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amyable
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| Posted: Dec 21 2005 at 7:14pm | IP Logged
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An oxymoron? An impossible task? 
Dh has suggested several times to me (when I come to him in exasperation, usually) that our family needs to follow a schedule during the day. He doesn't necessarily mean a minute to minute thing - math from 9-9:20, 10 minutes recess where mom locks herself the bathroom  , phonics at 9:30... but he would like to see something along the lines of a consistent routine: wake up, then chores, then math/phonics, etc until the end of the day.
Ummm, help? I've read MOTH, I've read MROL. I've tried the routines and schedules and every single day we get completely off track - partially life with a very random baby and "homeschool terrorist" toddler, partly my lack of discipline. Typically something will happen with the little ones, then I've lost the big kids who are off playing. Dragging them back into what we should be doing produces bad attitudes - this plays itself out over and over every day.
And mostly, I totally LOVE the more relaxed, unschooling lifestyle. My oldest (8) thrives on that kind of learning - seems to learn no other way, really. When I *do* sit down with math of phonics book in hand, her attention wanders, she fights me - so that we would only get two problems done in the 30 minutes she was given for that subject. Either that or she would continue on all day, never getting to anything else. My 2nd asks me every day what we are doing next, and next, and next. She would LOVE and thrive on a schedule.
Is there a way to schedule unschooling? I need nitty gritty details!  Is there a way to schedule everyone but one child (and the baby...wait, and the toddler, LOL, I guess I could schedule just myself and my 6yo! )
I really feel a schedule is the way to go because the last time he suggested it, it was directly after me praying, "God, I don't know how to run my home, if you have a great suggestion for me, tell dh, I'll do what he says." 
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Amy
mom of 5, ages 6-16, and happy wife of 
The Highly Sensitive Homeschooler
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Kathryn UK
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| Posted: Dec 22 2005 at 3:10am | IP Logged
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Pegs, Amy. Pegs. 
Several years ago, when the CCM list was young Leonie mentioned the way she gave a certain amount of structure to her family's unschooling lifestyle. She talked of certain points in her day being pegs on which she hangs particular activities. It could be as simple as discussing literature with a teen while washing up, or a family read aloud after breakfast. I think many of us - both more structured and less structured types - have since benefited from thinking in terms of pegs in our day. Pegs are far more flexible than a schedule, as you are never behind . Also, thinking in terms of pegs makes it easy to develop the habit of doing particular things at particular points of the day.
Think about where the convenient "pegs" in your day are and what you most want to do regularly. Here are a few ideas to show you how it might work for you:
After breakfast - family prayers and a religion read aloud (saint stories?)
Baby's nap time - structured time with your 6yo, while 8yo occupies toddler (or does her own unstructured thing while toddler occupies herself?)
Lunch time - family read aloud
After lunch - one on one time with your toddler
... and so on. Your structured child would have the reassurance of knowing what would happen at certain points in the day, and your unstructured one wouldn't be oppressed by too much structure.
If Leonie is around, I'm sure she can explain this much better than I did!
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Kathryn
Dh Michael,  Rachel(3/95) Hannah(8/98) Naomi(6/06)  (11/07)
The Bookworm
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ALmom
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| Posted: Dec 22 2005 at 3:57am | IP Logged
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We have an independent work time and a mom discussion time. Scheduling is not my strong point and we are still working on it - but a consistant rising time and meal times/snack times is a good starting point along with some devotional time (mass, morning prayers, saints stories, whatever).
I was inspired by Cays discussion of table time. I think she uses a CHC plan as a short insurance that basics are covered and a certain time each day when dc are working on this. Then the rest of the day can flow as it will. It allows plenty of unschooling with no stress about what is or is not chosen.
The more dc and the wider the ages, the more structure I feel we really need - but not a minute by minute blow by blow, subject by subject time. Just a - rising time, eating time, "independent work" time - which is the more formal school and is very short for youngest and more lengthy for high schoolers and free time.
Having a plan does not mean you cannot diverge from it - just that you make a conscious choice to diverge instead of becoming sidetracked. That is an important distinction. So I will not(or should not answer the phone) during school time - but if dd comes in with a wonderful discovery in science we would choose to learn and enjoy - and then readjust from there. This would be a conscious choice.
Janet
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Willa
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| Posted: Dec 22 2005 at 11:37am | IP Logged
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I have a loose schedule built around "pegs" -- it's been in place for years but the details differ depending on how structured we are being.
1. Get up, do morning routine, work a bit in the kitchen (meal prep and the like), while the kids get up and do their morning jobs (like make beds, dress, etc). They have index cards to remind them; they aren't obligated to use them but if they say "What am I supposed to do?" I tell them to check their cards. When they were younger I had a picture poster with stick figure sketches of their jobs.
2. Table time (I don't know a better word for it though we usually aren't at the table!). We turn our minds to academics. A few years ago I'd start reading aloud to the kids right after breakfast. They had notebooks and colored markers and they'd draw for a while, while I read. More recently, I'd work with the younger kids upstairs, helping them through their subjects, while the older kids worked independently. Then when the younger kids were done with their seatwork, I'd work with the high schoolers. This fall, we've been on sabbatical so our morning time is just math and religion and helping them with their own projects, or playing games with them, or whatever.
3. Lunch time. One year we had a Free Writing time just before lunch; we set the timer for 20 minutes and the kids who couldn't write yet would draw and label their pictures or ask me to label them. This fall we've finished formal academics before lunch time but in past years "school time" often went on until 3 pm or so. But anyway, at noon we take a break, sometimes say the Angelus, and I catch up a bit on the housework, put in laundry etc.
4. Afternoon quiet time. I am usually fried by about 2 pm, and the toddler needs a nap, so I lie down with him and read or pray and the older children watch the special needs 6yo and do quiet things (hopefully!). I often take my bath during this time as well. It's easier now, but when all the kids were little it was difficult to preserve that quiet time and admittedly, some days I got a very short rest indeed. Still, carving out a little "down time" for myself during the day is really helpful.
5. Dinner prep and evening routine. I start prepping dinner fairly early, because of the middle kids' seasonal sports routine (practices usually take place in the evening and so do the older kids' church activities). I also have my Zone cleaning in here. After-dinner routine includes prayer, story time, and a lot of times I end up doing the Kindergartener's phonics and handwriting during the evening because things have slowed down a bit by then.
Anyway, my basic point is that we have established a pretty solid basic schedule-- a morning routine/ study or learning time/ quiet time (or on some days, errand time)/ dinner hour and bedtime routine (or sports/church activities, depending on the season).
The varying details are "pegged" onto this basic structure and depend on what's going on in our lives at present. Some chaos is inevitable and even a good thing (IMO!!) if you have young kids. So I try to focus on the process, the HABIT of the schedule, not on the product-- "SUCCESS" in keeping to the schedule. Whenever I've managed to keep rigorously to a schedule, squelching my kids firmly in the process, I've felt that we've lost something very important. I don't want our home to become an imitation of a school or workplace. But neither do I want our house to be a free-for-all, so an organic-type schedule with Leonie's "peg" idea has been really helpful for me.
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Willa
hsing boys ages 11, 14, almost 18 (+ 4 homeschool grads ages 20 to 27)
Take Up and Read
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Karen E.
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| Posted: Dec 22 2005 at 1:52pm | IP Logged
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My daily routines are very similar to what Willa posted, and with only three kids, our days allow for lots of unstructured time in the afternoon. But, by following a certain amount of routine for chores and the "formal" academics I really want to do with the kids, we get the best of both worlds: we have a schedule that allows us more unscheduled time.
When there's a baby in the house, all bets are off.
Still, trying to stick to some degree of routine can preserve sanity. You just have to be ready to let go of the routine as needed. Sometimes, with babies around, it works well to schedule "what" we want to get done today, rather than "when."
For example, "Today's priority: I want to read this poetry aloud to the kids, and I want us to take a nature walk." I may envision all of that happening in the morning, but then the baby doesn't cooperate, etc. So, I manage to do the poetry reading during the baby's nap, and then the nature walk happens when baby awakes. So, the activity time can be flexible, it's getting it done that I'm more concerned about.
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God bless,
Karen E.
mom to three on earth, and several souls in God's care
Visit my blog, with its shockingly clever title, "Karen Edmisten."
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Willa
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| Posted: Dec 22 2005 at 4:14pm | IP Logged
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Oh, and another detail that occurred to me after I logged off. It can be helpful to have a "Plan B" for days when the baby was awake at night a lot, the toddler needs lots of attention or whatever.
Plan B could be something like a special box of reasonably independent learning activities, or a marathon read-aloud if you just don't want to stop at one chapter, or an art or nature day when you have a bit of extra energy or the kids seem bored and restless; things like that. If you have some alternate ideas for those days that just don't seem to be getting anywhere, then at least you don't feel like NOTHING got done. Some other things I've done -- had a big house-cleaning day where I assign the kids tasks and give them little treats or a video as "payment"; or devote a day just to religious formation.
Planned Chaos, anyone?? It works sometimes!!
Also, about your child who thrives on schedules: I have used picture cards a bit with my 6yo -- they are often used with autistic kids but seem like they would be useful with typical kids as well. You could build the day's schedule along with your 2nd dd so she would have some idea what's on the agenda, perhaps? Here's a couple of sites with printable cards:
Visual Strategies
Do2Learn
Oh dear, I need to go -- the 3yo tried to make one of those ball ornaments fight with another one, and one of them was beaten quite dramatically -- slivers on the floor and an upset preschooler 
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Willa
hsing boys ages 11, 14, almost 18 (+ 4 homeschool grads ages 20 to 27)
Take Up and Read
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Leonie
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| Posted: Dec 22 2005 at 8:19pm | IP Logged
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I love pegs. 
To me, it is following our family's natural rhythms and adding or subtracting things, as our circumstances change.
I tend to look at our day and how it flows ( or not) and where we could make changes - rather then starting afresh with a complete new you-beaut schedule.
I've tried schedules, they are not for me, but pegs and rhythms are.
Oh, and post it pad notes for reading children!
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Leonie in Sydney
Living Without School
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Becky Parker
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| Posted: Dec 23 2005 at 5:54am | IP Logged
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Leonie,
I love your pegs idea!  As a matter of fact, this year I have been trying to find our natural pegs and revolve everything around them. I need to have some afternoon pegs though. Our mornings go pretty smoothly, but after lunch it seems we fall apart. I try to get all the academics done in the morning so that is not a worry, but as soon as we're done with lunch (the last "official peg") I start getting the questions: Can I play on the computer?, Is it my turn to pick a TV show? You said I could do the Nintendo game after lunch.... I hate electronics!  Not really, actually, I think there should be a balance. But I don't like the way they are beginning to consume my kid's free time. I'm thinking if I had some afternoon pegs it would limit the amount of time that they would spend asking, begging, bargaining etc. for more electronic time. I'm thinking of doing an electronics fast after Christmas. We need to do this occasionally in our house. Don't mean to ramble. I really just wanted to say I love the pegs idea!! I'd be open to afternoon peg suggestions though!
Becky
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Leonie
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| Posted: Dec 26 2005 at 6:17pm | IP Logged
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A couple of years ago, our afternoon peg was time with Mum - I usually made sure I set aside an hour for teatime or to play any game that the kids wanted. Kind of broke up our afternon a bit and gave us a focus.
Now our afternoons are very busy . However, on an occasional quiet afternnon I will suggest a read aloud time followed by a movie ( DVD or video). Or challenge everyone to a PS 2 game or a light sabre fight.
Sometimes we all go our own ways, too.
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Leonie in Sydney
Living Without School
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Willa
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| Posted: Dec 27 2005 at 12:13pm | IP Logged
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My afternoon peg is my afternoon rest. Right now I lie down for a few minutes with my toddler to get him to take his nap, so I have read-aloud time with the littlies pegged before that, and exercise and dinner prep is pegged afterwards.
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AMDG
Willa
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4Real Forums : Tea and Conversation
Topic: scheduling the relaxed homeschooler
