Aug. 14, 2008 - Scheduling CM
Category • Charlotte Mason
When we started Ambleside's Year 1 last June (2007), I had to figure out how to take the weekly assignment list and turn it into a usable schedule. I had seen other schedules, but none seemed to fit our way of doing things. DD needs to feel some ownership in this process, some control over parts of it, in order not to be rebellious, so a micro-schedule with each reading assigned to a specific day would not work well for us. Also, we had a new baby coming and two other little ones with their own needs and activities, plus the usual interruptions that life brings along. A very specific schedule would be hard for us to stick to.
I knew we would school in the afternoon during naptime when we could be relatively interruption-free and could count on being at home regularly. That gave us approximately 2 hours each day, although once we got in the swing of things we didn't need anywhere near that much time.
In the end, I took the Ambleside weekly schedule for Year 1 and added to it the other items I wanted to be sure to get in each week. Next to daily items I put 4 or 5 little underlines, some items got 3 little underlines, and the weekly items got 1 little underline.
That's it! That gave me a place to check off the items as they were completed, and an easy way to see at a glance what remained for the week. I could make notes to the side to record what was done or what needed to be done. If a subject (like nature study or drawing) was missed for a couple of weeks I could see that and make it a priority the next week. And dd could choose for herself what readings to be done each day. I often specified *how many* had to be done, but she selected them from what remained on the list.
This year, for Year 2, we are using the same schedule format. To that, I've also added an organizational help. I have one doing K and one in Year 2, so they each have a bin that contains all their school materials. I keep it right next to the kitchen table where we school, so that I never have to get up to find the right supplies (well, almost never). This has helped us speed up the flow tremendously.
Comments
Aug. 14, 2008 - Your Schedule
Posted by Cheryl Little
Kathy,
Thank you so much for sharing your schedule! I used your year one schedule last year and it worked so well. It is so wonderful to have the year two schedule as well. I just printed it and am thrilled! It is a blessing!
Aug. 15, 2008 - Untitled Comment
Posted by Dana Huber
thanks for sharing! i'm interested in what your handicrafts will be for the year? have you planned that out or will you take it a step at a time?
Aug. 15, 2008 - Untitled Comment
Posted by lklivingston
Cheryl, I'm so glad you found the schedules helpful! They really work for me.
Dana, I should really plan some for the Year 0 dd. The Y2 dd would probably do better if we worked more from kits; otherwise she wants to improvise too much and doesn't like doing projects that aren't her own idea. If I planned them, we'd get more done. As it is, I tend to leave that one out when our weeks get busy. Hearts and Trees, a homeschool blog, sells some nature study/handicraft kits. I haven't bought those kits but last year they had a small kit with just two handicrafts that was really helpful for the older dd.
Aug. 19, 2008 - Untitled Comment
Posted by 4sweetums
Sounds like a great plan. Have a grea year.
Blessings,
Dawn
Aug. 19, 2008 - Untitled Comment
Posted by Lizzie
Great scheduling idea:) Thanks for sharing it. We're just starting Year 2 this week.
Lizzie
www.adustyframe.com
Aug. 19, 2008 - Bins
Posted by MusingMom
I have seen that suggestion and it does seem like a really good idea to keep things in one place for a subject or a child rather than keeping the "stuff for this year" together with all the "stuff not for this year," LOL.
Kris
Aug. 19, 2008 - Bins
Posted by lklivingston
Last year I found myself having to run back and forth between our school area (the kitchen) and the bookshelf where I kept materials (in a completely different room), or needing to pick up this or that other item that was stashed somewhere else. I tried to keep the books for the week in a bag or basket, but then each week we had to waste time switching them out. Having everything for each child in a bin has worked really well. When I sit down with a child to do that child's school, I just open the bin and can easily retrieve what I need. The bin makes it harder for the younger children to get into the supplies also.
I have one doing a K year this year, for which there is nothing truly scheduled. I have a very loose outline of things I want to cover each week, but here the bin comes in handy too. I put into the bin various activities/games/etc. that I'd like to get to sometime. When I open the bin each day, I kind of look over it to see what might be a good fit for our time constraints or mood that day.
Aug. 22, 2008 - CM weekly planning
Posted by Anonymous
Thanks for sharing your weekly plan idea, that helps me. I'm a newbie and trying to get my head around all the details- it helps me to see how mom's are doing this stuff.
-Amanda
http://www.pslittleworld.blogspot.com/
Aug. 22, 2008 - Untitled Comment
Posted by Keri
It's great having the freedom of homeschooling and make it suit our own family!
Aug. 23, 2008 - Untitled Comment
Posted by westward
Oh, my! I love the planning pages you made to simply check off when an assignment has been completed. I've got one who takes responsibility for most of her work already, but your idea is perfect for helping my third grader learn to be more independent!
Thank you! :o)
Aug. 24, 2008 - Thank you!
Posted by Anonymous
We are starting year 1 this week and I think your daily schedule is going to help us get things off smoothly, or at least more smoothly than on our own. :-) Thank you for sharing!
Aug. 24, 2008 - Untitled Comment
Posted by aiminghigh
Great minds think alike. After reinventing my weekly checklist multiple times, I finally created a style that works for me...it looks nearly identical to yours. Wish I'd found yours last September. Would have save me a lot of work. LOL.
Many Blessings,
Holly@aiminghigh
Sep. 20, 2008 - Great Idea
Posted by basketflat
What a great idea to give your child some responsibility in getting her weekly assignments done. Even if you are involved in the reading, etc. - if she is responsible it both takes a huge weight off of you.
I also have a 2nd grader and Kindergarten. Could you tell me how much does your daughter read of the Ambelside Online material herself and how much do you read to her? How much of the narration is oral and how much is written?
Sep. 20, 2008 - Untitled Comment
Posted by lklivingston
My second grader is only responsible for four readings a week, which means that she does one reading each school day. All her other work we do together. Her math is oral so she can't do that alone anyway; I think math is one that people often give to the child to do themselves. Her copywork I could give her to do on her own, but it gives us a break during our school time and lets me get up and tend to my K child.
Oct. 1, 2008 - hi
Posted by rosebudmom
Just stopping by as a fellow AmblesideOnline user. I just joined the AO email group and came across your blog address. We've just started using AO this fall. I'm loving all the great literature we're reading! I've had a bit of a challenge creating a workable daily schedule with 5 children ages 12 to 6. I'm still tweaking things here and there - and still feel like there is not as much 'structure' as I'd like. Little by little I think we'll get it worked out. It is a new way of learning for us all and we are learning as we go. Thanks for sharing how it works for you!