Making Time for It All

The Bad News: Homeschooling takes time ~ lots of time.

The Good News: You have time ~ lots of time.
{If you homeschool from kindergarten through senior year, then you have 13 years worth of time.  During that time you will learn lots of lessons and complete many classes.}

So why are you trying to fit it all into one year?

In one week? 

In one day?

The Better News: Not every class or subject must be taught every day of every year.

How can you fit it all in?

First determine your essential classes.  What classes do your children need?  The bulk hours of homeschooling are filled with these essentials.  Only have time for a few classes one day?  Essential classes are the ones you will most likely complete.  Math and Language Arts are usually found on most need lists.

Next, brainstorm with your children about elective classes.  Which ones would they like to take?  What skills do you want to share with your children?  What opportunities are in your area?  Fill these classes into your schedule on a weekly or monthly time period.  Art, Music, and Poetry may be in this category.

Finally, the fun extras happen occasionally.  You can't always go on field trips every day.  However, you can go every once in awhile, and maybe even once a week, depending on your homeschool choices.  Decide what items, events, or extras your family wants to include over the course of your homeschool year, and make time for them.

 

The Best News: With a little planning, you can fit what your family needs and wants into your homeschooling days.

Summer School

"What?  School over the summer?"  Perhaps this is your child's response.  Maybe it is even your response.  I understand.  It is exactly what my children and I said the first time we pondered schooling over the summer months. 

Our summer vacation is a time of rest from the hectic school year, and we envisioned summer school as enslavement to a hectic school schedule.  But, schooling over the summer doesn't have to be like that.  It can be fun, low-key, relaxing, and quite beneficial.

Though we do not do school year round, for the past five years we have done school over the summer.  Some summers we work through a unit study about a particular country or time in history.  Other summers, we do minimal work strictly to maintain the children's abilities in math and language arts.  One time, we tried a different approach to homeschooling.  And, during one summer break, we did some remedial work.  

Summer school may not be the choice for all families.  If you hold near and dear to your summer break, then schooling through the summer may not be an option for you.  However, there are some good reasons to consider using those warm vacation months for school. 

Reasons to consider schooling over the summer months:

• Your child needs tutoring in a specific subject.  The summer months can be a great time for concentrated tutoring in one subject while not teaching other subjects. 
• You want your child to retain a working knowledge of what they learned during the school year.  (i.e.  you don't want their brains to go to mush while they soak in the sun rays and play in the pool)  If this is your motivation for summer school, then about half hour or so of math and reading a few days a week are probably enough to maintain the learning over summer vacation. 
• You want to maintain some type of organized schedule or organization to your week days.  Schooling throughout the summer months will help you stay organized and in your school routine.
• You want to finish the curriculum, or books, you started during the school year.
• You want to do some special activities or projects, that you weren't able to squeeze into the past school year.
• You want to experiment with a new teaching or learning style.  The summer months can be a great time to explore different homeschooling methods and approaches.
• You want to teach one or two subjects over the summer instead of during the school year.  This can work well for subjects like typing, art, music, and creative writing.

 

  

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Dorie enjoys being outside, photography, art, writing, a strong cup of coffee, and good conversations seasoned with much laughter. She and her drummer husband, Jerry, share a life built on faith in Jesus, love, and grace. They have been blessed with four active children. Each day, whether easy or trying, is a wondrous part of this grace filled journey, and Dorie blogs about them all at These Grace Filled Days. Their homeschooling adventures can be found at Homeschooling Just Next Door.

Beating the Homeschool Blues.....

Around here the weather has been lovely. Warm and sunny and completely un-March like.

It's been tough to concentrate on school when the girls want to be outside on the playground, and I want to be planting my garden, or getting rid of the cobwebs on the patio furniture, or finally cleaning my windows. Okay, that last one - not so much.

But you get the picture! It's so hard to concentrate on school when we {kids included!} are ready to be DONE.

Here are some fun ideas: 

* Call a local homeschool friend. See if you can get together and do a day of school together.

* Take a day off. In the grand scheme of things, is it really so bad to take one day off? Nope. It really isn't!!

* If you absolutely can not take an entire day off, take a half day. Please. It's worth it, I promise. 

* Do school outside! It's so lovely to be out in the fresh air and warm breezes! Tale a nature walk, study the clouds, race down the street...the possibilities are endless!

* Take an ice cream break. Talk about how ice cream is made and then visit your local ice cream parlor.

* Visit a gardening center and talk about the difference kinds of plants, trees, bushes...even fountains and fish. Generally you can find a helpful employee would will be happy to impart their knowledge.

* Hit the zoo, the art museum, the children's museum, the aquarium....you get the picture. Try to visit them now before the summer crowds arrive. Also, many schools schedule field trips towards the end of the school year. Beat the rush!

There are so many ways that you can have fun with school - and remember, one of the best things about homeschooling is that it can be flexible!

What can you have fun learning about today? 

Aurie Good is a pastor's wife, a "retired" youth minister, and probably the most relaxed mom that you'll ever meet!  She blogs at Our Good Life with quips about life as a stay at home mom to two girly toddlers, two wild & crazy dogs, and one cranky cat.  She is married to her best friend and consider the simple life that they've created absolute bliss!  They are currently fostering a lively two year old little girl who keeps them on their toes!

Just a Regular Day....

This week we are talking about a day in the life of our homeschool.

I have to admit that since we were just on vacation we aren't quite back into our routine.  And by not quite...I mean that we are totally off.

Here's a basic outline of a typical day:

6:30am - I am up, quiet time, online time, shower & dressed.

7:30am - Sophie is up and dressed. She comes downstairs, plays and has her video time {which at the moment is either Itty Bitty Heartbeats; Thomas the Train or Curious George.}

8:30am - Bella wakes up and get dressed. She comes down and has breakfast. Sophie eats with her.

9:00am - Ken leaves for work.  Sophie and I start school.  We read a Bible story and talk about Jesus.  Then we work on writing her name. We do a craft, generally one that has her cutting, pasting and coloring.

9:30am - Bella is tired of entertaining herself and comes in to color or finger paint.

9:45am - Daddy comes home and I head out to the office.  Daddy finishes up with Sophie working on shapes {this week we made houses out of squares, triangles and rectangles.}

10:30am  - Playtime for the girls and Daddy does some work.

11:30am - Lunch time.

12:00pm - Naptime for Bella, quiet time for Sophie.

2:00pm - I'm home and Daddy heads back to the office.

3:00pm - Girls are up and have a snack.

3:15pm - Bella plays. Sophie and I do coloring/writing/painting and reading together.

4:00pm - Dinner prep. Sophie helps in the kitchen.

4:30pm  - Dinner.

5:00pm - clean up, playtime, bath time, story time.

6:30pm - Bedtime.

The rest of the evening is spent chatting with my hubby, blogging a bit and preparing for the next day!  How do you end your day?

Aurie Good is a pastor's wife, a "retired" youth minister, and probably the most relaxed mom that you'll ever meet!  She blogs at Our Good Life with quips about life as a stay at home mom to two girly toddlers, two wild & crazy dogs, and one cranky cat.  She is married to her best friend and consider the simple life that they've created absolute bliss!  They are currently embarking on a new path of fostering to adopt medically fragile infants and are thrilled to see where God leads them!

In Our School - Today

Welcome to a day with our house! Each day is different, but I wanted you to see what many of our days our like. We front-load our weeks, so we are busiest Monday - Wednesday. Thursdays have no afternoon activities and Fridays are our lightest academically as well as having no activities scheduled. This is what happened at our house on Monday:

6:00 am - I'm up (I'm a morning person - big time - so don't think this as necessary for homeschooling!) and workout. I often run with a friend or go to the gym, but I tried a workout video today. After I shower and dress, I read a few blogs. My Farmer and I have a cup of coffee together and watch the news.

7:00 to 7:15 am - My Farmer tells the children goodbye (and wakes them if they aren't already up) and heads out the door. Depending on the morning and the child, they may come out of their rooms already dressed and ready to go or they may shuffle out and lay on the couch, snoozing for a while longer. I make breakfast and visit with anyone who is awake enough.

7:30 am - We start school with breakfast; I don't have a dress code so anyone who is still in their pajamas is welcome. We usually begin our day with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance. I read to the kids from our current historical novel while they eat. When they are finished, they clear their dishes and color, work in their journal or they may move to the floor to work on legos, pet the dog or find another quiet activity while they listen.

8:30 to 9:00 am - We are finished with our group work by now (finding places on the maps we have been reading about, discussing the period in history, culture of people or new vocabulary in the history books). Everyone takes a break to do some chores - there are animals to feed, beds to be made, and sometimes there are still children who need to get dressed!

9:30 to 11:00 - Individual work becomes our focus. We do not keep a set schedule for this part (or any part, really) of our day. My oldest (ten, doing mostly fifth grade work) requires very little help or instruction and often moves to the living room to work. My second son (eight, doing primarily third grade work) works more on his own this year then he ever has before, but he is also very dyslexic and does prefer that I be nearby and available, so he typically works at the kitchen table. My daughter (six, working on first grade materials) does short assignments which all require explanation beforehand, so she also works at the table. Each child will have reading, math, handwriting and language arts.

At any time during this block of work, any child may change subjects or take a break to work on his/her list of other jobs. These include feeding/watering our pets and livestock, picking up their rooms, folding and putting away their own laundry as well as tasks I assign each day on an as-needed basis (today my oldest took the trash and recycling bin to the road, my middle cleaned the toilets and my youngest dusted). Often they stop for a snack or drink, or to watch something out the window. Generally it is a quiet, focused time. The younger the child, the more often breaks are needed and the more frequently their breaks include just playing for a bit. I try to let them self-regulate and typically it works well.

11:00 - Pick up and put away school work, lunch goes on the table. This is usually something I've made quickly (like sandwiches) or something I reheated from a previous meal. If I'm really on the ball, it's a hot meal I prepped the night before and just had to pop in the oven. Today it was just sandwiches, apples, and nuts. I had a salad. We usually like to read while we have meals, which can make it a challenge for me to eat with good manners, but usually I eat about half my lunch, read while the kids finish off their lunch, then finish mine while they are brushing their hair/teeth and putting on their shoes/coats.

11:45 - leave for band. We drive about five miles into the little town whose public school district we are in. My oldest is enrolled for band and plays the coronet. He loves it. The class is only thirty minutes, so I usually bring another book to read to the younger kids while we wait, or if it's nice we go to a park. Sometimes we run to the Post Office or wash the van.

However, even though my calendar TOLD me it was Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and even though I had a lesson on MLK, and even though I'd checked the night before and KNEW there was no band (public school not in session) - yep, I still took my kid. Thankfully I figured out before I left him there that the school was empty (the lack of bikes in the rack tipped me off). So we ran to the grocery store and Shooter just came with us.

12:35 pm - band is finished (or we finished at the store), we drive to Tae Kwan Do lessons. I drop off my oldest (who has been learning TKD for two years now) and youngest (who was given TKD lessons for Christmas this year) about quarter to one. My middle son and I arrive for his phonics tutoring (we began this after his dyslexia was diagnosed in the spring) at 1:00.

2:00 pm - Phonics tutoring is finished, pick up TKD kids, head home. My children like to read or draw while we drive. We also listen to music a lot. I play Geography Songs, Sing The Word, and math fact songs...but they prefer classic country.

2:30 to 5:30 pm - Free time! This is when the kids wrap up any chores or school work they did not have time to finish before we left home. Typically there is a chore or two left to be done, but for the most part they just play. If the weather is nice (above 40 degrees) they want to be outside. Otherwise they build Lego, play with action figures, draw or paint and read library books. Today the weather was nice, so the kids played outside. The kids also have a favorite PBS show that comes on at 4:00 each day. This is when I finish up *my* chores for the day and get as much done at my desk as I can (I do the bookwork and record keeping for our farm). I also check Facebook and email. Today I went through mail, paid bills, worked on a spreadsheet and checked Facebook. I folded and put away laundry and did some decluttering. Then I started dinner. I made roasted vegetables, baked pork chops and scratch biscuits.

6:30 - Supper time! This all depends on when or if My Farmer is going to make it home for the evening meal. If not, we may be delivering it to the field for him. He opted to wait until he got home today. So I let the children stay outside until they came in of their own choice & then served the food. Usually in the winter we eat earlier, but when we have a nice day I want the kids to enjoy every drop of sunshine they can!

7:30 to 8:30 pm - Time to get ready for bed! Everyone changes into their pajamas, has a bedtime story and maybe a snack. I let my oldest son read until 9:00 or so. I finish the dishes, get lunches ready for the next day, lay out all our school materials for morning and set the coffee pot. Then I headed back to my desk and visited with My Farmer when he came home at 10:15 pm. We headed to bed just after 11:00 pm.

A few things to keep in mind when you read this:

First of all, my children are all finished with the toddler stages. I can accomplish a lot with the hours in my day because their needs and independence level has changed. Secondly, we couldn't keep this tight a schedule every day, but a few days a week is fine for us. Third, I don't need a lot of sleep. Fourth, we have been homeschooling now for three years, so we have had some practice! We have figured out what times of day are most productive in which way for each of us. This took some ironing out! This also means we've had quite some time to work into this routine and we are very comfortable with and good at it. The day I've described here looks nothing like our first nine weeks of homeschooling in the spring of 2008 - because we have all grown and changed since then.

Find the ways that are best for your family - the ways that keep most of the people happy and learning most of the time. Wise homeschooling families (several right here on GYH!) have written about the changing, growing, living nature of a homeschool - it is always going to look different from one family to another and from one month/year to the next in your own family.

I know this is long - thanks if you made it all the way to the end!

A Day in the Life--Ralene

January is the month where we all give in and say we'll make some changes, tweak a few things, and make our lives just a little easier/better/smoother. Sometimes, though, we feel that the solutions to our problems are just beyond our reach. What better to renew our creative ducts than to see how other people do it. If you are one of those people who know that you need to get on top of your schedule this year, GYHS is ready to share! For the next two weeks, GYHS contributers will give you a glimpse into our day, show you how we do it (though we're far from perfect ourselves).

This is my crew. My husband, a military soldier who has been gone quiet a bit, but thankfully has been home for a year! Alana is 5 and Kyra is 4 (both in Kindergarten this year), and Connor is 18 months.


Ralene's Ideal Day vs Ralene's Real Day:

6:30--My alarm went off too early this morning. Let me tell ya, my new year's resolution to wake up at 6:30 every morning may not work. For now, this is the time I wake up, have my quiet time and start to check emails/blogs. Most mornings it works pretty well--if I get up. Otherwise...

7:00--Kid are up and we're having breakfast. They may watch a couple of cartoons while I finish with my emails/blogs.

8:00--Morning Routine/Chores--The kids march upstairs to make their beds, brush their teeth, get dressed, and then move to their morning chores. The girls alternate chores like dusting, picking up toys, vacuuming (some), taking out the bathroom trash, putting away clothes. As they finish, they run off to play before school starts.

9:30--School time. We tend to run our school like this: Subject, 10-15 min break, Subject, 10-15 min break. We start with Group/Bible time where we sing, read from the Bible, go over our verse of the week, talk about the calendar (20 mins). Next we move on to Math (w/ Math-U-See) for about 15-20 mins. Then we split up for Phonics. My son doesn't do well when I try to have both of the girls working at the same time, so usually one will play with him while I work with the other, and then we switch. Last of all, we spend about 15-20 mins working on a unit study. During the breaks, I usually try to do a little cleaning.

12:00--Lunch

12:40(ish)--Reading time (this is when we read from a chapter book, right now we're enjoying the Little House series--talk about flashbacks!)

1:00--Rest Time (the girls are allowed to either watch a movie or read books), My office hours (1-3)

2:00--The girls are allowed to get up and engage in a quiet activity like drawing, or else go outside on nice days.

3:00--Snack time

3:30--I shoo the kids away so that I can workout while I watch one of my shows.

4:30--Cleaning

5:00--Dinner Prep, Cleaning

5:45--Dinner

6:30--Cleaning. Baths

7:00--Hubby takes over with kids and my evening office hours begin

7:30--Kids Bedtime Routine: pick up toys, brush teeth, bedtime stories

8:00--Kids in bed

10:00--My office hours end, I unwind with a tv show or a good book

11:00--Lights out!

The One Room School House Approach

In the very beginning of our homeschooling journey, I had one incredibly bright little boy who loved to read.  We breezed through his lessons covering every subject, every day.  The next year, I had two sweet children to teach.  Our days still progressed easily as I 'ping-ponged' between the two.  Fast forward a few years, and, now, this year, there are four. 

Ranging in age from a preschooler to a seventh grader, I knew I needed a more structured routine for our days.  We had tried adapting other homeschoolers schedules to our days, but it never worked as well for us. 

Last summer, I decided to look outside of the typical homeschooling mainstream ideas.  I began to ask just who else has been successful at teaching children with large age and academic differences. 

That's when inspiration was found.  Well, technically I saw and bought the book in a gift shop at an amusement park.  It was a book that documented one room school houses.

Reading through the experiences of the teachers and students, I found a plethora of information on how the classes were taught.  There was even a few sample schedules to view. 

It was a gold mine!

After each chapter, I wrote down a few notes on what I could use or alter to fit our family situation and homeschooling style.  By the end of the book, I had devised a lose plan of action for our days.


Our Plan:
start the day as a group with Bible reading and prayer
work on the harder subjects first (for us: math, reading, grammar)
start individual instruction with the youngest first while the others do independent work
proceed through the ages, instructing the oldest last
have a mid-morning break (outdoor play, snack away from the school work)
begin the next section of classes as a group (we do history and aesthetics together)
work on the other subjects (for us: Bible, spelling, logic, Latin)
again, use the youngest to oldest approach
break for lunch
afternoon session of classes for nature walks, science observations, extra projects, co-op homework, etc


That first morning in August, as we began a new school year, we started using our new routine.  Though I have tweaked it over the ensuing months, it has served us well, and we will continue using it for as long as it works for us.

Schedules, Planning, and Managing Our Time

Welcome to our Homeschool Holiday Open House! 

This week, we are opening up a little bit more
about the details of our individual homeschools. 
We'll talk about how we organize our homes, manage our days,
tackle technology, and still find time for ourselves!
No, we certainly aren't superwomen,
but are simply sharing what works,
or doesn't work, for us in our homeschools. 
We hope you find encouragement in these posts,
and invite you to join the discussions

and enter the giveaways. 

When homeschool moms get together, several topics always surface.  One I've asked and been asked often is 'how do you plan your time to include all the tasks of life plus homeschool?'  Sometimes this question is worded slightly differently, but the intent remains.  Most people want to know how homeschoolers plan their days.

When asked, Aurie, Jessica, and Tracy responded with
planning techniques and schedules that work for them.

Aurie:

"I use a schedule that has some flexibility, but for the most part stays the same.  The girls get up, are dressed, have breakfast and play by 9am. {while they are playing I get the breakfast dishes washed and do any lunch or dinner prep}  Sophie starts school at 9am, with Bella still playing in the other room.  We break for snack time at 10:00am, and then Bella comes in to color while we finish up.  Lunch is at 11:30am, and the girls are down for naps/quiet time from 12:00-3:00pm.  Since Sophie is preschool, we don't generally do school in the afternoons.  We'll work on some crafts, some fine motor skills, or go outside and run around.

What really makes this schedule work is me getting up an hour before the girls do in the morning.  I have my quiet time, jump online to check email, blog posts & twitter and then get ready to start my day while the girls are still asleep.  This change has really helped to keep me on track!"

Jessica:

"I do my scheduling in small, adjustable blocks.  Our school year is 36 weeks long, usually beginning in early August and ending in late April.  (State requirements would come into play for homeschooling families here; my state requires a similar number of days and the same required subjects as public school.)

Next, I plan a month at a time.  Each month offers an opportunity for me to tweak the scheduled extracurriculars my children participate in.  My oldest son is in band at the public school, which has an already set schedule, but most of the other lessons and sports are scheduled on a monthly basis.

Each Sunday, I catch up on bookwork for our Farm and plan for the week ahead.  I have a school binder where I keep all our plans and papers for the week.  Each child has a section of the folder where I keep their work yet to be done, and a pocket where I keep their finished papers.  I check off items in the lessons plans as we complete them.  At the end of the week, I remove all the papers and file them (I also keep an item or two that is an example of their best work separate, which we then display at our end-of-the-school-year party) and place next week lesson plans into the binder.  I front-load our week, with most of our activities and heavy academic work Monday through Thursday.  This way, Friday is a short academic day with more time for whatever we need that week (catching up around the house, meeting friends, going on a field trip, decorating for Christmas).

Each evening, I set out all the assignments and materials for the next day at their places.  I also set out my own supplies, the read aloud books we are working from, maps and tools.  I like to set out craft items or coloring supplies as well, if we are going to have a lot of 'listening only' activities the next day.  I also like to set up a CD to play the geography songs, memory verse songs or math facts songs we work on.

I also use the evenings to look ahead at what activities are the next day, and pack the items we need to take along with us.  I also think about (and if I have time, prep ahead a bit) what we are eating the next day.

The most important part of my planning is flexibility.  If we are behind on an assignment, or something comes up, or someone is feeling poorly, or a friend needs our help, we can adjust what we are doing.  School can start earlier and end later (in a day or in the year!), we may push some work back to the end of the week, or we may work ahead if we know things will be busy the next day.  Having a general outline and being able to change it each day is one of the greatest benefits of homeschooling for my family."

Tracy:

"We typically have a very structured homeschool day.  I plan exactly what we will do, and because my children are small, I allow for about 15 minutes per activity.  We use hanging file pockets to organize the activities.  Each pocket will include the worksheet, reading book, or other activity, along with all of the necessary tools to accomplish the task (scissors, crayons, pencil, etc.) I set a timer, and we work our way through the pockets one at a time. Sticking with a strict schedule has taught the kids to work hard even on tasks they don't prefer, because they realize it's only a short amount of time before the next activity.

However, I have had to organize differently this year since becoming pregnant.  For instance, I have become very flexible with our start time, often starting our school day close to 10 or 10:30.  And when I do have a rough day, we work only through the essentials and skip our opening pledge and calendar activities.  It's really forced me to evaluate what my priorities are for each day, what must get done, and what can wait for another day.  It truly is amazing how flexible you can be, even with a structured school schedule!"

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Every homeschool operates on a slightly different schedule or routine.
We'd love to hear how you organize your days to teach your children,
clean your home, cook meals, and visit with your neighbor?
{By commenting, you will automatically be entered in today's giveaway.}

Today's giveaway:

Educating the WholeHearted Child

by Clay Clarkson with Sally Clarkson

~courtesy Aurie~

This giveaway is open to all residents of the USA
and ends Saturday, December 31 at 11:59 PM  EST,

To enter, simply leave a comment on this post.

Winner will be announced on Monday, January 2, 2012.

Beginning Again After a Holiday Break

Eight o'clock at night rang on the chimes, but I was still finishing up the day.  To describe the day as hectic would have been an understatement.  However, the day was not without some positive aspects.  We did finish a day of school.  It was sporadic and patched together, but a day of learning took place and progress was made.  There were very few complaints, and even some laughter. 

It was our first day back to our school routine after a ten day holiday break, and I declared this would not happen again. 

How do you begin again?  After taking some much needed time off for travel, family visits, holiday celebrations, rest, and relaxation, just how do you get back into the smooth homeschool routine you had already established before your break?

At our home, we have tried everything to make it an easy transition.  Some techniques and tips work well for us, other things, not so much.

Three successful suggestions I try to follow in our home are:

1. Let the children know when the first day back to school lessons / homeschool routine will occur.  Our children like to know ahead of time, when their vacation is over.  Sounds simple, I know, but honestly some breaks I have inadvertently surprised the children with a day of school.  Though it was an honest mistake, it did not go over well. 
2. Allow the first day back (or the first few) to progress at a slower pace.  There is always a few hiccups in our routine, especially after a long break.  We may not finish every lesson the first day back.  There may even be some lessons we won't get to do that first day as we ease back into the routine.
3. Be prepared to review some lessons.  It doesn't work for us to jump back into our lessons without some review.  Instead, I allow for some discussion and review of what they have already learned and then proceed to the new lesson. 

These are some of the tips and techniques that work for us, and help ease us back into our homeschool routine.  How about you?  What do you do to ease back into your homeschool routine after an extended break?

Next week:

Join us for A Homeschool Holiday Open House

with encouraging discussions and fun giveaways!

Memories of a Homeschooled Homeschooler: the schedule

I have memories of my mom surrounded by books and tons of paper in the corner of our home that was her "office." Usually, she was either in the midst of taxes and bookkeeping or scheduling our homeschool. We went through a lot of schedules during my homeschool years, and like any great master, Mom was always sure we could do something better or more efficiently. Tweak this subject here, add a little more time there, take out this activity and move it to that time slot.

But we were kids, and school was—well—school, no matter where we did it. And I know we didn't give her an easy time, in spite of her schedule overhauls. Because of all that scheduling though, we did have time for a lot of really unique experiences that have made for fond memories.

As little kids, we did four day school for a long time. So as early as second grade, I learned how to take five days worth of assignments and work to get it all done in four days. Each one of those four days, I'd work ahead one assignment in at least one subject until I'd earned my extra day off. We loved those three day weekends!

When we got older, working ahead was much harder to accomplish each week, but we still plotted out our assignments and worked ahead where we could for that end goal: to finish school as early in the year as possible. When other kids took extra holidays, spring breaks, and snow days (in Texas, snow days rarely had the same significance as they might in other states), we worked tirelessly, though sometimes reluctantly, toward that goal. And it paid off. We often had the bragging rights of the neighborhood, having finished all of our school books in mid April or early May while everyone else plodded along for another 4-6 more weeks.

In high school, Mom's scheduling paid off significantly as she helped us plan our extra-curricular activities into our school day. My junior and senior year of high school, I had the opportunity to work part-time at our local newspaper office and have my own ballet studio where I gave lessons and planned performances.

Then, the real test came—college. All of Mom's hours surrounded by stacks of books and loose paper finally culminated in one great overall success. After watching my mom plan scores upon scores of schedules through the years, my first freshman college schedule was a breeze. Seventeen years old and 12 hours from home, I remembered all those lessons of scheduling and planning and breaking down large tasks, lessons that my mom probably wasn't always aware that she was teaching me.

And when I began to teach college English and writing classes, I was more often teaching my students how to schedule their time than I was tutoring them in the rudiments of grammar.

So for all of you homeschool moms who think you are "ruining" your children or their homeschool experience with all of your tweaks and overhauls to the schedule, take heart. Include your kids in the process. There's some valuable learning going on behind those wadded up pieces of paper.

Read more of Tracy's Homeschool Memories or follow her current homeschool journey.

Schooling Amidst A Crisis

The past month, my mother-in-law has been hospitalized. This stressful situation is further complicated by the fact that my husband and I are in partnership with his parents as farmers, so her workload is passed around among us, along with our worry over her. There are also her personal things (bills, cleaning, rescheduling) to be tended to. We also like to have one of us at the hospital when the doctors come around (there are six of them, and they come at random times). So our life has been a little messy and everything that can give, has gone.

We started fall harvest (THE busiest time of year on our farm) and my husband had an emergency appendectomy.

We had intended to begin school on August 1st this year, but that was not a possibility. I decided to wait until my mother-in-law was out of the hospital, but as the weeks stretched on and the pressure from other responsibilities increased, I began to have concern as to whether there would EVER be a "good time," so after discussion with my husband and children we started school this past Monday.

Did we finish *everything?* No. But we were so happy to be back around the kitchen table together. The next morning, I was needed at the hospital very early, so a sitter watched the kids and we fit the rest of school from the previous day's plans into the afternoon. It took two days to complete what would normally be fit into a morning, but we are able to be flexible about when and where we can work on it.

While my dyslexic middle child was in tutoring sessions yesterday afternoon, I worked on phonics with my first grader while my fifth grader did his math lesson. We listened to a song based on our memory work on a CD in the van going to and from the tutoring session. My oldest child read out loud to us from one of our literature study novels.

Is it perfect? No. But it was fun and satisfying. My daughter (six next month) took a lot more from the Native American Indians lesson for the older children than I imagined she would. Her journal entry was about it. Was I able to do everything according to the plans I had laid out? (Laughing) No, but does anything ever work that way?

The most enjoyable part for me was the undivided attention and time I was able to give each child separately. I have felt pulled in so many directions and had so many hats to wear lately, my connected relationship with each of them has been put to the test. It was so wonderful for me to have conversation with, lap time for, and intense interest from each of them without having to worry about what I should be working on instead.

I was doing exactly what I am meant to. The most important work I will ever do is raising these children, and I'm so thankful that homeschooling is a part of that for my family right now.

So, Should I Start Now?

I had the perfect homeschool post ready to go.

It was brimming with tips to do with your preschooler.

It wasn't me.

I am not an organized homeschooler.  At all.

I am organized in pretty much every area of my life - but when it comes to homeschooling, I seem to be all over.

I've been reading about all the amazing women who have already started their school year.  I've looked at cool crafts and ideas and suddenly I have a sinking feeling that I should not be trying to teach my daughters. 

Thankfully I am surrounded by lots of supportive friends and family who assure me that everything will be fine.

At the moment:

*I still haven't ordered our curriculum.  The flyer has been on my desk for at least 4 weeks. 

*I have basic art supplies and that's it - I don't have a closet/cupboard filled with construction paper, glue sticks & markers.  Paint & glitter?  Nope.

*We don't have a school room.  We'll working at our dining room table which sits on brand new carpet. {hence the lack of paint & glitter!}

*No maps.  No posters.  No school type decorations.

*I have no idea how I'll structure my day.  None. 

What I do have is excitement and enthusiasm.  I believe that teaching my girls is what I am supposed to be doing.  I have a plan {really!!} and I'm trusting that the rest of this will fall into place. 

It will, right?

Any encouraging words?  Pretty please?

6 Tips for a Child's Homeschool Schedule

Little kids are full of energy, there's no doubt about that! As they get older, they may calm down some, but they still have silos of stored up energy that we just can't comprehend anymore. (Oh where, oh where did those days go?)

Yet it is our job as homeschool teachers to rein in that energy and focus it on the task at hand: learning. And what a task that can be! Here are some tips to help rein and focus with (hopefully) better results:

Tip #1: Keep the lessons short. The younger the child is the shorter the lesson should be. This keeps them from getting too frustrated because they're antsy. Most experts recommend that you keep a Kindergartner's subject to 10-15 minutes at most. Now, if you're both having fun and on a roll, that's great! But don't push it--it's always better to end on a happy note so that they'll be excited to start again tomorrow.

Tip #2: A break between each subject. Even a short 5 minute break, while you set up for the next subject, can get those wiggles out long enough to get through the next increment of the day. I often flip on a kid's CD and let the girls dance around for a bit. They come back to the table with smiles on their faces!

Tip #3: Make the lessons interesting. If you know how to best appeal to your child's interest and learning style, you'll better be able to hold their attention. Aurie talked more about tailoring the education to your child here.

Tip #4: Fidgeting is okay as long as it's not disruptive. Some children have too much energy to sit still. My youngest daughter is like that. She doesn't even stay still when she sleeps! Anyway, I've learned that letting her wiggle around in her chair, fiddle with pencils, or whatever keeps her body moving doesn't necessarily detract her attention from the lesson at hand. In fact, sometimes she's more focused then if I make her sit there and "pay attention". My tendency to make her sit there comes from MY public school days where we were forced to be still.

Tip #5: Spread it out throughout the day. If you really have a hard time keeping your children from going nuts in the four hours of the morning--spread it out. Do 2 hours in the morning, 2 hours in the afternoon. Work an hour, play for a half hour. Fiddle around until you find what works for you!

Tip #6: Ease into the homeschool day. Doctors and experts advise us to create routines for our children to help them settle in for bedtime--something like bath, pick up toys, reading, goodnights. Why not do the same for school time? In the 15-30 mins before school starts, have the kids get into a routine that creates the expectation that school will be starting soon. At our house, we're trying to be consistent about 30 mins before school starts, we get dressed, brush our teeth, and do our morning chore. This way the girls know that after their chores are done, we'll be starting school. It just becomes habit.

These are just a few of many, many tips--but there's enough to get you started. Remember, homeschool doesn't have to be anything like the public schools we grew up in. We have the ability (and the joy) of making our homeschool our own...just right for our kids.

What advice do you have for creating a schedule that works for our kids?

Starting A New Year

We took about five weeks off for our break, it was mostly for me to do planning. We officially started back to school on July 5th. From our previous experiences, I recommend not jumping in full-schedule at first!

It is really hard to go from this:

to this:

It can be a bit of a drag, quite honestly.

We are easing into our school year with these steps~

• School is downstairs, not in the classroom.
• We are doing one week with only History and Science {plus leisure reading & phonics for K}.
• We will add 1 or 2 subjects each week until we have a full school load.
• We will  adjust the our schedule as needed.
• I am not ringing any bells. School will start when all are awake and fed.

I used to just jump in and do it all from day one. Hopefully with this plan, we will be able to avoid homeschool burnout from setting in! 

How about you? What do you do to ease your family back into home education?

Our Homeschool for 2011-2012

Yes, it's that time of the year! As we homeschool year round, today is the first day of our new school year! I'm so excited!

See, during June, we were kind of easing into a homeschool schedule so my girls would get used to having school every day. We really only worked on Math and Phonics, with some devotions and manners lessons thrown in. This week, though, we rock on with a full schedule.

Both of our girls are in Kindergarten. Here's a peek at our homeschool day!

7 a.m.--Rise and Shine, followed by breakfast and some free time

8:30--Morning chore time

9:00--School bell rings (I'm considering a real bell...what do you think? hehehe...). We begin with group time (well, right now it's all group time, but this is in prep for the baby to join us in a year or so. Group time includes: Devo and prayer, Calendar time, and Sing and Rhyme time (we try to memorize a new song and rhyme each week).

9:20--Bible and Character Study time. We're starting the ABC Bible Memory Verses book, with one verse/week, corresponding with the letters. Yay! It's in prep for next year when we start the Charlotte Mason Bible Memory Verse schedule (I think). Character study for the first 8 weeks is the remaining lessons from Etiquette Factory.

9:40--Phonics: All About Spelling

10:00--Snack

10:10--Math: Math-U-See Primer (will be in Alpha in November)

10:30--Social Studies/Science: I bought 41 weeks of unit studies by Amanda Bennett about a week ago when they had this super sale on them. We'll be picking through those, as well as using some of the basics from Lesson Pathways.

11:00--Lunch and free time

1:00--Baby goes down for nap, we read for 30 mins. Some books will be based on our unit studies, others are chosen by interests, and then we have one big book that we read from

1:30--Rest time

3:00--Snack time/free play

4:00--Art/gym activities

5:00--Dinner prep/Dinner

6:30--Family time

7:00--My writing time begins

8:15--Bedtime routine for kids (including reading time)

Oh, and Saturdays are Fun Science Experiments with Daddy!

So, that's what a day in our life looks like. Or should look like. Or I want to look like. A distant dream?