by Brea
For three nights last week, I had no children. John's mom had our two older kids, and my mom had the little one. I had all these projects I was going to do, all this wonderful stuff I was going to accomplish. Notsomuch. I watched a lot of Deadliest Catch on the Discovery Channel. I played on the internet. I talked to friends on the phone. I went to the Farmers' Market with my husband. It was actually pretty great.
One thing we did accomplish, though, was planning the upcoming school year. Yay!! This is something we've been trying to get done for quite a while, but never managed to carve out the time. My dear friend Kristie came over a few months ago, and brought most of her school stuff with her. I love this woman. She's the one who introduced me to Charlotte Mason and Elisabeth Elliot. Anyway, Kristie had made a list of things that she's used, things she wished she had used, and things she used but didn't like.
By the way, have I ever mentioned how valuable a resource your homeschooling friends with older children can be?
So. If you want to see our schedule for what we're doing in the upcoming year, here it goes. We'll be doing school four days a week (my older ones will be 5 and 6 by the time we start in September), with a slightly different schedule on different days.
Days 1 and 3
8-8:30: read aloud during breakfast
8:30-9: brush teeth, get dressed, make beds, clean kitchen, get table ready for school
9-9:15 Grapevine Studies (a chronological Bible course)
9:15-9:30: copy work and writing (using the Grapevine lesson as the writing lesson)
9:30-10: math (I love the Kumon workbooks!)
10-11: break (chores, plan evening's supper, play outside, etc)
11-11:30: science (Eagle's Wings Considering God's Creation, using Nature Journals we've made)
11:30-1: break (lunch, cleanup, free time)
1-1:30: music
1:30-2:30: break (work outside, laundry, older kids spend time with David, etc)
2:30-3: sign language (Signs for His Glory); David takes his nap
Days 2 and 4
8-8:30: read aloud during breakfast
8:30-9: brush teeth, get dressed, make beds, clean kitchen, get table ready for school
9-9:15: Pictures from Proverbs
9:15-9:30: copy work and writing (using the Proverbs lesson as the writing lesson)
9:30-10: math (I love the Kumon workbooks!)
10-11: break (chores, plan evening's supper, play outside, etc)
11-11:30: The Mystery of History*
11:30-1: break (lunch, cleanup, free time)
1-1:30: art
1:30-2:30: break (work outside, laundry, older kids spend time with David, etc)
2:30-3: geography (complimenting the history lesson); David takes his nap
*The Mystery of History is a really neat history course. It is divided (so far) into three courses or volumes. Each volume can be used on different age levels. For example, Volume 1 covers Creation to the Resurrection. So, we'll use this volume this year for Sam and Evie. In four years, when we come back around to it, Sam and Evie (then ages 10 and 9) will be learning on the second level, David (then 6) will be on the first level, and the baby (then 3) will listen along as read aloud. Since it's not required to have learned each volume before moving on to the next, we'll probably just pick up with 'real' lessons when each younger child turns 5 or 6. We'll also be supplementing the history lessons with lots of read alouds, like Henty's books.
Sam will be starting piano lessons this year, and Evie will be doing voice lessons. We also have a short read aloud after nap/rest time each day, and we read before bed each evening. I'll try to keep everyone updated about the books we're currently on, and what we think of each one.
This schedule might seem a little ambitious (and maybe it is!), but if you add up all the times, we'll only be doing about 2.5 hours of actual school each day. I set up the schedule the way I did so that David (he'll be 2 in October) can be with us for most of the school day. He'll probably have playtime in his room while we do math, but other than that, he'll be at the table (or couch) when we are, learning along side his older siblings. We're officially starting at the beginning of September, but we're beginning a modified schedule this week to get into the swing of things. And to keep me from having to strangle my kids because they have nothing better to do than get into trouble and break things. Ahem. Sorry.
This will probably be our schedule through the beginning of February, when the next baby is due. I hope that maybe this can give you a jumping point for your schedule, if this is your first year. Any tips from moms who have been there?
(Also, to said moms: What phonics program did you like? Please help!)
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I used Spectrum workbooks for both of my older children for phonics. The workbooks teach them the basic rules, read alouds allow them to hear reading, and individual reading gives them lots of practice. This has worked well for us.
I just found your site and love it. I'll be back.
)
Shelly M.
The Mom With Brownies
I love, love, LOVE explode the code for beginning readers. My MIL, who's homeschooled 8 children all the way through recommended it to me and boy is it a great program.
I started my 6 year old on the primers 2 years ago and he's already reading THE magic treehouse books in his head instead of out loud. (He just picked one up this weekend on his own and he's at chapter 3 already.)
They are a very simple, predictable format. At 4 he could do it fairly independently already and the books are cheap. $6 each I think. It's cost me less than $60 for 2 years of teaching my child to read.
SO that's my ringing endorsement.
How to teach your child to read in 100 easy lessons. 15 min. a day.
I use Phonics Pathways; it is an amazingly simple way to teach reading. Blessings!