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Leonie Forum All-Star
Joined: Jan 28 2005
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Posted: April 14 2005 at 6:14pm | IP Logged
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As many of you know, our family recently moved interstate( again!).
We are in a time of changing pegs and routines and finding our new rhythm.
Would anyone mind sharing their schedules or days with me? I know reading about others and their homeschooling has always been such a help.
Leonie in Sydney
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Cheryl Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 20 2005 Location: Massachusetts
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Posted: April 14 2005 at 9:04pm | IP Logged
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My children are young. My oldest is kindergarten age so I've recently cut down on school time to play outside more. The weather has been beautiful here. Here's what our schedule is like Mon-Thurs:
6:30-9:00 sleep, play, eat breakfast, morning routines
9:00-11:00 schoolwork
11:00-12:00 play outside/rainy day activities
12:00-1:00 lunch
1:00-2:00 walk
2:00-3:00 quiet time in separate rooms
3:00-3:15 snack
3:15-5:00 play outside
5:00-5:30 watch show or play
5:30 dinner
6:00 ??? baths? play?
7:00 pick-up
7:30 read, pray
8:00 bed
On Wednesdays we do a Homeschool Gym & Swim, we're out of the house from 1:00-3:30. On Thursdays we've been having friends over from 11:00-2:00. On Fridays we usually go to the library and/or out to playdates, other homeschool activities, field trips...I want to add a specific time for nature study. I have not been consistent with it. I'm sure I'll be changing this schedule when summer comes....
__________________ Cheryl
Wife to Bob ('97)
Mom to Matthew 13, Joseph 11, Sarah 10, Rachel 6, Hannah almost 4 and Mary 1
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cathhomeschool Board Moderator
Texas Bluebonnets
Joined: Jan 26 2005 Location: Texas
Online Status: Offline Posts: 7303
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Posted: April 15 2005 at 6:38am | IP Logged
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Well, we've been majorly off schedule for the last 3 weeks (doctor's visit, sick littles, decluttering to *hopefully* sell house). Before that we had a rough routine that I'm determined to get back on next week.
In the morning the kids have breakfast and do morning chores in their rooms and kitchen. Around 10am (can't manage to make it earlier, as much as I try) we start "school," covering math (MUS) and drill, catechism/saint study, copywork, grammar or logic, Spanish lesson or reading practice. We never finish this before lunch, but we do what we can. After lunch, the littles have quiet time and the older ones work quietly on art, read-alouds together, picture books, and anything else we didn't finish in the morning. In the afternoons we try to work on FIAR stuff (LA, science, nature study). Often there's not much time left after we finish the "daily things." We usually work until about 5pm. I know that we could do all of this and still be done by 2pm (because our lessons are short), but the kids tend to take many breaks during the day (outside playing with the little ones and climbing trees -- they do their math up in trees, so a 10 minute job takes 1/2 an hour!). They play in the mornings, too, before we "start." They don't really seem to mind this schedule as much as I do. I wish that we'd work more efficiently from about 7:30 on, so that they could have a large block of free-time in the afternoon. They'd rather take free-time throughout the day. I'd like to work-in nature walks again in the afternoons before it gets too hot.
__________________ Janette (4 boys - 22, 21, 15, 14)
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Meredith Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 08 2005 Location: N/A
Online Status: Offline Posts: 2355
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Posted: April 15 2005 at 9:16am | IP Logged
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Leonie, what a great topic starter. I always enjoy hearing how other people schedule their days and we are just about to add number 4 to the mix so my schedule will be a little *off* for a while, gratefully so!!
Our day usually starts around 7:30-8:00 for breakfast and moms computer time, then I really try to start by 8:30. Then it looks like this, keeping the short lesson theory in mind:
8:30: Prayer/Devotions, Bible, Saints RA
8:50: Math
9:30: Reading/drawing/narrations
10:00: Catechism: work on notebooks, prayer books or project based on liturgical calendar
10:30: snack and RA in kitchen
11:00: Handwriting, Spelling, Dictation, Poetry
11:30: Finish morning work and/or play outside
WE usually eat lunch between 12-1 depending on our snack time and if we have outside activities on a particular day, I'll RA after I've eaten and if the kids aren't ready to zip back outside. In the afternoons, we do lots of nature study combined with any science projects, sketching and playing. Also I try to do alot of our revolving activities in the afternoons, lapbooking, FIAR, Science and Historical Literature (if not done in am) Latin, Hands-On Art, Art and Music Appreciation (although we usually have a CD going during the morning of whoever we're studying). Oh, also mom's and littlest nap in the afternoon whilest the olders have independent reading and quiet time.
It seems like there's more, but my *almost ready to give birth* brain can only think of this off the top!
HTH anyone and especially you Leonie, hope you settle into your new digs nicely in time for a beautiful summer and Spring. Blessings +JMJ+
__________________ Meredith
Mom of 4 Sweeties
Sweetness and Light
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tovlo4801 Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 28 2005 Location: Minnesota
Online Status: Offline Posts: 386
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Posted: April 15 2005 at 10:02am | IP Logged
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Our schedule is somewhat flexible, but follows this general pattern:
8:25 listen to gospel and meditation on radio
8:30 MUS/fact mastery (done as two seperate subjects)
9:30 language arts(cpywrk/dictation/grmmr/spllng/wrting)
10:30 history/science/religion
11:00 reading practice with 5 yo
11:30 practice piano/speech
12:00 lunch
1:00 read-a-louds, rotating subjects, independent wrk
3:00 free-time!
We do this schedule M-Th. We have a local HS co-op we go to every other Friday morning. Friday after co-op is usually reserved for getting together with friends. The opposite Fridays we use for errands, field trips, or just days off. Every Friday morning we attend daily mass. Our mornings are pretty solid schedule-wise, but our afternoons have not been stellar as far as sticking to a schedule. Thursday we have 90 minutes of drive time to and from a speech therapist so we do books on tape for that car ride. The other afternoons I try to do more reading aloud or listening to books on tape while I do my data entry work. I try to plan sometime to play math games with my oldest, watch movies together, go for nature walks, plant gardens, etc.
Right now I'm not doing much with my 5 yo ds except taking about 15-20 minutes to work on reading with him. He also sits with us during copywork time and works on writing letters or short words. Next year I'm planning on adding FIAR and a math program for him and I'm not sure how I'm going to work that in. I know I'll figure it out though. I spend a lot of my morning time with my older ds waiting for him to finish work. If I take that time and work with younger ds instead of typing e-mails on the computer , I bet I'll have tons of time for little one. I'm going to be watching to see how others schedule their day too. Especially how you guys all manage multiple children.
God Bless,
Richelle
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Willa Forum All-Star
Joined: Jan 28 2005 Location: California
Online Status: Offline Posts: 3881
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Posted: April 15 2005 at 6:40pm | IP Logged
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Our schedule got somewhat lighter after Christmas break, partly because the younger ones had met most of their goals for the year and partly because I was getting burned out.
This is how I've been doing it recently:
8 am, prepare breakfast and straighten/supervise chores.
9am, start working with the 9yo and 12yo. I usually alternate between them, working with one while the other does independent tasks, but recently the 12yo has become significantly more independent which makes this morning time less intense.
11:30 am, I have a conference with the 16yo and read aloud to him from Scripture.
about 1 pm, we gather to say the Angelus and a couple of other prayers. Then I make sure my 12yo is done for the day and see if my 18yo and 15yo need any help (usually not). Sometimes a therapist for my 5yo is here and once a week we go to the library. On Fridays we have a homeschool Stations of the Cross meeting.
2 pm I rest with the toddler, while someone takes the 5yo outside (if it's not Wednesday or Friday). Twice a week the kids have computer game time.
4 pm I start dinner and getting the house in order (the kids have chores but I do the non-regular stuff like zone cleaning).
5pm we eat, which gives us plenty of time to do mealtime chores and then have some time as a family.
8pm or thereabouts, we have been having family prayer and then I say a Rosary with my oldest while we get the littlies to sleep, and my husband and the other kids watch a Netflix movie together (about 3-4 times a week)
That's what our lives look like now, except that baseball season for two boys is going to liven up our early evenings quite a bit!
__________________ AMDG
Willa
hsing boys ages 11, 14, almost 18 (+ 4 homeschool grads ages 20 to 27)
Take Up and Read
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Leonie Forum All-Star
Joined: Jan 28 2005
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Posted: April 15 2005 at 7:35pm | IP Logged
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Hey, everyone , thank you for sharing. It is interesting to see how we all approach our days. Helpful for me during this transition time.
Leonie in Sydney
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Jeanne Forum Rookie
Joined: Feb 20 2005
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Posted: April 15 2005 at 11:30pm | IP Logged
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I threw my schedule out a few weeks ago. Somehow I got tangled up in getting things(pages completed) instead of learning. We continue to go to 8 am daily mass and then get together with another homeschooling family till noon. Right now we are learning about Pope John Paul II. We are incorporating most of our subjects into this.
After lunch we complete math, read, and piano, violin, guitar practice. Then comes the chores.
I know this was inspired by the Holy Spirit! My children are happier and are engrossed in learning. I am so much more relaxed and enjoying learning again also.
Blessings to all!
__________________ Jeanne
mom to 9 (21,19,17,15,12,10,6,4,8 months
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
P hi li ppians 4:13
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Faith Forum Rookie
Joined: Feb 15 2005 Location: Virginia
Online Status: Offline Posts: 32
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Posted: April 16 2005 at 6:41am | IP Logged
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We have really been going at 1/4 speed these last four weeks. Easter, a tummy flu making the rounds, my dh traveling a lot, remodeling our home and the Pope dying all contributed to a major derailment in terms of followng schedules. Plus we had just finished a science fair back in March which had us working really intensively and we were all a bit burned out after it.
How things are supposed to go:
6:45 wake 6 and 10 yo and get them ready for school (they go to a Catholic school this year).
7:30 wake other kids and take 6 and 10 yo to school
8:45 return home, nag older children to get started!
At this point 12 and 14 yos are working on independent stuff like homework for Latin class (14 yo), math, assigned reading, religion reading and writing. I am with 3 yo doing housework, playing, running errands, reading to her, making phone calls, dealing with the workmen, etc. On Tuesdsys she goes to her Atrium program and on Fridays to a little ballet class.
At Lunch I have been trying to read The Hidden Power of Kindness.
After lunch 3 yo watches Dora the Explorer or other kid videos while I work with olders on spelling and grammar. We are also working our way through The Fallacy Detective, reading a book on WWII, watching a Teaching Co. class on WWII, and listening to an audio version of The Tempest while reading along.
2:30 I go and pick up 6 and 10 yo.
3:30 or so return home. Everybody has free time except poor 10 yo who must do his homework from school. This is the roughest time of the day for me.
On Mondays 14 yo has Latin class at 2:00
On Tuesdays from 10 -12 the math tutor comes.
On Thursdays at 9:00 12 and 14 yo go to Legion of Mary.
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Kathryn UK Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 27 2005 Location: England
Online Status: Offline Posts: 924
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Posted: April 16 2005 at 8:59am | IP Logged
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I start the year with a planned schedule, which I experiment with and deviate from until it evolves into a comfortable routine. After a time the routine slips, so I start again with a revised schedule - which is where I am now, test-driving my new post-Easter schedule. I think our new routine is going to look something like this:
7.00-8.00 - get up, dressed, tidy rooms, kids play or have computer time, quiet (ish!) time for me
8.00 - breakfast, piano practice for 10yo
8.45 - prayers
9.00-10.30 - lessons
10.30-12.30 - free time
12.30 - lunch
1.00-1.30 - independent reading
1.30-3.00 (four days a week) - lessons
3.00-4.00 - free time
4.00-6.00 - After-school activities (tennis, swimming, dance classes, music lesson etc.)
10yo dd has trumpet practice to fit in, which she is mostly choosing to do after dinner
On alternate Thursdays we go to a homeschool group. We also go on homeschoolers field trips a couple of times a month. We do the more literary subjects in the morning - history, literature, religion and language arts - and much of our morning session I spend reading aloud. In the afternoon we do maths, science, foreign languages, geography and art. From next week we are going to be spending Tuesday afternoon doing science and Latin with another homeschooling family. 10yo dd has just started Saturday morning music school (3 hours of singing, band, orchestra etc.)
__________________ Kathryn
Dh Michael, Rachel(3/95) Hannah(8/98) Naomi(6/06) (11/07)
The Bookworm
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tovlo4801 Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 28 2005 Location: Minnesota
Online Status: Offline Posts: 386
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Posted: April 16 2005 at 9:45am | IP Logged
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Kathryn UK wrote:
I start the year with a planned schedule, which I experiment with and deviate from until it evolves into a comfortable routine. After a time the routine slips, so I start again with a revised schedule - which is where I am now, test-driving my new post-Easter schedule. I |
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This is what I've been doing since I started homeschooling two years ago. I thought I was tinkering until I found the perfect schedule. Perhaps my perfect schedule is an ever evolving one?
Thanks for sharing this. Maybe I'll just relax into knowing that I'll always be switching things around.
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~Rachel~ Forum All-Star
Joined: March 29 2005 Location: Virginia
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Posted: April 21 2005 at 10:54am | IP Logged
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tovlo4801 wrote:
Kathryn UK wrote:
I start the year with a planned schedule, which I experiment with and deviate from until it evolves into a comfortable routine. After a time the routine slips, so I start again with a revised schedule - which is where I am now, test-driving my new post-Easter schedule. I |
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This is what I've been doing since I started homeschooling two years ago. I thought I was tinkering until I found the perfect schedule. Perhaps my perfect schedule is an ever evolving one?
Thanks for sharing this. Maybe I'll just relax into knowing that I'll always be switching things around.
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Isn't this why the schools have semesters? So things can be changed .
I know in England, a lot of the timetables would end up revised each term with subjects being swapped and such. Maybe that's why ... or that's the way I view it
__________________ ~Rachel~
Wife to William
Mum to James 13, Lenore 8
Lighting a Fire
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Leonie Forum All-Star
Joined: Jan 28 2005
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Posted: April 21 2005 at 6:58pm | IP Logged
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And the ability to change as needed is part of the beauty and flexibility of home education, isn't it?
Thanks Kathryn!
Leonie in Sydney
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