Scheduling with a new baby in the home

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  • August 22, 2015 at 11:33 am
    heatherma
    Participant

    I am looking for scheduling tips and ideas. Just had 3rd, a girl!, she is 6 wks old.  Will be starting school in 2 weeks.  I use the cards from the all day seminar to re arrange the subjects, alternating harder/writing/thinking/easier.  She isn’t really into much of a routine yet, so I was thinking of doing 2-3 books and things at a pop (at bkfst, any morning nap, in the afternoon before their quiet time – ds 8 and 10, and have them read an independant hist. selection during quiet time, and poetry/Lit at bedtime)

     

    It’s been a long time since a baby was in the house and we are enjoying her to bits.. just want to have realistic expectations so I’m not crushed!

    August 22, 2015 at 12:11 pm
    Tristan
    Participant

    Congratulations!  Every baby is different so I tend to go into it with no expectations beyond reading something out loud to the family.  Then anything else feels like a bonus.

    Have you heard of loop scheduling?  That can also be a good measure – basically you make a list of subjects with some listed more often (because you want to do them more often compared to others).  You start with the first thing on the list and do what you can until baby says you are done.  The next time you have a sleeping baby or time for school pick up with the next thing on the list.  So a simple example (that I’m totally making up off the top of my head here):

    1. Math
    2. Read aloud book
    3. History
    4. Art
    5. Math
    6. Science
    7. Read aloud book
    8. Nature study
    9. Math
    10. History

    You get the idea.  So on day 1 you may get to the first 4 things on the list, day 2 pick up at number 5.  Maybe that day you only get 5 and 6 done.  On day 3 pick up with #7.  When you reach the end of the list rotate back around to #1.

    Enjoy these little bitty baby days!  The kids will learn more than you expect even if all you do is read books!

    August 22, 2015 at 10:28 pm
    heatherma
    Participant

    Thanks for the suggestions!  Love it.  I will then just type up what I’ve got with my cards all over the table, put in a plastic sleeve and check off each thing as we go along.  It’s been tough trying to figure out how to fit in everything with schooling from my plan only 3-4 days a week, since we have a co-op day and Daddy is home Fri-Sun and that’s family time.

    Something similar  to loop scheduling happened by accident towards the end of last year as I was getting closer to due date, and we skipped any set in stone lesson plans, just moving forward with our bookmarks in each thing and rotating that book to the bottom of the pile till it got done.

     

    So encouraging also about just starting with a read aloud because… we have been already!  Bible at bkfst, and  poetry by request and lit selections in the afternoon or at bedtime or lunch or whenever baby is asleep or quietly nursing: we’ve been devouring books all summer (2 from the Swallows and Amazon series, and a re-read from Wind in the Willows ill. by Inga Moore) Now that they can read, the 10 yr old read thru the Mandy series and is almost done with the Mistmantle Chronicles (similar to Narnia, less dark than Redwall) and the 8 yr old is bug catching and reading the field guides and Golden books. Feeling ahead now;)

     

    Ahh, the beauty of homeschooling… It supports real life and family togetherness!

    August 23, 2015 at 9:39 am
    Kelley
    Participant

    Do you wear your baby?  I found that babywearing was an amazing help with homeschooling.

    August 23, 2015 at 10:23 am
    heatherma
    Participant

    I do! I am getting some stamina back and able to wear her longer every few days.

    August 23, 2015 at 2:04 pm
    Heather
    Participant

    My kids are 8, 5, 3 & 4 months, so I’m kind of in the same boat.

    I trying something new with our schedule that incorporates loop scheduling. It works like this…

    We have daily group subjects (Bible, singing, read aloud/poetry) and looping/rotation group subjects (Composer study, picture study, nature study, personal development, art). Then my 8 year old also has his individual daily subjects (math, copy work, memory work, reading, history) and individual looping subjects (foreign language, spelling, science, geography).  My 5 year old will have individual reading lessons daily and then a few other things on a rotation.

    This way I can make sure we are hitting all the basics at a good pace, and then always adding the other subjects in on a rotating basis so that no subject gets neglected completely and we make slow but steady progress on all of them.

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