So, at the beginning of the year I created a lovely daily schedule for us to follow:
Wake up and get dressed. Everyone should be downstairs by...
9 AM - breakfast
9:30 AM - morning chore (rotates daily)
10:00 AM - morning board
10:30 AM - snack/Read Aloud Time
- Literature and Activity (from FIAR)
11:30ish - Handwriting then Free time
12:30 - Lunch and PM chore
1:30 - Quiet Play
2:30 - Math and Phonics
Really, it looked so good on paper. But it has never worked out. Everything was going great initially except that Handwriting was moved to the afternoon with Math and Phonics.
Then the chores got to difficult to do with a toddler at my feet. They include bathroom cleaning upstairs on M, T, and R. It was never getting done.
Then bible study began on Tuesday AM's and Classical Conversations began on Wednesday AM's. That totally screwed up the morning because we had to be out of the house. Our Morning Board wasn't getting done on those days and neither were the chores.
I decided on Wednesdays we wouldn't do anything in the afternoon. CC was enough. You'd think I could get a chore done, but found myself napping from the busy day and then playing with the kids.
Then I realized that I have three children. The oldest one is 6. Not much about my days are predictable.
Quiet play time has never worked out too well.
Then I got pregnant. And TIRED. So everything fell apart. I have been consistent with math, phonics, and handwriting. I consider these the essentials of kindergarten. We backed off so much other "stuff" as we just enjoyed literature and some basic interacting with it.
Quiet time in the afternoon has turned into 1 hour of a TV show while mommy sleeps, crashed out on the sofa. (Did I mention this pregnancy has me tired?)
I guess I still like the schedule and hope to go back to it. I have NO goals of returning in 2008. I am going to take the holiday season easy as we do our Jesse Tree and study Advent. But I would like to kick off January with a return to scheduling.
Now, anyone have any good suggestions on how this works with little ones in your house? Especially the chores. I'd like to see them more involved, but it is tough to juggle!
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T (age 5), teacher mom, C (age 6 mon), K (age 7), D (age 3)
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- Mary@notbefore7
- Striving to be found in Christ, without any of my own righteousness, but only righteousness that comes from faith in Him. Yearning to know Him and live by the POWER of His resurrection...(Phil 3:9-10)
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T (age 5), teacher mom, C (age 6 mon), K (age 7), D (age 3)
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3 comments:
Hi
Schedules are hard, especially if you veer off, getting back on.
My daughter is 1st grade, but has autism (although doing so well!) She is in 1st grade.
We do core subjects, Language Arts, Math, Writing (both handwriting and sentence/journal writing)
Anything else could fall by the wayside. Her constant interest/obsession is the world and science so it's easy just playing, reading, investigating that we cover Social studies and Science. Animals is her big thing.
Something that works well is "thematic units. Where all subjects are incorporated. Using whatever THEY are interested in. Baking is math how much of this, how much of that, how to measure etc.
I also work at home and am a single mom. So I'm always juggling but really have stuck to the 9 am to noon core subjects. We do more than just that and often in the evening she is doing more school, but to me that's all just a bonus.
I think the key is learning is fun, and if they are having fun it won't feel like work :)
We just plan a schedule as a jumping board. As we go, I figure what is consistent enough to hold to each day, and flex the rest. Because I have 2 little ones also, we can't always get done what I want to in the morning but I understand that afternoons can be hard when one is pregnant (the tube is the ONLY way that I can get a nap around here - they just will NOT be quiet otherwise!).
So what we end up doing is kinda what you said - we hold the top priorities (phonics, math, copywork) and make sure that they get done FIRST. EVerything else can be stuffed in to the flex time with the reminder to self that it's okay if it doesn't get done (they are still getting an awesome education after all!).
I LOVE structure but I am finding that the Lord is teaching me with these 'baby, pregnant, nursing, crawling, daiper' years, to FLEX and lean on him. After all, look how much He has accomplished with you and your girls already this year! Even without the schedule that you had planned!
You can do it, girl! Keep on juggling!
Andrea
Being flex is the key. :) I have a "framework" but we plug in things as we're going, depending on how our day is going. How's that for an answer! :) There are certain things that are always at routine times: wake up, breakfast, snack, lunch, NAP!!!...and we go from there. Because if someone is fussy, or sick, or it's a beautiful day outside, or (fill-in-the-blank) we have the flexibility to do that.
And your pregnant brain is tired and needs a little recoup time right now. :)
Just roll with it...even though pretty soon you won't be able to roll (sorry). hee hee
Jolanthe
p.s. and are we on for January then? Say YES!!! you can be tired another day!
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