Last year Darcy started a blog hop featuring links that detailed how other people "do" homeschool. It's time again for the Not-back-to-school blog hop and I'm going to participate this year. I'm deciding to do this mainly to give myself deadlines for a few important things pertaining to our homeschooling.
We've already been easing into a school schedule for a couple of weeks by doing two or three subjects and by the kids keeping up with their daily and weekly routines in their student planners. I've fleshed out my own schedule/routine and am very proud of myself for how many days in a row my laundry was caught up and I went to bed knowing my kitchen was clean. I'm choosing to completely disregard the days those things were not done when we were having fun together, or working hard together or just being together. Such is summer. Such is life.
I thought I would stop blogging altogether. I have missed journaling here and I do see my need to journal about our homeschool journey still. I really want to make time to record what is happening. There are so many other things that are demanding my time, so I'm just taking everything as it comes. I read the wonderful posts last year that were linked up for this blog hop and wished I had the courage to post about our school days. Now I feel more confident with two years of homeschooling under our proverbial belts!
I like that this will help me be accountable to take some photos of our school area, to take photos of the kids for the beginning of this year and to chronicle a day in our lives. I will enjoy looking back on these things. I want the kids to be excited for jumping in to our full schedule and I want to take steps to have things ready so they will be reminded of how important this all is.
As I look at our school table that is currently strewn with books and my teacher planner I know I have work to do before I'll take a photo of our school area! I also have a little more planning to do before we are ready to start our full schedules next week. I'm praying for a great start to another year of homeschooling. I can't wait to see what we learn together this year!
Showing posts with label planning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label planning. Show all posts
Friday, July 30, 2010
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Stick to It
Other educators get In-service days, or conferences they attend for professional development. For the next three months I'm going to make personal development a part of my weekly plans. Every day I have a goal of reading from my list of books that are about parenting or educating. I want to read Dobson's Strong Willed Child and Tobias' How They Learn and You Can't Make Me, but I Can Be Persuaded and take notes on what I read that is applicable to the stage my kids are in. I want to listen to webcasts that I recorded from the incredible Heart of the Matter Homeschool Online Conference.
In my last post I mentioned living on purpose. Making excuses is not living on purpose and one area in which I always make excuses is writing. I've had the dream of being a writer for a long time. I usually just tell myself I'm too busy right now, or too tired. In my thoughts of the new year I've been making some writing assignments for myself.
The challenge or assignment is to write regularly. I have a much neglected writing blog that details my weekly assignments. My challenge is oh so corny, but hopefully will inspire me to write more. If you are a fellow writer, hop on over here and think about joining me in challenging yourself in the coming weeks.
In my last post I mentioned living on purpose. Making excuses is not living on purpose and one area in which I always make excuses is writing. I've had the dream of being a writer for a long time. I usually just tell myself I'm too busy right now, or too tired. In my thoughts of the new year I've been making some writing assignments for myself.
The challenge or assignment is to write regularly. I have a much neglected writing blog that details my weekly assignments. My challenge is oh so corny, but hopefully will inspire me to write more. If you are a fellow writer, hop on over here and think about joining me in challenging yourself in the coming weeks.
Friday, May 9, 2008
More Beginnings
I am having so much fun planning! I don't know that I've ever said that in my life! I gotta keep moving though, if I stop and let myself think of the tremendous responsibility this is I may never get up from the floor!
After our two week break when public school is done, we'll start this daily routine. Will we keep it? Only time will tell. I know I need to focus on keeping a routine for at least the first two weeks to get it in my head, then I will allow us to readjust. I have an hour by hour schedule written, but mainly want to just have this rhythm through the day. We'll start with breakfast of course, over which I would like to have 'calendar time' and a short Bible verse/prayer to start our day off right. Then we'll have a.m. chores and I'll start by taking time instructing my boy in math. (HA, me-instructing math!!!HA oops, a little self-doubt crept in...) during which time my girl will be doing review/drill using a math 'game' on the computer, or on paper. Then we'll switch and my boy will work on his own while I instruct my girl in Math. With the other subjects we'll flip-flop like this the times I've scheduled to spend individual time with them and have them work on their own. We'll do Story of the World together 4x a week just before lunch and after lunch we'll do science together (starting with Natural sciences). I've scheduled an hour of quiet play so I can keep on top of grading, planning, recording... then comes our fun reading time and when we'll fit in art and music studies.
Our quiet play hour will be interrupted by the summer reading program events our library is holding this summer. (That's okay, I'm regarding the quiet play hour as a dream that I want very much, yet am not quite sure if I will get it)
I hope to tidy the living areas in the afternoon before my husband gets home. The kids love to help in the kitchen, so I'll have help for dinner and they will be reminded (if I remember...) to tend to their afternoon chores. Then we'll have family time with dad for a park visit, some reading, a movie, a walk whatever strikes our fancy. I want to be a little more relaxed about bedtime, but I know how much I need routine, so we won't be staying up till all hours!
I want to be an organized person, but I know me. How will I keep my procrastination and tendency to day dream in check?
Maybe setting high standards will help me aim higher and become what I want to be.
I'm better than I used to be and not as good as I will be! That's a pretty good place to start.
After our two week break when public school is done, we'll start this daily routine. Will we keep it? Only time will tell. I know I need to focus on keeping a routine for at least the first two weeks to get it in my head, then I will allow us to readjust. I have an hour by hour schedule written, but mainly want to just have this rhythm through the day. We'll start with breakfast of course, over which I would like to have 'calendar time' and a short Bible verse/prayer to start our day off right. Then we'll have a.m. chores and I'll start by taking time instructing my boy in math. (HA, me-instructing math!!!HA oops, a little self-doubt crept in...) during which time my girl will be doing review/drill using a math 'game' on the computer, or on paper. Then we'll switch and my boy will work on his own while I instruct my girl in Math. With the other subjects we'll flip-flop like this the times I've scheduled to spend individual time with them and have them work on their own. We'll do Story of the World together 4x a week just before lunch and after lunch we'll do science together (starting with Natural sciences). I've scheduled an hour of quiet play so I can keep on top of grading, planning, recording... then comes our fun reading time and when we'll fit in art and music studies.
Our quiet play hour will be interrupted by the summer reading program events our library is holding this summer. (That's okay, I'm regarding the quiet play hour as a dream that I want very much, yet am not quite sure if I will get it)
I hope to tidy the living areas in the afternoon before my husband gets home. The kids love to help in the kitchen, so I'll have help for dinner and they will be reminded (if I remember...) to tend to their afternoon chores. Then we'll have family time with dad for a park visit, some reading, a movie, a walk whatever strikes our fancy. I want to be a little more relaxed about bedtime, but I know how much I need routine, so we won't be staying up till all hours!
I want to be an organized person, but I know me. How will I keep my procrastination and tendency to day dream in check?
Maybe setting high standards will help me aim higher and become what I want to be.
I'm better than I used to be and not as good as I will be! That's a pretty good place to start.
Monday, May 5, 2008
So much to learn
The more blogs I read, the more I see how much more I need to know about blogging, it seems almost as complex as learning a new language or studying a foreign culture! I have been inspired by some of the recent blogs I've visited to be organized about our homeschool beginning. Homeschooling has been in my heart for so long, and my husband and I have not felt God releasing us to do it until now. So my children are finishing the last few weeks of public school while I try to prepare as best I can. Those who know me would not call me the most organized person but it is a deep desire of my heart to be more so.
I started by setting down a tentative year-long schedule. I am already seeing where adjustments will need to be made, but we will give the "year-round" schedule a try. The hot summer months here in southeast Texas make being outdoors difficult at times, so I hope to use those indoor times to "do school." We'll take time off for a couple of weeks after public school lets out for a breather, then we'll dive in head first! I am excited and nervous at the same time. What a responsibility! Then we'll take time off for the much anticipated Family Reunion in August; the kids look forward to that all year, as do the grown ups! Other than that I've used the year-round schedule suggested in Susan Wise Bauer's The Well Trained Mind.
I love a quote from Christine M. Field's Help for the Harried Homeschooler, "There is hope for the organizationally challenged!" That means there is hope for me.
I started by setting down a tentative year-long schedule. I am already seeing where adjustments will need to be made, but we will give the "year-round" schedule a try. The hot summer months here in southeast Texas make being outdoors difficult at times, so I hope to use those indoor times to "do school." We'll take time off for a couple of weeks after public school lets out for a breather, then we'll dive in head first! I am excited and nervous at the same time. What a responsibility! Then we'll take time off for the much anticipated Family Reunion in August; the kids look forward to that all year, as do the grown ups! Other than that I've used the year-round schedule suggested in Susan Wise Bauer's The Well Trained Mind.
I love a quote from Christine M. Field's Help for the Harried Homeschooler, "There is hope for the organizationally challenged!" That means there is hope for me.
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