Need help making a homeschool schedule (time slots and all)!

[Kinrice01]

I need help! So far I have only been focusing on Grammar and Math with workbooks thrown in and I feel like this year has been chaotic and like we aren't getting enough done.

My kids are age 11 (5th grade), 9 (3rd grade), 7 (1st grade), and 3.5 (preschoolish). And I'm pregnant, due in April.

I really need a very structured schedule to get us through the rest of this school year..get stuff done before the baby comes..and keep me on track! Here is what I have to use with each kid/subject

All 3 kids together:
History: Mystery of History
Science: Apologia Zoology 1
Bible: Acts Quizzing (for our church)

Time4Learning.com we have a subscription..to supplement all subjects

Grammar: Easy Grammar 5, Easy Grammar 3, Sing Spell Read Write 1st grader.

Handwriting I usually have the 5th grader do copywork and the other 2 do their DeNealian books

Math: Saxon 6/5, Saxon 3, Saxon 1 . I also have Switched on Schoolhouse 3rd grade for supplementing and my 1st grader likes his Abeka 1 workbook.

Also I have Reading Comprehension workbooks for all 3 kids' grades, and various other workbooks.

I would like to do something for Literature..journaling...spelling..which we haven't been doing. I know Time4Learning has Literature studies in the 5th grade curriculum...but we haven't gotten that far yet.

So can someone please help me structure my day??? I would really appreciate any help!
Thanks,
Kindra

[7mom7]

Maybe Handwriting, Grammer, Math around 9 in the morning at the kitchen table. They work independently as much as possible and you are available to answer questions/teach what needs to be done. I like the idea of them being in the kitchen because you can be present and helpful but still get the breakfast dishes done or something else accomplished. I'd take the afternoons when the littles are napping to do science, history, and reading comprehension but I'd only choose one of those each day to cover. Your older children can go deeper on their own with library books etc. You can also do family read alouds to them in the afternoon and the little ones can sit in on that even from a young age. Our library lets you reserve books online and pick them up at a drive through window so I try to plan to get books for what we'll be studying in science and history...those are our read aloud books for that week.

I'm not into super strict hour by hour planning because it isn't practical for my family, things happen. I just want a general flow to our day.

[vintagegyrl]

I hear ya, mama,.
Our schedule changes with the seasons. it's winter here now, very cold so there isnt' a lot of outside play. normally we do outside time in the morning but can't right now. so yet the schedule changes again!!

Here's what I do:
make a list.
- what can be done alone
what needs one on one with mom
what is together
what are things the whole family can do?
Do you have kids that can play together? schedule that, too.

how is the preschooler? Can they work quietly at a table? mine can not. my 2yo is so noisy and he just can't seem to help it.
I'm saving the things we need quiet for for the afternoon. The things that are noisier for the morning when everyone is awake.

also subjects that are more difficult for your DC might be better completed while the 3y is napping and if he doesn't nap - use a video or story on CD (while they are in a comfy spot with a stuffed animal) for that afternoon quiet time!!

I think you need to list everything out - then also plan snacks and meals when they are necessary. We need a morning snack by 10am. if we don't get this we have issues. so plan things like that first. then plan the oldest's schedule because that is most important!! I do the oldest to youngest, with the exception - we have 2 that nap in our home and blood sugar issues so the naps and meals get scheduled first. then I work around that.

I kind of list it out first, then fill in a blank schedule - using pencil. use 1/2 hour time blocks. it will take some tweaking because some things will take longer/shorter than what you planned, that's OK.

[vintagegyrl]

Oldest reading to preschooler is great for both, too!

[croark]

I keep my scheduling pretty easy and minimal. No time blocks because they stress me out!! I just know that I want to start by 10am every day. I try to plan for order, but not exact precision!
I plan for a quarter at a time. So that way I know what to expect for the next 3 months and how far we'll have made it in each workbook. Anything less than a quarter and I seem to feel like I'm spending too much time scheduling. Anymore more than a quarter and I feel like we don't get that time that we may need to reassess what we are doing and change direction.

Each child has their own lesson plan book. My oldest actually refers to it herself. Then I have another for the younger. So either create a spreadsheet or get you a good lesson planner.
1st, decide what order you want to do the subjects in. For me, I prefer the stuff I have to be most involved in to be first on the list. More independent work goes toward the bottom (when I'm starting to poop out). But that may not work for you if you'd rather do the more involved stuff while lil ones are napping.
Math is first on our schedule. When I'm planning I sit down with their math workbooks and start going through it day by day. I write down which book to use that day (if there is more than one option), which page numbers, and maybe a brief description (example: addition facts +2, etc). The lesson planners I have are set up calendar style so I can fit all the work in for each day. And I just go through each school day and write down the assignments for math. When Math is finished, I start over with the next subjects. Sit down with the workbook and start jotting down assignments. Make sure to write with pencil in case things need to be changed (and I assure it will in a 3 month time frame!).

It's time consuming to do it for 3 months at a time but I find it kind of enjoyable. I grab a cup of coffee, a blanket, and plop down on my couch with planners and workbooks! I used to not do lesson plans at all. Which is fine but I never knew how far we'd be 2 months from now. And we would often overlook subjects. So now I know exactly where we will be in our workbooks at the end of March.

[2queens&1princenmyhouse]

Originally Posted by croark I keep my scheduling pretty easy and minimal. No time blocks because they stress me out!! I just know that I want to start by 10am every day. I try to plan for order, but not exact precision! I plan for a quarter at a time. So that way I know what to expect for the next 3 months and how far we'll have made it in each workbook. Anything less than a quarter and I seem to feel like I'm spending too much time scheduling. Anymore more than a quarter and I feel like we don't get that time that we may need to reassess what we are doing and change direction. Each child has their own lesson plan book. My oldest actually refers to it herself. Then I have another for the younger. So either create a spreadsheet or get you a good lesson planner. 1st, decide what order you want to do the subjects in. For me, I prefer the stuff I have to be most involved in to be first on the list. More independent work goes toward the bottom (when I'm starting to poop out). But that may not work for you if you'd rather do the more involved stuff while lil ones are napping. Math is first on our schedule. When I'm planning I sit down with their math workbooks and start going through it day by day. I write down which book to use that day (if there is more than one option), which page numbers, and maybe a brief description (example: addition facts +2, etc). The lesson planners I have are set up calendar style so I can fit all the work in for each day. And I just go through each school day and write down the assignments for math. When Math is finished, I start over with the next subjects. Sit down with the workbook and start jotting down assignments. Make sure to write with pencil in case things need to be changed (and I assure it will in a 3 month time frame!). It's time consuming to do it for 3 months at a time but I find it kind of enjoyable. I grab a cup of coffee, a blanket, and plop down on my couch with planners and workbooks! I used to not do lesson plans at all. Which is fine but I never knew how far we'd be 2 months from now. And we would often overlook subjects. So now I know exactly where we will be in our workbooks at the end of March.

This is sort of what I had to do also. This is our first year and I adopted a just do the next thing attitude, but halfway through the year, I've found that it's really easy to just not do something or put it off in favor of something else. So last week, I sat down with each subject and made a spreadsheet of what had to be done each day/week in order to be finished in mid-May. I haven't got to the point of scheduling the order of each day. I figure I'll let the girls do that themselves. In our situation, they have to be pretty independent because I just don't have a lot of time for hand holding. I'm available to answer questions or help them work through a problem, but as far as sitting next to them cheering them on, not so much.

[Kinrice01]

Thank you all for the great samples and advice! I am looking forward to sitting down this weekend and getting it all written out and ready to start gung-ho Monday!
I will post what I come up with!
How do you juggle 3 different Math teachings (different grades/ages) all at once? I struggle with that...

[croark]

Originally Posted by Kinrice01 Thank you all for the great samples and advice! I am looking forward to sitting down this weekend and getting it all written out and ready to start gung-ho Monday! I will post what I come up with! How do you juggle 3 different Math teachings (different grades/ages) all at once? I struggle with that...

I don't know how other's juggle 3 maths. I'm only at 2 at this point. I'm gonna guess that the key is using a math program that sorta teaches itself. MUS, Teaching Textbooks, etc. My DD10 watches the math video at the beginning of the week and then does her lesson each day. I check her work when she's done and we go over what she missed. So MUS basically teaches her which frees me up to work with DD6 who has to have me sitting with her. So while DD10 works on her math, I'm working with DD6 at the same time.

Enjoy your lesson planning!!

[MyGlorylife]

Originally Posted by croark I don't know how other's juggle 3 maths. I'm only at 2 at this point. I'm gonna guess that the key is using a math program that sorta teaches itself. MUS, Teaching Textbooks, etc. My DD10 watches the math video at the beginning of the week and then does her lesson each day. I check her work when she's done and we go over what she missed. So MUS basically teaches her which frees me up to work with DD6 who has to have me sitting with her. So while DD10 works on her math, I'm working with DD6 at the same time. Enjoy your lesson planning!!

For me TT revolutionized my homeschooling with math. It's self led and self correcting. The correcting is what sucked up most of my time. My rule is that they have to get 80% to go to the next lesson. That's the only way I survive! This year I have 3 on TT and 2 in books. The two in books we correct as we go

[chickiwawa]

You might check out Managers of Their School by the Maxwells.
http://www.titus2.com/managers-of-their-schools.html

I have their Managers of Their Homes book and it is very helpful. It can be pretty rigid, but from your post it seems like that might be what your looking for.

HTH