I agree that you need to keep records in case you are asked for them. But you also need to enjoy your time with your kids. You are not always the teacher. We do educational things all day long and I try to not to record every little thing. What has helped though is that I keep my log sheet near the kitchen table. As we do something, I write it down. The days that I forget and wait until the end of the day, I forget some of what we did.
I would definitely count the drum practice as 1/2 for each of them. They would in public school band class. 🙂
And yes, count the weekend. Learning time is not limited to 8-3 M-F. Be watching for performances you attend too. We have a weekly program that we attned on Saturdays. Also remember to count cleaning, cooking, and other chores. The age of your child and your opinion will determine how much of that time is counted. (I would say based on the ages of your boys, count it all.) I have heard that when they are learning a new skill is the time to count it. As they get older, they will naturally have more to count because they will have more “book work.” I also will be counting time spent outside playing. They are learning about nature and public schools call it recess.
The other thing I am going to do next year is to figure out how many hours I need to get each term to meet the requirement. Then I am not stressed about meeting the hours. 1000 hours seems like a lot, but if you break it down, it becomes – 334 hours per term (if you do a 3 term year), 27.5 hours per week, and 5.5 hours per 5 days. And if I remember correctly, you only need to be counting the hours for your oldest this year technically. If you find that after lunch you haven’t met your hours, why don’t you play a game? Almost all games are educational. You can train them to play by themselves together or play at the kitchen table and move your piece for you as you cook dinner. You’ll still be involved, but also able to do your mealtime chores.
