Want to get caught up? Go here for Part 1!
Okay, so you have your homeschool vision and you've written it down. Now it's time to start creating your schedule. I would highly recommend that you have a planner or calendar handy as you walk through this next step. My favorites are from Home Educating Family Association {affiliate links} and look at that, they're on sale right now ... amazing. But seriously, they are super functional and pretty planners. You should have one. If you dont' ahve a planner, just grab some paper and a pencil. Here we go...
Step 3 - Decide what annoys you and take care of that first. This can be chores, a certain subject, dinner prep, whatever. If you don't take care of what annoys you first, it will hang over your head all day long. Just get it done and out of the way.
Make a list of those ‘need to do’ items and divvy them up among your kids, according to their age and ability. Part of what you’re teaching your children is how to manage a home - boys OR girls - and this is good for them! Don’t assume that you’re wasting school time doing chores. It counts. You’re teaching diligence, responsibility and character -- they might not fit on an IHIP but they will be of priceless value to your child’s future employers.
For my house, the things that annoy me most are unmade beds and a dirty kitchen. So my daughters all have tasks to help get those things taken care of - with my supervision and help - before we start school. I try to have age appropriate and child appropriate responsibilities and expectations. My 13 yr old’s bed will not look the same as the 4 year old's bed. In my experience, if I think that my child can handle the chore, they probably could have started it six months ago. So don't keep all the work to yourself and get all stressed out. These are important, life skills you are teaching. Don't assume your children are too young. Show them how, explain the responsibility and importance of work, then watch them take ownership of it.
After what annoys you is on the list/chart/planner, think about the next important thing you need in each day. A walk? Is read aloud time absolutely crucial to your homeschool? Put it in next. For me, I need time in the morning to go talk to my chickens and when the weather cooperates, a walk. I also work from home, so I need a chunk of time each afternoon for that. Maybe for you it's just catching up on emails or Facebook - time that your children are occupied doing something quiet, so you can have a bit of a recharge, perhaps? Maybe it's an afternoon quiet time. Get it on the schedule. Then fit everything else around it.
In order for all this planning to go off without a major hitch, the last thing I do each day is pick up the house. It makes it so much easier in the morning if we wake up to a straightened living room, a clean dishwasher and a freshly brewed pot of coffee. I have a bedtime routine that's kind of similar to this one, but it helps me to relax and sleep well if I know that I've taken care of some little things before the next morning.
How is your homeschool day scheduled right now? Do you take time to finish all the little annoying things before you dive into the academics?
Stay tuned for part three, coming next week!
Okay, so you have your homeschool vision and you've written it down. Now it's time to start creating your schedule. I would highly recommend that you have a planner or calendar handy as you walk through this next step. My favorites are from Home Educating Family Association {affiliate links} and look at that, they're on sale right now ... amazing. But seriously, they are super functional and pretty planners. You should have one. If you dont' ahve a planner, just grab some paper and a pencil. Here we go...
Step 3 - Decide what annoys you and take care of that first. This can be chores, a certain subject, dinner prep, whatever. If you don't take care of what annoys you first, it will hang over your head all day long. Just get it done and out of the way.
Make a list of those ‘need to do’ items and divvy them up among your kids, according to their age and ability. Part of what you’re teaching your children is how to manage a home - boys OR girls - and this is good for them! Don’t assume that you’re wasting school time doing chores. It counts. You’re teaching diligence, responsibility and character -- they might not fit on an IHIP but they will be of priceless value to your child’s future employers.
For my house, the things that annoy me most are unmade beds and a dirty kitchen. So my daughters all have tasks to help get those things taken care of - with my supervision and help - before we start school. I try to have age appropriate and child appropriate responsibilities and expectations. My 13 yr old’s bed will not look the same as the 4 year old's bed. In my experience, if I think that my child can handle the chore, they probably could have started it six months ago. So don't keep all the work to yourself and get all stressed out. These are important, life skills you are teaching. Don't assume your children are too young. Show them how, explain the responsibility and importance of work, then watch them take ownership of it.
After what annoys you is on the list/chart/planner, think about the next important thing you need in each day. A walk? Is read aloud time absolutely crucial to your homeschool? Put it in next. For me, I need time in the morning to go talk to my chickens and when the weather cooperates, a walk. I also work from home, so I need a chunk of time each afternoon for that. Maybe for you it's just catching up on emails or Facebook - time that your children are occupied doing something quiet, so you can have a bit of a recharge, perhaps? Maybe it's an afternoon quiet time. Get it on the schedule. Then fit everything else around it.
In order for all this planning to go off without a major hitch, the last thing I do each day is pick up the house. It makes it so much easier in the morning if we wake up to a straightened living room, a clean dishwasher and a freshly brewed pot of coffee. I have a bedtime routine that's kind of similar to this one, but it helps me to relax and sleep well if I know that I've taken care of some little things before the next morning.
How is your homeschool day scheduled right now? Do you take time to finish all the little annoying things before you dive into the academics?
Stay tuned for part three, coming next week!
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