Can you review my planned 1st grade schedule?

[The Governess]

I'm still a year away from starting first grade, but I've been doing a lot of research lately and have been trying to put together a weekly schedule, just so I feel like I have a better handle on it.

 

Some background info: We're going to officially start K in January - my dd will be 4.5 but she's been doing K level work since August. Right now we do FIAR which takes us about 30 -45 minutes a day, and we usually spend about an hour a day on phonics, math, handwriting, and copywork. We also spend about 20 minutes in "circle time" where we do some foreign language, memory work, sing songs, etc. So right now school takes us about 2 hours a day. She is already reading well and she spends 45 minutes to an hour a day in "quiet time" where she can pick out books to read on her own. When we start K, we'll continue with FIAR and I will probably add in a drawing program (because she loves drawing as long as she has been shown how to do it first), more read-alouds, and I'm going to increase the amount of time we spend on foreign language study a bit. So in K I think our daily schedule will increase to 2.5 hours 4x per week.

 

Now, for first grade. I was desperately trying to get everything to fit in the schedule so that we'll be done by lunchtime, but it just isn't happening. :glare: I have 30 minutes of activities each day that aren't fitting. Maybe you can help me figure out how to do it?

 

Here's the schedule (this is monday-thursday):

 

8:00-8:30 - go over the day's schedule, bible study

8:30-9:00 - foreign language (mandarin and latin, alternating days)

9:00-9:30 - math

9:30-10:00 - a combination of FLL, Harp and Laurel Wreath, and ETC

10:00-10:30 - *break*

10:30-11:30 - history (TOG and SOTW - 30 min of read-alouds each day followed by lapbooking/activity page/mapwork/vocab/video if I can find one)

11:30 - 12:00 - science - two days will be zoology/biome study (one day of read-aloud, one day activity page/paper project) and two days will be biology (R.E.A.L. science and experiment)

 

Fridays we are off every other week. The fridays that we aren't off are project days: we'll do a TOG project, work on some handiwork/craft projects, and do a cooking project at lunch.

 

The activities that I couldn't fit in before lunch I put in for 30 minutes a day after lunch. These are literature (starting with fairy tales and fables), art (a project and picture study), and music (alternating between orchestra study and composer study). Also, we will continue with her quiet reading time for an hour a day after lunch.

 

What do you think? Do you think it's too much? Should I worry that it doesn't all fit in before lunch? It *is* a lot, but my dd4 is one of those highly-structured kids who wants me to have something planned for her to do at all times. As soon as we finish one activity she wants to know what else I have for her to do. And I know I can cut back on the history, or skip science, or not worry about music and art....but dang it, I am so excited about these subjects, and I do think dd will really enjoy them. She loves learning and has absorbed everything I've given her so far.

 

Help, please.... :001_huh:

[Hillary in KS]

Were it me, I'd drop the foreign language.

 

Are you already doing Mandarin with her? If not, I'd wait a year or two before starting it. We don't start Latin here until 3rd grade, so I'd also wait to introduce that.

 

You may want to reconsider introducing 2 languages at once. You can absolutely *study* two languages simultaneously. I would think about starting Latin in 3rd grade, and Mandarin in 4th, for example.

 

Maybe use that 30 minutes for reading storybooks. Or an art activity. It can be planned, but not necessarily "instructional."

[dragons in the flower bed]

What do you think? Do you think it's too much? Should I worry that it doesn't all fit in before lunch? It *is* a lot, but my dd4 is one of those highly-structured kids who wants me to have something planned for her to do at all times. As soon as we finish one activity she wants to know what else I have for her to do. And I know I can cut back on the history, or skip science, or not worry about music and art....but dang it, I am so excited about these subjects, and I do think dd will really enjoy them.

 

I had a child who was like that, too. I did sit down with him every day and teach him to read, write and cipher. I believe I did him a disservice. Even though he was asking for it, it wasn't healthy for him to be engaged in that sort of activity for two hours a day. I mean, if a kid asked for a diet of vitamins for breakfast and lunch, you wouldn't do it, right? Even though vitamins are a very good thing, an overdose will harm. It's like that with academic subjects and preschoolers, too. It's healthy for her to have a small amount -- an hour a day -- but the rest of the time, give her something to do that requires pretending, experimenting, or gaining better control over her fine and gross motor skills. The preschool years go by too fast to let even an extra two hours a day be taken up with activities that don't help her brain grow.

[LisaKinVA]

That's a lot... even for a very bright 1st grader.

 

I'd alternate between history and science (only one each day), and alternate music and art as well (although, my 1st grader does art every day, and would do art exclusively all. day. long. if she could!)

 

There are lots of fun, unstructured educational activities you can do as well... play doh, geography songs, english chants/songs.

 

My 1st grader does about 2.5 hours of structured school a day. About 1 hour in the a.m. and about 1-1.5 hours after lunch. She has a nice long break during the middle of the day for imaginative play time, etc.

 

I'd also look at just doing one language (in a fun, entertaining way though), at least for a couple of years

[kalanamak]

....but dang it, I am so excited about these subjects, and I do think dd will really enjoy them. She loves learning and has absorbed everything I've given her so far.

 

 

 

Keep in mind children change. My kiddo became much more hands on when he got more coordinated. He also loves handwriting, so I have to plan on plenty of that. We are doing more field trips than I planned, and while we are not doing as much history project as I expected, he is catching on with just the reading part, we are doing things like dissecting sheep brains instead of making a ziggurat.

 

I guess I'm trying to say, my plans got blown up when kiddo got a little older and suddenly had new strengths, weaknesses, and interests. I reworked my 1st plans the two weeks before we started, and I tweak monthly. HTH.

[Paula in MS]

I have a first grader this year. I don't think you are doing too much at all, if she enjoys it. There is still plenty of time in the day for play unless you over-schedule extra-curriculars.

 

If I were you, I would alternate science and history every other day. This would give you the extra time. You could take read-alouds off the schedule completely for the morning. Do these in the afternoon or at bedtime; this would also free up your schedule.

 

We are doing spanish this year and it has gone very well. If you take an oral approach and don't require reading or writing, it is very easy for a first grader to handle. I think the reason many wait on latin until 3rd or 4th grade is so that the child can read well first in their native language.

 

Paula

[Sara in WA]

It's great to see you so excited about educating your child :) To me, it does seem like too much work. You can always keep this as a plan, remembering it is just a plan. I have created many beautiful plans only to find life doesn't work out as clean and neat as my schedule. When that happened I was so frustrated, yet now I see it was all God's doing to help me relax in my children's education. These little sponges can't help learning!

 

Remember, you also have a littler one who will need your time to cuddle, play and read books. This could be a lovely time to be with both kids doing "school" by reading lots, library story times, playing games, field trips, etc.

 

Just my two bits, realizing we are all wired differently!

 

- Sara

Homeschooling mom to dd 8, 6, 5 and ds 2.

[The Governess]

Thanks so much for the replies!!

 

Are you already doing Mandarin with her? If not, I'd wait a year or two before starting it. We don't start Latin here until 3rd grade, so I'd also wait to introduce that.

 

Yes, we're already doing Mandarin, we started in September, so she'll have 1.5 years of instruction down before we would start Latin. But after reading everyone's comments I'm going to think about waiting until 2nd grade to start it now...

 

It's healthy for her to have a small amount -- an hour a day -- but the rest of the time, give her something to do that requires pretending, experimenting, or gaining better control over her fine and gross motor skills. The preschool years go by too fast to let even an extra two hours a day be taken up with activities that don't help her brain grow.

 

The hard part about this for me is that both my dd and I score pretty low on the "creative play" scale. It's hard work for both of us. Even when her friends are over she would rather play a board game or do a puzzle with them than role play or play with dolls or dress up. That doesn't mean that I don't try to find things for her to do that help her develop in that way, but just that it seems impossible for me to fill hours each day with those types of activities for her. We would both be cranky and exhausted. And she just doesn't gravitate towards that kind of play on her own. Interestingly enough, I have noticed over the last couple months that when we have a productive morning of school work, she is so much more content in the afternoon and actually plays MORE creatively than she otherwise would. :confused::confused: My theory is: because she is so naturally task-oriented and logical and craves so much structure, she needs to satisfy those needs before she can move onto other things, like free, imaginative play. But I'm still working this one out. :001_smile:

 

I'd alternate between history and science (only one each day)

 

Yes, this is where a lot of time is taken up. But being able to cover history and learn about the world in-depth is one of the biggest reasons why I wanted to homeschool in the first place. I remember so little of the history I learned in school and what I did retain is so fragmented. I may have to cut back here but it really makes me sad to think about it.

 

I guess I'm trying to say, my plans got blown up when kiddo got a little older and suddenly had new strengths, weaknesses, and interests. I reworked my 1st plans the two weeks before we started, and I tweak monthly. HTH.

 

Thanks for posting this! You're right, and I'm sure that a year from now dd is going to have changed a lot. This plan will definitely be reworked several times, I'm sure. :001_smile: I just have to have a starting point so I don't drive myself crazy!

 

You could take read-alouds off the schedule completely for the morning. Do these in the afternoon or at bedtime; this would also free up your schedule.

 

We are doing spanish this year and it has gone very well. If you take an oral approach and don't require reading or writing, it is very easy for a first grader to handle. I think the reason many wait on latin until 3rd or 4th grade is so that the child can read well first in their native language. Paula

 

Doing the read-alouds at bedtime is something to consider. And yes, if we start Latin we would probably use Song School Latin or something similar that is a very fun, gentle introduction. I would like to keep Latin oral for the first year. Now I just need to decide if I should delay it a year....

 

Okay, so far it sounds like the consensus is that I should cut back a couple hours a week on the science and history and put the latin on hold for a year or two. Does the rest look okay? And I hope and pray that I didn't forget anything important. :001_huh: I have no idea where I would put it!

[The Governess]

It's great to see you so excited about educating your child :) To me, it does seem like too much work. You can always keep this as a plan, remembering it is just a plan. I have created many beautiful plans only to find life doesn't work out as clean and neat as my schedule. When that happened I was so frustrated, yet now I see it was all God's doing to help me relax in my children's education. These little sponges can't help learning!

 

Remember, you also have a littler one who will need your time to cuddle, play and read books. This could be a lovely time to be with both kids doing "school" by reading lots, library story times, playing games, field trips, etc.

 

Just my two bits, realizing we are all wired differently!

 

- Sara

Homeschooling mom to dd 8, 6, 5 and ds 2.

 

Thanks for the reply! Yes, I am totally open to cutting things out later if it ends up being too much, but I would rather over-prepare than under-prepare if that makes sense. This year I had to rework a lot because I hadn't scheduled enough for her - She would finish the math, phonics, and handwriting in like 10 or 15 minutes and would be wondering what was happening next. :001_huh:

 

Two of the four school days dd2 will be at preschool in the morning (she'll be 3.5 by then), so it will really only be two days a week that I will be having to juggle the two of them. Right now I'm thinking that dd2 would sit in on the foreign language lesson and do some of the oral parts (songs, rhymes, etc.) with us, and could color or play with playdoh, do a paper craft, etc. while we do the history and science read-alouds. She could also "help" with the science and history projects. So it's really only for an hour that I'll have to have something for her to do: during dd4's math and language work.

 

Right now I do dd4's schooltime during dd2's nap, so it hasn't been an issue for me yet.....but it will be soon. Thanks for the reminder and for sharing your point of view! :001_smile:

[King Alfred Academy]

 

 

 

Yes, this is where a lot of time is taken up. But being able to cover history and learn about the world in-depth is one of the biggest reasons why I wanted to homeschool in the first place. I remember so little of the history I learned in school and what I did retain is so fragmented. I may have to cut back here but it really makes me sad to think about it.

 

 

 

I was going to mention what the others said about alternating history and science...and I still think that would be a good idea! I completely understand where you are coming from as far as history is concerned and wanting to do it in depth...really I do. Is it safe for me to assume that you will be doing history chronologically? If so, you will rotate through it at least twice and maybe even three times if you go through each rotation in 4 years. In what little experience I have, but from the wisdom I have listened to from moms on this board, not much is going to be "retained" in the first rotation anyways. It is about introducing them to the main events and people and having fun with it. If your dd really likes learning about King Tut...go with it! Read more books...complete a lapbook...mummify a chicken! If she doesn't have a clue who King Tut is after you have read and completed some coloring sheets, oh well. She'll come around to him again in four years and will probably surprise you about what she remembers! :001_smile:

[The Governess]

Another question: because TOG year 1 is so focused on bible history and relies a lot on the old testament as a source, I'm wondering if it's overkill to start doing a separate bible study during this year. Right now our bible time consists of just reading a story from one of several children's bibles we have and talking about it. Which is what we would continue doing using TOG anyway. I'm wondering now if I should wait to start a separate bible study. What would you do?

[Amy loves Bud]

Excellent post, Rose, and I completely agree.

 

I think the most common "I wish I would have done this differently" comment from experienced homeschoolers is that they tried to do too much too soon and should have let the little ones be little ones. It's definitely how I feel. I think about what I missed with my oldest - all the wonderful picture books and games and messy projects - because I was so excited about the next thing. It makes me so sad.

 

If I were in your shoes, I would drop the latin and mandarin (unless you have a fluent mandarin speaker in your life), move history and science to alternate days, use only one science program, drop the TOG until the logic stage and stick with SOTW only. If you did that, then you would be done with all the things on your list by 10:30 or 11 and you can have a grand old time with art and literature. And baking cookies. And playing in the sandbox. And drawing pictures for the elderly lady next door.

 

Anyway, good for you that you are so eager and have such a willing student! Your first year will be a wonderful treat for both of you!

[The Governess]

I was going to mention what the others said about alternating history and science...and I still think that would be a good idea! I completely understand where you are coming from as far as history is concerned and wanting to do it in depth...really I do. Is it safe for me to assume that you will be doing history chronologically? If so, you will rotate through it at least twice and maybe even three times if you go through each rotation in 4 years. In what little experience I have, but from the wisdom I have listened to from moms on this board, not much is going to be "retained" in the first rotation anyways. It is about introducing them to the main events and people and having fun with it. If your dd really likes learning about King Tut...go with it! Read more books...complete a lapbook...mummify a chicken! If she doesn't have a clue who King Tut is after you have read and completed some coloring sheets, oh well. She'll come around to him again in four years and will probably surprise you about what she remembers! :001_smile:

 

Yes, chronologically, and if all goes according to plan we'll go through the rotation three times. Thanks for the reminder that it's an introduction the first time around. I do keep telling myself that. And then I look through TOG at all of the books, and projects, and other materials, and I get so excited. We'll see if dd shares my level of enthusiasm. :001_smile:.

[Colleen]

It's always nice to hear the enthusiasm in the "voice" of one who is just starting the homeschooling journey. How exciting to be in those early planning stages!:) You're to be commended for being willing to ask for and listen to advice from people who have been there, done that. Without trying to put a damper on your efforts, I want to strongly encourage you to not overdo it, though. As you can see from the majority of replies here thus far, that's the common theme: A reminder that your child is young; that you have plenty of time to cover the bases; that planning too much, too soon isn't necessarily a good thing.

 

My specific suggestions to your plan include holding off on TOG; scheduling science and history on alternating days (you'll still cover a great deal over the course of the years, I promise); putting Latin on hold for a few years; continue to enjoy the Bible in an informal manner rather than beginning a program; and reading literature at leisure rather than considering it a subject to be studied. To sum it up, I'd ease up on what I consider an overly structured approach for a child this age.

 

I do understand what you've shared about your daughter's desire for structure. I think it's important to realize that providing such structure, in such depth, is not necessarily in her bests interests. It's to her benefit to learn to entertain herself rather than be continually entertained ~ even if that "entertainment" is in the form of a school work.

 

I'm going to tell you something that you no doubt hear quite often, and which will in all likelihood go in one ear and out the other, if you're like most of us.;) When one is in your shoes, it can sound dismissive, but rest assured that once you're a decade or more down the road you may very well be uttering the same words to another mom of little people: Your children are young. These years are an indescribable gift ~ and they go all too fast. It's absolutely fun to learn together, to grow together, to fill their minds with the wonders of the world and watch their eyes light up. But. There's a lifetime ahead to learn. A lifetime to formally study science and so on. On the other hand, there's a very, very limited window when learning genuinely happens purely from living each day. Don't lose the mystery and beauty of that time by trying to force it into a framework.

Edited December 13, 2008 by Colleen

[The Governess]

Thanks, everybody, so much for all of your input. This board really is a blessing to me, there is so much collective wisdom here. And Colleen, please believe me when I say that no part of your post went in one ear and out the other :001_smile:.

 

Amy, the reason we are doing Mandarin is because dd2 was adopted from Taiwan and Chinese culture is very much ingrained in our family. I'm going to be learning along with them and hopefully dh will too (or he'll be missing out on a lot of conversation around here) :lol:.

 

Colleen, the reason I want to start TOG in first grade is because I want to really familiarize myself with the curriculum. That way when I get to the logic stage it will be like hanging out with an old friend. I know most people wait until the logic stage to start it, but it won't cost me anymore to start the rotation in the grammar stage and I'll feel so much more prepared to teach it on the second and third go-arounds. And to do this homeschooling thing, I *need* to feel prepared. :001_smile:

 

So, based on everyone's recommendations I've re-worked the schedule a bit. I did cut the bible study out, and we'll just continue to do that informally and in conjunction with history this year. I also cut out Latin for now. I'm still going to look into Song School and see if it's something we could listen to in the car as a basic introduction; right now I have some kids' songs in Mandarin in the cd player and the girls LOVE singing along while we're running errands, etc. And I cut history back by an hour a week. So here's the new schedule:

 

8:30-9:00 - math

9:00-9:30 - a combination of FLL, Harp and Laurel Wreath, and ETC

9:30-10:00 - M and W will be Mandarin, T will be a short lit lesson (fairy tale or fable), Th will be music (alternate orchestra study and composer study)

10:00-10:30 - *break*

10:30-11:30 - MTW - history (TOG and SOTW - 30 min of read-alouds each day followed by vocab and lapbooking or activity page or mapwork)

11:30 - 12:00 - MT - zoology/biomes, W Art (drawing lesson)

 

Th from 10:30 to 12:00 we will do our biology lesson and experiment.

 

So, that gives me 3 hours a day, four days a week, and all subjects done by lunch. :D:D:D Fridays are for projects we're working on, or field trips, or going to Disneyland, or...whatever we're feeling like.

 

You all have *really* helped me think this through. I appreciate it so much. I'm sure many of you will encourage me to prune this schedule even more, but at least I'm feeling like I've made some really good progress in the right direction. Whew. :001_smile:

[kalanamak]

I'm feeling like I've made some really good progress in the right direction. Whew. :001_smile:

 

I think you're a planner-aheader, as I am. Stress is reduced when there is a plan, even if it changes. Two things that helped me relax more and focus on teaching is doing a bit of research on other options (I basically read the K-8 board a little and google some new program or series, and read up a little on what it is) so that if my plan A is boring or too slow or too fast, etc, I have an idea of what else I could turn to, and second, I spend time educating myself on a level that will be helpful for a tutor-of-a-litte. By this I mean I read through some books geared toward 10-14 year olds, like Hakim's US history series. You'll be pleased at how much ground you can cover and how it fills in gaps of your knowledge so that when something comes up you can just mention it. Do you have to have a graduate level of understanding of surface tension to merely mention it when your child is wonderous about beads of water forming on a waxed car. No, but just saying "oh that's caused by surface tension" introduces the idea to the young grammar aged kid, AND it also tells them there are **names for nearly everything out there**, and explanations for many as well.

 

Books I found particularly helpful were:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Learning-Mathematics-Elementary-Middle-Schools/dp/0130116815/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1229180455&sr=1-1

 

which is a profusely illustrated introduction to mathematical terms, manipulatives (which I knew nothing about), and the progression of topics

 

http://www.amazon.com/English-Grammar-Students-Spanish/dp/0934034362/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1229180542&sr=1-1

 

which concisely introduces grammatical terms, something I knew next to nothing about. There are other languages in this series, but I got this one at Goodwill, so that is what I used.

 

Also, the DK Eyewitness books for more specific topics. I don't have many ideas about science, because my background makes me familiar with just about anything I need for K-4, but I have pre-read the books I have for 1st and 2nd grade.

HTH

[dragons in the flower bed]

I remember so little of the history I learned in school and what I did retain is so fragmented.

 

Your little one won't remember the history you teach now. How much do you remember from age four?

 

My now almost 6yo has vague memories that are all connected to the history playing they did. Sometimes they played Egypt and pretended to float down the Nile. They played Boston Tea Party and dressed up like stereotypical Indians. But he doesn't have a timeline in his head yet, nor can he understand that one of these events happened much more recently in history than the other. We're reading through a chronological overview of world history together this year.

 

So, if you must do history, do it by play. Get some Playmobil, perhaps, and pretend to be medieval knights, ancient Egyptian slaves, or American pioneers. Just play. You can interject information in the same way you would if you were five years old: "Let's make a rule for our game that pioneers can't have anything electronic, because they didn't back then."

 

And yes, if we start Latin we would probably use Song School Latin or something similar that is a very fun, gentle introduction. I would like to keep Latin oral for the first year. Now I just need to decide if I should delay it a year....!

 

Now, that's the one thing I wouldn't change. The sooner you start a language, the better. Keep it oral and playful, maybe a word of the day format, but certainly do expose your child to languages now. There's a window of opportunity for developing a proper accent and grammatical intuition, and I'm pretty sure it starts at birth and ends around age eight.