Saturday, August 7, 2010

Kids' Schedule

Sorry -- schedules do not look simple.  Time is a hydra-headed creature and I particularly find it difficult to unify it.

We have a routine right now, of course.  The problem is that some things get neglected and there are parts of the day where the kids are at loose ends and bored.   The beginning of the school year is a good time to brush up the old ways and get some new habits started. 

I searched for some schedules.  I liked this one by Cindy Rushton which isn't by hour, but instead lists out priorities in her family life. I've also always liked this Ten Things to Do with Your Child by the Bluedorns of Trivium Pursuit. If you scroll down you'll see a suggested daily routine that is simple and workable.


Anyway, here's ours.     I tried to peg them around things that happen normally in our house.  Meals and sleep are good places to start because they happen inevitably.   The basic elements besides meals and sleep are similar to the basic elements for every person, with particular focus on some unique features of childhood:   Prayer, Study, Outdoors, Family and Friends, Work, Play, Experiences.   So even if their schedule doesn't go exactly like this (I wouldn't want it to) I hope to basically cover the bases over the course of a few days, a week, a month.

Up by 8 am

  • Straighten up area and bed, get dressed, etc.
  • Morning Offering, private devotions for older ones
  • Breakfast
  • Brush teeth
  • Do one subject that you can do independently (you can do more if you want)

10 am -- Morning Time with mom (reading, discussion, prayer and memory work)

Work on homeschool stuff -- until 12


Noon -- Lunch and chores
Go outside
Therapy practice
  • 2  pm -- Quiet Reading
  • 2-4 pm -- Finish homeschooling -- catch up on anything undone
  • 4 pm -- walk (if we aren't going anywhere) -- PE

5: 15 pm -- help straighten the house
You can check FB at 6 pm

6:30 dinner
  • Help clean up -- see list
  • Family/independent time until 8 pm
  • Prayers, bedtime snack, brush teeth -- bath (A-- M/Th, P -- Tu/F)
Paddy and Aidan in bed by 9 pm.   Kieron in bed at 10 if not watching a movie with Dad.

1 comment:

  1. Hi Willa,

    I've been reading all your posts but haven't been commenting. Life felt too frantic for a while there for me to pause and comment for some reason. But anyway, I am so appreciating your posts. They are wonderfully inspirational to me! Thank you!

    I did a recent post on my oft forgotten blog about my own ideal homeschool day which is pretty similar to this post.

    ReplyDelete

I would love to hear your thoughts on this!