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Can you help me schedule our homeschool day? (and how to work on the habit of attention)
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I’m try to work on the habit of attention and one thing I’m trying to get is how to schedule our day to encourage that. I’m reading that I need to have a definite time for things and if it’s not done, that’s too bad. I’m not exactly sure my dd’s will care, but I will probably add an extra study time for those that are behind during what is supposed to be a fun time to help that problem.
Anyway, that means we need to have a definite time for things. This week I have been working on the girls waking up earlier and they have been waking up consistently. Now I want to work on them getting work done and not dragging it out all day. We have a Friday co-op, so I’ve looking for a 4 day schedule.
The girls start the morning with short piano practice and brain-based exercises (cross-body movements). Those work well for us and get done to my satisfaction. Here are the other subjects for my older dd (6th gr). The * are the subjects that she’s not getting done efficiently or avoids b/c she doesn’t like them as well as others. We plan to start this list about 9 and would love to be done with most of it by 12:30 for lunch. Eventually, I want to move up our schedule to 8:30, but that’s why we are working on moving our wake up time. This is the general order, but we haven’t been sticking to the schedule well.
Memory Work (scriptures and poems)
*Math (MUS Zeta supplemented with LOF Decimals)
*Spelling (AAS)–one lesson and 3 days of dictation
*Foreign Language (German Rosetta Stone: about 30min/wk and Latin Road: 2 lesson/wk and 1 independent study time)
Copywork–1x/wk
Somewhere in here I need a spot of correcting math and spelling. I know it’s not very cm-ish to correct math, but we do at least at this point. This hasn’t been scheduled, but I want to add it to a specific spot.
Writing (co-op class)–Rough draft finished by Tues afternoon and Corrections done Thurs.
Science, Geography, and Choir–co-op classes that have some short homework assignments which dd always gets done without reminding. These are self-motivated.
History– listening to SOTW on CD and reading in Kingfisher Encyclopedia (listening is usually done at lunch)
Read-alouds
Readers–Dd loves to read, though doesn’t always get as much time as we’d like, but she reads fast and happily (ok, so maybe we should work on chewing on reading more, but one habit at a time, right?)
I am not very good at making realistic schedules, plus I’m not sure if I’m doing a very good job of alternating tasks.
So, any pointers anyone has on making a schedule so I can hold my kids accountable to getting work done would be great. I’m not listing my 3rd graders subjects, b/c I think if I can get older dd scheduled, I can easily do younger dd. She is a little better at working hard and has less work and it’s similiar. I appreciate any advice or thoughts you can give!
Thanks!
I have read that if you can break up the work that requires writing with work that involves reading (by your or the child, either one) that is should help. Also, instead of setting each subject at a certain time, how about letting your older child choose which order she wants to do them, and having a time limit for each one so that you still get them done in time?
She may prefer to do writing first, then math, and as long as they both get done in the length of time you have set aside, then no harm, right? I have found that my son (10) works a little better if he chooses the order for the most part. Not every day or every time does he get it his way, but I try to accomodate him as best I can.
Also, I have check off list for him that lists each thing we do each day of the week, so when I am busy doing something else he can use his list to make sure he gets the things done that he can do independently. It makes him feel a little more responsible.
PM me if you would like to see our schedule in Excel.
It might freak you out (b/c I have five kids and I am a little bit of an over-planner) – but it would give you a good idea of how to order your day.
Let me know if you would like to see it and I will email it to you.
We don’t schedule time slots (though we have in the past!). Instead each child has an assignment sheet with daily work listed. They check it off as it is done. School times here are 9am-10am, 10:30am-12pm. If you did not finish your work during that you have to sit and do it when the other kids go outside at 2:30pm. Stinks to be the only one in the house. During winter the children don’t always go out, but they have free afternoons to play and craft, which you lose if you don’t have your work done.
One of mine is very motivated by the assignment sheet to get right to work and usually does hardest things first. One needs the assignment sheet or she’ll forget what she should be doing. One likes seeing how much work is in the day and having the freedom to choose what order she does her work. Usually she does things she likes first, saving harder subjects for last. The other 4 are too young for now.
Maybe what you could do is give assignment sheets where they choose the order of work, but list beside each item a time limit and have them set a timer. Whatever is not done by the end of the timer for that subject is done later instead of ‘free time’. Just another way to work it!
Thanks for all the suggestions! We do already have a checklist. What happens with my older dd is that she does the “fun stuff” and never gets around to the math and spelling unless I’m constantly on top of her. Then it drags out until we have to go somewhere (we are all extraverts, so we do have things to do in the afternoon or evening many days and mostly that works well). With only 2 kids, one doesn’t want to go play by themselves and they don’t seem to notice if they both miss out. Some times I’ve been known to watch a movie just to get them to do stuff (b/c they have to see or hear what they are missing to care), but I am not going to do it daily!
I’m mulling over the timer idea. I have before said for math we are going to set a timer. But before I know it dd has started her math and never sets the timer. I just don’t know that she can handle much independence. I think she may need an imposed structure for now. I think if I gave her a list with times, she would skip all the important stuff and time nothing. I wish that wasn’t the case–yet another habit to work on! (later of course). She does like schedules though.
I gave my kids a list with the order of subjects to be completed. So it doesn’t have times, but it just lists the order of subjects. They generally know how long each subject should take and if an assignment is especially time consuming they will ask to move on and continue it the next day.
Now that the habits are established, they can (and do) vary the order of subjects…but the computer portion has to be completed in a certain time frame.
I think that once they have an established routine, you can do a lot of things to loosen it up. But it is very difficult to try to run your day without first having established them in positive habits.
So, I think you are right that you have to train your kids to habitually complete assignments well and in a timely way before setting them loose to do it on thier own.
With so many of the CM subjects requiring Mom’s participation and/or help, how do you give your children a list of assignments to complete on their own? I find that the majority of our day requires me, and the individual work is a small component. I’d be interested to know how you all do this, in that your kids work on their own at their own pace.
Thanks!
I’m kind of in the same boat. Most, if not all, of my two younger boys’ swork requires much of me. I think it may depend on what is chosen for the students or could be the students themselves.
My youngest still needs me to read everything to him, but he can do most of his math on his own. He does most cooywork on his own, too. My middle ds is extreme in the fact that he doesn’t want to do much on his own. Even with a list, he tells me every bit of what he is doing, what he has accomplished and what still needs to be done. Makes me crazy!
I don’t know how to change that without hurting his feelings.
By 4th grade the work should be well on the way to being done by the child. The main exceptions being artist, composer, etc. and books that are meant to be discussed (Plutarch for example).
My dd12 is with me for spelling (partially), Plutarch, fine arts as above. The rest is independent. Ds9 is with me for spelling and some family history and fine arts and that’s about it.
The scheduling subject is of great interest to me. I am switching over from a complete Rod & Staff curriculum to doing not much for many months to the curriculum suggested here on SCM. I have felt overwhelmed gathering the “feast.” I only have 2 girls ages 10 and 13. I appreciate hearing how others do this and how much time they spend on schooling. I sure am thrilled with reading about the Charlotte Mason way; I just need to make it a reality in our lives now!
Someone here shared the site of urthemom.com and it clicked with me what I needed to be doing – preparing my dc to be self-learners, not reading teachers guides. Read info. On her site under the tab self-learner. I started in 2nd grade with ds doing some copywork, Explode the Code, and math practice on his own. He had been doing it since K with me. For grade 4 now it is about 1/2 independent. I always figured that if they learn to read, they can read to learn. So I assign good living books and he narrates them to me. It is similar to misceegee, we do some subjects and readings as a family and I help with weekly spelling tests. I still teach the math lesson with Righstart.
Christie, are you saying that the older ones don’t sit in on the younger ones’ history reading? I’ve been making my 9yo sit in on the 7yo and 5yo history reading. Does the older one read the Stories of America (or Nations) chapter herself? Or does she sit in on the reading aloud of that?
Maybe I could save us some time in our school day!!
Depending on what you use and choose to do will make that decision for you, IMHO. We are using SCM’s Module 2 for history. The Family portion has you read to the whole family (older dc included), then there is Independent reading for all age groups. I have all of mine read those portions independently, except my 7yo who is not a fluent reader, and by CM’s recommendations, I should be reading them to him anyway until 4th grade. For the Family portion, I read most of the readings and will occasionally have one of my older dc read aloud instead. But honestly, 2 of my 3 prefer me to read aloud. I could assign the Bible/Family portions to my 2 older dc, but my oldest has a lot of reading on his plate and enjoys the break.
The science curriculum I’m using with my 2 younger boys (they like to do things together) causes me to be the lead. There is no way they could do this on their own, not because my middle boy could not read the instructions, but because *they* could not work alone productively. Now my 11yo is reading Christian Liberty 5 and narrating as he goes, but he still feels the need to “share” everything, even if he gave a written narration, so I feel a part of it no matter what.
In you situation, Karen, I would not have my 9yo sit in on the readings for 7 & 5yo’s. You can read the Story of America aloud to all of your dc, or just the older two, OR, assign it as independent reading to your oldest. I believe that book is meant to be read aloud by a parent, but you don’t have to do it that way.
I plan to read The Story of the Greeks to my dc, aloud, among other books, and don’t really see how I could do that any other way. The geography portion could be done independently, but then I feel as if we aren’t doing this as a family, but separately, and I hate to have them all using my guide and having to share it. To have my two oldests read the The Story of the Greeks could work, if I can assign it right, but we haven’t even started it yet, plus, I haven’t read it and would like to be involved in that process.
I did not proofread this post, so forgive me if it’s all crazy!
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