It has been awhile since I wrote the Minute by Minute Tot School post, and have since been asked to update with a detailed post of what our homeschool time looks like now with a 4th grader, Kindergartner and Tot Schooler. I am breaking this idea into 4 parts, probably 5 when all is said and done, but 4 planned parts for now!
- Before the Homeschool Day
- Our Homeschool Morning
- Our Homeschool Afternoon
- After the Homeschool Day
A Typical Morning Before Homeschool Begins…
The boys usually wake up before us and will often be downstairs before us. They know to complete their morning chores upon waking up and if they are hungry they can make their own breakfast, or they can wait for Daddy-he’s the breakfast guy.
Believe it or not, Krash is more responsible with his chores than Pac is! After chores are complete, the boys are free to watch tv, or play video games if they got up early.
Ladybug is a late sleeper most mornings, and loves to play in her bed. We used to use her as an alarm clock, but she often gets us going too late now! She usually begins talking and playing around 8:00. My husband gets her out of bed and feeds her breakfast while I get ready upstairs. We all meet together every morning at 8:30 for family Bible reading and prayer time.
I am not a morning person, so I don’t get up any earlier than needed. I tried for awhile and was miserable. My husband and I spend time together at night and decided that was more valuable than trying to force ourselves to get up early.
Daddy reads from the Bible, right now we are in Matthew, and then we all pray together. After this time, Daddy goes upstairs to get ready and then leaves for work. I usually jump on the computer to check my email, my blogs, and a few other things while the kids play and finish up chores. I make sure things are set up for the school day and sometimes will be on top of things and get the dishes/kitchen cleaned up early!
Notes about morning time in our home…
Morning time is my VERY LEAST favorite time of the day. Of the 5 of us, 3 of us are NOT morning people. Ladybug, my husband, and you guessed it-me! I am one of those “don’t talk to me” types of people and have to force myself to be nice. Ladybug is the most whiney in the mornings and sets my anxiety off in many fun ways. The boys seem to be morning people and they tend to hang together. Their behavior and moods seem no different in the morning hours.
I do NOT always start school on time like I should. Sometimes I allow one more tv show, 30 more minutes of room play time, or some extra computer time. This mostly depends on my own mood. I have learned that if I am not in the proper mood, it is just better to give them 30 more minutes of free time. This usually gives me time to settle myself if I woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Unfortunately a common problem for me.
Our “normal” school start time is between 9-9:30am. PacMan always starts first because he does his independent work in the morning and is free when it is complete, if he finishes before snack time at 10:30. This is on the sidebar of his school blog, he looks for green and gets busy!
Sometimes he is gung-ho and will get it all done before I even get up! I post his school blog the night before so it is ready for him to check whenever he gets up in the morning. We have used the blog method for over a year and it works beautifully for both of us! Here is a sample of one of his recent school days, I cross them off for him after he completes them throughout the day.
Stay tuned, in my next post I will share what it looks like when we actually start our homeschool day! I am planning to record a specific day in as much detail as possible, similar to how I did it in my Tot School Minute by Minute Post. Be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss it!
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