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kristinannie
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| Posted: Jan 19 2013 at 5:24pm | IP Logged
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We have morning basket time daily. This is when we do most of our reading aloud: picture books, history, fairy tales, nature study books, poetry, hymn study, memorization, etc. However, since we do this in the living room (cuddling on the couch), it isn't really as conducive to some of the other CM things that I really want to do more often (i.e. picture study, composer study, handiwork, drawing, etc).
I just saw this blog post and I thought it was a great idea. We usually school 4 days a week (because inevitably something comes up on one of the days) so I am not sure how this would work. I am not getting things in during a normal week though. I almost always do picture study because we love it so much, but the others seem to fall by the wayside. We do a lot of nature study outdoors.
So...I would love to hear your thoughts!
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Dominic Michael 4.5
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Mackfam
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| Posted: Jan 19 2013 at 7:30pm | IP Logged
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Name the things you feel like you're missing --
Composer study?
Handwork?
Drawing?
Picture study?
How about nature journal time?
What else?
I have two recommendations (after you make a list of the things you really feel like you're missing in a day). Scheduling, or deciding where in the day these activities take place is half the battle. Even if I have an intuitive, natural place in the day for these things, if I don't make things as easy, straightforward, and intuitive as possible for myself then we just miss these great activities!
1) Research each activity - what kind of tools can you gather (not necessarily purchase) that would facilitate getting that done once/week. So maybe for drawing, you could pull a sketch book off your shelf that you have, or even find a good free resource online and print and bind it...then gather some sketch paper and get together sketch pencils. In other words, think through all the tools you'll need for each activity and gather them ahead of time. This helps me immensely!!
I keep all the needed tools for a particular study assembled in a basket, and if it's a paper resource, I print and bind ahead of time (usually at the beginning of a term).
For composer study, I usually build a term playlist on itunes along with finding a simple, brief bio on our composer. It's really helpful to build the playlist at the beginning of a term - it means that days are streamlined because I've already put in the investment of time to gather tools.
2) Consider a tea-time after lunch that you peg these activities to. Or if not tea-time...just have a basket with your tools all assembled and after you clear the table after lunch, choose a focus for that day. Only schedule one activity a day - so maybe Monday is Composer study...and you read a little bit about your composer and then you play a few of that composer's pieces during after-lunch chores. Easy-peasy...and done.
The main idea here is that tools are gathered, bound, and intuitive for your family. They're all assembled in a basket, bag or bin and kept near the physical place that you'll use them. Then scheduling is just a matter of thinking of a place in your day that you can peg these activities to. The peg acts as a natural place-holder for you. And you can just pick up whatever the focus for the day is and go.
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Jen Mackintosh
Wife to Rob, mom to dd 19 , ds 16, ds 11, dd 8, and dd 3
Wildflowers and Marbles
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Marcia
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| Posted: Jan 22 2013 at 7:54am | IP Logged
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Thanks for sharing that blog post.
And I like Jen's ideas too.
I make a list at the beginning of the Term for our composer, poet and artist for things to look at/listen to as well.
I try to find a good biography of each of those as well so that we can be reading about them as we listen/look. I tend to pick 4-6 pictures/poems/music compositions so that we are not overwhelmed with one person....but then I have free music/coffee table books for the kids to discover on their own for more of the person.
I guess I hope I'm giving them a little taste of something new and they have the responsibility of adding to their knowledge (you know they have to do the work, not mom...)
Our handiwork seems to get out of hand...LOL I have to cut off the afternoon time. My kids want to just do only handiwork. Between sewing penny doll clothes, making jewlery, woodworking, icon painting....it could easily take over our whole afternoons. These are perfect things for keeping quiet while the little take rest times.
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Marcia
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CrunchyMom
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| Posted: Jan 22 2013 at 8:06am | IP Logged
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I think you are right, Jen, that so much of making these things happen has to do with having the materials organized so that it can be done efficiently. I've never been good at doing art projects, but I recently bought some Home School Art Studio DVDs when they were discounted on the Homeschool Buyers Coop. I got all the supplies on the list that we didn't have on hand, and just having everything together in one box that is needed for all the projects is so helpful in making it happen. The timing is good, too, because with my early pregnancy, it is also a relief to have another engaging individual instructions them virtually rather than having to muster too much energy myself. 
I have been doing our art lessons on Mondays, and in reading Lindafay's article, it occurred to me that I should think about her concept but plan on having all the "extra" stuff that gets lost in the periphery on Monday rather than Friday. As a less type A personality, I tend to start the week with resolve and sort of fizzle out or get swept away in the chaos by Friday.
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Becky Parker
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| Posted: Jan 23 2013 at 7:03am | IP Logged
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Really great thoughts from Jen, Marcia and Lindsay. I'm more of a type A personality Lindsay, but I still fizzle by Friday.
I teach a science lesson to both my son and a friends ds on Fridays. This is to combat the Friday fizzle. If I know my friend's ds is comimg, I'm sure to make sure it gets accomplished.
Over coffee with a couple of friends the other day we decided to get together on Fridays to do nature walks as a group. This is another way I make sure things get done - do them as a group. It also provides that needed social time for the kids.
I would love to do art and music with a group as well. Those are subjects I don't get to as much as I would like.
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Becky
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DominaCaeli
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| Posted: Jan 23 2013 at 5:16pm | IP Logged
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Becky Parker wrote:
| Over coffee with a couple of friends the other day we decided to get together on Fridays to do nature walks as a group. This is another way I make sure things get done - do them as a group. It also provides that needed social time for the kids. |
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This works for me as well--we have a Friday nature study group that pretty much ensures we're getting a weekly "nature study outing" in (apart from daily the backyard play). I then have that afternoon set aside to work on nature notebooks and, while we're at the table all together for a couple hours, to do mapwork and timeline for all the places/people we've studied that week. It's a nice weekly wrap-up, and it makes for an easy but productive Friday--we still get "stuff" done, but it doesn't require a bunch of juggling and brainwork for me.
Another thing that works for those "extra" subjects--our weekly checklist. I have picture study, music study, drawing lesson, nature journal, etc. on our weekly checklist, and we don't move on to the next week of lessons until the boxes are checked. Checking things off is very motivating for me. 
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Celeste
Joyous Lessons
Mommy to six: three boys (8, 4, newborn) and four girls (7, 5, 2, and 1)
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4Real Forums : Planning and Ordering our Days
Topic: How do you do your scheduling?
