Renee in NC Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 And how many subjects? My 10yo is convinced that no one else has to do what he does. He only has 2 other hs kids his age to compare to and I am not sure what their *real* workload is, but they have convinced him that more than 1 hour is too much.:glare: I know better, so help me out, please! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 Last year Calvin was doing 9am to 1pm, with PE and some Chinese in the afternoon. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
partyof5 Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 Well, my dd isn't exactly a speed-demon, but she does have MUCH more than 1 hour of work. ;) We tackle several subjects but not all of them every day. Here's what's happening today, approximately... Bible study & reading: 20 min Memory work box: 10 min or less Piano practice: 15 min Handwriting: 10-15 or so Math: 45 min. Writing: 30 or so Reading: 60 min (spread out over 2 chunks of time) Grammar: 20 min Vocab/spelling: 30 min (today she had new words to look up) History (TOG, reading today) 20 min Latin vocab review 10 min or less We take 1 big outdoor break mid-morning, a lunch break, and we have a daily goal of being done well before the neighborhood kids get off the bus. No question that grade 5 is a longer day than we've done other years. Other subjects that come up on other days include Science, Latin, & Logic so that trades out for some of the vocab/spelling and handwriting. Hope that helps. My dd makes things take longer than necessary sometimes, but on an average-paced day, we start at 9ish and are done by 3ish (and we have a preschooler who requires transport twice a day so car time is involved too, thus the late start). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riverfront Headmistress Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 4-5 hours Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth in SW WA Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 Last year, when dd was 10/5th grade, she did at least 6 hours of focused school per day, plus reading at night. She did not do science. Daily: Bible, Math, Latin, History, Writing/Grammar, Piano This year for 6th, her schedule is the same, but we added Geography, Science & PE daily. We eliminated her writing class/tutor which freed up an extra 10 hours/week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KS_ Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 And how many subjects? My 10yo is convinced that no one else has to do what he does. He only has 2 other hs kids his age to compare to and I am not sure what their *real* workload is, but they have convinced him that more than 1 hour is too much.:glare: I know better, so help me out, please! This sounds so much like my 9 yo ds! <sigh> He doesn't have any other hs kids his age to compare with but balks pretty much at any amount of work (and he has such a small workload!). It really depends on how long he procrastinates and lets himself get distracted on other things, but if he focuses, he's done easily w/in an hour with independent work (math, grammar, copywork). We do a lot of combined reading with his sister, and so at this point, that's pretty much all he's responsible for on his own so far this year (I need to get Spanish back into the schedule, but haven't gotten it loaded onto my new computer yet, along with typing). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alana in Canada Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 Oh good--I can post to this one. (If you were asking me how do I streamline my day, I couldn't answer!) Spelling--about 1/2 hour a day. No homework. Latin--20-30 minutes a day. Homework if it isn't completed in that time. Writing--This takes about 1/2 hour a day (More like 1 hour the first day, though). History: We listen to Weiss and do the map work and colouring pages and review questions and a narration. That takes about an hour for each section. The narration is "homework" until it's acceptable to me. Dictation--30 minutes, 3x week Bible and Geography are done together. Science--basically he writes a narration of the material we've learned. We aren't doing experiments, but when we do, he'll be required to write up an experiment report. Handwriting--15 minutes. If it isn't done to my satisfaction in that time, it is homework. Math--30 min to 1 hour. It's the last thing in our day so he's self motivated not to dawdle. Drill sheets every day. Grammar--30 minutes. Sometimes assigned as "homework." Logic--3x/week. 10-15 minutes. Book summary--one a week Outline--one a week--both his choice from his assigned reading list. Assigned Reading--includes science, history, (including biographies and KHE), stories, and an ongoing novel. One hour/day. Of course we don't do everything every day--and we take lots of breaks, so our days are a bit too dragged out. But we start at 8:30 and finish anywhewre from 1:30 (on a good day) to 4:30 (a really bad one, lol!) hth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paisley Hedgehog Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 nm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia in WA Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 Here is our schedule. My 10 year old is the blue one labeled "Middle Peep". The times are huge estimates on my part. I swear there are days were he is done with math in 15 minutes and others...like today...that take 2 hours. It really depends on how focused he is. On days where his brain is tuned in he can finish his workload in 4 hours. Other days can be endless. I think more important than hours are what he is learning. Perhaps his friends are not studying Latin, or Logic, or have an intense writing program. Perhaps they spend their time filling in workbooks. I would encourage him to look at the quality versus the quantity. HTHs, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 (edited) Mine is doing: Math History Literature/Reading English (grammar, writing, vocabulary) Science Latin Spanish Greek Geography Art Logic (really light) He does four full days per week, plus a math lesson and whatever needs to be made up on Wednesday. (At least, that's the plan. The last two weeks he also had work to make up on Saturday.) He starts work most days at about 8:30 and is usually done between 2:00 and 3:00. Edited to add: I forgot to mention music. He has been taking a break from lessons until this past week. So, we'll need to add some instrument practice into the day, too. I also should have mentioned that the 8:30 - 3:00 block includes a break for lunch. How long that is depends on the day. If he's been very efficient and has some breathing room, he'll take as long as an hour for lunch. Other days, he might just do 15 minutes. Also, he frequently multi-tasks by either watching an assigned DVD or doing assigned reading while he eats. Edited September 29, 2008 by Jenny in Florida Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 My 10yo has a six hour school day. This does include 30 minutes of piano practice. I also schedule in 30 and 60 minute blocks of time, so oftentimes she completes a subject (handwriting!) before her allotted time is up and gets short breaks throughout her day. My children don't tend to discuss school with their friends, but I know many of them finish by noon. I never could figure out that type of schedule for a 5th grader. :confused: Although many of them do continue through the summer which makes a difference too. HTH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle My Bell Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 We average 2 1/2 - 3 hours a day. Occasionally we go longer but I prefer shorter school days with combined subjects. My oldest daughter (age 14) has the same workload. Michelle PS I know I am the odd ball on this, but I don't care!:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 My ds just turned 11 last month. We school from 10am to about 3pm. We have a hour of breaks in there, so 4 hours of work. Maybe 3.5 if you account for the whining and random bouts of goofiness. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 PS I know I am the odd ball on this, but I don't care!:001_smile: May I ask, how? I'm learning to ask this question of my friends too. It's how I found out many continue through the summer months. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathmom Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 And how many subjects? My 10yo is convinced that no one else has to do what he does. He only has 2 other hs kids his age to compare to and I am not sure what their *real* workload is, but they have convinced him that more than 1 hour is too much.:glare: I know better, so help me out, please! IS one of them my dd? Once I get things together they will be doing much more, I swear! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renee in NC Posted September 29, 2008 Author Share Posted September 29, 2008 IS one of them my dd? Once I get things together they will be doing much more, I swear! :lol: Yes, one of them is your dd, but he wouldn't listen when I tried to explain that you just had a baby, etc.! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coffeegal Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 We average 2 1/2 - 3 hours a day. Occasionally we go longer but I prefer shorter school days with combined subjects. My oldest daughter (age 14) has the same workload. Michelle PS I know I am the odd ball on this, but I don't care!:001_smile: We run about the same amount of time, 2 1/2 - 3 1/2 hours of school work. History/Science, Math, Latin, English. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 For subjects we have Math English (writing, grammar, spelling, handwriting, literature study, poetry) Social Studies (history, map skills) Science Spanish German Art Logic/Critical Thinking Music (instrument, chorus) I'm not sure how this all adds up hour-wise, we kind of sprinkle it all around during the day/week. Don't ask me about today, though... all we've gotten to is math... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WTMindy Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 My 9 & 11 dc do History Writing Grammar Science Latin Spanish Literature Piano Logic We school about 5-6 hours on M,W,F and they go to co-op classes all day on T/TH and they have an hour of work from home on those days too. Plus, Daddy usually does some work with them in the evenings too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buddhabelly Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 (edited) I am noticing that everyone who is responding 2.5 hours or 3 hours is not mentioning art or music. Yet most families do include some art or music -- perhaps not every day, but... And some of our 10yos are studying instruments. Mine has been studying for six years now, so his practice takes 45 minutes. We count that as "school." And we count art, music appreciation, and karate practice as "school" (since they would have gym class at school). Also, some 10-yo's are in 4th grade, some in 5th. Does that change anyone's answer? My son always has six hours of school, but he takes long Lego breaks (or Frisbee breaks if it's not raining). And some of that time is sitting on the couch listening to Vivaldi...... I am wishing I could find some more time to spend on writing. My son actually ASKED if he could finish his paper on Benjamin Franklin last Friday. Let me go find an icon for my response: :svengo: ("Uh, er, well....it's not on the schedule, but.....uh, that would be fine, dear.") Oh, and for some practical advice on "fitting it all in," we do science two days a week and history three days a week. There's no way we can fit it all in without doing trade-offs like that. We do History of Music twice per week, Greek & Latin every day, math every day, grammar every day, and spelling twice a week. Violin practice 45 minutes every day (45-minute lesson on Tuesdays), karate three times per week (one of those is on Saturday). We don't do handwriting separately; I just have him do his SWO in cursive. Not sure yet how to fit in writing -- so far we have just done it as part of other subjects like history or science. Julie Edited September 29, 2008 by buddhabelly wanted to mention that some 10yos are in 4th, some 5th Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle My Bell Posted September 30, 2008 Share Posted September 30, 2008 I homeschool 4 girls, grades K, 2nd, 5th, & 8th. How do we homeschool in less than 3 hours a day? Well, I have a chart that keeps everyone busy at all times. I work with the little two together, keeping their history/science & story times together. My 2nd grade works on her math with just a little explaination. I don't make her do every problem either. She is doing Rod & staff and it is 3 pages long. She only does 2 pages and if she really has the concept down, I only make her do a few for review. She picks things up really fast. My older two are working on their independent subjects at this time. I chose curriculum that is fast to work through on purpose. I like reading curriculums like Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons & The Reading Lesson. I use a lot of living books etc... I follow the Charlotte Mason method. We incorporte Nature Study, Fine Arts, Picture Study and Handicrafts every week, but not every day. We usually have lunch and I put the baby boy down to bed while the younger two go play. Then I get toghether with my older two working on math, TOG, projects, Spelling etc... Again, I choose curriculum that is not busywork, is not time consuming and I follow Charlotte Mason principles. Every once in a while I will assign after school work for the girls to do as "homework" but not very often. I did today because I wanted them to do some research on the computer and I didn't want that part of my school hours. So that is how we do it. I don't consider "extra learning" that takes place to be part of school. Things like reading, crafts, educational TV, projects etc... But they are constantly working on things. I guess it is a form of unschooling. Thankfully they have the time to pursue these interests because I don't keep them busy all day with school. They do have atleast an hour of chores each day plus just general duties throughout the day. My girls are always writing plays, writing musicals, producing TV shows for their Blog TV they do. I am content in what they do. God Bless, Michelle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pongo Posted September 30, 2008 Share Posted September 30, 2008 And how many subjects? My 10yo is convinced that no one else has to do what he does. He only has 2 other hs kids his age to compare to and I am not sure what their *real* workload is, but they have convinced him that more than 1 hour is too much.:glare: I know better, so help me out, please! My dd works from 7:30-1:30 with 1 hour of lunch and breaks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted September 30, 2008 Share Posted September 30, 2008 Our day: 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily. Subjects: Bible, Math, Spelling/Word Study; Grammar, Handwriting/Writing; Literature; alternating Latin and Spanish; alternating Geography and Logic; alternating Science and History; Reading. So that's 12 things per day, Monday through Thursday, that he does. He has a lighter day on Fridays, which we use for make up corrections, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted September 30, 2008 Share Posted September 30, 2008 I am noticing that everyone who is responding 2.5 hours or 3 hours is not mentioning art or music. Yet most families do include some art or music -- perhaps not every day, but... And some of our 10yos are studying instruments. Mine has been studying for six years now, so his practice takes 45 minutes. We count that as "school." And we count art, music appreciation, and karate practice as "school" (since they would have gym class at school). Also, some 10-yo's are in 4th grade, some in 5th. Does that change anyone's answer? Things we count as "school" include: Math History Literature/Reading English (grammar/vocabulary/writing) Science Latin Spanish Greek Geography Art (class through FLVS) Logic Educational DVDs related to any of the above Organ practice All of the above fit into the schedule I described in my first post, four full days (8:30 - 2:30-ish) plus very light Wednesdays. We also try to do field trips on Wednesdays or weekends or days that would otherwise be "off" so that we don't eat into our regular four-day schedule. Things that are "educational" but don't count as "school" in that they happen outside of those hours include: Organ lessons (30 minutes per week) Choir rehearsals (average of three hours per week) Dance classes and rehearsals (average of seven hours per week) Attending concerts (about one per month, mostly organ and choir) Attending ballets (We have season tickets.) Attending theatrical events (We have season tickets for the Shakespeare festival and see other things through the year, too.) As for grade level, well that's always iffy around here. By age, I think my son would be in 5th grade, but he's ahead--sometimes way ahead-- in some subjects (math, for example) and probably a bit behind in others (writing, mostly). I usually resist classifying by grade at all, when I can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quiver0f10 Posted September 30, 2008 Share Posted September 30, 2008 My 10 yo does: Math English Writing Vocab Spelling Science TOG and works from @ 9-12ish. We will be adding latin in this week and that should add @ 30 minutes more. He reads @ 1-2 hours a day before/after school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kim in Appalachia Posted September 30, 2008 Share Posted September 30, 2008 30 minutes morning devotion/memory work/family read time 15 minutes copywork 15 minutes Bible reading 30 minutes Lit/poetry reading 30 minutes History/geography/science reading 30 minutes grammar/writting 15 minutes spelling 1 hr math 30 minutes violin practice Just a little over 4 hrs total. Some days it is a little more, some less We dropped Latin this year, that would be another 20 to 30 minutes. This does not count the "teaching time" with me. That is usually another 30 minutes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kisa in CA Posted September 30, 2008 Share Posted September 30, 2008 My son works about 5-6 hours a day. Sometimes more, sometimes less. Fridays are normally only about an hour and a half plus co-op activities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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