studying the other subjects.

 

One of my reasons for homeschooling was that I didn't like the distinction between school and life, and hoped to have more integration than we have ATM. My younger 2 who never went to school do this sometimes already and will often continue to use their school resources in their play and self directed activities, but my dd9, who went to nursery school at 4, then 3 years of school in the UK, doesn't look at her homeschool resources unless she is told to. She has been homeschooled for 2 years but has never shaken off that "spoon feed me what I need to know" mentality.

 

Has any one tried this sort of "unscheduling"? If so, how did it work out?

 

I have considered this many, many times. And I still consider it. I wrote a blog post about it once, so you can see I've been thinking about it for a while. However, the kids have asked me for more structure this year :confused:, so we'll see. I still think if we just covered the Three R's we could let there be a lot more freedom in the other subjects!

[....]

I have been doing 12-week "plans", with one folder per week. I cram it full with various things -- notebooking pages, lapbooking elements, math worksheets, puzzles, copywork, grammar and spelling worksheets, reading assignments, etc. The kids pull their folder and work at things throughout the week.

 

That's a really good idea!!!

[chepyl]

We have curriculum, I have a plan for what needs to be done everyday (or at least by the week), it is all entered in EduTrack; but we don't do grammar for an hour a day, then math, then....and we don't start/stop at a certain time. We wake up, eat breakfast (or not) then do schoolwork. Somedays we watch a movie then do schoolwork, or play outside. We have had days where we did not do school until I got home from dance class (9 pm). We are very flexible. We even finished everything early last year (a month before I intended to stop for the summer!)

[lorrainejmc]

Hi everyone, OP here:)

 

What I have in mind could be called relaxed homeschooling. I have no desire to radically unschool, just to approach learning with more flexibility. Tonight, after bath time, I lifted one of our Draw Write Now books and sat down on the sofa without speaking. Immediately my two sons sat down either side of me, ready for whatever was in that book. As we looked through it, my 5yr old said he wished school would start again so he could draw the pictures and copy the writing and make a book. I don't really know why he thought it had to be school time to use such a book, as he has been drawing dinosaurs from an Usborne drawing book for weeks, but I suspect big sister has told him it is a school book. He was so excited when I told him he could use it anytime and he can't wait till morning.:001_smile:

 

So I spoke to dd and explained my educational goals. She understood well enough and started coming up with all these extra ideas of what she could put in her Apologia notebook that has not been scheduled. She was very excited at the idea of bringing her books and camera outside tomorrow to sketch, photograph and identify all the "Flying Creatures". She was still thinking of things to do when I said goodnight.:001_smile:

 

So, I think this is what I was hoping for, to use our curriculum as a spine for whatever else we come up with along the way. I will still have a somewhat structured approach to the 3rs, but I doubt if I will schedule it rigidly. We will see how this works out tomorrow, and hopefully for the rest of the summer. After that, who knows?:D

[Tawlas]

Sorry, I hope I'm not being insulting. I truly am very boring and I hope my kids don't turn out as boring. :lol:

 

Probably my favorite time is doing school work with my kids. I never knew what I wanted to be when I grew up (and have tried dozens of things). This is what I have enjoyed most.

 

I kind of feel the same way! I know that living on a ranch would provide LOADS of opportunities for our kids to do all sorts of neat, important things. But I LIKE structure, I enjoy doing things with my kids (who are admittedly still very young lol) that are somewhat contrived. I don't restrict myself to doing "what the book says" or what my to-do list and schedule say but I do like to arrange our days so that there's order, repetition and expectations. Maybe I'm thinking more of radical unschooling, which is a whole different kettle of fish, but . . . I just LIKE it lo l:001_smile:

[Ariel]

We don't schedule. I do have curriculum, and we do it when we can here and there, but no real sense of pressure. I like it for the most part. It works for us.

 

I like to have a curriculum so I can see progress. On the other hand I don't like have a school bell schedule. That's one of the benifits of them being at home, to do the work as we choose not how a schedule tells to do it. Seems to work for our family.

[threeturn]

I kind of feel the same way! I know that living on a ranch would provide LOADS of opportunities for our kids to do all sorts of neat, important things. But I LIKE structure, I enjoy doing things with my kids (who are admittedly still very young lol) that are somewhat contrived. I don't restrict myself to doing "what the book says" or what my to-do list and schedule say but I do like to arrange our days so that there's order, repetition and expectations. Maybe I'm thinking more of radical unschooling, which is a whole different kettle of fish, but . . . I just LIKE it lo l:001_smile:

 

:iagree:

There is so much they have not been exposed to and they are pretty willing to go along with what I suggest. I have just spent the evening shopping on Amazon. Got sticker paper doll books on Native Americans, Pilgrims, Colonial girl, Pioneers, a state cookbook, Scrambled States game, and Wee Sing America all to go with our American History/State geography study. We will play, cook, and sing to go along with our reading, coloring and and notebook building. They will love it. I will love it, and a good time will be had be all. That is what I can't see giving up.

[threeturn]

Meant to say good luck lorrainejmc. Your plan sounds good.

 

We don't schedule. Never have. We basically just do the next thing (m-f). I have a notebook where we write what we accomplish each day. Sometimes I may write in what I hope to accomplish each day. Either way, it gets done. I tried writing a schedule one year, but it was just a waste of ink.

 

This is plan for this year. I have 10 weeks of blank lesson plan pages already waiting in my binder to fill in at the end of each day. I have an idea of where we are going and what we are doing in each subject (this is where a prepared curriculum is very helpful) but we aren't tying ourselves to a schedule on it. I also like to make a weekly learning notes post on my blog each week as a record of what we have done. On there I include things that we spent time learning that was not in any original plan. There is usually quite a bit. :)

[Forget-Me-Not]

I just have a set amount of things I want to get through each day, and the rule is that the TV/Wii/DS/Computer (except for school related computer stuff) don't come on until school work is done.

 

This coming year, though, I think the rule is going to be that none of it comes on until 3 or so, no matter what. . . my son would get up, literally RACE through his schoolwork, cut corners wherever possible, and then get upset with me for (he thought) cutting into his screen time by making him go back and correct things/do them thoroughly. :001_huh:

 

I generally find we're more productive first thing in the a.m. and things tend to not get done if we put them off for the afternoon/evening. Except that read-alouds are usually done as part of bedtime.

[Donna]

I did much more scheduling when I had more than one child home. Now with just one at home, I feel much more comfortable with not having a schedule...anything I'd schedule wouldn't end up being done that way anyway. I have a general idea of what I'd like her to accomplish in a school year then we work from there. When I had more than one at home, there were things they needed to do together and other things they'd do separately so it was more difficult for me to coordinate without some sort of schedule.

 

We have a basic routine each day but it is based on our own body rhythms (just what we tend to do every day rather than an artificial schedule)...like we tend to wake up, eat, etc...at the same time every day. I have curriculum and we follow it but dd choses what subjects to do, how much, and when...so sometimes school gets done during the day and sometimes she wants to do things late at night. We spend a lot of time reading together, listening to music, and doing hands on experiments.

 

We study science in the WTM rotations but follow bunny trails when they arise. Last year and this year we are doing American history and visiting a lot of the places we are studying and doing projects and readings based on those things.

 

My dd spends a lot of her day playing/practicing her violin. Some days she has lessons or orchestra and not much school gets done or we school in the car. She reads to me or we listen to lessons on CDs. I keep lots of art material handy for her at home and in the car as well.

[....]

I just ordered Educating the Wholehearted Child and that might be another good read to consider. I'm still in the first chapter (just got it yesterday), but it talks about how your family can learn together without a lot of formality and everyone "switching roles". I'm only a few pages into the book, so I definitely need to read more before I can have an intelligent conversation about it. :D

 

Anyway, I just wanted to throw that out there. There's a new edition that just came out.

 

 

Ellie, I like your blog. :001_smile:

[Guest mass3001]

@ Donna I like your blog very much:thumbup:, I`ve been reading this forum for awhile starrbuck12`s made me to visit your blog. I think homeschooling is a great way to develop kid`s skills.

[Nikki -TX-]

I just ordered Educating the Wholehearted Child and that might be another good read to consider. I'm still in the first chapter (just got it yesterday), but it talks about how your family can learn together without a lot of formality and everyone "switching roles". I'm only a few pages into the book, so I definitely need to read more before I can have an intelligent conversation about it. :D

 

Anyway, I just wanted to throw that out there. There's a new edition that just came out.

 

Educating the Wholehearted Child (by Clay and Sally Clarkson) is a book I go back to over and over for FOCUS. I get bogged down often by comparing and researching. This book helps me get back to the big picture.

 

Very informative thread. I have noticed we have the same issues -- balancing fun/play and school. I want them to have fun, but I also want them to learn certain things I just don't see them "choosing" to learn themselves. We do have some structure (no tv/vidgames), but the trails my kids get on don't seem educational (blowing up sister's dollhouse with their latest lego creation). And they're big mess makers.

 

Mostly, our goal is getting the basics done structurally (math, spelling, etc.) with other stuff happening as they flow into our days. We recently finished up American History doing it with friends coming over, having a playtime also. Now we're going through a geography study of the 50 states using a picture book (Little Man in the Map) and the kids are really learning. I like unit studies, and my kids seem to also. We adored FIAR and am getting into it again with my youngest.

 

Right now, we're trying out having "free" time FIRST (we don't stop for summer). I had it in my mind that early was the best time for doing Math, etc. because they were fresh. But I'm exploring the idea that early is the best time for them to have fresh minds to think for themselves as to what they'd like to do. (Besides, it works well with the TX heat and little brother's naptime!)

[jenangelcat]

When I started, I hardly scheduled at all. Now I schedule a lot more though I'm not a slave to it.

 

I think for many homeschoolers this is an ever-evolving thing. It seems to me that most people I know who started structured loosened up over time, and those whose who started unschoolish eventually develop more structure.

 

I think you have to do what works. I think the biggest mistake is zealously clinging on to a philosophy and not re-evaluating as you go. Every family/child is different.

 

 

 

:iagree:

 

We did last year pretty loose. No schedule, very loose curriculum, just did what we wanted whenever we wanted. It was fine but my daughter needed and wanted more than that.

 

This year we have a very full, detailed curriculum and I've written a loose schedule. We've already started getting into a general routine for our days so that we can slide the schedule in, in the fall. Already things are better around here. I'm still extremely flexible and have no trouble changing things as we go.

[Donna]

@ Donna I like your blog very much:thumbup:, I`ve been reading this forum for awhile starrbuck12`s made me to visit your blog. I think homeschooling is a great way to develop kid`s skills.

 

Thanks! :blush:

I am always surprised to hear anyone reads it besides my family.

[Penelope]

I think it's easier to be more on the relaxed end when the kids are young, and if those kids have no learning issues. I think you might also have to keep outside activities to a minimum if you still want a classical education after early elementary age but want to be relaxed. It requires time. I have found that once the extracurriculars increase, days that are too leisurely or open-ended in our fewer hours at home don't result in much academics getting done.

[LittleIzumi]

At my most structured, I assign subjects to days. We have math, reading, and writing every day. M/W/F we have logic and ASL. T/Th we have science and Spanish. We are fairly child-led on what we do for that subject for the day. Dd chooses her own copywork sentences & dictates them to me (usually a story she made up). She picks which math we do (Singapore 1B text/wkbk, 1A IP, Cuisinaire rod time, games). Sometimes Spanish is just, "Let's watch a movie in Spanish!" Art is on dd's time, as is music, and she does it plenty. (She is drawing right now, in fact.) They don't much care for history and I don't push it. They play on more.starfall.com with the Greek myths and such for that.

[MissKNG]

Sonlight and Noeo schedule for me - we loosely follow both. We have a daily schedule but I don't schedule curriculum. I make a pile of what I would like to accomplish for the day and set it on the kitchen counter. We work through what we want, which is usually all of it with my aggressive learner. I don't lesson plan or anything.