I slept really well every night this week.
That’s because we’ve ramped up to full homeschool schedule. Yes, we’ve been back to school since July. And I felt like we had our basics down. We’ve had good practice with our Before 8:45 Checklist, math, English, and spelling. And last week we started adding back in all those enriching subjects on top of it. The true homeschool icing.
Highlights with our first grader and preschooler this week: 1. Rod & Staff Preschool books. He loves Samuel and Sarah! | 2. Spelling Workout | 3. August Handbook of Nature Study Outdoor Hour newsletter grid – first grader did it on her own! | 4. little iPad time | 5. Saxon Math – some, some more stories | 6. “Practicing driving” while waiting for big sister at piano lessons | 7. Nature study prompt – make a little mud and walk through it in bare feet | 8. Service opportunities and a love of machines
So, to recap, each homeschool day we start first with our Before 8:45 checklist (this basic checklist helps with brushing teeth and more). Next, math, language Arts. The 3 Rs for all five. This takes most of the morning. We might fit in some time with Tapestry of Grace. The younger ones enjoy some outside time. Then during lunch and immediately following we…
Add Just One Extra A Day
One more thing after lunch. That’s how we have accomplished the extras. It all began by telling the children we were going to just do one more thing after lunch. A habit we adopted from my fellow homeschool friend, Kerri.
So, last week we started our science. Just one more thing. Everyone together with AiG and the older two with Apologia Biology. Another day we picked up our Tapestry of Grace books. (And got some in the mail this week!)
1. We had a BIG birthday this week! | 2. And an art-inspired birthday party! | 3. The young adult version of Manners Made Easy | 4. A very smart and thoughtful friend saved birdseed bags for Middle Girl to create purses with her duct tape stash | 5. Back to regular piano lessons – “this is the day that the Lord has made!” | 6. Sorting laundry
Wednesday we enjoyed a thorough start to our Harmony Fine Arts (HFA) plans. An artist study of Vermeer and composer study of Shumann. Plus a totally fun art technique lesson with Artistic Pursuits. But even before that we read our Five in a Row selection for the week, Lentil. I also read M is for Melody because I thought it would be a fun way to peek the younger children’s interest before our HFA study.
See, one more thing usually leads to another thing…So, another day the children created ‘something you’d see at a picnic’ for Sketch Tuesday, while I read a science lesson.
Rotate
We sort of have certain days of the week we enjoy the extras:
- Every day, while the children eat lunch, I read Manners Made Easy. Also sometimes a Proverb and a selection from 365 Days of Celebration and Praise.
- Monday – nature study with Outdoor Hour Challenges (though they aren’t limited to that day), science
- Tuesday – science and/or Tapestry of Grace, Visual Latin, English from the Roots Up
- Wednesday – art and composer study with Harmony Fine Arts
- Thursday – Tapestry of Grace, Visual Latin, English from the Roots Up
- Friday – Tapestry of Grace arts and activities
Lean on the Support of Fellow Homeschoolers
My homeschool group also held our kick-off moms meeting of the year. Don’t you always feel like you aren’t alone when you lock arms with women on the same journey? And I am mightily blessed with fellow homeschoolers I can email for advice as well.
We must not, in trying to think about how we can make a big difference, ignore the small daily differences we can make which, over time, add up to big differences that we often cannot foresee. ~Marian Wright Edelman
Reward
We delayed our pool visits this week until after our ‘One More Thing’ was completed. I know I felt more accomplished and free for a dip in the pool. Celebrate learning! Plus, it’s homeschool PE!
Rest Assured
Yes, rest. Everyone! Especially you, mama. Take a bit of time each afternoon to put your feet up. Have an iced coffee. Read or browse a favorite catalog. Even if it is just 10-15 minutes. (our Afternoon Quiet Time habit).
Currently stacked on my family room end table (thanks friend!), more high school resources to add in.
More Homeschool Resources for You
- You might like to read more on how to fit in all the extras from my 10 Days of Lasagna Learning series. I also invite you to take a tour of our IKEA and chalkboard homeschool room.
- Our Helpful Homeschool Habits for Multiple Ages
- All of the resources mentioned above are listed in our Hodgepodge Curricula 2012-13
- Five in a Row Fun with a Madeline Chalk Pastel.
- There will still be laundry to do but I do have an Ultimate List of Easy Slow Cooker recipes for you!
Many thanks to our Friday hostesses!
- Weekly Wrap-Up hostess Kris at Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers
- Collage Friday hostess Mary at Home Grown Learners
- Jamerrill at Holy Spirit-Led Homeschooling, plus
- Homeschool Mother’s Journal at iHomeschool Network
How about you? Is your homeschool going full tilt? Or are you still adding in the extras like us?
Such wisdom here, Tricia! Thank you!
My girls love duct tape creations, too! 🙂
Do your highschoolers fit in enough biology on M/T to finish the book in one year? I would love to do the extras the way you do, just a couple a day, but I would be afraid they wouldn’t finish enough of the book to be counted as high school credit. I’d love to hear your thoughts.
=)
Oh thank you for helping me clarify Kim! No, they fit in Biology most days during the week. This post focuses on those things we all do together. It was already a loooong post so I didn’t talk specifics as I should have. But I do speak specifically about our older ones here: https://www.yourbesthomeschool.com/2012/08/homeschooling-high-school-at-hodgepodge/ Plus it is a work in progress as I learn more about high school 🙂 We are adding in biology labs with Hodgepodgedad on the weekends. I hope to share more about that soon. Also, the rotation above is never exactly the same each week. It’s a hodgepodge!
P.S. – I also have to mention that we’ve been spreading biology over two years – started slowly last year when eldest was in 8th grade so that we could also work on Science Roots. So that is another way of doing things. Homeschooling, as you know, offers many scheduling options.
We had such fun rowing Lentil last year — I remember it involved making a Lemonade Layer Cake from Southern Living, and my husband playing Old Sneep! FIAR is such a great curriculum.
I admire your before 8:45 checklist. You can definitely accomplish so much more when you are up and moving EARLY!
Enjoy your weekend!
Wow! What a week with all those “extras” added in!
I see you are giving Take 5! a try….I need to pull my copy out and add some of those in for Mr. B this year. He really liked them and they got his creative juices flowing.
So many things I could comment on but I will just say you inspire me…thank you for that.
I can see how the reward of swimming could make the school subjects fly by! I admire your early start and how much you accomplish. We are so not morning people! I, too, have a separate schedule for my high-schooler than for the rest of us. Your inspiring posts make me look forward to a new school year!
Hi! I love this post about your extras. We’ve been switching ours out through the days as well, so as not to get bored. Icing on the cake, right?!?!
Looks like a very busy week! I’ll have to check back to see how Visual Latin works for you. I’ve been considering that one.
Janet – we adore Visual Latin. Love it! My review here: https://www.thecurriculumchoice.com/2011/10/visual-latin/
Extra! Extra! ::laugh:: A great idea! I’m going to try mixing in extras between core subjects this coming year for 15-20 minutes to give the kids a break between more challenging, text/work book subjects and hands-on, creative ones.
Oh, how do you like Excellence in Writing? I’ve been pondering that one!
LOL! Hey – I like that idea of mixing extras between core.
As usual I’ve gleaned a lot of helpful information from your post! We instituted “Afternoon Quiet Time” this summer and it has been wonderful for all of us. I think I’ll begin in a variation of “before 8:45” for the school year. Your daily rhythm is lovely–I especially love how you work together with all your children on so many things. I appreciate you sharing so many details of how you do it so we can borrow them!
Heidi
I like what you said, Heidi – a ‘variation of before 8:45’ – We all need to do what is best for our own families, adapting to fit the needs. Thank you for your sweet comment.
I would love to be done with the core subjects by 8:45, but my little one isn’t a morning kid. She does her best work in the afternoon. We usually have a slow start and then try to get everything done by 3 so the evenings are clear.
Love the stack(s) of books all around. Reading is a blast!
Hi Patty – Thanks. Yes, we love our stacks! Let me clarify…we begin our school time at 8:45 – the 3 Rs. And there are plenty of days it’s a before 9:45 🙂
Thank you! Got a couple of great ideas to help. We just finished our first week and are adding in more subjects this week. TTrying to find a way to entertain my 2 1/2 year old and make school fun at the same time. This momma needs all the help she can get! I feel like I am struggling more than my kids are so far!
Lee – you might want to take a look at our morning room time for the youngest ones. It has been a blessing – for the whole family through the years. It’s about half way down in this post under What About the Little Ones? https://www.yourbesthomeschool.com/2012/04/helpful-homeschool-habits-for-multiple-ages/
I have tried quiet time in his room, but since he rarely naps I need it much more in the afternoon. And since he is only willing to agree happily to it once a day (most days). I pick my battles elsewhere. He is usually content to pretend doing school with coloring sheets and crayons for now. I also keep a special school box with quiet activities to keep him busy. We have not needed it yet this year, but it is to early to tell!
I don’t know about the “before 8:45” part {grin}, but I love the “one more thing” idea. Great stuff!
I hear ya! And there are plenty of times it’s more like a Before 9:45… it’s a wonderful little checklist to remind us to make beds, brush teeth, read our Bibles and talk to the Lord, etc. And THEN we start into core subjects. Yes, the ‘one more thing’ has saved the day many a time.