get done by lunch or late afternoon?

[OrganicMom]

Hey, i'm curious with early elementary kids do you like to get them done by lunch or have longer breaks in between subjects and finish around 3, give or take? I know in the TWTM book that I have one of the sample schedules does not include rest time and gets even a 1st grader done in the afternoon with 30 minute breaks inbtwn some subjects.

 

so when do you prefer to get done? that included all electives, reading time, everything.

 

I'm deciding whether to do 4 days or 6 days a week

and whether or not to stretch out the day or just get it done!

[thefragile7393]

I would have all done by 12 or a little after 1 if I could get up earlier in the day!:glare:

[Ellie]

Generally, I put the books away at lunch. The next day we pick up where we left off.

 

We were just never productive with Official School Stuff after lunch. :)

[nukeswife]

We're not morning people so we actually don't start school many days until after lunch. You really just have to try things out and see what works best for you all.

[melbotoast]

I do the important stuff first thing in the morning (phonics, math, writing). I also try to do FIAR and science before lunch. During the afternoon we do our fun subjects like art, spanish, c-rods. The focus level goes way down after lunch.

[Mom2OandE]

It's only been a week but I've been hoping to be done by lunch with possibly only read alouds after. So far we've had two days done before and 2 after. One of the afters was today and we slept in so we didn't start until 11. I think for me it's just going to depend on the day.

[alisoncooks]

We start at nine and we're finished with math & reading by 11.

I save our special activities and science for after lunch.

[MrsBanjoClown]

We start at 8:30 and break from 9:50-10:20 (on average). After the break, my Kindergartner only has a handwriting page to do and then he is free until after lunch, when we do our combined subjects. My 2nd grader works on Language Arts during this time. We have lunch from 11:40-12:30. We have science or history from 12:30-1:30. After that we will sometimes do Latin and/or Spanish. Then ds7 finishes any work he didn't get finished in the morning.

[Mommy_of_4]

We are done by noon with everything.

[chepyl]

We start between 9&10 and we are done with everything by noon at the latest. We have extracurriculars and I have dance xlasses to teach. I want some down time and time to play.

[Holly]

Our days go best if we finish by lunch. I don't mind a few things after...like read-alouds, handicrafts, etc...but I want the 3Rs and history/science done before. Not that it always happens. ;)

[serendipitous journey]

It is good to see what others are doing ... we're incorporating a generous dose of Charlotte Mason, which means getting the littles outside quite a while each day. And we have a PM quiet time; and a math-accelerated primary schooler (Button). So we do most stuff by 11 or 11:30, then out for a hike/picnic lunch usually, Button reads something around 2:30 while I settle the tot for nap, then his quiet time, teatime and poems, MEP math before dinner. But the MEP is largely review; his new math we hit in the AM.

[MEVmom]

I don't understand how some of you are starting at 9 and done by noon. Am I missing something? And I mean that in a totally non-snarky way. With kids at different levels, I can't get it fit in. I've got off & on school going from 9-3:30 with breaks of course for lunch & rest time. But even part of DS' rest time is used for assigned reading.

[Soror]

Aim to start at 9 and done by lunch here.

[2squared]

I prefer for all my kids to have large chunks of free time - time to run outside, time to create, time to get bored. To that end, I school my kids in condensed blocks. My 3rd grader does all his work after lunch. He has free time all morning and from 3:00 till bedtime (except for chores and meals). My Ker only does 30 min of school work, so his whole day is pretty free. My 5th grader is done around 2:00, 3:00 when she dawdles.

[KMV]

This thread is making me feel like I might be doing something wrong. :confused:

 

This is our first year and fourth week in. We start anywhere from 8:30 - 9:00, and are not done until 3:30. With that said, we have extracurriculars (piano and theater class) two days out of the week and he has a 30 minute break when I take his sister to preschool. This also includes his free reading time (anywhere from 30 min. to 60 min) and piano practice (which he loves and doesn't feel like a part of his "school time.")

 

But still. The fact that many of you are done by noon makes me think I may be doing too much. I don't mean to hijack, but any thoughts?

 

Thanks.

[SilverMoon]

If my only student was my DD born a few months before your oldest? We could be done by lunch. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

 

My same age DD is actually my fourth student. She does her grammar, writing, spelling, math and Latin in our morning block. Right after lunch is our family wide quiet reading time. After that she'll do science or history, and poetry or geography.

[sbgrace]

I tend to do the core stuff--math and language arts subjects--early in the day. Those are the musts and, in the case of math and one child, things that are best done when we are fresh. Then I do things like science, history, art, etc. in the afternoon...or even later lately. If we don't get to them it's ok. But I try because those are the things that add more interest and fun to our day. We've had some rough nights and days lately with a child who is having health issues so we're starting late and it's hard going. I am plowing away so we get the fun stuff in but lately I'm feeling like having a good cry and nap after the academics are done. We don't work straight through though. Kids alternate with me and we eat and etc.

 

I see some wonder why you have longer days than others. I think it may depend as much on the child/children as it does how much you do or what curriculum you use. I (necessarily) do a lot of individual teaching for most subjects and I've got one with major attention issues so our days are longer than I think they would be under different circumstances/with different kids. I know if I had two learners like kid A of mine my days would be much faster. If I had two of kid B I would have to severely limit what we could cover I think. Curriculum does matter too of course. I think I tend to pick curriculum that's a bit more time consuming than others. For example I think Singapore is just as good a program as RightStart but RightStart is a better fit here so I use it even though it might take more time.

 

KMV, if your child is working at first grade (?) the entire day with only a 30 minute break I would look at what I'm doing I think. That sounds like a lot of time given you're doing one on one with him. What curriculum are you using? If he's happy and you're happy I wouldn't change anything!

Edited August 24, 2012 by sbgrace

[kitten18]

We do school for a maximum of 3.5 hours/day, that includes 30 minutes of assigned reading time for DD.

We start by 7:00, so we're always done by 10:30, usually by 10:00.

[Mommy22alyns]

We do math & LA first, then have lunch, then regroup for fun stuff (geography/cultures, science, etc.).

[Seshet]

We do most of our work after lunch. My dh works 2nd shift and leaves shortly after lunch. ET1 is doing pretty much independently & plans her own breaks. ET2 does Science, History, or Geography (Science & History each 2 days a week & Geography one day) & 1 hour of quiet reading time in the morning. We plan 2 hours for Science, History, and Geography. If we spend less time, he takes a break until reading time. We take a 1 1/2hour break for lunch, which the kids either spend outside or playing on the computer (dependent on the weather). All of ET2's other subjects are done after the lunch break. We usually finish at 5 or 6pm. That includes another 2 breaks after lunch, usually 30 min each. The kids tend to get distracted by their dad being home, which is why most of ET2's subjects are after lunch. Both kids have ADHD, so breaks are necessary or we have massive meltdowns.

[KMV]

sbgrace, he's in third grade. At the 2:00 mark we do a read-aloud, (basically the best part of the day for both of us) and then after we finish off with a Latin DVD and maybe a page in his Latin workbook, or he jumps on the treadmill for some physical activity because it is still crazy hot here in AZ for him to do that outside! So - I don't know. Maybe you're right - if it seems to be working then maybe it is! :001_smile:

[Kathryn]

Right now since its summer, we are doing afternoon school, around 1-4ish. Most of the year we do morning from 9-12ish. When DS2 was a big distraction, I saved math for his afternoon nap.

[blondeviolin]

If I had less kids, we'd be done by lunch. :lol:

 

We start about 9, and I fit in math and language arts with the 6yo, reading lesson with the 4yo (he gets angry if I skip it), and PreK work with the 3yo (who is SO EXCITED to have her OWN THING). Usually in between this I've changed a few diapers, soothed a few bumps, quelled a couple of squabbles, and held a toddler in snatches. We finish up the AM stuff somewhere around 11/11:30, do lunch from noon to 1, quiet time from 1-2 (though it's stretched a little later being early pregnant), and then science OR history in the afternoon.

 

So yeah, if I didn't have all those interruptions, my first grader could be done by lunch. BUT, if I didn't have all those "interruptions," there would be nobody for the first grader to play with, and not as much fun and love at our house. :D

[sagira]

My goal when school starts is to start at 8 and finish at noon.

[abba12]

I wanted to answer some of the queries regarding people who spend three hours and people who spend 6. There's a lot of factors here to consider.

 

- What are you considering in 'school time'? If asked I'd say that I school between 9 and 12. But that doesn't include assigned fiction read before bed, it doesn't include swimming lessons in the afternoon, it doesn't include co-op once a week, and it may not include art or 'fun' science stuff.

 

- What's YOUR workload here. If you're teaching history and science combined for a few kids, or to a single child, you will finish much quicker than someone who has individual science and history for each child. Also, what's your teaching style? My mum's style was to give me a list of things to do, and a time period at the end of the school day to bring her anything I got stuck on. Some parents supervise the entire process.

 

- Your expectations for your children will factor in. Some people don't teach science and history in grade 1, others do. Some don't teach art formally, or a second language, others do. Some families consider 1-2 hours of history a week to be sufficient, others will do upwards of 5 hours a week. I wouldn't use a formal language arts curriculum once a child can read, instead choosing to incorporate it through reading and writing in other subjects, which saves a fair bit of time, but others will spend half their day on an assortment of language arts curriculum. Someone who teaches science through the magic school bus will probably spend less time than someone who does a formal textbook.

 

- How do you incorporate school into your day? A family who sets a home ec assignment as 'making dinner' will seem to do less work than one who tries to bake cookies during their usual 'school hours'. A family who watches magic school bus in the afternoon for fun will seem to do less than one that sits with science workbooks. A family who does practical art on the weekend will seem to do less than one who tries to do practical art during 'school time'.

 

A better way to compare your school day is to compare the hours spent weekly per subject. Here is an example of the average schedule my family had.

8:30 - 10:00 - Schoolwork

10:00 - 10:30 - Morning Tea

10:30 - 12:00 - Schoolwork

12:00 Lunch

Afternoon - Once a week home school group, about once a week an art project, and about once a week a hands on science experiment, the rest of the time it's free time

Evening - Home Ec and health usually resulted in cooking dinner or desert semi-regularly

8:00 - Bedtime with 1 hour for reading

Any BIG hands on projects, like those once a term all day history projects, would happen on Saturday.

 

In our family, hours per week looked a little like this

Math - 4 hours

English - 4 hours (not including reading)

Science - 2 hours (not including weekly afternoon science experiment)

History - 2 hours (not including before-bed reading)

Home Ec and Health - 1 hour (on theory, not including cooking etc)

Art - 0 hours (formally, but regular weekend art projects)

 

Note we didn't study other languages, or logic, or formal art, etc. 5*3 hours = 15 hours a week, the above outline has 13 hours a week, so allow for a little flexibility, delays, dawdling, etc.

 

But on the other hand you could very easily end up with a schedule that looks like this

Math - 5 hours

English - 5 hours

History - 5 hours

Science - 3 hours

Geography - 2 hours

Logic - 2 hours

Art - 2 hours

Latin - 3 hours

And suddenly you find yourself doing 6 hour days from 9 - 3 just to fit it all in, but you're not doing that much more in each subject, you simply have more formal subjects and formal learning

 

Which one is right? Well that depends on your educational philosophy. I, for one, avoid busywork. I don't consider myself an unschooler but I do think most things in the younger grades can be taught without hours upon hours of bookwork, and like to incorporate hands on activities and life lessons as much as possible. So for me, more than 2 hours a day spent in formal books becomes too much. But someone with a very book heavy, academically focused homeschool would consider 2 hours a day in formal books an absolute minimum!

 

Find what works for you, for your family, and for your educational ideas, and be confident in it! No two homeschools will look the same and that's perfectly ok.

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

Right now, we are probably doing 1.5-2 hours of total work, but it is spread through our whole day. Typically, I do grammar and a chapter of our read aloud during and after breakfast. Then the kids do what they like until baby goes down for a nap. At that point, we do math, including handwriting the numbers practice. More free time until lunch, then after lunch we do reading class. While I make dinner in the evening, my kiddo can choose between geography or miquon after he does one handwriting practice sheet. He does French reading in the eveinigs as part of his bedtime routing with daddy.

Next week, we will add in the content subjects (history, science, art) and they will be happening before lunch.

 

What I dislike about this is that I feel like we have school stuff out all over the place all day. What I like about this is that my kid doesn't seem to notice we are doing school. :-)

 

He is a K/1st combo.

[ALB]

We start at 8 are mostly done by lunch, but I only have 2 dc and they are young (1st grade and pre K). Sometimes I save content subjects for after lunch and rest time, so that we can devote more time to them.

[Jpoy85]

We start after lunch and are done by 3 (if life cooperates).

 

BUT with the upcoming year I will be doing 3Rs in AM and after lunch doing science/history.

[ErinE]

We formal school from 8:30 am to noon. My youngest (dd, 1st grade) almost never works past that time. When I purchased curriculum, I made sure to select those that were adaptable and not time-intensive. Subjects like grammar and writing are incorporated into content subjects. I've tried crafts, activities, lapbooking, etc. and my kids are not interested. A large part of school for my youngest is oral.

 

We also have a HS family in the neighborhood so my kids are highly motivated to finish their work.

 

Below, I made an effort to summarize our daily flow. To make school flow smoothly, I print out everything at the beginning of the year and file the papers in 3" 3-ring binders. Each child has a lightweight 1" 3-ring binder containing pocketed tab dividers labeled by subject. I also include a weekly planner sheet listing schoolwork by day. Every Sunday, I pull out each child's work and file it in the back pocket of the dividers. At the end of each day, the kids file away their completed work in the binder and I place the work for the next day in the divider's front pocket. If I see DS has nothing to do while I am conducting a lesson with DD, I encourage him to check his binder to see what he can work on next. This minimizes "waiting on Mom" time.

 

Early Morning

Religion: DD reads aloud to me, DS reads on his own.

Math: I teach DS his lesson, then send him off with a 20 or 30-minute timer to work independently. DD and I work together during that time. Once the timer goes off, we move on to other subjects. If DS isn't finished, the rest is "homework."

Grammar: Brief lesson for DS then worksheet is completed on his own. I adapt FLL for DD based on her copywork and reading

Spelling: Independent for DS, oral work for DD and a little writing.

Civics: Currently US president study. I read aloud from a book. DD helps me fill out her notebook page, DS works alongside. We recite presidents together.

Memory: For content subjects, completed together at start of time block. Individual poems are covered when there's free time.

 

Mid Morning Break

Snack time and break for kids coupled with computer work. DD and DS take turns playing math game, while the other has free time. I do chores: fold a load of clothes, clean a bathroom, neaten house, etc. If there's time, DS does a typing lesson.

 

Late Morning

Reading: independent for DS (done at night). A brief phonics lesson for DD who then reads aloud to me. She copies 1-2 sentences pulled from her readers. Using her copywork, I do grammar with DD right afterwards.

Spanish: Lesson for DS and then he completes a notebook page while I conduct lesson for DD.

History (2x per week): Read aloud SOTW, alternating passages with DS. Narration for DD (I write down) and she draws a picture. Written narration for DS. Mapwork done together.

Science (2x per week): Read aloud science spine, alternating passages with DS. Oral narration for DD and written narration for DS. They also summarize any demonstrations conducted. They both draw and label pictures (I help DD with writing).

Writing: Incorporated into other subjects as copywork, dictation, or copywork depending on age. Exempting math, this is the biggest block of individual instruction time for DS.

 

Extra-curricular

Music: Piano lesson 1x per week, practice fit in whenever there's time, but no play time until it's finished. There's a classical composer-of-the-week that's played during schooltime. I'll read a brief passage about him sometime during the schoolweek.

PE: Tae Kwon Do lesson 2x per week.

Art: I have several Usborne art books and we study an artist-of-the-week. Arts and craft time is usually on the weekend, but the kids will pull out the books during the week if it's rainy outside. I supervise, but don't micro manage.

Edited August 24, 2012 by ErinE

[boscopup]

sbgrace, he's in third grade. At the 2:00 mark we do a read-aloud, (basically the best part of the day for both of us) and then after we finish off with a Latin DVD and maybe a page in his Latin workbook, or he jumps on the treadmill for some physical activity because it is still crazy hot here in AZ for him to do that outside! So - I don't know. Maybe you're right - if it seems to be working then maybe it is! :001_smile:

 

My 3rd grader can't finish by lunch either. With a few little breaks, we end up finishing by 2, 3, or even 4 some days (the latter being too many little breaks :tongue_smilie:). Yesterday, we finished at 2, despite having speech therapy, lunch out, and some playground time. Not sure how we managed to finish, though we did do some read-aloud time in the van while waiting for DS2 to get out of speech.

 

My K'er is easily done before lunch because he only has a total of about 1 hour of work (including read-alouds). My 3rd grader, OTOH, has about 3.5 hours of work. Big difference in their work load! When we first started, I was able to get everyone done before lunch, but we weren't doing everything yet. ;) Once I added in Sonlight for DS1, it pushed us past lunch. And if he's not working very diligently on every subject the entire time, it's going to be 2pm at the earliest when we finish. I'm fine with that for 3rd grade.

 

Next year for first grade, I expect my DS2 to spend a bit more time on school, but he should still be able to finish before lunch easily. I'm still undecided whether I'll do formal history with him, but even if I do, it would just be part of his current read-aloud time. If I add anything to his workload, it would not be much, I suspect. 1.5 hours should be about right that year. I think that's what I spent with DS1 when he was in 1st grade.

 

Like a PP, I don't do crafts and projects and such as part of our day. We'll do an occasional project, but it's just not that often. My kids don't really need them, and I prefer to spend that time letting them play outside or something.

[Momof3littles]

Right now we do most of our work from 8:30 to about 11-11:30. After lunch the baby naps and sometimes I get stuck trying to get him down, etc. My kids have 1-2 hours of quiet time after lunch, and they do things like copywork for our co-op class, finish up some math (if DS1 was dawdling), and reading. DS1 usually chooses great stuff to read on his own, but sometimes I strew or suggest something to read related to our history studies.

 

In the afternoon I sometimes need to do something with DD (Kindy aged) since the toddler is often distracting while I'm trying to work with DS1 and DD, and DD gets short changed a bit.

 

We will sometimes do a read aloud outside under a tree, engage in some art, listen to an audiobook, etc. in the afternoon.

[hollyh]

Last year for K I broke it up into small chunks all day and finished around 3. This year her attn span is longer. We do about an hour around 9 with phonics, spelling, handwriting and math. Then about an hour when the littles are napping in the PM (bible, history, science, 2nd math program). Art is done after.

[Gentlemommy]

Generally, I put the books away at lunch. The next day we pick up where we left off.

 

We were just never productive with Official School Stuff after lunch. :)

 

This. By the time the toddler needs to nap (1pm ish) we are ALL done. ;) I give the kids a much needed break to watch a video, play on the iPad or computer during the toddlers nap. And I rest too. :D

[EKS]

Done by lunch.

 

We also never took breaks as I found it took too much time and energy to refocus. Instead, I would alternate a brain intensive (or disliked) activity with an easy (or liked) activity. We would also have a period of desk work first (math, grammar, writing, Latin, etc.) followed by a period of couch work (read alouds and work on the computer like K12 lessons).

[Joyoflearning]

If I had less kids, we'd be done by lunch. :lol:

 

We start about 9, and I fit in math and language arts with the 6yo, reading lesson with the 4yo (he gets angry if I skip it), and PreK work with the 3yo (who is SO EXCITED to have her OWN THING). Usually in between this I've changed a few diapers, soothed a few bumps, quelled a couple of squabbles, and held a toddler in snatches. We finish up the AM stuff somewhere around 11/11:30, do lunch from noon to 1, quiet time from 1-2 (though it's stretched a little later being early pregnant), and then science OR history in the afternoon.

 

So yeah, if I didn't have all those interruptions, my first grader could be done by lunch. BUT, if I didn't have all those "interruptions," there would be nobody for the first grader to play with, and not as much fun and love at our house. :D

 

EXACTLY This!:tongue_smilie:

[foxbridgeacademy]

That's easy, done by lunch.

[TheCoffeeChick]

There's no way my 4th grader could be done by lunch! We use too many teacher-intensive curricula to be able to. I assign an hour of reading everyday also, and that would eat up too much of our morning. We are normally done between 2 and 2:30 when we start at 8. My 1st grade dd is done by 11 most mornings.

[boscopup]

Done by lunch.

 

We also never took breaks as I found it took too much time and energy to refocus. Instead, I would alternate a brain intensive (or disliked) activity with an easy (or liked) activity. We would also have a period of desk work first (math, grammar, writing, Latin, etc.) followed by a period of couch work (read alouds and work on the computer like K12 lessons).

 

I think this really does make a difference. The people done by lunch probably aren't taking many breaks. The people that go all day are likely taking breaks here and there.

 

I'm trying to move to less breaks because yes, they lose focus SOOOOO easily. Unfortunately, it doesn't always work out that well. I have one that is completely teacher dependent (K'er) and then the 3rd grader who can do some independent work but still needs me for about half his subjects. Then there is the 3 year old who insists on "doing school". So my K'er ends up getting some breaks. I'm trying to do no breaks with the 3rd grader until lunch, and then he can be done shortly after lunch. It has helped to switch the 3rd grader to some more independent curriculum rather than using teacher intensive curriculum, but some subjects still need to be teacher intensive. We switched to an independent spelling, and that's working fabulously - spelling gets done daily, and he's learning what I wanted him to learn. Win-win. Writing still needs some input from me (though it's less teacher intensive than what we were using - this actually has an independent writing period where I'm not necessary), and that's just the way it's going to have to be, no matter what I use. Math requires a teaching period followed by independent work. I can see that as he gets older, it will be easier for me to say, "Do this work, and I'll discuss with you this afternoon," while I work with the younger kids. But for now, it's not that easy. Oh well. Such is life as a homeschooler - always changing, as your kids change! :)

 

I do think removing breaks would be easier if I could have a computer component to the day, but if one child is on the computer, the others are distracted and want to play computer too. :tongue_smilie: Plus the educational stuff my 5 year old does really requires me to be there to make sure he's actually trying and not just trying to make the computer make a silly noise (like a buzz or honk when you're wrong - they love that! :glare:).

[duckens]

We never finish before noon, and sometimes dd even works into the evening, but.......

 

--We never start before 9am, and usually that is piano practice, not math.

 

--We have a 30+min break in the morning when the baby wakes up, and I nurse her.

 

--An hour or so after baby nurses, we have late breakfast/early lunch (10:45am or so). Baby won't eat before then. Dd5 can have a snack before then if she wants it, but isn't usually a morning eater. Also at lunch time, I am washing dishes, moving the laundry along (the girls play outside while I hang laundry on the line or fold off the line), and possibly prepping supper. This break could be as much as 2 hours long.

--After working a little more, baby asks to nurse to sleep....but she is not serious. So there is another 20-30minutes blown.

 

--Then baby will finally be serious about laying down for afternoon nap, and that takes awhile.

 

--Dd5 is only 5, and is not terribly motivated to "finish this page of math facts" or "finish this copywork" independently.

 

--We have an ambitious list of schoolwork to finish.

 

--Dd can take a break at any time, and go lay down if she is tired. Sometimes she goes to sleep; sometimes she just needs a break.

 

--Any work after Daddy gets home is optional, no matter what we have or have not finished. Sometimes dd is motivated to work to a certain point because that is how she earns extra benefits (more money and more tv).

 

My life will not always look like this. Eventually the baby will wean. Eventually dd5 will be motivated to work independently on at least a few things. We do what works for us.

[LolaT]

We try to start by 8:00am and finish before lunch. This is mostly for my 3rd grader. The K'er only takes about and hour or so right now that we just started. We do five days a week, but there are some days, maybe once or twice a week that we will do something in the afternoon or weekend. This is usually a science lab or history project. I try not to take breaks, usually only one around 10:00 or 10:30 for a light snack to break up the morning, but re-focusing my DD7 is too hard if there are breaks and interruptions. Breaks with physical activity that I often see recommended for ADHD kids are NOT effective for my DD. ???

I usually have a hard time fitting in things like Art in this schedule though, but I'm going to try to work it in on Fridays this year which should be a shorter day for core subjects. When I go all day or into the afternoon a lot, I quickly get burned out.

[Dmmetler]

We get done by lunch, but we have a 2 hour quiet block in the afternoon, and DD does some of her "school" reading in that block.

 

And PE is done almost exclusively after 4:00, simply because I've found better selection and quality in the ones open to the community as opposed to those marketed towards homeschoolers. I'd rather have DD in a one-level focused girls recreational gymnastics class than one where they're trying to put together a bunch of kids age 4-12, boys and girls, who range from preschool to about level 3-4 skills, all at the same time simply because they're all homeschooled.

[Momma_Bear]

We're not morning people so we actually don't start school many days until after lunch. You really just have to try things out and see what works best for you all.

:iagree: Our school hours are from 7 to 4 but I'm teaching 5 kids with a baby also so we're taking breaks, switching everyone to different subjects/activities. Depending on how you'd like your day to go. Do you want the afternoon free? Do you want a more structured day? Do you need breaks from teaching? Do your kids need frequent breaks or often distracted? Just a few things to think about. We are also doing a 5 day school week but the 5th day (Friday: Co-op day) is totally different from our normal schedule.