We study our three Rs in the morning.
I usually teach Math first. We do all the counting and calendar stuff together. While I am teaching one child his or her lesson, the others are reviewing math facts with cards and doing a fact sheet. We keep rotating until we are all finished.
After math, we do spelling. This includes handwriting. We review the phonograms together. I have to work with each one individually to test the previous day’s words and to teach new words. Then, they create their own sentences for the new words.
Grammar follows spelling. I am starting both Hannah and Benjamin at level 1 of Shurley Grammar this year.
During all that, the little ones are doing their workbook pages and/or playing with something nearby. Easy games and puzzles are within their reach and I try to keep them in our play/schoolroom. Most of the time, Abbey is happy to stay in my lap, though. If they every sneak out without my noticing, then I’m in trouble. I can be guaranteed a big mess somewhere!
LUNCH!
After lunch, I read to everyone. The little ones go down for naps while the big kids read on their own. They keep reading logs and choose one book for which they would like to do a notebook page. This is part of the quiet time of the day. They don’t need my help for this part. The only requirements are that they read at least one book, be quiet, and stay in separate rooms.
Around 2:30 we do history or science. If it’s Monday, Wednesday, or Friday, then we do history. If it is Tuesday or Thursday, then we do science. These lessons always generate good discussions and take quite a chunk out of the day.
Then, it’s piano practice for Hannah and Benjamin (30 minutes/kid).
On Tuesday afternoons, we spend some time on classical music and a composer. Their piano teacher does a great job teaching them the history behind the music they are learning. If they are learning a bit of a song by Bach, then we’ll talk about him. I don’t have a curriculum, just a set of encyclopedias and cds. On Thursday afternoons, we do an art activity.
Around 5 I start prepping for dinner. Each evening, two children are helpers while the other two have free time. Dinner usually starts between 6 and 6:30. Karl leads us in family worship: review scripture memorization, scripture reading, discussion, hymn, prayer. Then, we read whatever read-aloud I’ve picked. After that, we have what I’ve dubbed “the 15-minute pick-up.” The kids run around for 15-minutes to pick up everything they’ve pulled out that day. It takes about 20 minutes to get everyone ready for bed, and they’re down at 8:30ish.
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Leslie Wiggins 
6 responses to “Our Day”
There are a lot of similarities between your schedule and the one I’ve been hashing out for this year. Makes me hope it might actually work!!My three year old absolutely loves pattern blocks and already covers designs on her own. She also enjoys painting, playdough, or making pictures on the fridge with a magnetic tangram set. Just by sitting at the table and playing she has picked up a lot of things I’ve been teaching my son.
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Wow, that’s one busy day!
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Thanks for posting this. It gave me some helpful ideas. Do you have any suggestions for teaching with a baby? She is not quite ready to do puzzles or coloring (15 months old) and mostly wants me to crawl around with her! I’ve been trying to use a playpen for 15-20 minutes in the morning, but she hates it.
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When do you clean and other stuff like that? We’re starting school in a couple of weeks – and like Christina, what about the youngest? My youngest is two – he just eats the blocks!
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You forgot to say that this is when everything is working right, as opposed to the days when it totally breaks down.
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Karl is right. When it breaks down, it breaks down and it takes some adjustments to get back on track. We keep chugging along, but not everything gets done.
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