Warning: (This is one of those long blog posts that I write mostly to help me organize my brain and record a period of my life. You may just want to skip the text and look at the picture on this one).
It's the beginning of October, and we are settling into our routine. Here's a sample of our typical routine:
7:30 am: Breakfast
8:00 am: Gospel Learning Time (we read a story from the children's illustrated scriptures, "Friend Magazine," learn a song, memorize scriptures, do a lesson from the nursery manual, read out of "Who's your Hero?" or other church books, or look at a picture depicting an scriptural event and act it at.)
8:30 am: Piano Lesson: Audrey and I will work on a song in "Music for Little Mozarts" (love those method books!), do a page of music theory out of the accompanying workbook, memorize note flashcards, or work on a song that I print out from this fabulous free website.
9:00 am: P.E./Recess: With good weather, we'll go outside and play ball, climb trees, etc.. I'll walk laps and do some resistance band exercises. Or we'll stay inside and the girls will play while I do an exercise video
10:00 am: Structured Learning: This is when Audrey does some structured learning, a page of handwriting, letter to a friend, a lesson in "Math-U-See" (just discovered this math curriculum and really like it). We may play educational games with Alyssa, and I try and give her some focused learning on ABCs and Counting.
10:30 am: Family Work: We divide our chores into 3 areas: kitchen, bathroom, dusting/projects. The girls get to pick what they want to work on, and we do it together. So for bathroom, Audrey may pick the sink, and Alyssa the mirror. I help them with that, then they can go play while I finish up.
11:00 am: Unstructured Learning: Art projects, playdough, painting, make believe etc, reading aloud together, cooking, etc...
12:00 pm: Lunch and watch a video (The girls love "Popular Mechanics for Kids". Look for them at your library).
1:00-3:00pm Quiet time for all of us to nap, read, catch up on emails, etc...
3:00-4:30 Play time
4:30 pm: Pick up and Vacuum
5:00pm: Make Dinner
Of course, for me "typical" seems to mean, "when there's nothing else going on." Except for Monday afternoons when I teach piano, or Wednesday afternoons, when Audrey has a science class at "Huntley Meadows," or Thursdays which are co-op days. But it helps me to have something to aim for, so it was good for me just to write this all down.
Also, although I'd love my life to be perfectly scheduled and controlled, I decided from the beginning that I would be miserable just trying to recreate school, and spend my time making my kids do workbooks. I'm homeschooling so that my girls can have freedom to be children, to play, and create, and explore, in their own way. So I try and limit the workbook stuff to just the skills I feel are best learned that way (i.e. handwriting, and some math)
And though I'm not spontaneous by nature, I try really hard to go with what's going.
Audrey often wakes up early, and prints out coloring pages. One morning, I woke up to find her making props for a puppet show. So we threw out the routine, and we puppeted (I don't think that's a word, but wouldn't it make a great one?)
It's the beginning of October, and we are settling into our routine. Here's a sample of our typical routine:
7:30 am: Breakfast
8:00 am: Gospel Learning Time (we read a story from the children's illustrated scriptures, "Friend Magazine," learn a song, memorize scriptures, do a lesson from the nursery manual, read out of "Who's your Hero?" or other church books, or look at a picture depicting an scriptural event and act it at.)
8:30 am: Piano Lesson: Audrey and I will work on a song in "Music for Little Mozarts" (love those method books!), do a page of music theory out of the accompanying workbook, memorize note flashcards, or work on a song that I print out from this fabulous free website.
9:00 am: P.E./Recess: With good weather, we'll go outside and play ball, climb trees, etc.. I'll walk laps and do some resistance band exercises. Or we'll stay inside and the girls will play while I do an exercise video
10:00 am: Structured Learning: This is when Audrey does some structured learning, a page of handwriting, letter to a friend, a lesson in "Math-U-See" (just discovered this math curriculum and really like it). We may play educational games with Alyssa, and I try and give her some focused learning on ABCs and Counting.
10:30 am: Family Work: We divide our chores into 3 areas: kitchen, bathroom, dusting/projects. The girls get to pick what they want to work on, and we do it together. So for bathroom, Audrey may pick the sink, and Alyssa the mirror. I help them with that, then they can go play while I finish up.
11:00 am: Unstructured Learning: Art projects, playdough, painting, make believe etc, reading aloud together, cooking, etc...
12:00 pm: Lunch and watch a video (The girls love "Popular Mechanics for Kids". Look for them at your library).
1:00-3:00pm Quiet time for all of us to nap, read, catch up on emails, etc...
3:00-4:30 Play time
4:30 pm: Pick up and Vacuum
5:00pm: Make Dinner
Of course, for me "typical" seems to mean, "when there's nothing else going on." Except for Monday afternoons when I teach piano, or Wednesday afternoons, when Audrey has a science class at "Huntley Meadows," or Thursdays which are co-op days. But it helps me to have something to aim for, so it was good for me just to write this all down.
Also, although I'd love my life to be perfectly scheduled and controlled, I decided from the beginning that I would be miserable just trying to recreate school, and spend my time making my kids do workbooks. I'm homeschooling so that my girls can have freedom to be children, to play, and create, and explore, in their own way. So I try and limit the workbook stuff to just the skills I feel are best learned that way (i.e. handwriting, and some math)
And though I'm not spontaneous by nature, I try really hard to go with what's going.
Audrey often wakes up early, and prints out coloring pages. One morning, I woke up to find her making props for a puppet show. So we threw out the routine, and we puppeted (I don't think that's a word, but wouldn't it make a great one?)
I try and encourage the girls to come up with projects, and then do the learning necessary to complete them. We've done some research on topics like "winter camping" or "birds" to make little books about these topics. We've learned how to use an online composition software, so we could write out music for a song Audrey wrote.
I often feel like I have no idea what I'm doing, with homeschooling, and it's easy for me to get overwhelmed by all the wonderful opportunities that abound.
But my main goal is for my girls to have a balanced life. A life that's not crazy, and rushed, and stressed. A life that's full, and to the extent it can be, autonomous.
When they are ready to start out own their own, I'd like them to have a strong spiritual foundation, be comfortable and competent organizing and running a household, have a love of learning and a solid knowledge base, be able "think outside the box" to envision and execute projects, to enjoy hobbies, and have an appreciation of the world around them
It's not always easy, but for me, the biggest advantage of homeschooling is time. I love having time to read and cuddle, explore and discover, appreciate and create, with the ones I love.
I often feel like I have no idea what I'm doing, with homeschooling, and it's easy for me to get overwhelmed by all the wonderful opportunities that abound.
But my main goal is for my girls to have a balanced life. A life that's not crazy, and rushed, and stressed. A life that's full, and to the extent it can be, autonomous.
When they are ready to start out own their own, I'd like them to have a strong spiritual foundation, be comfortable and competent organizing and running a household, have a love of learning and a solid knowledge base, be able "think outside the box" to envision and execute projects, to enjoy hobbies, and have an appreciation of the world around them
It's not always easy, but for me, the biggest advantage of homeschooling is time. I love having time to read and cuddle, explore and discover, appreciate and create, with the ones I love.
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5 comments:
I read the whole thing, and it sounded really good! That's so wonderful you can teach piano to Audrey! I think it's great you are giving them so much freedom! The Gallaghers were homeschooled and I would argue they are more balanced, and more knowledgeable than many their age. I think they key, is reading a lot. Reading all varieties of things. I also believe learning a foreign language when you are a child is important. If there is any cd rom software, like French for kids, you want, let me know, and I'll get that for you for xmas. Anyway, reading books, learning languages, and hands-on activities are so important for a developing mind. And you're doing a great job!
You really are doing great. I am always inspired by the things you post about that you do with the kids.
Math u see rocks!!
as for a foreign language, I'm all for it... but if you and Sparky would just speak french to each other all the time you wouldn't have to even teach them!! Kids are sponges! It such an advantage that you already know a foreign language!...
ok off the soapbox
:-)
loved the post!
Your comment reminds of the talk by Elder Uchtdorf about turbulence and slowing down instead of speeding up when life gets crazy.
Seriously inspiring post. I am always just amazed by homeschooling moms. You have my utmost respect and admiration! If most of us could only assume a part of your schedule and goals and attitudes, our children would be much better off now and in the future.
Hats off to you, my friend, for the wonderful job you are doing raising your beautiful girls.
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