Homeschool Memoirs #3

THEME

I hope last week’s theme helped you get a bigger view and maybe some ideas about different ways to homeschool or curriculum. There is so much to share and so I hope this helped, especially the new homeschoolers, narrow things down a bit. I am sure some of you are still getting into your homeschool routines. I know some people are very routine oriented while others may be more “day-by-day”, and it all depends on your family and what works best for your life-style. This week please post what your planned homeschool routine is. The theme banner should give you some ideas on how to do that.

Our routine is fairly simple, I do not have set times, as I love to sleep in and if I ever wake and they are not up, I certianly do not wake them!  We all usually appear about the same time in the morning though.  Our routine is pretty much the same.  I fix my caffeine (Dr. Pepper) and unload the dishwasher while the kiddos eat breakfast.  MWF are my laundry days. TT are theirs - one is one day, one is the other - don't get me to fibbing about which is which though!  After breakfast, whoever needs to start laundry gets that started and then we head to the school room.  Most days, we start off with the things they do together (go ahead and throw tomatoes - I will be ducking ~ my kids are at the same grade level, so most of it we do together). The things we do together are History, Science, FIAR, Grammar and watch the MUS video.  Once we make our way thru all of that, they are on their own to do their math, handwriting, spelling and reading.  While they are working on their independant work, that is  my computer time - check emails, blog, check in with my groups, deal with Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Homeschool Support group stuff.  MOST DAYS (if they don't play around) they are finished with their work about time for lunch or soon after.  Once they finsih their work and we have lunch, it is chore time.  Finish up the laundry, make sure kitchen is picked up and their rooms straight.  From there, we have FREE time!!  YAY!  This is where they ususally head outside - unless there is a hurricane sitting above us - then they bring out more hot wheels and barbies than mattel has.  Or, sometimes they chose to watch a movie or TV (yes, ducking more tomatoes - we have tv's and we watch them - they know what they can and can't watch - and there are some really cool things on discovery and the history channel during the day sometime!)

At 4:30, I start dinner. Usually by this time, Roger is home. We have dinner early because most of our evenings are out of the house - between church, fire department, scouts and such - so it has worked out to eat that early!

Bedtimes are fairly lax around here - we start telling them bedtime about 8:30, but if they are busy doing something, then we do not push the issue.  Once they go to bed, they are allowed to read as loang as they would like to.  I rarely go to bed and to sleep before they are out, but as they get older (and I get older) I am sure that will be changing in the next few years.