frugalmama Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 I saw a few posts on the what days do you school thread saying how long some of you take for lessons each day and was surprised at the responses. So I thought I'd ask - how long does it take each day for "school" and what is the age / grade of your students? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tigger Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 It depends. DS 7 does about 2.5-3.0 hours a day of seat work as a second grader, often split into two sessions during the day. But we average 3.5-5.0 hours a day for overall school work since he does other things too that don't require pencil and paper or needing to sit at the table to do the work, like when he watches a video or we're working on a project for science or history. Some days we've hit 8-hours when he's been into doing a project or we have a ton of outside activities related to school, but that's not often. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homeschooling6 Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 My kiddos are in grades 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th and 8th. Four of my children use HOD, so that helps with combining them in sets ;) We school from 8:00-2:00. I try my best to start at eight. I use a block schedule. By using a block schedule it keeps me on track. It doesn't look like that everyday because sometimes for instance Annette, might need help with researching online so I'll sit with her and help or Caleb might need help understanding his math for that day etc. My block schedule looks something like this; Latin with four older Math with Josh Preparing School (HOD) with Caleb and Brent Phonics/Lance Beyond School (HOD) with Ethan and Lance AAS & R&S Grammar with Ethan Lunch AAS/Shurley Grammar with Caleb and Brent. Time wise it looks like this; 7:45-8:15~Math with Caleb 8:15-:30~Latin with Josh, Caleb, Annette and Brent. We practiced from chapter 8 and went over some grammar.(Normally we do Latin from 8:00 to 8:30) 8:30-8:40~Math with Annette. She is having trouble with her fractions. 9:00-10:00~Preparing School with Caleb and Brent. Completed Reading about History~Storytime~Bible Study~Geography and told the boys to draw their Woolly Mammoth to their cave painting. The cave painting they will do on their own. 10:00-10:10~Helped Annette research squirrels online for science (A Nature Walk with Aunt Bessie) 10:10-10:30~All About Reading with Lance. Continued to practice the 'th' sound and read words starting with th. 10:30-11:00~All About Spelling with Ethan. This session took a bit longer than usual. I didn't realize 30 minutes had passed. I had Ethan, spell words with the 'ng' and 'nk' words orally and on paper. We started a new lesson. 11:00-11:10~Rod and Staff English with Ethan. We did this orally. 11:15-11:50~Beyond School with Ethan and Lance. We did Bible~Storytime~History. I still need to do science (Grandpa Joe came to visit, so I had to cut our hour of Beyond time short). Lunch. My dad took Annette, Ethan and Lance to Jack-in-the Box and brought us back burgers and tacos. 1:00-1:40~All About Spelling and Shurley English with Caleb and Brent. 1:40-2:00~Grandpa played catch with the children. Josh came home from his outing with his Auntie. 2:00-4:00~Quiet time. Mom blogs :) Also there are things that I can get the kids started on and they do on their own. HTH, Linda<>< Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen in CO Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 (edited) My dd7 can finish her seat work - phonics, handwriting and math - in 45 minutes although she often spends an hour or more. The rest of her work is either story, art or movement based and the length of time depends on my schedule and her attention span so it is between 1 and 3 hours not counting outside activities. My dd11's work generally takes about 4 hours, not counting independent reading and outside activities. Edited January 23, 2012 by Karen in CO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 For my 2 youngest seatwork takes about an 1-1.5 hours a day. Then they have crafts, and such, my preker is usually begging for more seatwork and my 8 yr old would love less but I find we can do all we need to in that 1-1.5 hours. For my 2 big kids it depends on the day. If they work hard about 4-5 hours, if they are dawdling and lazy it can take 8+ hours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloggermom Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 DS6 - He takes about 2.5 to 3 hours, but he dilly daddles a lot. DD9 - She takes about 5 hours. DS10 - He takes about 7 hours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boscopup Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 My 7 year old 2nd grader spends 2-3 hours Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday, and then 1-1.5 hours Thursday-Friday (those are our light days). I front load the week because that's when *I* have energy. ;) My DS2 is kind of K4 this year, and if he does everything (which is rare), it's probably a total of 30-45 minutes. Most days, he only does one or maybe 2 subjects, and we spent 10-15 minutes total. He's not "K" until next year, so he's still on a when-he-wants-to basis right now. We recently had one day that we did reading, handwriting, and math all in one day. I think that's the only time we've done that this entire school year. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
................... Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 9am- noon Lunch break Then probably until about 1:30 to finish up. However we are VERY relaxed about these "times." My children take a snack break somewhere in there, we often talk together or laugh and joke together, and my son has bathroom issues and I think 45 minutes of that is him going to the bathroom. My dd has focus issues so much of that is her daydreaming. I used to try to keep them on a tight schedule to finish by noon, but everyone was cranky, I was angry, my kids were uptight, and it was all around miserable. Now we work hard, and we accomplish all we need to. But there are bits of life in between and that's ok for us. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jess4879 Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 DD8 works from about 9am to noon. We aim to do any teaching-time in the morning and then she has her writing assignment to do in the afternoon while I do AAR, math and writing with DD5. We also will do art and science in the afternoon, but we only do these 2 days a week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KS_ Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 I've got a 5th and 7th grader, and for what we do together, it's usually about 1-2 hours, except on days when we have a chemistry experiment. Then, they work on their assignments, and how long it takes them, varies widely. Some days, they buckle down and get stuff done really quickly, other days, they take *forever*. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arghmatey Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 (edited) All day. No schedule. Home education is our entire life. In addition to academic subjects, it includes cleaning, cooking, running errands--so there's no set learning time. The subject that takes longest is math because my daughter requests lots and lots of activities and usually pushes to complete an entire unit at once and to do supplements, too. I forecast 30 minutes of math a few times a week; it ends up being about an hour or so each time. Not a miserable hour of pain, however, since I would put a stop to miserable learning after one or two minutes (no judgment of parents who forge through, since that requires a high level of patience and perseverance--I just can't handle misery). ETA: I have a 2YO and 5YO. I cannot imagine how long we will spend on physical science next year. Cannot. Imagine. The books we'll use look like so much fun! ETA2: Yes, I'm one of those insufferable people who claims to have homeschooled since birth--or at least I do now that I've heard of such claims! Mwuhahaha. Edited January 23, 2012 by arghmatey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edelweiss Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 Obviously, it can vary, but it typically takes us 4.5 to 5 hours a day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperDad Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 For my two youngest, around 45 mins to 1 hour. For my two middle ones, around 1.5 to 2 hours. For my two oldest dc, around 3 to 4 hours. In addition to this, all kids have an hour of group time at the very start of the school day, and a 30-minute "lunchtime lesson". And the oldest four are required to read independently for at least an hour in the afternoon. We do the bulk of out school in the morning, but sometimes we do spill over into the afternoon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 Education is a life. It's a lifestyle. We don't stop. BUT seat work is about from 9-2,3,4, whenever it gets done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
georgialee Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 DS6 (1st grade curric for the most part) - Usually around 1.5-2 hrs 4-5 days a week. I'm in my last trimester so most weeks we have a day that ends up being a bust b/c of doctors appts, etc. DS4 (pre-k/K curric) - about 30-45 min 4-5 days/week Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 With DD9 we do 4-5 hours per day Mon-Thu. 9-12 is math, language arts, & latin, and 1-~2:30 is science & history. This doesn't count free reading, art, etc. Friday she works alone ~2-3 hours, doing math, writing & a reading assignment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 DD 7 works about 3 hours a day with me, plus about 3 hours reading on her own scattered through the day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodland Mist Academy Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 (edited) 10yo/5th grade 5 hours --2 days a week 7-8 hours --3 days a week When possible, another few hours on the weekend. This doesn't include reading. That adds at least 1-2 hours a day. Edited to add: This does not include breaks, activities, etc. This is desk work. Edited January 24, 2012 by Hilltop Academy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MinivanMom Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 My 2nd grader and 1st grader spend 2 hrs per day on schoolwork. About 1 hr 20 min is seatwork (math/language arts/writing/French) and the remaining 40 min is reading aloud on the couch (literature/history/science). Those 2 hrs do not include independent reading, trips to museums, science projects, or time dh spends reading aloud to them in the evenings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MerryAtHope Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 9th grader--about 6 hours. 7th grader--about 4.5 hours. I miss the days of being done by lunch, LOL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa in the UP of MI Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 We start around 8:30am and are done around 4pm, but I have three students plus a toddler and they are not doing lessons this whole time. They play while their siblings have lessons, we have snack and lunch, and they also spend some time outside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pitterpatter Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 DD's 4.5 years old. School is 2-3 hours for us. Rarely, a tad longer when we're working on something extra fun. :001_smile: PS - Read-aloud time is separate from school, as we've been doing it for years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs.Gregg Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 For us it really depends on what we have planned. Typically 4th grader does bookwork for 2-3 hours and then might be working on a paper on her own. My k/1st grader usually 1.5-2 hours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Classically Minded Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 My dd8 is a 2nd grader and we school 4 days a week, but she does Bible reading and morning/evening reading daily. Outside of Bible/reading, total school time is about 3 hours Mon-Wed and Friday. Adding in the Bible/reading with the school time, it is a total of 4 1/2 hours. Daily Bible Reading - 30m morning; 60m evening Mon-Wed and Friday Spelling - 40m Grammar - 10m Writing - 10m Cursive - 10m Math - 40m Monday and Wednesday Science - 1 hour Tuesday and Friday History - 1 hour Weekend Art - 1 hour Home Economics - 1 hour Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Marmalade Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 For my DS in second grade, his school day is about 2 hours, we start at 9:00 and he's usually done by 11:00. For my DD in sixth grade, her school day is 3 hours, and she's usually done by noon. There are days we take longer, but for the most part, we're almost always done by lunch. There are definitely moments where I wonder if we're doing enough, but they're just efficient workers, seldom stopping even for a bathroom break. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommee & Baba Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 I have a totschooler, 1st grader, and 3rd grader. Our school day begins around 9am and runs until 1:00-1:30pmm most days. This is because I bounce back and forth between all the kids. For the days we get started at 8am we all like it much better because we are done around 11:30pm-noon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mama2cntrykids Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 For my Kindergartener about 45 min. 3rd grader: 2 hrs 5th grader: 3-4 hrs That's strictly seat work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gramlingk Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 My kids are 10 (4th/5th) and 11 (6th/7th). They usually can complete their work within 4.5 hours if they are working consistently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elizabeth in MN Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 It depends on the day. Today it's been three and a half hours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyfaithe Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 My 7 year old makes school last forever.....it is horrible. He hates schoolwork, hates me for making him do it...here it is 5:30...and we are still battling over math. Oh, boy...now dh is in there with him...bless his soul..... I school the other kids from 9-1 or 2.....Then I school this little guy. Trying to find out exactly what his issues are....I think we are looking at Aspergers....sigh......In can't mix him in even for read alouds. He distracts everyone else and makes us all miserable.:confused: Faithe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleIzumi Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 For 1st and K, we school from about 8:30 or 9 until about 12:10, but that includes play breaks, snack and sometimes lunch, and taking individual turns with each. That also includes our reading time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewingmama Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 (edited) K - we do 5-6 hours a day -not all of this is seatwork obviously Edited January 23, 2012 by sewingmama Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustybug Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 My kids are only doing k4 and Kindergarten work (although my K'er is doing some 1st grade stuff as well) and with both of them, we never take more than 3 hours for school. Tops. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TracyP Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 Our school day is usually from 7:45-11:30. This breaks down to: .5 hrs for the 4yo 1.5-2 hrs for the 6yo 2.5-3 hrs for the 8yo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 My son is in eighth grade and most days we do school from 8-4. This includes all reading and "homework." When we are finished, he is finished for the day, save for sports things or playing his piano. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brownie Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 Unfortunately I think it's so hard to gauge because it depends how many kids you have, their natural efficiency, what type of work you assign, and what else you prioritize. I juggle 3 wiggly boys. The 5th grader should work 8:30-2 including lunch, snack, piano practice. He often takes longer when our schedule allows. The 3rd grader goes about 8:30-1 including snack and piano. The 1st grader goes about 8:30-noon including snack, mostly because he's stuck doing science and history with the other two, but he often colors while listening. So by 3rd grade it works out to about an hour per grade level but we get less efficient as we add more kids! When I had just a 1st and 3rd grader, we could be done by noon easy and only schooled 4 days a week! Brownie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FairProspects Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 Our total seatwork time for the 3 Rs is probably about an hour, with another hour for either science/history and piano practice, and a half hour of ds reading outloud. Ds is in 1st grade. BUT since I am schooling 2 boys who can't sit still for more than about 10 min. at a time, need breaks in between, and melt down frequently, we start at 8:30am and on a good day finish by lunch. On a bad day, we can still have work to do at 3-4pm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Embassy Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 I guess 9-5 is pretty typical, but that includes everything. I did a step by step account through one of our crazy school days here if anyone is interested. I have a 4th grader, a 2nd grader, and a 3 year old. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ereks mom Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 I saw a few posts on the what days do you school thread saying how long some of you take for lessons each day and was surprised at the responses. So I thought I'd ask - how long does it take each day for "school" and what is the age / grade of your students? 5.5 hours per day for 12 year old 7th grader & 17 year old 11th grader plus about a half hour to an hour's worth of homework to be completed each afternoon/evening Homework includes English grammar review (Daily Grams), up to 20 math problems (Teaching Textbooks), and/or a reading/literature assignment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chepyl Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 1.5-2 hours gets us through our full schedule. 30 minutes is all we have done for a week due to my exhaustion. That gets us two or three math lessons and one or two grammar lessons. My son is 6 and in first grade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 One 9 year old, year round; M and W: 1 hour plus 3 hours gymnastics/swim lessons/ team sports T, Th, F: 1.5-2 hours Sat and Sun: 3-6 a day. Add on to this field trips, symphony, and dad's "shop class" lifestyle. We usually miss about 2 days a month. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarreymere Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 We're weird. We start after breakfast around 9 am (dd is 8 and working around a 3/4 grade level) and just keep going until Dh gets home from work around 4 or 4:30. During that time we do take breaks, do brief chores, and eat lunch. But we are occupied with something educational the whole time. I have dd age 8 and ds age 4 (I know, but he really is learning to read and is even starting MM 1 now). We do seatwork, independent work, learning games, read alouds, DSE videos, and dd reads independently. Ds plays when I am not reading aloud or working with him directly. No screens allowed, except what I pick for them on DSE or a learning game on a site like Literactive or IXL. It is more just our lifestyle than a thing to get done. We school all year, too. It's a bad habit! But in the summer we spend the afternoons outside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missmoe Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 I have two seventh-graders. We start at 8 and work until 11. After an hour for lunch, we work from noon until 3 or 4 in the afternoon. My girls also complete reading in the evenings and over the weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenniferB Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 9-10 - Together time (Catechism & History) w/ DD13, DS8, DD7 10-11 - Logic w/ DD13 2x/wk 10-11 - Science & IEW (outline/paragraph science lesson) w/ DS8 & DD7 3x/wk 12-1 - Lunch & Computer (figuring quotes for DH's business, Facebook, TWTMF) 1-2 - Grammar, Math & explain independent reading, spelling & cursive w/ DS8 2-3 - Grammar, Spelling, Math, Reading & Printing w/ DD7 until 4 - Flutter here and there to help kids with their independent work DD13 does independent work after lunch: reading, math, vocabulary, science, and outlining/paragraph writing. DS8 does reading, spelling & cursive independently. DD13 works until 4 solid. DS8 gets done sooner. I butterfly around helping DD13 and DS8 with their independent work where needed. We close the books & the kids get 1 hr. of TV or computer time at 4. Then we clean up at 5 and I make dinner. So, that would be 6 hours of work time w/ 1 hr. of break time with 3 school age kids. Next year my youngest will be ready for kindergarten. That will be interesting. I'm not sure how I will swing it. I'm already feeling like I'm maxed out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radish4ever Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 I have a pre-k kid that is doing some kindergarten work and I have a 1st grader. If we're having a really school-intensive day, it may take 4 hours total. That's with a lot of breaks and a lot of that is doing one kid at a time. On a better (and more reasonable) day, we might spend 2 hours total. We're really focusing on the 3Rs right now and I pretty much combine the rest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolphin Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 I heard a rule of thumb early on that has helped me (through 5th grade, not sure after that) About an hour per grade. 1 hour a day 1st grade 2 hours a day 2nd grade etc... That is of focused educational time, not PE, crafts etc... So my 4th grader does about 20 hours a week. Sometimes he is done in 15 hours, sometimes it takes much more. We like to do 2 heavy days, 2 middle and 1 really light (just math) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joyofsixreboot Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 Mostly 2nd grader-2.5 hrs 5th grader-3.5 hrs 7th grader-(does online) 4hrs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Classically Minded Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 I had seen this, I think, on the WTM blog and saved it. Someone had added up the estimates from the WTM book that SWB recommended per grade level. It may seem like a lot, but these times include the morning and evening reading as well. Also, this is for a 4-day school week. Kindergarten 1 hour 20 minutes First grade 3 hours 49 minutes Second grade 4 hours Third grade 4 hours 52 minutes Fourth grade 5 hours 34 minutes Fifth grade 6 hours 41 minutes Sixth grade 6 hours 51 minutes Seventh grade 6 hours 51 minutes Eighth grade 6 hours 58 minutes Ninth grade 7 hours 33 minutes Tenth grade 7 hours 33 minutes Eleventh grade 6 hours 21 minutes Twelfth grade 6 hours 21 minutes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LMD Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 (edited) For DD-2nd it averages out to around 2.5hrs a day. Weekly: 3 hours of LA 3 hours of Math 1.5 hours Foreign Language 1 hour science 1 hour history 1 hour Art .5 hour Music .5 hour Geography .5 hour poetry We school Tues-Fri with a little on Mondays. This does not include music practice, bible study/memory work (we all do it together at breakfast), literature (we do read-alouds at lunch and bedtime), PE (which we don't really do, but try to get outside/exercise time anyway). For DS1 - K it averages out to under 1 hour a day. Our school days are supposed to go 9-12 (including a short break) and then 1-2. So 4 hours all up. Edited January 24, 2012 by LMD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stm4him Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 We all stay together in our schedule b/c I've found that works better for us (no jealousy for those finished early, no kids running off to play before they're really done, no rushing doing sloppy work to get done faster, etc.). We start at 8:30 and work until 12:30. During that time we cover Math, Logic (Thinking Skills), Grammar, Writing, Spelling, Latin, and Memory Work. Then we take about an hour break for lunch and play time. We start back up at 1:30 and go until 4:30 and in that time we cover reading/literature, and one or two content subjects (Bible, History, or Science). We take a breaks usually at 10:30 and 2:30 for snacks. Then I do an hour of preschool while the older children practice instruments. My children are 10, 7 1/2, 5, 3 1/2, 2, and 8 months. I'm teaching 2nd grade, 1st grade, and preschool as my oldest is 2 years behind and my second child is one year behind.....one b/c of a being a struggling learner and the other b/c of fine motor delays and maturity issues (summer birthday and a boy). stm4him Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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