If you’re new to HeavenlyHomemakers and want to know more about our homeschooling…read about our curriculum choice here, the books we’ll be using this year here and our budget here.
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Here is our current schooling schedule, subject daily to being changed and rearranged and shifted and completely messed up:
- Bible reading time during breakfast
- M/W – United States Geography Portfolios; T/Th – Science Units (all together)
- History (all together) (boys play with legos or something else similar while I read)
- Asa – Math at computer; Justus and Elias – Handwriting, Spelling and Phonics
- Ten minute break
- Justus and Elias – Math; Asa – Spelling and Language Arts
- Boys finish up work and take turns at computer using Typing Instructor program (I work on lunch)
- Lunchtime – I read our latest “Read-Aloud” book while boys eat
- M/W – Journal writing; T/Th – Proverbs study
- Reading – boys cozy up on couches and read independently
Now the big question: What does Malachi do during all of this?
Why, he sits quietly and colors pictures of course.
Yeah, right. Rarely do any of my children ever sit quietly and color pictures.
Malachi is four and a half and actually does a pretty good job now just playing quietly on his own while I’m reading to the boys during History and Science and Geography. (He LOVES Legos.) He often joins us for science if we’re doing something fun…or plays USA Bingo with us during Geography. Otherwise, he just plays.
As far as his own personal school work goes…maybe when I am completely finished with canning and preserving…and soccer season is over…I can get a little bit of Pre-K time in with him. He’s obviously not suffering because of neglect. He is amazing us with how he can spell words and write letters and even answer History questions!
I know many of you want to know how I schooled the boys when they were all littler…and how I handled school when some of them were babies. And, you want to know what I suggest you do with your little guys while you’re schooling your older ones. SUCH good questions. I’m thinking through those questions and will write a post soon to answer them.
In the meantime…while writing THIS post…I was just feeling like it would be easier to explain how we homeschool and how our day goes if you could all just COME OVER and watch. But since my living room just isn’t that big…and you know…some of you live across the ocean from me…I decided that someday next week I’ll take bunches of pictures throughout the day and do a “Day in the Life” post or something like that.
How does that sound?
Jerri says
Great schedule! Sounds like you have it all worked out!
tarena says
sounds good!
Sandee says
cant wait for a day in the life…
Melonie K. says
As one of the ones across an ocean from you :-) I’m in for a Day in the Life post instead! Would love to come visit but don’t see that happening. haha
Coral says
I love that you’ve given me “permission” to allow my little wiggle worms to play while I read. I guess I always thought I had to make them sit still (which never happens) or they wouldn’t take in what I’m saying/reading. I take it they do still absorb the reading? Do you set any boundaries on this?
Laura says
They actually absorb what I’m reading BETTER if I let them play Legos while they listen. Otherwise, it’s a battle to get them to be quiet, sit still and listen.
It’s still sometimes a battle to get them to stay quiet while they play…but we’ve gotten into a nice system of “they build”-“I read”. The only boundaries I set are that they can’t play anything with each other (because that usually requires talking) and they can’t play anything that makes any noise.
Michele says
Sounds a lot like our schedule… except for when my two year old climbs on the kitchen table during lessons. That’s always fun… LOL!
Elizabeth says
Thanks for sharing! I think you’re right…a day in the life is a great idea…how does that saying go? A picture says a thousand words?
Jen B says
Pictures would be great!! I gave you an award BTW.
http://scrapingirl.blogspot.com/2009/10/award.html
Julie says
I like your blog! Your schedule is great! I only have one to home school right now. I don’t know how so many of you do it with more than 1 child. Blessings!
Lois says
Every day goes that well, doesn’t it???? Ha-ha. I love hearing how others do it, and I think pictures are a great idea. The best book I read when I was thinking about Homeschooling, but not sure how it worked logistically, was a collection of real people and what a “typical” day was like. You might not show us a typical day at your house, but we readers of your blog know it would be a real day. Thanks, Laura, for sharing your family with us.
Antoinette says
Thank you so much for posting this. We put our children in private school half way through last year, and enrolled them again for this year. I have been wrestling with that decision and have been praying about home schooling them again next year. (I had some personal struggles that needed to be addressed and worked through.) Just reading through your schedule encourages me very much since I have 3 with 1 on the way (3 boys and 1 girl). I really like how you have things split up and what you have them work on. Thanks for sharing. :-)
Lindsey in AL says
OK, so when do you eat? I have heard many moms say they read during breakfast and lunch but I have to EAT those meals, as much as my kids do. Ok, maybe not quite as much as they do, but still, I’m a person. Do you have your own meals before or after? Do you read with your mouth full? Does your food get cold because the book is too interesting? I think I will do our Bible reading during breakie, if I can figure out a way to feed myself too. I can’t read on an empty stomach you know :)
melanie says
Lindsey,
If I’m going to read, I eat first! (as in, before the kids do – especially b’fast, and that’s when I read the most regularly)
What bugs me is the clinking spoons when I’m trying to read at breakfast :p so muffins are a much better menu option ;-)
~melanie (mom to six!)
Laura says
Eat?! :)
I almost always eat fruit while I’m cooking breakfast…then I eat whatever I cooked after I’m done reading. The fruit holds me over until after the boys are finished, then I eat whatever’s left while they’re brushing teeth and getting school books out for the day.
At lunch I’m usually starving and I eat before I read. I can eat much more quickly than the boys can…so once I’m done, then I read.
Kristen says
I wish I could find someone to home school with. Do you know other families in your area that you kind of work together on the homeschooling thing? I always feel like my kids need more kids to play with to be around. I dont want full time school, but once a week would be nice. Just curious if you network like that with your schooling?
melanie says
Laura,
I don’t think I’ve added up our hs-ing expenses for the year lately. But I’m sure it’s more than $450! You are doing great to keep it that low! (We also purch’d 3 laptops when we started using Teaching Textbooks for the olders last year…)
Just think how much less property tax you could pay if the gov’t schools learned something from your example! ;-) They could even learn from the private schools – at least in Iowa, the Christian schools charge less tuition than the public schools receive per student.
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Keri says
I know I’m a little late on this post since it is from October, but just wanted to make sure I hadn’t missed the future post about homeschooling when the boys were little or when you had babies. Mine are 6, 4, 2 and 1 one month old. I would love to hear any tips from when yours were around this age! :)
Laura says
No, you haven’t missed it. I am just having a TERRIBLE time getting around to it. :)
Kate says
Thanks…I always like to see what others are doing. What time do you, personally, get up in the morning? And, when do you do laundry and clean the house? That’s what I struggle with…trying to balance teaching the kids with keeping up the house. What time do you start and finish school? Thanks to anyone who has any tips on keeping it all together!
Laura says
Depends on the day…I TRY to get up around 6:30 or 7 so that I can get some computer work done before my boys get up, but lately it’s been hard to get up that early since my husband works many nights and doesn’t get home until 1 or so. I want to spend time with him so sometimes I stay up way too late so that I can actually see him! Then I sleep in the next morning which means I get NOTHING done and we don’t start school until 10. ICK! Ah well, at least we get it done!
I do laundry just whenever I have a moment to switch out loads or to sit and fold. My boys are a big help with much of the housework. We do more housework in the evenings and on Saturdays than any other time.
We start school whenever and we finish whenever we’re done. :) Usually we don’t officially start in the mornings until 9. Then most of the boys are finished by 3 (with some breaks in there). But sometimes they are still waiting for me to get around to doing spelling with them until 8 that night. We’re flexible…it’s the only way we can make it work!