@ mommyshortlegs…..I don’t have any daily schedules for HUFI, but I can tell you what has worked for me these past couple of years. I follow a very basic daily rhythm which has worked well for our family. Other than Bible time, which we always do first, it usually works to schedule 2 readings per day in the first couple of years (looking ahead to next year, it will jump to 3). I follow this basic format (for the first 4 days…the 5th day is a lighter day with a focus on nature study):
1. copywork
2. first reading
3. group loop (picture study, composer, folksong, mapwork)
4. math
5. circle time…..(read a poem, french vocabulary, play break)
6. reading lesson
7. hands-on activity loop (drawing, painting, sloyd, handicraft)
8. second reading
I try to follow Mason’s principles of alternating hard and easy subjects and it’s really worked well. Since I have 3 younger children, I also save the second reading for naptime. I really didn’t worry too much about page counts….just inserted the books I was using for history/science/etc. and used a time limit. At the end of the year, I was amazed at how much we had covered.
Just a little encouragement to any new CM moms reading this. I first learned about CM when my oldest was 5. I was expecting my 4th baby in the fall so I planned to keep his “kindergarten” light anyway. I used that year to learn all I could about the method and all I did with him was basic phonics, a little math, and lots of read alouds. My youngest was born with several medical problems….he spent the first 76 days in NICU and ended up getting a liver transplant a year later. Needless to say, there were plenty of challenges and interruptions. But I just stuck to our schedule when we were able and since it felt so natural with reading lots of good books and spending time outside, it was very enjoyable. I’m not saying I did everything perfect (at ALL), but I am very thankful with the “fruit” I’ve seen so far. My eldest has a real enthusiasm for learning and an interest in lots of subjects. The biggest area of progress has probably been his interest in nature study. I also didn’t push him with reading and he really took off this year (around 7.5). Anyway, that’s just an encouragement. I had (and continue to have) multiple health issues to deal with with my youngest but it really is possible. I feel like in the midst of one of the hardest things that ever happened to me, God also introduced me to one of the best things that ever happened to me (homeschooling)….
