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Natalia
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| Posted: July 09 2008 at 9:32pm | IP Logged
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I am looking at our day and trying to decide what subject to start with (I am not counting prayer-we start with prayer and a spiritual reading)Last year we divided our learning in three blocks: block 1 was individual work (usually the core subjects that tend to be more workbookish) the block 2 is what we do as a family (usually geography, history or science) and there is a third block after lunch that is more of read aloud and independent reading and(ideally) fine arts.
I was thinking about switching blocks 1 and 2 around. That is, I would start with the Family learning block and then have the individual work after. That would free me to start lunch since at least three days we have eat right at noon. Do you think this would work or have you found that the core subjects need to be done early in the morning?
And while I am the topic of rhythm and flow of your days, how do you transition from one activity to another? do you signal to the kids when is time to gather for "together time"? what if they haven't finished with their individual work? Last year I found it hard to transition from one block to the next...
Thanks,
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Natalia
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Tina P.
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Hi Natalia:
I'm so entrenched in the habit of having the kids do seatwork just after catechism that I'd never even *thought* of switching blocks of time. Some of my kids get a little bent out of shape if I change long-standing habits on them. Hmmmm...I'd love to hear ideas on this.
As far as transitions, I have trouble with those unless I center the transition time around a meal. Seatwork happens after catechism (which we do together) *until* lunch time. Even with that anchor, some kids drag things out. Sometimes I'll read aloud to them *during* lunch to make that transition solid. I'm going to have to be firm about turning the things that kids dawdle about into homework. I haven't been at all consistent about that.   I become worried that when my husband comes home, I won't have that hold on them to finish what they didn't finish. It's so hard to divide my attention among the six kids who *are* schooling, much less adding my husband to the mix!
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Tina, wife to one and mom to 9 + 3 in heaven
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lapazfarm
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I like to start the day with a read-aloud. Makes us all happy and then the days flow pleasantly from there. Our best days always start that way, and when I forget, or skip it, the days never seem to go as well.
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Molly Smith
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Natalia wrote:
I was thinking about switching blocks 1 and 2 around. That is, I would start with the Family learning block and then have the individual work after. That would free me to start lunch since at least three days we have eat right at noon. Do you think this would work or have you found that the core subjects need to be done early in the morning?
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That's exactly what I'm doing for the first time this year. I want to dedicate some floor time to my 4 and 2 year olds before we start our school day, and I'm hoping it will be a smoother transition, and include the littles more, if we go right into history read-alouds or other "family room"/active/outside work. I have a lunch break built-in from noon to 1, followed by table work for my bigger kids.
I've always thought that the core subjects should be done first--they are more important (supposedly) and should be done while the student is fresh. BUT, it was frustrating to be trying to quiet the house and settle the table work kids while everyone was just revving up! I was pulled so many directions, burnt out by lunch, and it was too easy to blow off the non-core subjects after lunch. So instead of trying to get everyone started on individual work and divided up, we'll pull everyone together for some hands-on, cooperative, maybe even fun (gasp!) learning. After lunch, my younger set will be ready to quiet down a little, so as long as I can get/keep my biggies focused, we should be okay.
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Molly Smith in VA
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Mackfam
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| Posted: July 10 2008 at 6:07am | IP Logged
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We start with read alouds here too - picture book and Catholic Mosaic. Then a family block of learning before the kids break off into individual subjects.
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Jen Mackintosh
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Isa in Michigan
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Due to practical reasons, I have my school-aged sons do most of their independent work in the morning (i.e. violin practice, math, etc...). This works out well since I always have to spend some time with the little ones.
Interestingly enough, I recently had my sons fill out a learning assessment and they indicated that their best learning time is in the afternoon. So I don't think switching things around should be problematic. You can always try it out and change it later.
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Natalia
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Tina P. wrote:
Even with that anchor, some kids drag things out.
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That is my problem. My now 11 yob can take 45 to an hour to do a Singapore Math exercise. It drives me crazy! or he can stare out the window looking for inspiration to do his IEW work...
Tina P. wrote:
I'm going to have to be firm about turning the things that kids dawdle about into homework. I haven't been at all consistent about that.
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I have tried to do this but I always forget. If you find a trick let me know :-)
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missionfamily
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Natalia--Could you plan a Friday afternoon outing that would be contingent upon having finished up work for the week? It would free you up from having to be the enforcer every evening during family time, but would allow for a deadline and a consequence. We go to noon mass on Fridays and dollar menu from McDonald's is the motivating factor around here--if your school work is done, you have completed chores joyfully and you have participated in all family prayer times during the week, you get to choose 2 items (it was going to be one for each of those things, but $2 a piece is the maximum the budget allows for )...if you have done two of those things, you get one item, and if you have not hada great week, you lose the privilege. It's not really formal, with charts or anything, I just use it a reminder throughout the week and then stop after Mass on Fridays. It is a nice motivating factor for young ones though.
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monique
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Molly Smith wrote:
I was pulled so many directions, burnt out by lunch, and it was too easy to blow off the non-core subjects after lunch.
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That is what I usually end up doing. I'm so exhausted by lunch time I just want everyone to go their own ways after lunch. I'm thinking I really need to enforce that daily quiet time. It would be really hard for awhile until they learned I mean business. I worry though if I would want or could pull it back together at 2 or 3 in the afternoon. Of course that would be time for tea so it might work. Thinking out loud here........ 
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AnaB
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This is exactly what I'm thinking about doing this fall. Our days do go so much better when we start with a read aloud.
My loosely knitted plan is to have all the kids eat breakfast at the table and I will do our Bible reading and hymn singing here. Then I clear the table and work with my 4yo for a little while. The rest will work on one chore if it's not done yet or on independent time. Then we will meet together for table time which will include Latin review, poem, dictation (2xs/week) and our history read aloud. Then the the kids can work on the rest of their independent work. In the afternoon, we'll have one more read aloud.
My thought for is that many times I don't get to our table time. I wait for them to finish whatever subject they're supposed to be doing, and then I get busy with other things. I think the kids would be MUCH more motivated to finish their math if that's all that was keeping them from free time or computer time versus my read aloud. I'd also rather make sure our table time gets done before lunch so that I am freed up in the afternoon.
Of course, we have yet to implement this so I don't know how it will work.
But it's my goal!
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JuliaT
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We turned everything on its head this past year and it worked really well for us.
We started with Bible reading, circle and read aloud. This takes an hour and somedays I wish we could just skip it so we can shorten our days but this hour is my favourite of the day. It starts our day off on the right foot. We have our family learning next. Independent and seat work happens after lunch. I didn't know whether this would work or not seeing that the kids are not at their freshest, but it didn't seem to matter. After the independent work, we have an hour of quiet time so I can regroup. Each child goes to a separate room of the house and plays by themselves. This saves my sanity for the rest of the day.
Blessings,
Julia
mom of 3 (9,7,5)
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AnaB
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What Julia said! That's exactly what I'm hoping to do in our home! The part of homeschooling that is dependent on me (and the part I enjoy most) I'd like to make more a priority and address it earlier in the day instead of it just happening by chance if all the conditions are right. I'm hoping, in turn, my kids will be more motivated getting their independent work done because they'll only be cutting into their own free time rather than my time with them.
I'd love to hear more Julia!
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MichelleW
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This year I am making syllabus for each child that has the whole week's work on it. I have one very motivated child who is usually up early and wants to be done with his work asap. The other two have needed more direction from me, often waiting until I get done with someone so they can get directions. That bugs me. It seems to me they should know by now what needs to be done. I am hoping that training them to a syllabus will help with that.
One thing I do to transition that has worked beautifully in the past is to play "Dona Nobis Pacem" from the Lingua Angelica CD. I put it on repeat because it is short, the kids love it and it sets the tone for a quiet orderly transition. Last year we did CGS just before lunch. I used the hymn as a transition from individual work to CGS, we ended CGS with personal meditation, and I used a concierge bell tapped 3x as the signal to finish up, put away CGS materials silently and go wash up for lunch.
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marianne
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We start the day with music practice. They take turns, so when it's not their turn with me for music, they are to working in their spelling books, handwriting and other independent learning activities. In theory, that is. Sometimes I catch them having light saber battles.
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Tina P.
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JuliaT wrote:
We turned everything on its head this past year and it worked really well for us.
We started with Bible reading, circle and read aloud. |
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Ignorant question: what is circle (or circle time)?
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JuliaT
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Circle time can vary with each family. For us it is atime to sing some preschool songs and fingerplays for my youngest, recite poetry, learn some latin songs,etc.
Blessings,
Julia
mom of 3 (9,7,5)
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JeniferS
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JuliaT wrote:
| Circle time can vary with each family. For us it is atime to sing some preschool songs and fingerplays for my youngest, recite poetry, learn some latin songs,etc. |
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Julia, my soon to be kindergartner loved this part of preschool and I don't want her to miss it when we begin homeschooling this year. Do your 7 & 9 year old participate in the songs and finger play?
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JuliaT
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| Posted: July 14 2008 at 8:22am | IP Logged
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Jennifer, yes, my two oldest love singing along. Usually if we are doing a nursery rhyme, they like to act it out. They like the more active songs as well.
Blessings,
Julia
mom of 3(9,7,5)
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SimplyMom
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We do "Calendar time" then history or science.
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Darcee
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mommylori
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We start each day going to mass, then we come home and snack do catachism and then go to copywork adn handwriting. When that is done DH does math and such with them and they go outside and come in for lunch, I then do phonics and readalouds, which are also done at meals.
I have found it so much easier to not set a time for history adn such but pull out the books at lunch and such to read to my children, they are way to young to sit for long periods with out getting squirmy.lol
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4Real Forums : Living Learning
Topic: What do you start you school day with?
