Aaahh…A Schedule

Posted by Cindy on August 8, 2008

School is just about up and running again and schedules are getting back on track.  I sure love the freedom that summer brings, but I’m always ready to get back on schedule.  School schedules, chore schedules, weekly engagement schedules.  Somehow, life is just calmer when it’s scheduled (around here anyway.)

Here’s a rough sketch of this year’s daily schedule and school routines.

• Breakfast
• Praise, Prayer, Bible
• Chores
• School Work
• Lunch
• Free time for big kids while mom gets little man down for nap
• While little man naps – read alouds and/or game time
• Free time for big kids to explore nature, handicrafts, projects, play, cooking….

School time is shaping up to look something like this:

Mahayla

Mon Tues Wed Thur Fri

Bible w/all             Bible study                  Bible study                Bible study                  Bible w/all

Saxon                   Saxon                         Problem solving      Saxon                          Problem solving

Spelling                 Nature Study              Spelling                     Spelling                       Spelling test

Journal                  Artist Tea                    Writing                      Blog                             Foreign lang

Grammar Lap       Club meeting                Grammar                  Grammar

Typing

30 min reading     30 min reading         30 min reading         30 min reading          30 min reading

Piano                    Piano                          Piano                         Piano                          Piano

History                                                    History                      Chemistry                   History

Caleb

Bible w/all              Bible study              Bible study                 Bible study                 Bible w/all

Math                      Math                         Math                           Math                           Math

Phonics/Read        Read Alone              Phonics/Read            Phonics/Read             Read Aloud

Spelling                  Nature Study            Spelling                     Spelling                       Spelling Test

Journal                   Artist Tea                Cursive copywork     Cursive copywork     Foreign lang

Grammar                Club meeting            Grammar                   Grammar

Piano                                                       Typing                       Piano

History                                                     History                      Chemistry                   History

You can see many of our curriculum choices here.  We will do the following subjects together as a family:

• Some Bible
• Nature Study
• Artist Tea
• History
• Chemistry

Our small county homeschool group already meets for Creation Club and 4-H.  Since both groups already meet on Tuesdays, we decided to add two more clubs to round out the month.  We’ll have a club four Tuesday afternoons a month.  The other clubs will vary between art, chemistry, a book of the month club and play dates thrown in for good measure.

Oh, and I got the wonderful idea to dedicate a morning to nature and art (integrating other subjects) from my beautiful friend, Melissa.  Our Tuesdays should turn out to be wonderfully rich and exciting.

Caleb’s Days

Posted by Cindy on November 12, 2006

Caleb told me the other day that first grade sure is harder than Kindergarten!  He’s right.  I’m expecting a lot more from him this year, but nothing he can’t handle.  He’s a very active child and would much prefer to climb a tree than do a phonics page.  I make sure he has PLENTY of time to climb trees, jump on trampolines, work on the farm with Dad and anything else that gives his body the movement it needs.

But, he is expected to get school work done first.  His typical day consists of Bible, math, reading, writing and doing some history and/or science with his big sister.

Bible, science and history are done together as a family.  Sometimes I make simpler worksheets or ask him to keep notebooking pages.  Other times,  I just find a coloring sheet that goes along with the topic.  Having nothing to do other than listen doesn’t keep his mind focused.  Surprisingly, building with blocks while he listens is good enough to keep him focused, too!

They both have memory verses each week, too.  Mahayla writes hers out in a notebook for handwriting practice, but I just copy Caleb’s onto card stock and let him tape them up in our school room for now.  He’s made a memory verse cave under the table that we use for school and he loves to go in the cave to read his verses.

As for reading, we started with Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons and stopped about halfway through.  We’ll probably pick it back up again soon, but have been using the Starfall materials, Bob Books, Set 1: Beginning Readers, easy readers from the library and phonics worksheet books from the dollar store for now.

For math, we use Horizons Math 1, NC Math grade 1, Mind Benders Beginning Book 2 (Gr 1-2)and some other logic/problem solving books that I have around the house.  Remember, we don’t do everything in each of these curricula!

Fridays – we usually read a “character training” book rather than the Bible.  Caleb’s favorites are the Wisdom and the Millers: Proverbs for Children (Miller Family Series)books by Mildred Martin.  Mahayla likes to read anything and everything!  No matter what we’re reading, we all love to cuddle up on the couch for a good book.  Needless to say, you can imagine that my bookshelves are full to overflowing!  I think I’ll post soon on some of my favorite children’s books……