So yeah. Homeschooling. We're a bit more relaxed this year. I'm not breathing down the little one's neck with a pile-o-textbooks clutched at my already tense side. But the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas is always an 'epic fail' for me. Regular school was a misnomer.
When it was time to go back to schoolwork after our week off for Thanksgiving, I just... didn't. We spent the next two weeks doing who knows what. I look now at our daily activities chart and had to write stuff down. We read a lot, listened to books on tape (our favorites being written by Richard Peck
; see list below) while playing legos. My little one built lego forts, pyramids, had faux battles between warring parties of playmobil people. We did a good amount of baking, cooking, a few field trips to local Christmasy areas. The little one's singing group sang at one shopping area.
; see list below) while playing legos. My little one built lego forts, pyramids, had faux battles between warring parties of playmobil people. We did a good amount of baking, cooking, a few field trips to local Christmasy areas. The little one's singing group sang at one shopping area.
We did do bible, occasionally review our scripture we're trying to memorize (1 Corinthians 13) and visited the Latin DVDs and workbook sporadically. Science did play a part in our time 'off'. We bought a soldering kit as well as a bug robot kit and with her dad she learned how to solder and all about wires, circuits, etc... They're getting ready to work on a robot soon.
So yeah, not the monumental amount of work I had scheduled. But it felt relaxed. Now begins the climb back out of the hole of relaxation. The last couple weeks here of January we've struggled. Plus having two cycles of sickness go through our house back to back has not helped with regular schooling. Much reading has been going on but that is it (we did discover the game of Phase 10 though and it has become a favorite!)
Today we restarted. We began our day at 8 am (yes, I know. I was as shocked as you are.) I'm redesigning our schedule. The Charlotte Mason little times of learning worked for us for a bit. Right now we'll try something different. Cutting out many CM things or actually combining them, while keeping some in (such as scripture memory and Latin.)
Here's our new schedule (beginning at 8 each morning):
History/Geography 1-1 1/2 hours
Latin 1/2 hour
Latin 1/2 hour
Math 1/2-1 hour
Piano 1/2 hour
Piano 1/2 hour
Scripture Memory/Bible Lesson 1/2 hour
Writing/Dictation/Spelling/Typing/Grammar 3/4-1 hour
Literature/Poetry 1/2 hour
Science 1/2 hour
Reading 1 hour
I'm thinking on average, history will be 1 hour, Math 1 hour. The writing portion will have creative writing, words dictated, proper grammar practiced and most of it will be typed so she can practice typing at the same time. After science we'll be done for the day and she is responsible for 1 hour of reading sometime in the rest of her day. I don't care if it's at night.
I'm also introducing homework. Yes, that hated word from public/private school. But she is getting to the age where next year she'll be in 'Junior high' and additional work will be needed outside of the times I'm instructing her. For now it will include:
Extra Latin practice
Extra history projects (chosen by her)
Extra scripture memory practice
Extra scripture memory practice
Crossing fingers this works for her. I know in a month or so we'll probably have to change it up again. Just need to get some work done now.
Books by Richard Peck that we've enjoyed:
We also have listened to:
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