Time per subject as per TWTM?

[Michelle T]

Do you all actually do as much time per subject as TWTM spells out? I am always just blown away by how much time is recommended per subject. And yes, I know that supposedly these are just guidelines, but still...... 45-60 minutes per day of grammar for elementary school age kids? What do you actually DO in grammar that would take that long on a daily basis? That's separate from writing, so I truly can't figure that one out. Or an hour every day on math for these kids.... how many math problems are they doing?

 

Nor can I manage to get anything close to three hours of history per week.

 

TWTM always makes me feel like the biggest loser of a homeschooler ever. So I'm asking - what do you DO for those entire hours per subject? Are you reading for so long? Or are your kids? How many math problems are they actually doing? Are they doing a science experiment complete with write-up every science day?

 

Am I the only one here who cannot even imagine HOW to fill such lengthy blocks of time per subject? Or should I just quietly slink away to a less rigorous board?

Michelle T, who was reading her TWTM again last night

[Colleen in NS]

Do you all actually do as much time per subject as TWTM spells out? I am always just blown away by how much time is recommended per subject. And yes, I know that supposedly these are just guidelines, but still...... 45-60 minutes per day of grammar for elementary school age kids? What do you actually DO in grammar that would take that long on a daily basis? That's separate from writing, so I truly can't figure that one out. Or an hour every day on math for these kids.... how many math problems are they doing?

 

Nor can I manage to get anything close to three hours of history per week.

 

TWTM always makes me feel like the biggest loser of a homeschooler ever. So I'm asking - what do you DO for those entire hours per subject? Are you reading for so long? Or are your kids? How many math problems are they actually doing? Are they doing a science experiment complete with write-up every science day?

 

Am I the only one here who cannot even imagine HOW to fill such lengthy blocks of time per subject? Or should I just quietly slink away to a less rigorous board?

Michelle T, who was reading her TWTM again last night

 

I read somewhere that those times were put in to help new people get started with practical "how tos". The book publisher asked the authors to be specific with times, for people who were not experienced in homeschooling. When I first started, I did stick with a lot of the times (like lit., history, science) and it was helpful to have a structure to begin with.

 

I'd imagine the grammar time would be if you had your child write out all the grammar exercises - but I learned quickly from these boards a few years ago that a lot of that could be done orally.

 

I guess they are just a very helpful starting point, and then you get to know more of what you're doing, and can make it more efficient. I'm always trying to figure out more efficiency here, without dropping the things I really want to include.

[Reya]

I kinda do something close to that. We end up now doing an hour of language arts a day, which can stretch up to an hour and a half. (Coloring stuff, that sort of thing...) I'm looking to make it 1.5 hours, scheduled, because of various things. Math can be 30 min to an hour, depending on what we're doing. We do about 20 min a day of history and sci, 15 min of Spanish, 10 min of Bible, and 10-15 min of violin. Art... I'm BAD about art but trying!!! If I can get my act together, we'll do 30 min a day--just because it's play, not work, for them. We do different stuff for structured "PE"--right now, it's swimming lessons, and I'm probably going to do soccer, too.

 

So relative amounts are pretty close, even though the actual numbers are off.

[Jill- OK]

As someone else mentioned, SWB has said before that the editor requested that they put a time suggestion on each subject.

 

I'm sure that some folks here (maybe even many of them) end up with numbers that look similar, but...it's nothing even close, here, lol.

 

My two elementary-aged girls (6 & 8) spend about an hour and a half, at most, on all of their sit-down formal schoolwork, total. (Not counting reading, piano practice, and projects).

 

In the interest of full disclosure, though, I follow WTM more closely as kids get older; I'm more relaxed/CMish in early years. (Short lesson times, etc.)

[Alana in Canada]

Here's the skinny on the schedules, from the horse's mouth:

 

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/schedules.php

 

(Not to mix metaphors or anything!):D

[Lovedtodeath]

Well, for first grade grammar is 20 minutes.... does it really go up to an hour in other grades? I was told that FLL usually takes 5 minutes. But I could see it taking 20 or more on some days if the enrichment exercises are done. Math usually takes us only 20 minutes, if that. I sometimes wonder about the 45 minutes on TWTM schedule.

[Medieval Mom]

I like to schedule the times given in TWTM, even when I know they may take less, to give us "breathing space". If we JUST did the lesson in math for the day, for example, it would not take us as long as 45 min. However, we often make up our own games, or get started talking about the subject, or (often enough!) my son dawdles a bit. OK, he's only in K, but right in the middle of math or any other subject, he might look up and ask about what we're doing for Christmas, or whether horses really look like the picture in his book that he read six months ago... Whatever! So, having the whole time scheduled allows us plenty of wiggle room so that we're not rushing through the day.

 

I AM amazed, though, that handwriting and art take almost the full hour every day, just because ds is really getting into it! This from a boy who couldn't have cared less about arts and crafts before we started hsing. Go figure!:001_smile:

 

I'm certainly thankful for the schedules and times given, even if I don't follow them to a T. ;)

[Homemama2]

I don't think many follow the times to a "T". But I do appreciate it as a basic guideline. For example I think (don't have TWTM in front of me) they say about an hour for math. I NEVER do that much unless we're playing some fabulous math game and they are begging not to stop. But I also don't use saxon which is what SWB uses. My friend who uses Saxton DOES do an hour of math a day. So some of it may be the curriculum you use. I don't think SWB was thinking that you have to do a subject for 'x' amount of hours and if you finish early, fill in the rest of the time with busy work...that would be silly. (Thanks for that article by the way Alana!)

[MMinMN]

I pull out the WTM every once in awhile for inspiration, but the reality of homeschooling is much different in our house.

 

Mostly the book sits on the shelf as a guilty reminder...much like the skinny jeans in my closet.

[dcjlkplus3]

Do you all actually do as much time per subject as TWTM spells out? I am always just blown away by how much time is recommended per subject. And yes, I know that supposedly these are just guidelines, but still...... 45-60 minutes per day of grammar for elementary school age kids? What do you actually DO in grammar that would take that long on a daily basis? That's separate from writing, so I truly can't figure that one out. Or an hour every day on math for these kids.... how many math problems are they doing?

 

Nor can I manage to get anything close to three hours of history per week.

 

TWTM always makes me feel like the biggest loser of a homeschooler ever. So I'm asking - what do you DO for those entire hours per subject? Are you reading for so long? Or are your kids? How many math problems are they actually doing? Are they doing a science experiment complete with write-up every science day?

 

Am I the only one here who cannot even imagine HOW to fill such lengthy blocks of time per subject? Or should I just quietly slink away to a less rigorous board?

Michelle T, who was reading her TWTM again last night

 

I generally ignore the time guidelines.:tongue_smilie:

THey do say that they are only guidelines and that everyone is different.

I do one lesson per day on the daily stuff (WWE, FLL, handwriting, bible study) when it is done, that subject is done, even if it only takes 15 minutes. We do SOTW 1 section a day 3 days per week. Science we are still working out (using R.E.A.L. Science Earth and Space) but right now it is one reading or lab per day 2 days a week (non-history days). She has to do 2-3 pages of math a day - however long it takes. I hate keeping track of how long something takes.

[magistramom]

Oh gosh, the suggested times drove me nuts too when I added up the times on the "quick" end and the "long" ends (sometimes a 2.5 hour difference if I remember correctly). After trying to follow them, I gave up in favor of other scheduling philosophies. We still are die hard WTM'ers, and follow the curriculum, study habits (timelines, outlining, etc.), and reading recommendations almost as exactly set forth. We just don't follow the times.

 

If you adopt the thought of "just moving forward" (see also, the posts here on looping) in each book, you will find that your child will be able to move rapidly through some sources, and sloooowly through others. In the end however, if you are moving forward at a steady pace, you will begin to see how everything begins to gel together. How does it gel?

 

If you begin to see a series of "subject" strengths emerge such as reading, spelling and grammar (visual) - or math problems, science experiments, and geography map reading (hands on) - you will be able to adjust your mentoring style to cater to those needs. You can learn math by reading about math. If your child loves workbooks, all their work can be done on Q&A sheets. If they are a writer, have them write about geography maps.

 

Whenever possible, capitalize on their strengths. You will still need to help them through some rough areas (sitting with them while they do math, diagramming sentences together until the concept is learned, practice Latin parsing together, etc.), but you won't have to be opening your TM and teaching them every hour on the hour. I hope you kwim... It does takes time and patience to see this to fully emerge. When you "see" it (around 3rd - 5th grades), you can "grow" it with your curriculum and reading selections.

 

Through it all, remember to talk, talk, talk about their findings rather than make it drudgery by "teaching" (use plenty of who, what, why, where, when, how questions that bring about conversations, not just rote Q&A). I hope you find something that works or is a happy medium!

[Haiku]

My kids are in K and 1st. We school for about 3-3 1/2 hours with one 15-minute break. Here's what our day looks like:

 

Read-aloud: 15-30 minutes

History: 30-60 minutes (reading from SOTW/Usborne Internet-Linked Encyclopedia of World History, narration, activity)

Phonics: ~15 minutes (Explode the Code)

Reading: ~15 minutes per child (the kids read to me)

Math (2x per week): 45 minutes-1 hour (we use RightStart, so the kids aren't doing math problems, we are going through a lesson)

Science (2x per week): 30-45 minutes (reading about an animal, watching videos about it on ARKive, coloring sheet, narration)

 

Tara

[Rosy]

Another vote for "not even close". :) For DD7 (2nd grade), we do:

 

Bible: 30 min.

History OR Science: 30 min.

Grammar: 5-10 min.

Math: 30 min.

*break*

Read-alouds: 10 min.

Silent reading: 30-45 min. (or longer if she's really enjoying her book)

Bible: 20 min.

Spelling or writing: 10 min.

 

DS6 (1st grade) does:

Bible: 30 min.

History OR Science: 30 min.

Phonics: 10-20 min.

Math: 20 min.

Read-alouds: 10 min.

 

This is on a 4 day/week schedule. They could do more, but *I* can't if I want to still be a decent mom to my younger kids and have a reasonably tidy house.

[Lovedtodeath]

 

This is on a 4 day/week schedule. They could do more, but *I* can't if I want to still be a decent mom to my younger kids and have a reasonably tidy house.

 

:iagree::D

[mcconnellboys]

I don't recall the recs, specifically, but up through fourth, last year, I scheduled about 3 hours of math daily. I started out in first grade with an hour a day. But it was cut into three different time periods, and we worked on different sorts of math things at each period. So there was one 20 minute period for the new lesson for the day and any problems associated with it. Then there was a second period, later, for math drill work (but it generally never took more than 5-10 minutes). And we would do another period working on place value, calendar math, time, money, etc. By the time we got to last year, however, I didn't feel that we needed a lot of extra practice in these areas any longer, and we were able to generally get everything done in one, 30 minute period (sometimes 45 mi.).

 

For grammar, are they talking about grammar alone? You say no writing, but is this also no spelling/word study, etc.? I've always scheduled 20-30 minutes per day, four days per week, so a total of 80-120 minutes per week, for grammar alone. In earlier grades, it generally took us more like 10 minutes to cover our grammar, rather than 20, and we did much of it orally. I began using Abeka for grammar last year, and we generally do two pages of it per day. Along with discussing it and covering Oral Language Lessons at this time, as well, I'd say that it generally does take us between 20-30 minutes. I think the time it takes your child to do their work will vary some by child. Some just work faster than others. Some more difficult lessons will take longer. Others will be a snap and you'll finish early.

 

We do tend to read a ton. We love to read. So I haven't ever had a problem (for most topics under study) finding enough material to see us through 3-5 hours of history study weekly. If you don't want to read as much, there are oral narrations, timelines, coloring, worksheets related to subject areas, websites, movies, report writing, etc. to help fill in the time.

 

For science, like history, we read a ton. I'm not so great about doing actual experiments, LOL, but we do get some in. I'm better at scheduling related field trips and we do lots of those that are science related. I didn't make mine do lots of science writing for the elementary years. We starting to do more of that this year, in fifth grade.

 

The times were included in the book, SWB said, because the publishers wanted that included. She has said before that even she doesn't do this. You might look at the WTM website for her sample "day in the life" pieces that describe how a typical day at their house might go. Don't sweat trying to get in a certain amount of time per subject. We don't learn according to time served, but according to how inspiring we find the information (insuring that we'll integrate and remember it).

[danielle]

We started hsing at the end of 2nd grade, so I'm not sure about really young ones, but, yup, we've always done a full day. Math 1 hour--early on we used Saxon, and in the rare event that dd completed the day's lesson early, we'd do Family Math or Theoni Pappas books, or other "fun" math and on Fridays we spent the whole period on them. Grammar, ditto, Rod & Staff and Spelling Power 1/2 hour, though we dropped both of these by the end of 6th grade as she is excellent at both and there was no reason to keep repeating.

 

Latin and French 1 hour each, each 3 days a week in early years, now 4 days per week (9th grade). Vocab review, exercises, etc. Science and history we did 2 days each, 2.5 hours (the afternoon) This included both projects and reading. Art was on Friday.

 

In the early years, our schedule was 9-3:30. Then it became 8-3:30. Now, dd claims she's going to do 7:30-5:00. I don't think so, but it's more up to her now, at 14. She needs to practice about 2 hours per day, plays in an orchestra, a Celtic band, takes private harp lessons and a music composition class. So don't think you'll be "less" busy as the kids get older:001_smile:

 

You have to do what's right for your kids and your own personal style and energy. Dd has always demanded a schedule and packed in a lot (don't know where she gets it!) But I do think there's a lot to be said for butt-in-seat time. I just read a study comparing which kids succeed at music compared to those who don't, and the researcher found that the biggest determinant at all levels was time spent practicing--at every level, the most successful put in the most time, and very early on (8-10 years old) the most successful were practicing at least one hour a day. By high school, it was at least 2 hours and often much more.

 

The child who spends significant time reading, or doing math, or practicing a language early on accumulates so much more knowledge and practice that by middle school level it really begins to make a difference. Also, as our experience with grammar and spelling indicates, some things you just get done with and can go on to much higher level material. Of course, YMMV.

Danielle

[Tammyla]

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/schedules.php

 

This link from the old board has a very encouraging article from Susan on scheduling. The Dictation With Ben is also well worth the reading if you haven't read it.:001_smile:

 

Too bad, many here might never read all the extra stuff over at the old site.