Our large family homeschooling schedule seems to change quite often around here still as we are continually blessed with new children. Each time I just about feel that I am getting into a good routine and we breaking free from the confines of naps and crawling and countless nursing sessions, God blesses again and here come the throws of morning sickness followed by swollen feet and then new life. I am eternally grateful for the blessings of each of our children and I do not say this in a negative way, more of a way of explaining that even though I type this out doesn’t mean that it will stay in place for longer than a couple weeks. But it is working right now.
I rise between 7:00 and 7:30. I wish this was earlier but Elizabeth is still not sleeping through the night and is, for some unknown reason, waking up from 10:30 until about 11pm or midnight each night, so earlier is not an option right now.
The older girls, Maggie (12) and Samantha (10), wake at 7:00 and read their Bible in their room for 30 minutes before coming upstairs. At 7:30am Dad leaves for work and I start my morning chores.. I get breakfast going, finish getting myself ready, and start laundry or dishes usually. The older girls and Josiah start their morning chores at 8:00am and work for 30 minutes each morning. By 8:30am they are at the table eating and working on school. Most mornings they work on their Bible memory as they eat and then move to math and such after that.
Around 9am, while the older ones are working on the bulk of their work, I focus on getting the younger three fed, dressed, and their room straightened. I also keep up working through the laundry and kitchen and any other projects/chores I need to do that day.
After the younger kids are dressed and ready I do school with Katherine while Jeremiah is busy either playing or coloring or something. I often times give him something constructive to do from my stock of preschool activities during the morning time. This time usually goes 11am or so. It is also during this time that Elizabeth will take her first nap.
By 11am, the older children have finished up their math, Bible work, Bible memory assignments, and their reading. We have not yet added in our spelling or vocabulary but after vacation these things will fall at this time.
Right around noon, we break for lunch, Elizabeth wakes up, and we either read aloud, watch a video about our current unit study, or listen to an audio book during lunch. After lunch the younger kids have rest time and the older children and I begin our study for the afternoon. Each afternoon is a different focus this year for us. Our afternoon focuses look like this for right now –
Monday – Science
Tuesday – Tasty Tuesday (cooking, manners, etc)
Wednesday – Wordy Wednesday (grammar, poetry, etc)
Thursday – Thoughtful Thursday (social studies, volunteer work, community service, ministry to others)
Friday – Fun Friday (lapbook studies, field trips, educational movies, etc)
Our school day finally wraps up about 3 o’clock in the afternoon and the children enjoy some free time until around 4:30 when we all pitch in to tidy the house for Dad’s return and help with dinner too. If I was to be totally honest, I am finding this very hard to maintain. It is an intense morning with no down time and a baby and preschooler on top of it. But I know that this is what we are called to do right now and I am taking one day at a time and trusting God for the strength to carry on.
We have no out of the house commitments except our homeschool library class that meets here in town twice a week for 10am-11am. I still really feel that it is very important to maintain consistency and structure in our homeschool to show the children that school is a priority. Many don’t understand but it works for us and that is what is important.
What is your school year shaping up to be? Are there any big changes in your families schedule or routine? Whether public, private, or homeschool this is the time of year that changes happen and adjustments are made for sure!!
I appreciate this look into your hs day. Ours looks very similar and as of now we spend all but liv\brary days at home as well but are hoping to soon add some music lessons. I love the afternoon focus on something different each weekday, I have been struggling to figure out how to balance all those. I have my dinner menu scheduled in a very similar way as this (Taco Tuesday, Meatless Monday, ect.) but I hadn’t thought to structure my afternoon subjects that way. I think it would do wonders for me as a teacher and for our routine here at home. I’m already excited for Afternoon Art and Ministry Mondays :) Thanks so much!!!
I think the key to success in large family homeschooling is being at home as much as possible. I too keep the outside commitments to a minimum. We have all our extras on Tuesdays and the rest of the week are at home doing school. It works out well. Looks like you are doing a great job, Amanda! It is always hard with a baby in the house. :-)
Here is my homeschool schedule if any one else is interested: http://happilydomestic.blogspot.com/2014/09/sticking-to-schedule-how-i-make.html