Will you show me your schedule? Fitting it all in...

[LAmom]

When I read threads like "What are you doing for ___ grade?" etc., I can't believe all the different things I see listed. I'm lucky if I get Math, English and Spelling done. History gets done because it is on audio CD and they listen to it while I clean, etc.

 

So, can I see some samples of what your routine looks like, particularly if you have 2+ kids you are trying to teach. Right now my 4th grader does a lot on her own, and I spend the most time with the 2nd grader and sneak in the K child to do a 10 minute reading lesson (though he'd like to do more, I just can't find the time).

[2squared]

We stick to the basics. I don't have time to do more things well, so I stick with doing a few things well. I teach the kids individually.

 

Current Routine

45 min Ker one-on-one

2 hrs 5th grader one-on-one & 1 hr 3rd grader independent

30 min 5th grader independent

lunch

1 hr 5th grader independent & 1 hr 3rd grader one-on-one

30 min 5th grader one-on-one

after school activities

 

Total School Time

Ker: 45 min

3rd: 2 hrs

5th: 4 hrs

 

Ker: reading, math, handwriting

3rd: independent reading (history, literature, science), math, writing (WWE), dictation, piano

5th: literature, writing, dictation, math, science, history

 

My 3rd grader attends piano lessons, speech therapy, public school PE, and other counseling during our school days. He usually has one of these 3-4 days/week.

My 5th grader attends a knitting group 2 afternoons/month.

 

My school days are generally 8:30-2:45, but I have a lot of "breaks" in there tending to littles, housework, snacks, emergencies, etc. Someone has afterschool activities almost every day, so I start running them around at 3:00.

[Chelli]

One of the most popular blog posts is where I wrote up instructions on How I Plan Our Homeschool Day. Maybe it will be helpful to you!

[MrsBanjoClown]

I just finished this. It's a work in progress, and I just added in the park time, but this is pretty close to how our days go.

PLL = Primary Language Lessons

RC = Reading Comprension workbook

[LindaOz]

We have more of a routine than a schedule and my 6 schooling kids have planners that they work from so they always know what to do. We start together for breakfast at 7:30, Bible, run down of the day etc. After that everyone moves onto their morning chores and then into their schoolwork. Our school year has just started so my kids are now in 12th, 11th, 9th, 7th, 5th, and 3rd. I also have a 2yo and a nearly 1yo.

 

Morning (before 11am)

The girls all go and start their math or whatever they choose to begin with that day - usually math. Ds8 brings me his planner and his books and we have a run through his first 3 subjects together (math, LA, and either spelling or grammar). Then he goes off to work on them by himself, just comimg to me if he needs help. Dd10 brings her math practice probs to me to check before doing the rest of her lesson. Then she goes ahead with the rest herself. I settle baby to sleep and organize dd2 with an activity or read to her. I help whoever needs help and hopefully get to read with ds8 in this time too. The younger kids have a break and snack sometime around 10:30. The older ones tend to just work through taking a break only if they feel they need it.

 

11am

I meet with ds8 and dd10 for history (Sonlight) and then they either notebook or finish other work. Meanwhile, the others are continuing with their work. I look over dd10's and dd12's math and LA work. I do science with dd8 on science days.

 

About 12:30

Lunch

 

After lunch:

Read Aloud with 2yo while kids do cleanup etc. She goes to bed then I have read-aloud with ds8 and dd10 while others go for quiet reading time. The younger kids then join the quiet reading ranks leaving me with just the baby to nurse and settle for afternoon. I usually do try to read but I usually doze off :-) Sometimes I catch up some marking here if I need to.

 

This year I am planning to use the time after the quiet time to do art, music lessons, more craft etc. I'd also like to take the kids to the park more.

 

And that's about it. This works for me because most of my kids work mostly independently and they record what they have done in their planners. The subjects covered in the mornings are:

 

Math

LA - using LLATL as main program

Spelling or Grammar (alternate days)

History

Science (2 days)

Music (some in morn, some in afternoon)

Some mornings we start with a free writing time before other work

 

Afternoons:

 

Reading/literature

Music

Art

 

Hope that makes sense

[TheReader]

I just participated in a 10 day blog hop called "Day in the Life..." (of hs'ing parents); if you want to see real detail, my posts are all here: Day in the Life Posts

 

In general, my day goes like this. I have a 9th grade son doing on-line distance learning, a 6th grade son doing some on-line, some mom-led, and a 7 yr old who is working towards literacy (overcoming dyslexia, and a slew of other things). So, my day....(all times approximate)

 

10 -- the 9th grader is up and starts working on school

Noon -- I fix lunch for everyone, we eat

12:30 -- I send the 12 yr old and 7 yr old to play together while I help the 9th grader with Geometry

1:30 or 2:00 -- done with Geometry, so I send the 12 yr old to do his math & English, which he can do fairly independently; I do school with the 7 yr old

3:00 -- done with the 7 yr old's school, check on the 9th grader, get him back on track for finishing up whatever he still lacks, and help the 6th grader with whatever English/grammar help he needs

3:30 -- assign the 12 yr old his science, help him gather supplies for experiments as needed

4:30 -- 12 yr old will have to do geography, see if the 9th grader is done yet, and assign any projects that he has been stalling over

5:00 or 5:30 --- everyone is done

 

In that time, the 9th grader does:

English, Geometry, Biology, World Geography, Health and theoretically, Art. Art usually gets shoved aside, though; he has quite a backlog going right now

 

the 6th grader does:

English, Math, Science, and is just re-starting a Geography course that I had let slide for the last few months while I was busy figuring out what to do with the 7 yr old; he fills in the rest by reading in his free time

 

the 7 yr old does:

history & bible read-alouds, math (singapore), handwriting (handwriting w/o tears), assorted therapies at home (~20 to 30 mins/day), Earobics software (auditory processing help) (~20 mins/day) and we read to him at bedtime.

 

Not super full, but......

 

The 6th grader's English includes reading, grammar, and writing in one course.

 

I will say, when mine were the ages yours are now, that was perhaps the most hectic year or 18 months of our entire homeschool time. Not to discourage you, but to encourage you it does get easier to fit everything in.

[kristi26]

I just finished writing a blog post about our routine. :laugh: Like a PP, my older 2 have a written-out schedule they work from and do a lot of it on their own at this point. I still have to help all of them with math for example though.

 

http://themommywriter.blogspot.com/

[LAmom]

These are great helps! Thank you.

[MinivanMom]

Our current routine looks like this:

 

8 am - Ds7 practices piano, while everyone else is free to play.

just before 9 am - I lay the baby down for his morning nap & set ds2 up with some toys near the table while the big kids pull out all their books. I patch dd4's eye.

9 am - I start dd8 and ds7 on their math. I start with whichever one has the shortest lesson or is only reviewing. Then he/she starts working while I spend more time going over the math lesson with the other one. Dd4 colors happily while we're doing this.

9:10-ish - I spend time working with dd4 one-on-one for math and phonics, while dd8 and ds7 continue to do their math assignments.

9:30-ish - As dd8 & ds7 finish their math, I check it and get them started on writing. Dd4 puts her books away while I do this.

9:35-ish - I move to the couch to read aloud to ds2 and dd4 (I keep a bookshelf stocked downstairs for them). Dd8 and ds7 continue to work on their writing assignments.

10:00-ish - As dd8 & ds7 finish their writing, they bring it to me on the couch to check. Whoever finishes first gets to listen to their French cd first while the other one waits. They come back to me on the couch to tell them which French workbook pages to complete.

10:15-ish - Once dd8 & ds7 are done listening to their French cd's and are working quietly, I get out dd4's current speech exercises. Ds2 likes to sit next to her and listen.

10:30-ish - I check French as dd8 & ds7 finish. While they are putting their books away, I take off dd4's eyepatch and send her outside to play with ds2.

10:35-ish - I read aloud to dd8 & ds7 (literature and either history or science), while the little kids play outside. We have a fenced backyard and the couch is positioned so that I can see them clearly through the window.

11:00-11:15-ish - We finish reading and I get the baby up from his nap to nurse. Dd8 practices piano and all the other children are free to play.

 

I hope that's not too confusing. I'm trying to make it clear where everyone is at each point and who I'm working with. It works very smoothly, but I sometimes have trouble explaining exactly how I make it work smoothly. The baby sleeps for a solid two hrs in the morning until I actually go in and wake him up, so that helps a lot. On Mondays ds7 does spelling and grammar instead of writing, so I stay at the table longer to help him with that one-on-one. The big kids also have a silent reading time in the afternoons while the little ones are all napping.

[ChicoryChick]

Like some of the others, mine is more of a routine than schedule. I have 5 ranging from ages 5-14. Here is a typical day

 

8-9 am - get up, dressed, fed, kitchen cleanup

9am - start school. Oldest grabs my laptop to do math (we us TT) and spanish and work on her schedule independently. My dd12 also does a majority of her work independently. I do grammar with my boys ages 9 & 10. My 10yo goes off to do his math on the computer while I do writing, history and science with the 9yo (he usually finishes his TT math quickly and comes and listens on his brothers lessons while appearing to be busy with his own). My 9yo then goes and does his math on the computer (in the meantime my 5yo finishes his ETC lesson and plays with his cuisenaire blocks or goes upstairs and bothers his sister). While 9yo is doing math, I check to see what my 10yo has accomplished, we do writing and he takes a 15 min break (ideally) then he goes off to do the rest of his other subjects for the day. I then squeeze in a reading lesson with my 5yo or read a story or both and check on my 12yo to see how she is doing and if she needs help with anything because she is usually playing/fighting with one of the boys at this point and needs to be redirected to her work. My oldest comes down to return the laptop and gives me a report of how she did on math. I check to see that my 9yo has done his spelling and do any spelling dictation with him. He is then done for the day as is my 5yo. At some point the others take a break and if it is a really good day I change the laundry loads. At 12pm we all stop for lunch, then do our kitchen chores (if mommy is not distracted) and the two oldest resume their schoolwork. My 12 yo is usually done shortly after and my oldest is done usually between 2-3pm. At least once a week we talk about how she is doing and I check her work I then go take a much needed break someplace quiet. :)

[LMD]

Here is my kids day most days (mon & tuesday are different due to outside circumstances)

 

7am - wake

7.15-7.45 breakfast, bible reading

7.45-8 clean up after breakfast

8-8.30 kids dress, tidy rooms, wash faces/brush teeth/hair etc.

8.30, DD starts maths, DS1 waters the garden, DS2 watches sesame street.

9.00 DD finishes maths (Independent), DS1 has maths, DS2 plays inside in his highchair (snack, drawing, toy etc.)

9.30 - history

10 DD does violin practice while the boys go outside

10.30 reading time with the boys, while DD does RS russian

10.45 - BREAK!

11 DD starts Language Arts (MCT Grammar Island atm), boys are still playing from their break outside, but I'll add a new activity for them (playdough, train set etc.)

11.30 DD finishes LA (Classical Writing Primer is mostly independent for her), DS1 does LA (LLATL Red & WWE1, about 10 mins each)

12 Lunch and read aloud

1 Bike ride

2 Dad gets home, put on laundry, spend some time together, kids have a rest.

2.30 - kids have assigned reading time, put DS2 down for a nap.

2.45 - DS1 does violin practice while I hang out washing

3.00 Art or Science

3.30 Piano practice (DD) or lesson (for DD & another student I have), or lesson prep. Otherwise DD & DS1 do something for 'logic' (lego, meccano etc.)

4.00 MY piano practice time while kids have a snack and play either outside or game (board or computer, i don't care but my time is guarded by Cerberus!), DH is on toddler duty!

4.30 Tidy up, fold laundry

5.00 start dinner

 

 

Now it's 7.15 and they're still asleep...

[garddwr]

We have short schedule days and long schedule days. Short schedule is devotional, memory work, music, and math, long schedule is those things plus language arts and a morning loop and afternoon loop that we fit everything else into. Morning loop is 6 different subjects, I think afternoon loop is 8--but they're mostly things that don't take us more than 10 minutes to do. We get through each loop in a week or a little more than a week. Short schedule is for days when we have outside activities, or for times when we are sick etc.

[edeemarie]

My schedule (which is really more like a routine) for the semester has been working out pretty well and we seem to be getting things done in a decent amount of time.

 

Our day begins with breakfast and simple morning chores. The kids get ready for the day and I spend some time playing with ds2. I try to get him some toys set up that will entertain him for a while during our school time (ex. setting up a train track, bringing out blocks, getting some coloring books out, setting up a Little People town). Once he is happily playing I move on to ds4.

 

School with a 4 year old is very quick and I just go with whatever he is willing to do that day. Usually this is between 30-60 minutes. After he finishes he is happy to go play with his younger brother:) The older 2 do something independent during this time (like reading, devotions, or math depending on how complicated it is).

 

At this point the younger 2 continue playing and the older 2 get to work. We try hard to get everything done before lunch since their minds seem to wander a lot more in the afternoon, but sometimes we still have a few things left (like math and independent reading). I have even been known to delay lunch with a big snack to keep them at the table until we are done:) So during that block of time before lunch they are doing writing (including copy work, dictation, & grammar), spelling, Latin, memory work, Bible & character study, history or science (on alternating days). All of those subjects except history and science only take about 15-20 minutes each and I find the kids are doing very well with short bursts of instruction.

 

I finally feel like this year we have hit our groove. Last year seemed a bit chaotic because my youngest was a lot more needy and that made it hard to find a routine that worked. Most days it seemed like we were flying by the seat of our pants! It is hard with little ones!

[Dawn E]

We do not have a fixed routine or schedule because things shift from day to day. However, one thing that has helped here is the Accountable Kids system. I put all of dd's subjects in her list and it gives her more ownership in making sure everything gets accomplished. It is much easier when they are old enough to do some things independently. For ds I just put in one card--school--and he knows he has to do everything I have scheduled before he gets to move that card to the completed hook. A typical day here starts with breakfast, then dd works independently on history (Veritas Press self-paced online), reading, and math (after we discuss any new concepts, info). I use that time to teach ds who is in K. We cover handwriting, math, phonics, read from a reader, and read-alouds. When dd finishes those three subjects, she and I do grammar, writing, Latin, and spelling, as well as vocabulary, science, Bible on their days. She has piano on Tues. mornings (part of the reason we have no fixed schedule), girl scouts two Thursday afternoons a month, and art every Thursday.

[boscopup]

When I read threads like "What are you doing for ___ grade?" etc., I can't believe all the different things I see listed. I'm lucky if I get Math, English and Spelling done. History gets done because it is on audio CD and they listen to it while I clean, etc.

 

So, can I see some samples of what your routine looks like, particularly if you have 2+ kids you are trying to teach. Right now my 4th grader does a lot on her own, and I spend the most time with the 2nd grader and sneak in the K child to do a 10 minute reading lesson (though he'd like to do more, I just can't find the time).

 

You have a less than 1 year old baby? I wouldn't expect to do a LOT. :D

 

I have 3 kids, ages 8, 6, and 3. The 8 year old does quite a bit on his own. The 6 year old is completely dependent on me (he's K this year). The 3 year old wants to "do school", though thankfully he likes working on workbooks on his own. :)

 

So... 7am, breakfast. I read Bible and do DS1's Sonlight read-aloud during this time (I've eaten prior to them coming down).

After breakfast, I try to get in an hour of cleaning time all together.

After that, we start school. I have DS1 work independently on handwriting, spelling, and reading. During that, I start with the 3 year old. If he wants a reading lesson, we'll do some Phonics Pathways. It might be 4 words or 12 that day. Depends on his mood (he surprised me today by doing 12... every 4 words, I said, "Do you want to keep going, or are you done?"). This takes 5 minutes usually. When he's ready to stop, he goes off and does his workbooks, which are mostly ones I got from a friend, and she got some of them used - just random PreK-1st grade workbooks. Now I start on DS2, doing a 10 minute reading lesson. Once we're done with reading, we move to DS2's math and handwriting.

Once DS2 is done with 3R's, I then send him off to play with 3 year old. Now I work one-on-one with DS1. We'll often start with a couple pages of CWP at the white board, then I'll go over his English lesson and regular math lesson. Tell him what his assignments are. Usually by now it's lunch time.

11am... eat lunch

After that, I let DS2 work on math and English while I do Sonlight reading to DS2. This takes 20-30 minutes (we also throw in Life of Fred Elementary).

Next, I go back to DS2, and we work on writing, history reading, science, Latin, etc. Not everyday! Science is 2 days per week, and Latin is 2 days per week. Writing is also 2 days per week right now.

 

I'm usually done around 1 or 2pm.

 

Now sometimes you see a gazillion things in someone's sig, but they're not using 3 FULL math programs. They're picking and choosing. They probably have one or two math sessions per day. And sometimes they might have history/science/geography, but are only doing ONE of those each day. So lists of curriculum used can be deceiving. I do math and handwriting every day, but most other subjects are 2-4 days per week. So I try to put the 2-day subjects in alternating patterns, thus lessening our daily load.

 

I've also moved toward less teacher-intensive materials for my 3rd grader where it made sense. For example, instead of me spending 20 minutes a day teaching spelling with AAS (and having the transition time of getting the supplies in and out), I now hand him a workbook that teaches mostly the same rules and phonograms, but only requires me to give him a test at the end of the week (and check his work during the week). He's progressing fabulously in spelling, and he can get that subject done while I'm working with his brother, thus shortening our total school day.

 

But really, when I had a less than 3 year old in the house... yes, we were lucky to do anything more than the 3R's or history/science done via DS1 reading them himself. When we did SOTW2 last year, he mostly just read it himself and read library books I gave him. I wasn't involved that much at all. I had a 2 year old. It just wasn't happening. This year, that 2 year old is 3.5 and much easier to work with. ;)

[MerryAtHope]

I only have two children, but when they were younger, I found that it helped to work with the youngest one first--that way I didn't neglect time with her because of working with my older child. Maybe that would help you get in a longer session with your K student? Also, maybe you can rotate having one of your older ones keep the youngest busy while you work with your K student?

 

I usually started the day with Bible and history reading at this age, and these we did together. Then we went to the individual subjects that required more of my one on one help. Science was done after lunch, but not necessarily daily. Some years it was only 2-3 times a week, other years 4-5. Some years I alternated science and history rather than do both daily.

 

9-10 was usually Bible & history/science time (or I did science after lunch)

10-10:30 I worked with my 5 year old, while my 7 year-old would work on something independent. That might be something non-school related like a chore, or it might be something like playing with manipulatives. Or, sometimes I gave instruction, let him work for 10-15 minutes while I worked with my youngest, then gave another instruction and worked another 10-15 minutes with my youngest. It just depended on the subject.

10:30-11:30 I would do phonics and math with my 7 year-old, usually one on one. The youngest would play with manipulatives etc... for 30 minutes and then have 30 minutes of room time (playing dress-up, dolls, or another activity that I rotated for her).

 

Some things, like handwriting practice, I could do with them at the table, both at the same time. One year I did math together at the table too, but found that for us, that worked better independently.

 

11:30 I might break for outside play, then lunch, and sometimes science after lunch. Sometimes I read or played music during lunch. Also sometimes I read Bible during breakfast. I kept an afternoon rest time for a long time, even when they were not napping, so they would have 1-2 hours to rest, read, play quietly in their rooms in the afternoon.

 

We have always done lit. read-alouds before bedtime at night. That lightened up the school day, and they never feel like "school" anyway.

[pollo_la]

We only do the 3 R's at our house and we follow a routine, but not set schedule. I have 5 kids ages 8,6,4,2, and 1.

 

In the morning after breakfast...

8 year old...

Starts with math. She does 1/2 lesson of Saxon 5/4 and does 150 math facts for review on Sterling Math facts. She does this completely independently with no help from me. Occasionally she has a question, and I basically just "ask a few questions" back to her, and she figures it out.

She might take a small break and then she does one page of Pentime Cursive 3, and a small paragraph of copywork from a book she's reading.

She reads for 1 hour from a book I select (this covers her history, science, literature, etc).

That's it for "official school her her. Depending on her pace she either finishes just before, or just after lunch. It is all done independently.

She also reads a lot on her own. We have a very well selected home library, so most of that ends up being "educational" as well.

 

In the morning...

My 4 and 6 year old (at the same academic level)

We do reading lessons (usually consisting of a game or two) and we have also started AAR level 1. We probably work for a total of about 45 minutes or so, but in 2-3 sessions throughout the morning.

We do some kind of math activity. About 10-15 minutes maybe.

Sometimes they work out of Pentime1... 1-2 days a week.

That's it for official school for them.

 

The 1 and 2 year olds... are generally well behaved and kind of just play for the most part. Of course my 4 and 6 year old still play a lot in the mornings to, so they interact a lot together on and off as we do lessons.

 

In the afternoons after school is done...

The 2 babies go down for a nap, and the big kids usually do some kind of project. They do different art activities or play with play dough, do a science experiment, etc. We also usually do a short read a loud (anything that strikes our interest at the time). Before bed, I also read a short story to all the kids (they are all awake for this one).

 

That's the gist of our days... for the most part.

 

ETA: Chores are done on an "as needed" basis. The kids help when I ask. They also help with meals and such here and there as well.

 

Laurie

[FairProspects]

I only have 2, so you have it even harder with 3.

 

8:30ish Piano practice for ds 1

9-10am 3Rs + either grammar/spelling for ds 2 (ds 1 listens to audiobook or watches an approved documentary)

10am-12pm Work with ds 1

12-1pm Lunch & recess

1-2pm History or science

2 pm Quiet time or ds 1 finish leftover work

 

I wish we could get up and going earlier, but dh works late and that is just not likely to happen since the boys like to stay up and see him for a few minutes when he gets home.

[Alte Veste Academy]

6:30-7:00 - I get up, drink coffee, watch the news, read the boards, maybe do a little prep if it isn't all done.

 

8:00 - Kids are up or I get them up. Personal hygiene and morning chores.

 

8:30 - Breakfast and Morning Meeting

 

9:00 - Beginning of school block, all of us together doing content work. We do conversational Spanish, Life of Fred, MCTLA, FLoop (fun loop of games, supplements, etc. that would otherwise be forgotten), history, science or nature study (depending on the day), writing workshop, art, and music appreciation. I start the kids on a project of some sort (usually art but could be anything) and they finish up while I make lunch and eat mine. We do not always get to everything every day and times fluctuate, but it all evens out in the end.

 

12:00 - Lunch & Lit (They eat while I read.)

 

12:30 - One-on-one with DS9.

 

1:30 - One-on-one with DD.

 

2:30 - One-on-one with DS6.

 

I sometimes switch the order but this is what it is 75% of the time. This is when they do math, logic, grammar, and spelling. We also sometimes confer about their writing projects from our writing workshop at this time.

 

3:30 - Tea and poetry, which includes our memory work and recitation (3x/week) or Swim Team practice (2x/wk).

 

Tea time goes to 4:00 and is the end to our official school day, but the kids each generally get a two hour recess in the afternoon while I am doing one-on-one with the other two, although many times now DS9 has a bit of independent work that he does right after his one-on-one time with me.

[Mommy_of_4]

6-7am: we all get up

8: breakfast

8-10: kids play and/or watch videos

10-10:15: DS5 starts independant worksheets (handwriting, reading comp) while I do phonics with DD4

10:15-10:30: Go over spelling with DS5. He completes workbook page. I work with DD4 on math while DS5 does the workbook page. DD4 is now done with the day besides a few fun things like coloring pages or tracing.

10:30-11: DS5 does math

11-11:30: DS5 does phonics

11:30-12:30: lunch break

12:30-12:45: science

12:45-1:00: history

1-1:15: English

Done for the day!

[Χά�ων]

When I read threads like "What are you doing for ___ grade?" etc., I can't believe all the different things I see listed. I'm lucky if I get Math, English and Spelling done. History gets done because it is on audio CD and they listen to it while I clean, etc.

 

So, can I see some samples of what your routine looks like, particularly if you have 2+ kids you are trying to teach. Right now my 4th grader does a lot on her own, and I spend the most time with the 2nd grader and sneak in the K child to do a 10 minute reading lesson (though he'd like to do more, I just can't find the time).

 

If I share you may be traumatized for life with no hope of recovery. Do you still want to know?

[mamamindy]

I appreciate this post! I can't really help you - I am also trying to figure out how to fit it all in!! I'm trying to get more realistic about my expectations. Seeing what others manage to get done with littles helps. :)

[Holly]

We have 4 DC...4/5th, 2nd, and K (plus a 3yo). We also don't have a set routine. We work in 20-40 minute increments, then take a break for chores, snacks, or just to play. We usually do two "blocks" of school in the morning and 2-3 in the afternoon. They seem to work best with lots of breaks (as do I).

 

Morning subjects: Scripture memory, devotion, Bible/history/geography (it's one program), literature, Latin, one fine arts extra (music, poetry, artist study, character development, nature study)

Afternoon subjects: science, 3Rs (I stagger the kids so I'm working with one while the other two are working independently), art projects, possibly extra literature chapter or games

 

If we are having a busy day, I only do the essentials. Usually I skip any fine arts, games, or science (I aim for 3-4 science lessons a week). For 3Rs, I have it set so they each have four "tasks" to complete each day. For example, my oldest might have math, copywork, reading, and typing for the day. Math and reading aloud/phonics are done daily, and the rest are done 1-3 times a week (dictation, copywork, typing, independent reading, grammar).

[LAmom]

Thanks for all the responses. Anyone know why I don't get notified via email when someone responds?

[LindaOz]

Thanks for all the responses. Anyone know why I don't get notified via email when someone responds?

 

 

Have you clicked on 'Follow This Topic' at the top right of your first post? That should result in you receiving emails.

[TracyP]

First off, I agree that it is super hard when you have a baby. My baby just turned 2 and life is already getting easier.

 

I have also decided that I would rather get some history/science/art/projects in than none. I was trying so hard to do "the best" but it wasn't getting done well. It turned into my 9 yo dd being independent in these subjects and not really getting as much out of them as she could and my other kids basically doing nothing beyond the 3r's. (...thus the change from TOG)

 

Our days look something like this:

 

6:30 breakfast

chores

dressed

piano practice

 

8:00 circle time (memory work, poetry/rhymes, Bible, songs)

read aloud

math w/ 7yo (9yo does this just for fun)

history reading

project or notebook page or art

science

 

9:30 1-1 with little kids (phonics, math, read aloud)

9yo has independent work to work on during this time

 

10:15 1-1 with 7yo

 

11:00 lunch

 

12:00 quiet time for little kids

1-1 time with 9yo

 

We are always done by 1:00, but it is even earlier some days. On Tuesdays our 2:00 snack time becomes "tea time". We have piano lessons and a library trip on Wed. afternoons. We only do math and piano practice on Fridays so we can deep clean the house. Good luck in figuring this out. I know how tough it is. :)

[Mommy22alyns]

The girls wake up at 8 and eat breakfast and watch a little TV. They wake me up at 8:30 and Rebecca and I have coffee. The girls stretch and we start school by 9.

 

9:00 - math first, then reading. Depending on how long it takes each girl to do each thing, I dole out the rest of the morning work in no particular order. Usually Sylvia finishes first, so I do her writing, grammar, and spelling while Rebecca is finishing math and reading (her two longest morning subjects). Then Sylvia gets her independent work and Rebecca does writing, spelling, and then independent work. Sylvia has finished, meanwhile, so she goes to do book basket while I do grammar with Rebecca.

 

This takes varying amounts of time, but when Rebecca is done with grammar, we have lunch. Depending on what time it is, they may have a quick lunch or a longer break with playtime.

 

After lunch, it's read-aloud, Bible, science, and geography, all together subjects. On Wednesdays we do a craft. After this, Sylvia does xtramath and plays while Rebecca does Latin (I like for her to start Latin by 2). By 3, Rebecca has finished Latin and done xtramath too. Then the girls get ready for gymnastics/dance/choir 4 days a week.

 

Fridays are different. Rebecca takes a Latin test and the girls do geography vocabulary sheets. We have Bible and a read aloud. Then Rebecca does Latin history, Challenging Word Problems and HOE with me. Then we do an art project.

[Lily_Grace]

I'm only schooling one, with a toddler on the side, but I wrote this up a few weeks ago and thought you might appreciate seeing that you're not the only one juggling. :) If there are weird breaks it is because I had pictures included in the doc on my computer.

 

 

Curriculum used:

Learning Adventures All In One, Vol. III

Art of Problem Solving’s Introduction To Algebra

Writing With Skill

Ellen McHenry’s The Elements and Mr. Q’s Advanced Chemistry

Supplements:

Jackdaws

Library books

 

 

5:30 AM – Wake up, start the coffee, throw in a load of laundry, do yoga with The Husband. Enjoy a little bit of quiet and help him get ready for work/do household chores before waking the kids.

 

7:00 AM – Throw a banana at the one,

 

wait for the grumpy teen to eat breakfast and do his chores. Hop on SkedTrack to see what needs to be accomplished today. A bit alarmed at all the extra classes until I realize it’s usually a co-op day. Check email briefly.

 

Compare online schedule to the books to get a better idea of what we’re doing and see if I need to make any copies or printouts. And I do. On the upside, we decided to skip social studies this time since we already eat enough Mexican/Tex-Mex without making it special for this.

 

 

8:00 AM – begin work. 13yo reads a chapter of Old Yeller and we discuss the story thus far before he settles into the corresponding grammar work. 2yo entertains himself by drawing his and my hands on the whiteboard.

 

 

8:45 AM – second breakfast. Mom grabbing a yogurt and handful of nuts is cue to stop working, wrinkle nose at mom’s dish, and grab a container of the plain with honey instead. Complain about the spelling activity and how it’s making him be creative.

 

2yo plays Mancala.

 

9:00 AM – check grammar and spelling work. Send 13yo back to actually finish the “so- EASY†grammar.

9:20 AM – Grammar ready to be checked. Finally. Checked quickly then sent the kid to grab the Jackdaw for history, along with Josefina’s World. Take a look at what Mexican territory may have looked like before and during the war while 2yo climbs on my back. Go over the 5 essay choices and assign 13yo to pick one, write a thesis statement, and outline his paper.

 

9:50 AM – 13yo gets to work, I take 2yo up for a shower and to fold the laundry left in the dryer the night before. Tidy up the 2yo’s bedroom and upstairs bathrooms before checking on the 13yo’s work, who announces he’s ready for lunch. During this time he has done quite a lot of reading on the couch, which is not conducive to notetaking and outlining

 

11:00 AM – send 13yo back to actually use the writing skills we just discussed, that he has been taught, and is currently working on in writing class. Make lunch for the 2yo.

 

 

11:15 AM – look at that! An outline! Reassure 2yo that his brother breathing and touching the table is NOT a national emergency. Time for lunch.

 

12:00 PM – take a few minutes to work on our co-op’s schedule (I'm the director) and respond to emails, plus start a draft of a longer one I need to send. Switch the laundry and call the 13yo back to work. Science. He’s had a similar lesson, so after completing the activity he needs to reread the other chapter. Quiz tomorrow.

 

 

12:30 – 2yo watches people do wii bowling on Youtube, 13yo makes chocolate chip cookies, I sweep up from lunch and get ready for an afternoon meeting at 1.

 

 

12:45 PM – 2yo announces he pooped his pants. Drop everything to get him cleaned up while 13yo continues making cookies. Make coffee and really hope house doesn’t smell like 2yo.

 

12:55 PM – Warn half-naked 2yo that if he doesn’t get out from under the little table and put pants on the next stop will be nap.

 

1:00 PM – I have meeting, 13yo finishes the cookies and does a section of math + his writing. 2yo pretends to be cute and adorable for company until big brother invites him down to play Wii.

 

2:40 PM – Meeting over.

 

Time to pour another cup of coffee, check math (all good!) and writing (yay!). Relax for a few minutes and check email. Look at post-it note kept during the day and type this up. Update Skedtrack with the work finished and get everyone to clean up the books and toys from the day.