Year 8, Week 9: Chores

     I'm late getting this posted because our computer has been acting up with changing the display size by itself and it's hard to type while it switches from a font of 12 to a font of 72!  I still don't know the cause of it but it seems to have settled down, thank goodness.  Regardless, this is going to be a short one.  Remember that project I mentioned in my last post, the one that I'll be announcing soon?  Well, it's taking every free moment I have and so I'm going to make this post short and then read; something I haven't been able to do much in the past couple of weeks.  Let's get to it!

     Do your kids do chores?  Growing up, as far back as I can remember, we cleaned the house every Friday night.  Mom would blast music and we'd dance around and sing while cleaning.  I remember being in charge of dusting, but it wasn't like I just had a feather duster and could twirl my way quickly through this chore.  I had to remove everything, use dust spray and wipe/polish it all down.  Of course, it started out with mom doing most of it and teaching us how to do it.  Eventually, we were in charge of all of it.  Eventually, it became habit.

     Which is why my kids have chores.  They're listed for the kids on our schedule.  It's a different chore for each child on a particular day which is why you don't see it in that post.  One day one of them is doing all their laundry, from start to finish.  The next day the other kid does the same thing.  The rest of the week there's dusting, vacuuming and cleaning their bathroom.  And yes, they do it every week.  Sometimes, with the exception of laundry, the rest of the chores might be done on a different day (usually Friday) depending on how busy their week is.

     Cleaning their room is a daily thing but that's more focused on something I picked up somewhere (can't remember) called E.H.A.P. (Everything Has A Place).  I use it as a verb, telling the kids to "E.H.A.P." their rooms before screen time.  Whether tidying their rooms or cleaning the house music is always playing, though not aloud since they're listening to it via bluetooth headphones (I can hear myself saying, "Back in my day...Ha!)  The cool thing is they're playing some of the music I listened to years ago!

     As a parent of children with special needs it's good to get these habits in place as early as possible but any child can benefit from doing chores.  If you're not sure what chores your kids can and should do Intoxicated On Life has a great pdf you can download which also includes a chore chart.  This quick reference chart from The Happy Housewife is helpful too:

The Happy Housewife

     Either way, find what works best for you and your family.  One thing I do want to add is that I don't give the kids an allowance for the chores they're supposed to do; the things we as adults still have to do because I still do them and I don't see anyone paying me!  Kids need to learn to do things for the sake of doing them not because they're going to get something for it.  However, I do give them extra screen time for an exceptional cleaning job or we'll go out for ice cream if we tackle a huge project like cleaning out the garage or sorting through their closets.

     I get to make my announcement next week.  Until then enjoy your weekend and have a great week!

Year 8, Week 8: Back to Work

     In a previous post I mentioned that Little Toughie had an audition.  She had call backs last weekend and she got a part!  Obviously, this year is going to be different with live performances and right now rehearsals are primarily virtual.  They have a contingent plan in place if come January audience gatherings are still prohibited.  Not ideal for any performer who feeds off the audience's reactions (we miss seeing live musicals!) but it is what it is.  Regardless, Little Toughie is excited and...busy.

     We're back to our normal schedule and I'm trying help the kids hone their time management skills.  Little Toughie's assignments are getting longer and I've raised my standards for A380, so the work is taking longer for both to finish.  However, some of it is also the fact that they "see squirrels" and they get distracted.  Or sometimes, in Little Toughie's case, her sense of time is off.  Half an hour feels like five minutes to her and well, that five minute break just lengthened her school day.  A380, on the other hand, is such a clock watcher that if on the calendar I have them doing math from 10:30-11:00 a.m. he'll stop at 11 even though there is still work to be done.  Our homeschool calendar is for reference; to give them an idea of what they should be doing at certain times.  The good thing with Little Toughie is that once she gets back on track, she's focused and she knows what needs to get done.  The good thing with A380 is that he'll tell me that he needs a break and wants to work on something else before circling back to whatever it is he needs to finish.  I know I'm just being anxious and importunate in wanting them to be organized; it is a skill that will bode well for them in all things.  I have to remind myself that they'll get there but ultimately it will be what works for them, their needs and personalities.

     The rest of our week was fairly quiet.  A380 got to watch an online Science Magic Show.  He was excited to share what he saw, especially because M&Ms were included!  Little Toughie got her script and I'm pretty sure she already has all her lines memorized.  I was on the phone and computer a lot this week.  I'm working on a new project (I'll share in a few weeks.)  I had to watch a couple of webinars to prep.  There were a couple of Zoom meetings that I had to attend (one of which I missed and had to listen to the playback!)  I made an appointment for my flu shot, which took a lot longer than expected because I couldn't remember the last time I had one.  I had to stay in the clinic for 15 minutes, after already waiting for 20 minutes just to get the shot, because they wanted to make sure I didn't have an immediate reaction.  Thankfully, I didn't.

     Not much else.  Enjoy your weekend and...squirrel!

Year 8, Week 3: Scheduling, Part Two

     I hope my last post on scheduling was clear.  I feel like I was rambling, but then again....I did warn you!  In this post I'm sharing what our day typically looks like.  If you're a parent whose child(ren) is doing distance learning due to the SAH orders, some of this may not apply to you but it might give you a better sense of what homeschooling entails or prepare you for the long haul.

     We start our day between 8:30 and 9.  The kids know their morning chores/routine need to be done by 8:30, thus they're up around 7:30.  Their morning routine includes making their bed, having breakfast, doing the morning dishes, feeding and walking our dog.  Then we start our day:

Bible and prayer	8:30 - 9:00
History	9:00 - 9:45
Break (to walk the dog)	9:45 - 10:00
Grammar/Spelling	10:00 - 10:30
Math	10:30 - 11:00 (This is usually when I get to work out, after I go over their lesson for the day and while they do their assignment.)
Writing	11:00 - 12:30 (This is only once a week because Little Toughie has an online course.  A380 is doing something different  We're usually done before 12 or a bit after.)
Lunch	12:00 - 1:00
Science	1:00 - 1:30
Assigned Reading	Must be done before any screen time
Free Reading	Should be done before dinner

  

     I have specific times, but that's really just a guide.  This is basically Block Scheduling but I have specific times just to make sure we aren't dawdling; it's very easy for us to get caught up in discussions (we do it often) and lose track of time.  Bible, History and Writing are well-known for drawing us into long conversations after I read to them.  It may look like our day is complete by 2 or so but, like most kids, they have activities outside the home roughly three days out of five, sometimes more depending on the time of the year.  If for some reason we don't finish we can go back to it and I know where we left off.

     "Homework" would be anything that they didn't get completed during our day or anything that I asked them to correct.  They also have a chore of the day that I have on our schedule, but much like their Assigned and Free Reading, there's no time.  It just has to be done before any screen time AND before dinner.

     Our Fridays have a lighter schedule to give them time to work on projects or experiments or to catch up on anything that didn't get completed during the week.  At this point, week three, there isn't much to do but I know as the year progresses the work load will increase.  Friday is also the day where I use Looping in our schedule.  We alternate between a geography game, Art, Music Appreciation, writing poetry and mapping skills.  If I find an educational game then I might add that to the schedule or if they want to spend some time doing something of their own choosing (delight directed learning) we can add that in as well.  Something my daughter wants to add this year is FCS (Family and Consumer Science)----Can I just tell you how much cooler that sounds than the "Home Ec. of my days?!)  She's in the midst of preparing for an audition, so I don't know if we'll be able to do that, but that's the benefit of looping.

   For all of this I use Homeschool Planet.  I'm not getting paid or anything like that to share this.  I'm really just sharing what I use and what I like about it.  First, it's very user friendly.  I've been using it for the past four years.  I had a free trial and was immediately able to use it without even watching the tutorials.  I can easily mark off what's been completed.  I can change an assignment, drag and drop a particular part of our day, print reports and more.  I can view the schedule of just one kid or both.  I can give each child their own log in.  One of the things I do every year is print out and keep our school year attendance (as required by our state) and then a copy of our weekly schedule (just one week and I usually pick one later in the year once I know we've found our groove).  Since I can also add Resources, I print out that list too, so that I know what books we've read and used.  Later I'll also be able to print out high school transcripts for college purposes!

Courtesy of Homeschool Planet

     Next week, I'll share our week along with a bit of each subject we're studying this year.  This week was pretty quiet; we've added a couple of things into our schedule so it's starting to get busy.  I forgot to order their grammar books so what I thought was the last of the homeschool books deliveries was incorrect!  That will be the last of them when they get here.  That's all for now.  Have a great weekend!

       

Year 8, Week 2: Scheduling, Part One

     Let me start first with acknowledging that I know how lucky I am to be homeschooling.  I know in this current season many parents are being forced to navigate working at home while trying make sure their kids are set up for distance/virtual learning; trying to get through meetings while making sure the kids are in their own virtual classrooms paying attention; trying to get their work done while ensuring the kids are completing their assignments as well.  And that's just the tip of the iceberg.  I applaud you.  I hope this two-part post helps in some way!

     Now, homeschooling for us is not public school at home.  My son was in public school up through 6th grade and I've been homeschooling since 2012 so I think it's safe to say that I have a bit of experience with both.  I don't have 30+ students to teach and keep focused.  My students don't have to line up to make their way to the cafeteria and then wait in line to get their lunch with the rest of the school.  I don't have to log into a portal or make sure everyone is logged in before I can start teaching.  My kids don't need time to get from one class to another, stopping at lockers on the way and the only constant distraction we have is our dog barking at the delivery trucks and neighbors walking by.  So, my school and schedule is different.  It's likely even different from other experienced homeschoolers.  We're usually done with a full day of school in about five hours, sometimes less, very rarely more than five and a half.  I use a schedule to keep track of our day and so that my kids know what needs to be done.  Plus, they need to learn time management skills.  Does that mean we stick to it perfectly every day?  Nope!  Sometimes, especially when we're deep into a discussion, we'll get off track.  Sometimes, when Math is confusing, we have to put it off until The Principal gets home in the evening to make it clear.  Sometimes, if I'm sick....well I can't call a sub so I do what I can and we adjust as necessary.

     Whether you're homeschooling or having to do distance/virtual learning, first find what type of planner works best for you AND your kids.  Find one that is easy to use and will be used.  If it's too complicated or time consuming for your family, it won't work.  For me, I have a regular paper planner for my personal needs but I use a web-based one for our homeschool.  Last year, after purchasing paper planners for my kids, I learned that they much prefer to use the one online!  So, take a bit of time to find one your family will actually use and will help keep everyone on track.  It may take a bit of experimenting.  Here are some options:

• Spiral Notebooks  (Very simple, inexpensive and can be used by student and/or parent.)
• Paper Planners (Available for students and teachers.)
• Family Wall Calendar (I like this one because it can be used in different ways)
• Online Planner (I use this one for our homeschool and I'll share why in part two.)

     If you don't need something to track daily assignments then the wall calendar or something similar will be best just to help guide your child so that they know where they should be (virtually) or what they should be working on at certain times during the day.  It might help to also put YOUR work schedule on there as well so that the kids know when you're in a meeting or can't be disturbed or when you might be available to ask a quick question.

     If you have little ones who don't understand the concept of time or can't read yet I would suggest purchasing a timer (this is a fun one) and setting it for them, explaining to them that they can stop whatever they're supposed to be doing when the timer stops.  You can use it along with their own task list too, even if they can't read yet.  When my kids were little I printed pictures of what they were supposed to do every day, laminated them and put velcro on the back of them.  I created a laminated daily sheet for the tasks pictures to stick to with the categories "TO DO" and "DONE".  It was similar to this one here.  I ended up making my own because I wanted it personalized and I had very specific tasks for each child.  Some of them were timed, like "Reading for 30 minutes" or "Geography Game for 30 minutes".  I think I titled mine "A380's Daily Tasks."  Upon my search for this post I found one titled "I Have Jobs Too" which I think is a clever way to remind kids that mom and dad have work to do as well; everyone has a job to do!

     In my next post I'll share our actual schedule to give you an idea of how our day flows and how I work my schedule around theirs!  I'll also share why I prefer the web-based planner over the others.

     As for our week...we're slowly ramping up.  The last of the books I ordered have arrived.  Next week we're full steam ahead.  Have a great weekend!

We're Back and It's Box Day! (Sort of)

Hey there!  Thank you for taking a few minutes to read my nonsense. Well, not nonsense...perhaps musings on homeschooling or the ramblings of a mom who's had a long week and needs an outlet other than exercise to release said ramblings.  Regardless, I'm going to try to get back to writing weekly.  Over the years I haven't been able to keep up with it because our school days started to fill with more than I could handle and I had to choose between keeping this updated or honestly, losing my Bible study time.  And I know there's no way I could homeschool without spending quality time with the Father.  So, there you have it.

Now, in this current season things have slowed a bit.  Plus there's a couple of other reasons.  One, my Little Toughie is starting what would be considered middle school and I would like to get back on track with documenting what we're doing.  The tracking will also help us plan out her high school years 😬.  Plus, for A380, this is a transition year where I get to focus more on the skills necessary for his success and I'll get to document that.  The second part, and only some of my immediate family know this, is that I'm writing a book.  I already have the ending of it outlined and partially written, but to hone my writing skills I have to write!

Moving along...It took some time for us to plan what middle school would look like for our tween.  We had completed all four history cycles (and then some) as per The Well Trained Mind and I knew come high school our focus would move to studying current ideologies/events or 20th Century History or Church History or perhaps the History of Science but I didn't know how to fill the gap until then.  Thankfully, we decided to go back to Sonlight, which is what I used my first year homeschooling Little Toughie in Kindergarten.  Basically, we'll be doing all four cycles again but condensed into two years and it's heavily literature based.  As a bibliophile I love that there's a lot of reading.  But then again, there's A LOT of reading.  See:

For Box Day I'd typically lay out EVERYTHING and take a picture of it like in this post, but with The Principal working from home and the dog zooming around, it just wasn't feasible.  These are just some of the books. 😲  These are the ones I was able to get through and add as resources to my digital planner so that I could set up their schedule, mostly the history books.  We still have our Bible study books, additional science materials and various other books for spelling, writing and vocabulary.  I'm running out of shelves y'all.  I think we need to build an additional room!

We start on Monday, August 10 and I hope to post every Friday (or Saturday).  We'll see how it goes.