Please help me with a schedule. Sharing needed!

[k3bzr18]

Hello ladies,

 

I am mom to 3 DD's, ages 8.5, 6.5 and 5.  We have been homeschooling for 3 years, but just started this curriculum group this year and are very happy with it;  SOTW, FLL1, WWE1, Saxon Math 3 (1), abeka handwriting, Spelling Workout and OPGTR.  My middle does not read and fights me about it.  She is very strong-willed and very smart so I know she knows more than she is letting on.  

I am really having a hard time getting it together throughout the day.  My oldest is not very independent and also lacks focus so it takes us a quite some time to get things done.  I need a schedule, combining what I can but I am just struggling to get it done and was wondering if anyone could share how they schedule....how far out...etc

 

Thank you...

:confused:

Lynn

 

[wintermom]

It looks like you've got a lot of writing/language curriculum, though I don't know what OPGTR is. Are you trying to do more than 1 or 2 writing/language tasks/activities a day? I usually limited writing to one thing a day, which could be a handwriting, spelling, or language arts task.

 

At young ages, like your dc, they can become tired of writing/seat work really quickly and need other types of learning throughout the day. Read-alouds and reading to mommy, physical activity, science experiments, arts & crafts all help to break up the day.

 

 

[FloridaLisa]

One of the things that has always helped me at those ages is to have independent seat work for each child. I specifically choose things that will allow the child to work by themselves at the table for a certain time each day while I'm working one-on-one with another child. From your list, the Abeka handwriting, spelling workout and the Saxon 3 *homework* pages would make good seatwork. (We've also added in things like Explode the Code, math fact practice sheets, logic, hands-on math activities and puzzles). 

 

Do you start with a morning time together? I found that helped us get on the same track and start our day. Our morning time is Bible and memory work. But I also use that time for any general announcements. 

 

After our morning time, I always started one-on-one time with my youngest. Then, send that one off to do independent work and then s/he was free to play until later reading aloud, science/history together or reading time. Then do one-on-one time with your next youngest and get her started with independent work. And then your oldest. You could possibly change and teach your oldest second so that she could go on to do her math, especially if you still need to work with your middle child through her math. 

 

Anyway, the key is to interchange the independent activities your children are doing (a book basket, masterly activities, puzzles/games/manipulatives, seat work) with your one-on-one time. 

 

I would keep SOTW as a read aloud time to bring all 3 back together, once all of the 3Rs are done -- math, writing, reading practice. And then lunch and after lunch -- my favorite time ever -- 1 hour reading time/quiet time. 

 

Lisa

 

The amount of seat work ranges from 20 minutes to 1 hour -- 20 minutes would be for a young child (pre-K, young K) and 1 hour would be a solid 3rd or 4th grader. 

[Miss Tick]

Once they know how to form their letters I would drop handwriting as a separate thing and use copywork from the other subjects (like WWE).

 

I assume you do SOTW, WWE, and FLL together, modifying on the fly to address all three students? FLL is meant to be done 2 or 3 days a week, I would alternate it with spelling workout.

Saxon is pretty teacher intensive, it didn't work out for us, can you teach one while the other starts on worksheets, then switch? If it becomes too much, you might check out Math Mammoth. The teaching parts are in smaller chunks and I have an easier time rotating between students with that.

 

Maybe do OPGTR first, if possible, so that if your youngest wanders off you can let her go. Then have middle do reading with you last thing until she is "done" so there is some built in incentive to finish and play.

 

In our house, or best days start with math (during which my youngest does math, reading and writing), then WWE, FLL, one or two other things, break before lunch. After lunch we do content subjects like SOTW or science plus one thing. A few days we take another, longer break then reconvene for some last topic.

 

Best of luck!

[k3bzr18]

Thank you ladies, I appreciate all your input! I should have clarified. I do FLL1 with DD8 and DD6 but usually only have DD8 write with WWE1. Little DD does some fun handwriting/ counting etc. ☺ï¸