Organizing
Those who know me, know that I thrive on
being organized ... although
God is helping me relax!
We don't have a "school room" ...
sometimes we are on the back porch, at the
kitchen table, in the livingroom, in the treehouse ....
But I wanted a central area for our supplies.
We found this hoosier cabinet at a local antique store.
It has great storage potential and fits in well
with our old farmhouse decor.
Our "school cabinet" sits in our diningroom/kitchen
area and when closed up fits in as part of our home.
But when open, it holds my resources for teaching,
supplies such as pencils, crayons, glue, paper etc.,
and down below each child has a side with a basket
that holds their journals, books, word sorts and more.
Goals
It is hard to see, but sitting out on the cabinet
is my homeschool notebook.
This is how I keep all my thoughts, plans,
sample work, goals, school day count, and
more organized.
This notebook has evolved a lot over the
three years! The first year, I did lesson plans
as I had as a teacher which proved to stress me out
and made me too much of a task master.
God has really helped me relax and now I use
this weekly goal sheet.
Something you won't find in this binder are
grades ... we have chosen to not give tests or
grades ... I want my children to love learning
not memorize something to get a good grade.
Hung on the wall next to our school cabinet is
this old window that Matt made into a chalkboard
for me. This is our school goal board.
We have our theme scripture written on the top
all year as a reminder.
In the middle, I write "together goals" and on
sides is each child's "individual goals" listed. These goals
include chores and learning.
We do most of our learning together.
Reading, writing, and word study are done one-on-one
with me because they are different levels.
Schedule
Now for our daily schedule ...
let me preface this with an explanation that this is our
usually, not always schedule...
our days usually look like this but not always!
by 6:00 am - Matt and I are up and he is getting ready for work
while I prepare his breakfast and lunch
by 6:30 am - Matt and I pray together and he heads off for work
I now enjoy a cup of coffee or tea and spend
quiet time with God in prayer and in His Word
7:30 - 8:00 the kids get up, make beds, get dressed,
come down for breakfast, brush teeth and hair,
then have free time until 9:00
but in our usually, not always schedule,
since the chilly fall/winter weather set in,
we have been cuddling in my bed when they wake up
and read for sometimes an hour before getting dressed ...
it has become my favorite part of our day
(until Matt gets home!)
9:00 chore time - Nathan and Grace have a small chore
each day that helps me in the area of the home I'm cleaning that day...
they are also responsible to bring down their dirty clothes,
fold and put away clean clothes on laundry days
9:30 - 12:30 focused learning time
We never do things in the same order.
12:30 lunch break
1:00 finish up any remaining goals
2:00 reading and rest time
We have been reading their Ranger Rick magazines,
then they go to their rooms to read, write, draw, or rest while
listening to Classical Kids cds.
I try to sit down with a cup of tea, my crocheting,
a book or a fun project during this time -
it is easy for me to find something that needs done -
but I feel refreshed and am a better mommy if
I take this time each day.
3:00 free time - outside time!
During warmer weather, they are also outside during
morning free time. In fact, I can't keep them inside
if the weather is at all reasonable. But during the winter,
I am intentional about this afternoon time outside!
5:00 Matt's home! Family dinner and evening together.
7:30 Matt reads to the kids.
8:00 bed time for kids
alone time for Matt and me
9:00 - 9:30 we head to bed
Fridays look different for us. We have hour long Spanish
lessons on Friday afternoons. In an effort to have kids
who have energy left to focus on these lessons by 2:00.
our Fridays are more relaxed. At some point in the morning,
we have poetry tea for about 45 minutes, we write letters,
and have fun with a science experiment.
After Spanish, we spend time at our library.
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