Earlier today, I was thinking that our routine really hasn't changed much from last year, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it actually has. While the general routine is still very similar, we've added quite a few things and our days have gotten quite a bit longer. That's not a bad thing, though. It works with our schedule and the kids aren't complaining, so I take that to be an indicator that the workload is in line with their abilities.
Although we don't worry too much about actual times, our days do seem to fall basically in line with the following:
8:30 - I get up, shower, and get ready for the day. Brianna, my oldest, is usually up by this time as well. She generally uses this time to begin her independent work, which is most of her work these days -- though lately, she's more likely to be using this time to read the Twilight books. I (because, yes, I am totally hooked, too) get them at night and she gets them during the day. ;-)
9:00 - 10:00 - My quiet time. I pray, read my Bible, check my email and blog.
10:00 - 11:00 - I wake the younger two kids and everyone checks the chore chart. While they work on their chores, I do mine -- laundry, housework, etc. The kids get their own breakfast when they're done with their morning routine.
11:00 - 12:00 - We start with Bible study, prayer and Scripture memory. Then, Brianna goes off to work independently while I work with Megan and Josh on language arts. They do Daily Grams, Easy Grammar and Writing with Ease (you can find links to the curriculum we use here).
12:00 - 1:00 - Josh and Megan do their math and Explode the Code independently while I fix lunch.
1:00 - 2:00 - Lunch. The kids watch TV while they eat and I use the time to catch up on email and read the blogs in my reader.
2:00 - 2:30 - Silent reading time. Everyone selects their own reading -- anything is fair game -- and we all gather in the living room to read. I'm hoping that this will foster a love of reading in each of the kids and it's a nice way to get back into "school mode" after lunch.
2:30 - 3:30 - Again, Brianna works on her own. I play a reading game with Josh and Megan, then, they each have one-on-one read aloud to me. Whoever is not reading has computer time where they practice their spelling words with SpellQuizzer, their math facts with Quarter Mile, or a variety of math and reading skills on JumpStart.com.
3:30 - Whenever We're Finished - We all get together again for geography, history, science, and art. We don't do art every day, but we do typically do geography (which only takes about 5 minutes), history and art.
After we're finished for the day, we all typically go off and do our own thing for awhile, as we unwind. Supper tends to be a fairly late affair around here, typically around 6:30 or 7:00 and I try to check the kids' schoolwork in the evenings, after dinner (my least favorite part of homeschooling).
So, what does a typical day look like at your house? Did you link up with the *Not* Back-to-School blog hop this week?
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