Please share!
We’re starting school tomorrow. Our first day will be a fun day though. When Ben awakes he’ll find all of his new school supplies on the kitchen table (where we do school). He has already picked out a new outfit for his first day, so he’ll get dressed in it. Then we’ll take some “first day of first grade” pictures, take a peak at all the new stuff, discuss our new schedule, and then go to Waffle House (his favorite!) for breakfast.
When we come back I have a fun project to do with him. It’s a little “all about me” book that we will put together for our first grade scrapbook. Then on Tuesday we already have a field trip planned to see The Princess and the Pauper at a local dinner theatre, followed by some swim time with friends at our neighborhood pool. So real school will start on Wednesday with co-op. And then on Thursday we’ll implement our new schedule!
Of course, I realize we won’t always be able to stick to the schedule completely. Things do come up and we enjoy being spontaneous. But Ben is a dawdler and I am easily distracted. If we don’t at least attempt to move along according to our schedule, I end up frustrated and we end not accomplishing everything we wish to.
So here is the schedule I’ve worked out. Bear in mind that I work until 3 nights a week, so our schedule probably starts a bit later than most.
I get up and shower, dress, do my Bible reading/prayer time, Ben may get up at this time or not, if he does, he usually just watches his Bible DVD after he gets dressed.
9:30am breakfast and Bible
10:00am math or logic
10:30am language arts
11:00am break/playtime–usually outside weather permitting, while I do some chores
11:45am Ben reads aloud to me
12:00 copywork/Scripture memory practice
12:30pm lunch and read aloud time
1:00pm FIAR-social studies/art/karate (the subject changes each day–on Tuesdays we have karate at 1pm and eat lunch and listen to an audio book in the car on the way)
1:30pm Spanish (2 days a week, crafts or fun projects the other 2 days)
2:00pm chores for both of us
3:00pm book basket/rest time
4:00pm free time
On Wednesdays, we are in a small co-op where we have American History, Science, PE, and Music Appreciation, from 10am-2pm, so no other school work happens that day, except Bible during breakfast.
We plan field trips/library time/playdates/appts for afternoons maybe once a week.
Honestly, I’m not a scheduler by nature, but I have found that, with school, if I don’t schedule, then nothing gets done and Ben ends up watching too much TV and I spend way too much time on the computer! Of course since we are just starting first grade, this will be the first year to completely implement a schedule (I’ve been testing it out though and I love it so far!).
We’ll also be implementing chore charts, both for Ben and for me. Hopefully they will help remind us of the “not so fun” things we also need to accomplish each day.
Please share!
