Homeschool Memoir

THIS WEEK'S THEME:

I am sure some of you are still getting into your homeschool routines. I know some people are very routine oriented while others may be more “day-by-day”, and it all depends on your family and what works best for your life-style. This week please post what your planned homeschool routine is. The theme banner should give you some ideas on how to do that. I had fun making that and adding in real info (except for the times! lol). When you’re done posting your routines please share your prayers for this school year.





Our homeschooling day has a very loose "routine" as opposed to a schedule that we follow ... on most days it looks a bit like this:

7am Dd's alarm goes off and reminds mom that her alarm is also going off (i tend to sleep through my alarm)

I get up and wake up our 6 year old Ds who is attending a local kindergarten this year. He and I get dressed and eat a little breakfast, then drive the 3 1/2 miles to his school.

7:30 am Just before we leave I make sure that dd(13) and ds(10) are getting ready for the day. They get dressed, wash up, and eat breakfast while I am taking ds(6) to kindergarten. At this time ds(3) and Baby Girl are still sleeping soundly, but if they happen to wake while I'm gone dd(13) is a wonderful babysitter. Ds(6) and I usually share prayers on the way to his kindergarten.

By 8am I have drooped off ds (6) and gotten my daily dose of coffee at the coffee shop between our house and the school. Dd(13) has her own check list of subjects and assignments and needs very little help from me, so she just starts right in. She comes and finds me when questions arise. I am in our school room, living room or the kitchen usually. Ds(10) brings his work wherever I am. He is our "I just can't hold still" child. He has a gift for climbing anything and for gymnastics, but sitting still to read or write are truly a challenge for him. There are indeed days where I think I'm going to pull my hair out with this child. He is sweet and wonderful, but also full of energy and wiggles.

Around 9:30 or 10am we break for a quick snack and stretch. And if the litte two are not up by this time I wake them up. Both still nurse upon waking so nursing and diaper changing and getting them dressed occupies my next 20-60 minutes (depending on the day) If I need some help dd(13) takes a longer break and rocks or walks with Baby Girl or plays and reads to ds(3). During this time ds(10) is near by, reading aloud to us or filling in a math facts sheet, or writting this weeks memory verse ... something like that. And I'll admitt that some days this is when I send ds(10) outside for a few minutes to run off some of that energy.

11:05am the kindergarten bus drops of ds(6) at the end of our driveway. I try to keep ds(10) on track and finishing up the morning's work. dd(13) starts working on a simple lunch once she is done with her morning school work.

Between 11:30am and 12:30pm we try to eat and clean up from lunch.

Early afternoon we either get outside for some fresh air or get some reading in or play a game related to something we are currently learning about. Then, once the 6 year old is settled in from of a Veggie Tales or PBS show and the 3 year old is down for a nap I am freed up to read aloud, or do science experiments or work on lapbooks with the oldest two kiddos. At this point Baby Girl is awake and enjoying the chaos or asleep, either way she is usually in my sling or in the baby swing near by.

Late afternoon really depends on which day it is:

Mondays ds(10) has gymnastics from 4:30-8:00pm

Tuesdays ds(6) has Karate from 6:00-7:00 pm

Wednesdays we all eat supper at church and attend church clubs or classes. And from 1-3pm on the first Wednesdays of each month a local Nature Center has Seasonal Homeschool Activities (harvest, migration, tracking, cross country skiing, just to name a few)

Thursdays ds(10) has gymnastics from 4:30-8:00pm and dd(13) has her harp lesson from 7:00-7:30

Fridays dd(13) has horseback ridding lessons from 3:45-5:15