August 29, 2010

Homeschool Progress

Our first month of school has passed by in a flash. So far things are going very well. We started off in review mode, using the same materials we has from last year and continuing on. I wasn't prepared to buy everything we needed at the start of this month, so I thought it would be good to pick up where we left off. This was a good idea. It really helped me see where the girls were at in math as well as get them back in the mode of school without the confusion of a bunch of new things that are not familiar.

Yesterday I finally ordered all the new books so those should be here in a few days. The girls are very excited and so am I. Our 10 year old is going to be getting into more formal geography lessons this year which she is really happy about. She loves maps and is very good at learning to find things and memorize them as well. Our 8 year old is especially happy to be learning cursive this year. Our 6 year old is really getting the hang of reading and is so proud of herself. And baby girl is quickly learning letters, colors, shapes and so much more. They all love school and I am so happy that they do. :)

I made a list of what we are studying this year in the left sidebar.

August 10, 2010

Our Daily Schedule - Revised

This past school year we were very scheduled. It was necessary for various reasons, but honestly I find it more stressful to operate in such a structured way. It just doesn't work well. In my opinion, life doesn't fit into a "box".

This year we have chosen to go with a more natural schedule. So far it has been working very well and the kids and I are all more relaxed because of it.

We don't have a particular starting time in the morning. We have set goals for each day.

Unless we have a specific appointment I don't set an alarm in the morning. Sleep deprivation has been a big issue for me personally the past couple of years so sleep is high on my list of priorities. When I get at least 6 hours of good sleep the whole day is better for everyone.

Generally I am awake by 8:30. If the girls wake before I do they play or read until I am awake. Then we move in blocks.


Block 1 - Morning

- Wake up/Grooming
- Chores/dinner prep
- Breakfast
- Bible Study
- Table clean up
- Start school (2 subjects)

Block 2 - Afternoon

- lunch/read-aloud
- table clean up / quick house clean up
- play outside time
- back to school (2 more subjects)

Block 3 - Evening

- project, computer or TV time for kids (varies by day)
- baths/dress for bed
- dinner
- family time

Block 4 - Night

- kids prep for bed (brush teeth, get a cup of water, book, etc.)
- tuck kids in
- time with hubby
- my computer time
- bed time


Two things that I really need to work into the schedule somehow are sewing time and exercise. Those will be added in (somehow) in the weeks to come.

August 9, 2010

Back To Homeschool!

It's that time of year again, time to get back to the books and learn some new things :) We started "back" to school last week and things are going great! We still have quite a bit of material to cover from the books we have from last year so we will be working on those for the next couple of months. Then it will be on to more new things.

At this point our main focus is.......

10 year old - work on handwriting, more focus on composition writing, computer skills.

8 year old - work on all math facts, handwriting practice

6 year old - mastery in reading and remembering all numbers to 100 by sight

3 year old - learn colors, numbers and letters by sight

We will be working on a much looser daily schedule this year but I am still scheduling in blocks. I'll post that schedule tomorrow.