Schedules - Schooling 4+

[Momma_Bear]

I'm really having a hard time finding a good schedule for us. I am not a morning person and would like not to start teaching until 9 but I don't think it's going to happen anymore. We've been trying different routines starting different subjects, etc but it doesn't seem to flow well and end feeling like I'm running around my house all day trying to teach everyone. :willy_nilly: :glare:

 

I also have a 4 year who I'm trying to devote at least an hour of school activities and a 1 year old that I have to keep busy. Anyone schooling 4 kids that can share their schedule? :001_smile:

[LindaOz]

I'm schooling 6 and have two littles as well (a 2yo and a 7mo). This is how we run our days:

 

We have a rule that everyone has to be up, dressed, beds made, hair done, had breakfast, and morning chores done by 8:30am. At that time we all meet together in the lounge room for morning Bible, singing, memory etc. Most of my kids are early risers and I only have one that struggles with the early start. Mind you, she struggles getting ANYTHING done on time so it's something I'm working on ;).

 

9:00-12:00 School work time. The kids work from a planning sheet so they know what to do next and can go ahead with their next thing as they finish something. I work with ds8 although he is learning to do some things independently. Dd10 works at the same table where I am as she is my drifter and needs to be kept on task. She is improving. All the others work mostly indpendently and come to me if they need help. Dd2 is playing in the adjoining room. Sometimes I can take some time to read to her while others are working.

 

At around 11:00am on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, I read Story of the World with dd10 and ds8 together, then they go and do a notebook page or activity. On Tuesday and Thursday dd12 joins the other two for Astronomy and they do some lapbook work.

 

12:00 - 1:30 is break time. We have lunch and do some chores. The kids play in the park we live next to, and we just generally have a break.

 

1:30 - 2:30 Read-aloud time. We are all together here for this time. Some of the kids do crafty things while I read.

 

2:30 - 3:30 Quiet time. Everyone goes off on their own and reads. If they've already had their required reading time for the day then they can do something else quietly.

 

So that's about it for our scheduled time. If anyone hasn't finished their work in that time they finish in the afternoon. Also, I do Mystery of History with dd14 and dd12 which I slot in 3x a week when I can. Some days I may manage to fit it in the morning, but other times it's the afternoon. The key to my day running smoothly is having individual planning sheets for the kids so they know exactly what they are doing, and also having quite a lot of things that they can do independently. I also find that having a strict starting time helps the day flow more smoothly. I've tried a lot of different ways of doing things over the years, but having this immovable starting time and a block of three hours in the morning is helping us be so much more efficient and to achieve more.

 

HTH

Edited August 27, 2012 by LindaOz

[Holly]

I only have 3 (my 4th is about to turn 3), but my schedule is based on this schedule:

http://simplycharlottemason.com/planning/daily/seggenpredaily/

 

I love how it schedules a big kid to work with the preschoolers...I'm hoping that will get us through the guided work! They will have a list of "approved activities" to do with the 3yo...that way they won't plop her down in front of the TV! I prefer starting at 9 as well, but I just don't see that happening around here...we have gymnastics, piano, hs co-op, youth group, swimming. Something has to give and I think it will be my precious morning time. :tongue_smilie: We're going to try for 8:00 start time. I lose a lot of steam after lunch, so we'll be getting the bulk of our school done in the mornings and finishing up with projects and extra-curricular subjects after lunch.

 

I'm also going to try making lunch the night before. This should give us an extra 30 minutes each morning. I have generic Easy Lunch boxes and Mason jars (for drinks) ready to go! :D I'm also cutting out any busywork I possibly can. We'll be focusing on narrations, notebooking, copywork, and dictation.

Edited August 27, 2012 by Holly

[Momma_Bear]

I'm also going to try making lunch the night before. This should give us an extra 30 minutes each morning. I have generic Easy Lunch boxes and Mason jars (for drinks) ready to go! :D I'm also cutting out any busywork I possibly can. We'll be focusing on narrations, notebooking, copywork, and dictation.

 

This is a great idea!! Thanks, we're going to try it.

 

Thanks for your schedules.. I'm working on ours still.

[KAM]

I have dd11, ds9, ds7, and dd4. These times are rough, we usually don't hit them as well as I'd like, but it's something we shoot for. I by no means have this down to a science and I am very frazzled much of the time!

 

8:30-9:30 is math. DD 11 can pretty much do her lesson independently. I do have to remind/nag/prod. I start with one of my boys and once they reach the independent part of their lesson I grab next ds and work with him. If someone is waiting to start math with me or finishes early, they have a list of independent work to do.

 

9:30-10:30 we work on content subjects-lit, history, science, etc. DD11 & DS 9 are doing SL Core D and DS7 is in SL Core B. I split my time between the two cores. The kids do their independent SL reading if I am not teaching their Core.

 

10:30-11 we have a break.

 

11-12 we work on language arts. I work with my two olders together while ds7 does more of his independent work. Then we switch.

 

12-1 we break. I usually read-aloud something during lunch.

 

1-2 we do more content stuff, plus either Spanish or Latin.

 

This is our schedule 3 days a week and then we have 2 shorter days due to outside activities. On those days we go with no break and stop for the day at lunchtime. Friday is one of the shorter days and that's our art day. We listen to classical music while doing art-so two things get done at once. We are going to more of a year-round schedule, so I'm trying to keep the daily hours relatively short.

[Kendall]

I don’t know if this will help at all, but it’s a little different than what I have seen others say so far so I’ll throw it out there. My 9th grader has his own schedule and his need for me varies but isn't high. So I fit him in as needed and often in the evening or before the others start in the morning. Sometimes I meet with him in the afternoon.

 

I try to schedule the child that is the oldest that needs the most direction. Last year that was a senior. This year it is my 7th grader and I then fit the others in. To do this, I have a checklist for myself that remains on a clipboard(so I don’t lose it as easily). It has each younger child (5 of them-7th grade and down) and a list of things I need to do with them or send them to do.

 

If the 7th grader needs a few minutes to work a math problem or read an English lesson or take a short break I grab the list and see what needs to be done and pick based on the time I think I'll have. If it is a few minutes then I might grab the 4 year old and go over her letters and then have her sit near me to direct her in her phonics book while I work with the 7th grader again. Then if I have a longer time I might grab the 5th/3rd grader and do Rod and Staff Grammar(same book which helps). Then back to the 7th grader.

 

Once I get the 7th grader going on math on her own near me I will teach math to the 5th, 3rd, or 1st grader. Then when that child is ready to do her math on her own I teach the next one. When I have another 15-20 minute slot (7th grader needs a 5 min break and then will read the English on her own, or review Latin vocab) then I do phonics with the 1st grader. At some point when I see the 7th grader is going to need me steady for awhile I send the 3rd/5th off to do Latina Christiana together(this works so-so there is much silliness that goes on-we are working on that!) This may sound chaotic but the checklist really helps and I think a routine of when I do what with whom may fall into place.

 

By the end of a good morning(and they aren’t all “good”!):

 

I have read a picture book to the youngest ones.

 

7th/5th/3rd have read aloud to me (which covers vocab, reading strategies, pronunciation, comprehension, and often geography or other background knowledge filling)

 

7th/5th/3rd/1st have done MEP math with me, 7th/5th/3rd might have some to finish in the afternoon

 

3rd/5th/7th have done Rod and Staff grammar,also Latin

 

4 year old has reviewed letter sounds and maybe learned a new one, sometimes a brief math concept as well (not all of my 4 year olds have insisted on phonics)

 

1st grader has read from Alphaphonics and a reader and reviewed letter/blend sounds

 

1st/3rd have done copywork and dictation

 

3rd/5th/7th have done spelling (Spelling Power) I usually do 2 kids at once

 

5th/7th have done dictation (usually at the same time)

 

At the end of a REALLY good morning we also have:

 

As a group done geography/poem/Bible memory/picture study

 

3rd/5th have done some writing

 

We’ve only been at this a week this year and the afternoon schedule is not well established yet. I do try to do logic with 7th to start the afternoon. Then 7th is a little more independent in the afternoon and reads history, science, and does writing(WWS1 and often needs help) I try to do science with 7th and youngers 2 to 3 times a week. Writing is often in the afternoon. I’d like to fit a group history time in there as well. At 4 o’clock I read aloud to all children. I often nap at 3, I don’t have any children taking naps this year so I moved my nap to later and we get so much more done than when I used to nap at 1ish.

 

Some people may disagree with this, but to manage with schooling many children I have had to make math/language arts/latin the core of our day. Science/history for the elementary years has been lots of on their own reading and videos and occasional read alouds from me. I can only do what I can do. If I plan around history or science in the morning then we don’t get the core work done consistently. This year with one less student I hope to do more regular science and history, but not at the expense of the core. We’ll see how it goes. Oh, my husband reads aloud to various groups in the evening. Lately it has been the youngest 3.

 

HTH,

Kendall

 

P.S. Editing to say that I get more done in a morning now that my youngest is 4 and I am down to 5 in school(plus the 4 year old). I start at 8:30 but many years only my highschoolers started before 9. Also I have had children as young 9 completely in charge of lunch(well, completely was the goal which we eventually got to-it didn't start out that way.)

Edited August 27, 2012 by Kendall

[Narrow Gate Academy]

I have 3 that are schooling and a 4 year old. This is our schedule for the year. The basic idea is to finish the core work before lunch and do the extras after. We start earlier than I would like, but it gives my oldest more free time on the days she stays on task. HTH

Edited August 27, 2012 by Narrow Gate Academy
fix a sentence