Typical Daily Schedule in the Hale Homeschool

I've read posts on discussion boards and answered posts on discussion boards about how we actually "get school done" when both my husband and I work full-time. Well, it's no simple feat; so, I thought I'd outline it for us - and maybe start keeping a more regular blog again.

So, as a first in hopefully more blog posts to come. I'll share the schedule that's working for us right now.

In addition to the "official" school things listed below we read aloud daily to the kids; I count that as school time. We read a wide variety of books throughout the days when we're home and every night at bedtime ("good literature," books about history, math, and science as well as picture books and cheesy stories that make me cringe). 

Mondays: I work all day; Mike is does a million things while keeping kids all day.

Kids attend a 1/2 day co-op. Morgan has 2 science classes and a PE class. Kenna and Moxen have "class" that consists of activities and snacks around a theme. They are in different classes this year. Moxen is still "iffy" on the whole co-op thing. He has good things to tell me about it most of the time, but when asked about his favorite part it is either "when Dad came to get me early and lifted me over the gate," or "when it was time to go home, we got to leave."

Other "school work" on these days consists of domestic life skills training (cooking, cleaning house/rooms, reading books, laughing with dad and running errands).

Until the season ended a couple of weeks ago, Kenna had soccer on Monday nights. Morgan takes dance classes on Mondays and Wednesdays.

Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays: Mike works all day everyday (8:30 - 7:30 PM); I work 11:30 AM - 9 PM, Noon - 6:30 PM, and 11:30 - 5:30 PM respectively.

I work more by kid than by subject these three mornings a week so that I can keep my sanity and get something done.

So, the 4.5 year old, Moxen, gets his momma time first (20-45 minutes typically). I pick up where we left off and usually direct the order of activities so that I can leave him working on a "project" while I move on to the middle child. When he's done with his lessons/projects he can work on the computer (Starfall, or looking at family pictures - which is one of his favorite activities) or play quietly by himself.  We're currently working through Moving Beyond the Page, Level 4-5 and All About Reading, Pre-Reading.

Kenna's 1st grade required daily subjects with me are reading and math (this typically takes her about 1 hour between bathroom breaks, running around the room while reading words, etc.). She's working through All About Reading Level 1 and Miquon workbooks for math. She gets to pick the order. It varies by day and I NEVER know which will be first for the day. Doesn't much matter, but I've finally stopped being surprised by what she chooses. As I finish up with her, she can work at the computer (Starfall, Aha!Math, or some other random "educational" activity), play quietly alone or with her brother. I encourage the two of them to go outside to play (as it keeps the inside calmer for my oldest - who gets overstimulated easily).

Finally,  I move on to working with the oldest. I spend about 1.5 hours working with her during the morning "school time." Before we get started together she generally has completed at least one or two of her independent subjects (Life of Fred, Aha!Math, Cursive handwriting, and assigned reading). If the youngest ended with reading and we used the letter tiles from AAR then we usually start with AAS- we just started Level 3 - (can you tell we're big fans of their programs?) because then I don't have to put away and then 20 minutes later get the board with tiles out again.



If Kenna ended with math then we just kind of look at the stack of "with mom work" (MBtP Literature guides, AAS, assorted writing, vocabulary and grammar based activities) and the stack of "sometimes with mom" work (MCT grammar work, history timeline, science readings and summaries), and get started. We finish the "with mom stack" daily together, but the "sometimes with mom" stack means that if we don't get it done it goes with her to grandma's house for the afternoon and she does it independently. That is on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. On Thursday's she's off the hook because there is a sitter who takes them to the library, park, or pushes them on the swing out front. Morgan does the rest of her independent work at grandma's house or in the morning before it is her turn to work with me. I usually do history based read-alouds at bed time, but we fit them in at others times when we get the chance.

Then if we've still got time on our school mornings, I read our science or history (we rotate days). The youngers listen in and participate in experiments as they're interested, which is most of the time. They also take turns answering questions about what we've read. These are part of the history information that goes on Morgan's timelines; so, she always listens in during these times. Usually Kenna acts the whole thing out as I'm reading.

Fridays: Mike and I are both work all day; I arrive home around 5 PM he arrives around 8 PM. 

Are not really school days; however, Morgan takes piano through a free program at EKU. The Friday sitter loves to bake; so, the kids get a good deal of cooking in on those days. Usually Moxen is the cook, but some days the girls join in as well. Last week I came home to an apple pie. Are you so lucky?

The sitter takes them on playdates, to the park, or just outside to play.

Saturdays:

These are our long school days. We do our mornings very similar to the short days above, but over lunch or in the afternoons we complete science and history. Sometimes I have the younger 2 work/listen together or I set them each up with the "materials" to explore and play and then do the experiments with each independently. Sometimes we all gather round and try to do them together. I find it easier to separate the kids for projects/experiments unless there are plenty of manipulatives to share.


Sundays:

I try to make Sundays, which are our family's only day with everyone home, nature days. We like to get outside to hike, bike, play, explore, or just hang out as a family. Besides reading with the kids we don't do any formal school on Sundays. Often the kids will work on their own projects during those days or will play computer games or watch movies (sometimes educational sometimes not).

Since my youngest 2 like to work with others around and like to make lots of noise while working, this rotation schedule really works well for our family right now.

Eventually I plan to combine the younger 2 in many of their lesson times when they're a bit more independent and can work at the same time and place even if it isn't on the same lesson (especially for math, history, science).

Coming soon, updates on what the kids are actually learning and doing during their time.