Daily School Schedule

1.       Morning Prayers*

                   Monday - Thursday:  Rosary

                   Friday:  Stations of the Cross

2.       Saint of the Day*

3.       Pledge of Allegiance/Calendar*

4.       Religion       

                   a.  Aubrey - Kindergarten Catechism

                   b.  Alexis - Our Holy Faith, Grade 3

                   c.  Abigail - Faith & Life 5

5.       Arithmetic

                   a.  Aubrey - Counting with Numbers

                   b.  Alexis - Rod & Staff

                   c.  Abigail - Rod & Staff

6.       Spelling/Phonics(Monday, Wednesday, Friday)

                   a.  Aubrey - Little Angel Reader A

                   b.  Alexis - Rod & Staff Spelling

                   c.  Abigail - Rod & Staff Spelling

7.       Penmanship (Monday, Wednesday, Friday)

                   a.  Aubrey - Copywork

                   b.  Alexis - Rod & Staff Penmanship

                   c.  Abigail - Rod & Staff Penmanship

8.       Grammar (Tuesday, Thursday)

                   a.  Aubrey - Poetry Memorization

                   b.  Alexis - First Language Lessons - Level 3

                   c.  Abigail - FLL - Level 3

9.       Reading

                   a.  Aubrey - Storytime

                   b.  Alexis - Independent Reading/Read Aloud to Mom

                   c.  Abigail - Independent Reading/Read Aloud to Mom

10.     History (Monday, Wednesday, Friday) 

                   a.  Aubrey - Free Time

                   b.  Alexis - How Our Nation Began

                   c.  Abigail - My World of Neighbors

11.     Science (Tuesday, Thursday)

                   a.  Aubrey - Science & Living in God's World - K

                   b.  Alexis - Exploring God's World

                   c.  Abigail - Concepts & Challenges in Science Book 1      

12.     Read Aloud Time (Afternoon Snack)*

Working the Schedule

At the beginning of every class, I get everyone seated and ready, set a timer for 20 minutes and then Abby and Alexis work on their own.  I work with Aubrey at this time.  At the end of the 20 minutes (or less depending on the subject) Aubrey is allowed to go play.  Then for the next 10 minutes or so, I work with Alexis, then she is dismissed to play with Aubrey.  For another 10 minutes I work with Abigail and then she is allowed to go play.  Then we take a break.  I set the timer for 10 minutes so I don't let the time get away from me.  The ten minutes or so is enough time to fold a load of laundry, make a quick phone call or pay a bill or two.  When the timer goes off we start another academic period all over again.  I learned of this method from the Classical Conversations Foundations Guide.   Although I do not follow their curriculum guide, this method of scheduling has been very helpful to me. 

We haven't had popcorn since our microwave bit the dust!  I found Jiffy Pop next to the microwave brands and bought one just to give it a try.  I remember when I was a kid this was the only kind of popcorn I ever got outside of a movie theatre.  After school, we popped our Jiffy Pop -- It's true!!!  It is as much fun to make as it is to eat!  I thought my eardrums were going to burst amidst all the squeals of delight!

Isn't it amazing how much joy is found through doing such a simple thing?

Tuesdays (and Thursdays) are a bit different for us.  We only have one vehicle (the family van) so I become the family chaffeur on these days.  DD18 has a class at 8am and DH has to be at the hospital at 8am so I have to have everyone up and ready to go by 7:30.  This just thrills the younger set !  Today was a bit of an aggravation because I dropped off everyone and just walked through the door when the phone rang.  It was dd18 - her Comp I instructor didn't show up for class so it was cancelled!  GRRRRRRR!  Fortunately, we only live about 5 miles from campus so I hauled everyone BACK to the van and we picked up Anna.  We were home by 8:20am! 

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Anna worked on her Algebra homework while Abby and Alexis did their morning chores.  Aubrey fell asleep in the recliner.

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Abby, Alexis and I moved to the "schoolroom" and did our morning read-aloud from Angel Food.  We worked on our memory verse:  Luke 10:16.  (Aubrey - was sleeping in the recliner)

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The girls did their math drill sheets and I timed them.  They will be moving on to the next tomorrow since they made 100 per cent.  They each did one lesson in their Rod & Staff math books. (Aubrey was asleep)

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Alexis finished her math lesson before Abby so she moved on to her spelling work.  She studied her words for the week and she took her spelling test.  She made 100 per cent.  Abby was still working through her math lesson so Alexis and I did her penmanship lesson.  She is improving her cursive writing.  We use the Rod & Staff penmanship series for this. (Aubrey was STILL asleep!)

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Alexis started playing with her paper dolls in the living room.  I gave Abigail her spelling test. (100 per cent, yeah Abby!)  Aubrey woke up and I fixed lunch for all of us while Anna dressed for work (she is a Teller at a local bank).  Abigail and Aubrey joined Alexis in the living room to play with the paper dolls.  (It was so adorable - Kateri Tekakwitha meets the Ingalls family!  Then St. Therese and her family came over for a baptism!) 

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We ate lunch and cleaned up.  Then we went on our mid-day run.  We dropped Anna off at work, picked up Dh from the hospital and headed home.  I fixed Dh his lunch and the girls continued playing with their paper dolls. 

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Back to the van!  We dropped Dh off at his office downtown and then we went to the courthouse.  There are several war memorials and plaques around the courthouse that the children have always wanted to see.  I was excited because I was going to get a copy of our deed!  We finally paid off the house and I needed a release of mortgage for our records. 

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We poked around the courthouse and the memorial.  We even saw two prisoners.  I need to take the girls to a trial sometime.  When I taught 6th grade, I took my students to a trial.  It was a great learning experience.  One of the boys that I taught then is in law school now!  (I can't believe I just wrote that!  yep, i'm an old woman )

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We can never have the van without going to Wal-Mart.  We needed bubbles (for my 5yo dd), Coffeemate and a pizza - oh, and Fudge Rounds.  The essentials of a happy life.  I also picked up a copy of Brisingr by Christopher Paolini for Anna.  She has been waiting a loooonnnnggg time for it!  I put it on her bed for a surprise.

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We made it home about 2:30 and I had a message from Dh.  I called him back while the girls started playing paper dolls again.  By the time I hung up they were having so much fun that I didn't have the heart to interrupt them.  So we didn't do anymore lessons.  I played on the computer for a while.  We started our afternoon chores when the girls saw their Daddy through the window.  He had been at a reception at the clinic and one of his friends brought him home!  YEAH!

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The girls did a quick pick-up and I put the pizza in the oven.  I completely forgot to make the salad so we just ate pizza.  I packed pizza, a coke and the Fudge Rounds for Anna.  I had to pick her up at 6pm at work.  Then I drive her to her night class.  All the sections were closed when she registered for college so she had to take this class at a nearby (haha) satellite campus - 30 miles from our home. yep.  The three youngest girls go with me.  Tonight we didn't have a book on tape to listen to so they colored pictures (while it was still light enough to see).  Then we played "I spy" and they generally crawled around the van and made nuisances of themselves! 

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Anna's class got out early and we headed home about 8:15.  By this time I was a tad bit cranky!  When we got home I sent the girls to bed, made a cup of hot cocoa and curled up with dh to watch TV. 

Today we started school on time with our morning prayers and a story from Angel Food for Boys and Girls.  Next, we worked on our memory verse from the Friendly Defender Catholic Flash Cards series.  We are supposed to work on a hymn during this "together time" but I keep forgetting about it!

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Math time was next.  Abigail and Alexis began their math period by working on a math facts drill sheet.  Each day they do 100 problems in 5 minutes or less.   It helps them learn the facts (I make them write each one they miss 5 times) and it keeps them on their toes.  I know from experience that it is absolutely vital that they have their math facts down cold!  Oddly enough, they seem to like it!  After they finished their drill sheet, they worked the next lesson in their math books.  We use Rod & Staff and we absolutely love it! 

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While the older girls were working on their math lessons, Aubrey and I were playing with her number line and reviewing quantities up to 10.  She then did 2 pages in her math book - Counting with Numbers - also published by Rod & Staff.

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After math we took a break.  The girls rode their scooters while I checked their math lessons.  Then I took the girls on a short walk so they would be ready to sit at their desks again for spelling and penmanship.

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During spelling/penmanship class I also teach phonics to Aubrey.  We are using Little Angel Reader Book A and Workbook.  Today we were working on the letter T and she did an art project involving popsicle sticks, yarn and lots of glue!  She also practiced writing a row of Tt 's and the numbers 1 - 8. 

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Abigail and Alexis each chose an activity to work on with their spelling words.  Abigail used the Scrabble game tiles to spell out her words and Alexis typed her spelling words on the computer using a different font for each word.  I found many great spelling activities (ready to be printed on card stock!)HERE.

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Spelling and Penmanship took about 30 minutes so we took a break to make some Pumpkin Muffins for our snack.  After we put the muffins in the oven, the girls and I went outside to play "Spelling Baseball".  They had a blast.  Aubrey rode her bicycle (in our driveway) while we played.

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We came back in to check on the muffins.  We couldn't wait to eat them so we had them for dessert after lunch. 

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Next we did Grammar.   I had been doing this separately with the older two but most of the time it didn't get done at all!  Today I started using First Language Lessons - Level 3 for both of them.  The only grammar that Abigail has had is through Latin.  Alexis did First Language Lessons levels 1 &2 already.  FLL-3 is a good fit for Abigail and Alexis is right on target so I'm happy.

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Aubrey doesn't have any work to do during this time so I let her watch a TV show of her choice.  She always falls asleep.  This is a good way to get her to take a nap!

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Finally, we did our history lessons.  Abigail is reading George Washington's World and is making entries in her History Notebook.  We are waiting for her history textbook to arrive.  Alexis read about Marco Polo in How Our Nation Began.  She answered the Study Summary questions in her workbook and did the mapwork for that lesson.  That ended our history lessons and our school time!

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Today I received Drawn Into the Heart of Reading and I am excited about using this for the girls' reading program.  They are doing alot of textbook/workbook stuff this year and this program allows me to choose living books for their reading assignments.

At the Back of the North Wind

by George MacDonald

Your result for The Who Would You Be in 1400 AD Test...

The Prioress

You scored 5% Cardinal, 69% Monk, 53% Lady,  and 41% Knight!

Today was our first day of school.  Phewww!  This year is very different because my oldest daughter is in college and I'm only homeschooling three!  I decided to be much more structured this year than I have in the past.  I wrote the following schedule out for the girls so they would know what to expect.  They loved the structure and there is plenty of "wiggle" time built in.

Morning Meeting:  Morning Prayers, Pledge, Devotions, and Friendly Defender Flash Cards 

Math

Break

Spelling and Writing

Break/Snack

Grammar

Reading

Break

Lunch/Break

History (M,W,F) or Science (T,TH)

Art or Music or Baking or Quilting or Nature Study

We started school today at 9:30 and we finished around 2:30.  We took an hour and a half off for lunch too!

"Therefore, brothers, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught, either by an oral statement or by a letter of ours." 2 Thess. 2:15

In the past, we have been laid back about our school schedule.  We basically had a routine that frankly often degenerated into chaos. Eventually everyone would get their work done but it took a lot of coaching from Mom in order to "get r done" Imagine that! : ) 

My dh and I decided that since this fall we would only be homeschooling our 3 youngest (dd18 started college Monday!) that it would be a good time to make some changes.

Change # 1 - We have purposefully planned our days. We have come up with a wonderful schedule that includes "EVERYTHING".  Chores, laundry, reading, schoolwork, reading, play time, did I mention reading?   We began implementing the "bare bones" at the beginning of August so that the girls would get used to the schedule before fall. For the girls it means that they have to get up at the same time each day AND go to bed at the same time each night.

It may sound silly but our children have never had a definite bed time or wake-up time.  When the girls were younger, dh often had evening appointments at his office and for one whole year the family didn't eat dinner until 9pm!  So the girls have been used to staying  up late and sleeping in.  Now that my youngest is 5yo, sticking to a schedule is much easier!  After a few grumpy mornings the girls seem to enjoy the new schedule.

"Therefore, brothers, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught, either by an oral statement or by a letter of ours." 2 Thess. 2:15

We began our Summer Term on Monday.  Since it IS summer (!), I decided to make Wednesdays a fun day.  We are up early on both Saturdays (it takes almost all day to do yard work and our weekly cleaning chores) and Sundays (we usually go to the 8am Mass at our Church)  so I thought it would be great to make this our "sleep in" day.  I didn't tell the girls about it till they woke up this morning.  The oldest two got up at 9:30 and the littlest one woke up at 10am!!

My 9yodd made biscuits for breakfast and then we all sat around eating her delicious biscuits and drinking chocolate milk.  Then I told them our plan - we would play this morning and do our school work after lunch!  They loved the idea! 

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"Therefore, brothers, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught, either by an oral statement or by a letter of ours." 2 Thessalonians 2:15

12:21 PM - Jun. 4, 2008 - comments {3} - post comment

"Pick-a-Stick" or 1001 Ways to use a Jumbo Craft Stick

In the past few years, we have used the zone method of keeping our house clean.  Each daughter (as soon as she was old enough) was responsible for a zone.  Our house is VERY small (1400 sq. ft) so we only have three zones:   Kitchen, Living Room/Dining Room and Bathrooms.  Each girl was responsible for one zone for one week.  They traded every Sunday morning.  This has worked very well in our home but the girls and I were ready for a change.  Our oldest is often travelling and the constant disruption of "who's going to do this zone"  was making a shambles of the whole system. 

After spotting an unused box of Jumbo Craft Sticks on our school shelf,  the beginnings of an idea started to emerge. 

Instead of the girls being responsible for a whole room,  they would just be responsible for individual tasks.  That way when DD18 was out of town, the housework would still be done.   I compiled a list of  individual chores and wrote them on Jumbo Craft Sticks.  I put the lot of them into a cup and the girls pick their chores, one at a time, from the cup.  It is a great way to get them to do their chores AND it is not overwhelming to the younger ones. 

Now that we have started Summer School, I have added a new twist to the Pick-a-Stick Program : )  It is linked to the way we "do school".   I like to work through our school day by Subjects instead of working through it by Grade.  Everyone does Religion at the same time, then Math and so on.  It helps me to stay focused and I don't have to constantly switch gears. 

Basically, the girls work independently until I am ready for them.  After their teaching time with Mom, each girl  picks-a-stick and does the chore listed on it.  After she finishes that specific chore, she has a few minutes to go to the bathroom, get a drink or a snack, or read a few pages from a book while I am working with one of the other girls or until I am ready to start the next subject.  They are NOT allowed to take off and play.  The first few times we did this, they immediately went to their room and started building an elaborate Barbie City.  They were VERY disappointed when I called them back and were not as cooperative in their studies.  Imagine that! : ) 

At the end of the day, we have a general tidy time before Daddy comes home from work.  Everyone just grabs one of the left-over sticks and does that chore.  We keep working until all of the sticks have been chosen.  That way all the chores are done each day.  The girls love the system and I do NOT have to nag them about getting their zones done!

"Therefore, brothers, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught, either by an oral statement or by a letter of ours." 2 Thessalonians 2:15

DD7's reading ability has really taken off.  She has read the following books "all by her own"

*The Tree House Mystery by Gertrude Chandler Warner

*The One-Eyed Giant (Book 1 of Tales from the Odyssey) by Mary Pope Osborne

*Little  House in the Big Woods (she is currently reading this one)

I am amazed at how her reading just clicked! 

DD9 could not bring herself to finish Mary Poppins so she laid it aside.  She has been reading non-stop!

She has read the following:

Betsy-Tacy by Maud Hart Lovelace (another book I read to her when she was smaller, she LOVED it)

Bety-Tacy and Tib

The Mouse of Amherst

Victoria: May Blossom of Brittania (The Royal Diaries Series) by Anna Kirwan (in progress)

Now, I am the first one to want to get rid of our TV in our family.  But sometimes, mind you ONLY sometimes, it does work itself out into a nice educational side trip that we might not otherwise have taken! 

A week or two ago we were watching a documentary on the Titanic.  It was called Titanic's Final Moments: Missing Pieces.  Maggie, our 9yodd, watched the entire episode. 

Now here is the great part, she walked over to our bookshelves (without any suggestion from me) and found a book on the Titanic.  It belonged to her great-grandfather Grundy.  The Story of the Wreck of the Titanic:  The Ocean's Greatest Disaster - Memorial Edition.  It was actually published the same year the Titanic sank.  He bought it from a door-to-door salesman.  In four more years that book will be 100 years old!!!!

Anyway, she spent the next hour pouring over it, reading bits here and there and sharing the information and showing the pictures to the family. 

Yesterday, when we went to the library, I told the girls that needed to pick out a subject that they would like to learn more about.  Maggie checked out several books on the Titanic and is going to do a short presentation about it to the family on Sunday.

Hooray for TV!  Words I didn't think I would ever say.

I have been reading and researching Classical Conversations and I am really pleased with the program.  We ordered the Foundations Curriculum guide and I love the way the program is laid out from K4 to 6th grade.  We are going to finish our school work for this semester and I hope to be up and running with the Foundations program by the fall.  There is a CC Community about an hour and a half away from here (one way) but DH thinks it is too far me to travel with 3 little girls plus gas prices etc.  We are still praying about this. 

Thanks so much to Kerry @ The Ten O'Clock Scholar for answering my questions! 

For the better part of two years we have been using the curriculum outlined in The Latin-Centered Curriculum.  We have enjoyed it but during our 3 week bout with the 'flu I did some research on other classical education models and (re)discovered Classical Conversations.  I really like the format of the Foundations program K4 - 6th grade.  I found out that a CC Community is fairly close to us (an hour and a half away) and have emailed the Director for information. 

I would like to hear both the pros and cons from moms who have/are using it.  Please leave any info you have in the comments section. 

Thanks so much!

Have a blessed day!

Debbie

Mom to 4 girls!

NOT!!!!!

We have all been laid low by the 'flu bug for the past 3 (YES 3!!) weeks.  Poor DH had a week's vacation scheduled during this time and the only thing he was able to do was help me with the children.  Now he is in bed with the bug!

We're all on the mend (except DH) and are very disappointed because we had planned a trip to Nashville TN to see the replica of the Parthenon in Centennial Park.  We are definitely going when every one is better.  Here is the website with great pictures - the statue of Athena is 41 ft high and the goddess Nike she is holding in her hand is 6' 4"!!! 

God Bless!

Debbie

Mom to 4 girls!

Our homeschool co-op started today and I am helping a friend teach a knitting class.  Today we helped the girls make homemade knitting needles!  She bought wooden dowels from hobby lobby and used a knitting gauge to measure the size needles (8) we needed for our project.  The girls cut the dowels into 14 inch lengths and then sanded down the ends with a coarse sandpaper.  Next, they sharpened one end of each needle in a pencil sharpener.  Then the girls used 3 different grades of sandpaper to smooth the needles.  By the end of the period they were well on their way to having a nifty set of number 8 knitting needles!  She brought rubber bands to place around the end for the knobs.  The girls were very pleased with themselves!  Next week we start working on our project - a Garter Stitch Doll.  It should be fun!

Made from wrapping paper, leftover bulletin board border and LOTS of Scotch tape . . . Pixie's first fashion design! 

For Classical Studies this semester, we are reading our way through D'Aulaire's Greek Myths.  I also wanted to read a children's version of the Iliad or the Odyssey with the girls too.  Only I was afraid it might be too  boring, or scary or they might be unable to connect with the story.  I checked the first two books out from the library any way. Just to give it a try.  

Yesterday, we began reading Book One:  The One-Eyed Giant in the Tales from the Odyssey series by Mary Pope Osborne.  The girls were captivated!  After each chapter they wanted to read "just one more!"  We stopped just before Odysseus and his men escaped from Polyphemus' cave.  They didn't want to but Daddy came home for lunch.

Odysseus in the Cave of Polyphemus

Today, we finished Book One.  We looked at the map (in the front papers of the book) and traced Odysseus' route from Troy to the Land of the Lotus Eaters to the Cyclop's cave.  At the end of the first book - I was amazed at the girls response.  They weren't bored or scared.  They were moved by  Odysseus' love for his family - so close to home . . .

"As Odysseus stared at the hazy horizon, grief threatened to break his spirit.  But each time he thought of Penelope and Telemachus, the fire of his determination to return to Ithaca was rekindled.

I will find my way back to my family again, he promised himself.  And he leaned toward the horizon, yearning for home."