If you institute a "rest time"...

[Guest]

If you do a rest time or quiet time with your kids in the afternoon and you have school left in the afternoon, do you do rest time before or after you finish school? Trying to figure out how it works best. I'm normally pretty tired after lunch and just want some peace and quiet. But, if we push off school until the late afternoon (after rest time) it tends to not get done....

 

ETA: What we normally have left is history or science - crafty-type stuff. Tends to take a little more of my energy than reading. :)

[ladydusk]

Our Quiet Time is 2-4 (or so) We can usually manage to finish everything before that time. I try to do "light" work after lunch (12:30-1:00): Mondays - Library Trip; Tuesdays - Composer and Artist Study; Wednesdays - Piano Lessons; Thursdays - Art with friends; Friday - I scheduled some logistics time for cleaning up the school room.

[MinivanMom]

We generally finish everything before our "quiet time". I have our schoolday structured so that everything that I consider very important (math, language arts, writing, French) happens first, so that if we don't get through everything then it's stuff that can be pushed off without guilt (history, science, art). If we have something left then we push it off until the afternoon. If we have activities in the afternoon then we push it off until the following day. I need my daily "quiet time" to help me be a happy, calm, patient mommy.

[mom2boys030507]

I do a combination of both. The work that typically needs to be done in the afternoon is reading or independent. If it is reading, I do my best to do it right after lunch. Anything independent can be done during quiet time, after literature is complete - independent reading, other wise we do it at the end of our quiet time at 3. My youngest is done before lunch so it is only the older two that have anything after lunch.

 

I, too, need my daily quiet time to regroup and be a happy mom.

[jenL]

Like Minivan Mom, I schedule the core subjects for the morning, and then if it's time for quiet time, I don't feel guilty if I'm pushing certain subjects back. Sometimes, ds1 will do assigned history or science reading in his room as well as his independent reading (or in lieu of), so the subjects still get done on those days.

 

I have to have quiet time daily in order to regroup and stay level, and so does my oldest son. He is a tried & true introvert, so he needs it to recharge and make it through the day with his extroverted brother.

[Tawlas]

I only have a K student so it's pretty easy to get everything done before quiet time. However, I too am always really low on energy after liunch, though. I live north and it's cold and getting dark after 3 pm. To give me a mini quiet time I send the boys out to play between 1230 and 130- or however long they last lol - while its still bright and warmer out.

 

I have a coffee and a cookie, then get some cleaning done. Then the boys come back and we do some lighter one on one stuff, have a snack, then head off to quiet time around 3 or 330 for an hour. I Kind of consider the day done at that point. boys watch a bit of tv while i cook supper. i really like having quiet time last!

 

Don't know if that would work for you, thought I'd throw it out there.

[jillian]

We finish everything before quiet time mostly because I"m having to get to work after that when my husband comes home.

[rieshy]

Rest time for us has always been tied to lunch and is 1 1/2 hours long. My teens use rest time for reading assignments and one daughter uses it for piano practice. I use it to go for a walk, or run a quick errand, or pray... as needed. We used to finish everything before lunch but with high school we don't find that possible or even desirable. Now right after rest time while the Littles are snacking I do the one group class with my older children that I still do and then the older kids go off to work on their own- I might check things or offer help if requested but I'm pretty much off the clock at that point in the day.

[3peasinapod]

We have a rest time of 1 hour after the subjects. If they don't finish math in an hour during the morning lessons, that will be "homework," which we finish up after rest time. Usually we wait until the evening for homework, though.

[blondeviolin]

My kids are really little, but because there are plenty of them and only one of me, I don't aim to have all of the subjects done in the AM. We aim for language and math to be completed during the morning and science or history (depending on the day) after quiet time.

[Guest]

Rest time for us has always been tied to lunch and is 1 1/2 hours long. My teens use rest time for reading assignments and one daughter uses it for piano practice. I use it to go for a walk, or run a quick errand, or pray... as needed. We used to finish everything before lunch but with high school we don't find that possible or even desirable. Now right after rest time while the Littles are snacking I do the one group class with my older children that I still do and then the older kids go off to work on their own- I might check things or offer help if requested but I'm pretty much off the clock at that point in the day.

 

I think we may try this. I feel like we have a huge break at lunch, then do the small amount of school and then have a rest time. I think tying the two together might work well for us and free up more hours in the afternoon.

[Critterfixer]

Quiet time for us is right after lunch. The boys do free reading for 30 minutes while I clean up after lunch and take my shower (I exercise right before lunch). After the break I have tea with our poetry recitation which sort of gives me a chance to revive. Then we go on to history or science and finish out with art and music.

[PachiSusan]

Um, what's quiet time? I've never heard of such a thing in this house. LOL

 

Seriously though, should we be doing quiet time? She and I get a break time, but rarely is it quiet from her end.

[Critterfixer]

"Dull roar" time!

Actually, I call it quiet because in general, I can actually get through loading the dishwasher and a shower without having to mediate a quarrel or attend to a minor laceration for thirty minutes. Mom is not to be disturbed UNLESS 1) blood is spurting, 2)someone is unconscious or 3) the house is on fire.

[ladydusk]

Um, what's quiet time? I've never heard of such a thing in this house. LOL

 

Seriously though, should we be doing quiet time? She and I get a break time, but rarely is it quiet from her end.

 

At my house, the children have to go into separate rooms and places. They can do quiet activities, listen to books on CD, read, crafts, etc. They all need time alone to decompress after school, think on their own, not have me telling them what to do. I need some time when I'm not telling them what to do. Sometimes, they need a nap. I almost always need a nap LOL. They aren't really allowed to bug me, nor are they allowed to be together. They need no-face time.

 

SWB has a

at her house. We did pretty much what she says: we just never told them they could give up naps.

[PachiSusan]

 

At my house, the children have to go into separate rooms and places. They can do quiet activities, listen to books on CD, read, crafts, etc. They all need time alone to decompress after school, think on their own, not have me telling them what to do. I need some time when I'm not telling them what to do. Sometimes, they need a nap. I almost always need a nap LOL. They aren't really allowed to bug me, nor are they allowed to be together. They need no-face time.

 

SWB has a

at her house. We did pretty much what she says: we just never told them they could give up naps.

 

My daughter gave up napping at about 2.5 years old and never looked back. I don't know what quiet time is, but I think I need to work on getting it for ME. LOL

[CourtneyBrooke]

My 3 yr old still naps, right after lunch, so that's when all of us have our Rest Time (except my 12 yr old who continues her school day). My boys (age 7) go to separate rooms, where they memorize their Awana, read a chapter in their Bibles, and then read their chapter books. This takes about an hour, during which time I'm putting the 3 yr old to sleep and then catching up on email and Facebook. After that, they come downstairs and we do some school together, without their little sister running around.

[kdownie]

Our quiet time is a nap for the 2 year old for sure, maybe a nap for the 2 month old (he sleeps at a variety of times), and just resting for the 3 and 7 year olds. This is after lunch and after the main subjects (math, reading, writing, co-op homework, spelling etc). Perhaps because of the new baby, I do not like doing any school after nap time, unless it is a fun one, like art or science. Usually I'm pretty tired by then. The 3 and 7 year old, ideally, will play quiet games or look at books (3 yr old) or read books (7 yr old). It often ends up getting a little loud, but my aim is quiet, just for my own peace of mind.

[serendipitous journey]

 

My daughter gave up napping at about 2.5 years old and never looked back. I don't know what quiet time is, but I think I need to work on getting it for ME. LOL

 

 

Since she's nine, you could probably get it going easily? or start with 15 minutes and gradually up it to an hour or so. I am thinking that it may be harder to instill the habit older, but on the other hand there are lots of arty/craft/construction/reading things you could give to her as a Quite Time Special (SWB suggests special quiet time boxes. I haven't done it yet myself though)

[Clarkd]

Quiet time is directly after lunch. 12-2. We get most academics done in AM. After rest time we have snack, read aloud, any catch up work from AM and then either time outside or semi-structured play time (play dough, art, lego, etc.) while I make dinner.

[TracyP]

Quiet time is right after lunch around here. That means it is usually from 12-2 or so. I try to have school done before lunch, but I only succeed about once a week. I save my 1-1 time with my oldest for last so we often spend the first 45-60 min of quiet time working on finishing her school. This is nice for a couple reasons. First, it is easier on both of us if we can do her work without interruption. Secondly, I will never skip this time. That makes me more accountable. When I saved history/science/art for last, it was easy to skip it. I decided I didn't want to do that anymore.