Our Weekly and Daily Homeschool Schedule

It’s worrisome to write about our weekly and daily homeschool schedule because I don’t want to give the impression that your schedule ought to look like my schedule. What my family does is not the standard. My aim is to show you what we do and explain why we do it. If you choose to homeschool, hopefully this post will give you some ideas of how you can arrange your own schedule efficiently and effectively around your family’s needs.

Our Week

My husband designed a weekly planning sheet for me. On the weekends, I set aside some time to prep for the coming week. Because I pieced together our curriculum, I don’t have a set schedule already done up for me. The curriculum we’re using next year has a pre-planned schedule (thank goodness). Honestly, I’m sick of planning.

Math

This week I introduced a new math lesson on Monday. For the rest of the week, my son does worksheets. Some days I have him do only half a worksheet (they’re double-sided) and the rest of our time is spent practicing with manipulatives or reviewing old concepts. This is a great way to break things up. On Friday I wrote “pg 197 or Test.” If by Thursday I don’t think he has the concept down, I’ll have him do another worksheet. Math U See is a mastery program so we’ll linger on a lesson until he “gets” it. You’ll also notice the “boring level” of each worksheet below. If one of the worksheets is extra “boring” (e.g. 15D), I make sure that the rest of his work that day isn’t as spirit crushing.

Writing

For writing, my son works through Handwriting without Tears. He does one page a day (sometimes more if he’s willing). He does not like writing so emphasize quality over quantity. I wrote (easy) and (hard) on my schedule next to each page assigned. If a writing page looks easy, then I make sure I sneak in more writing practice in his other lessons. If it’s hard, I try to show mercy where I can.

Reading

Reading comes next. I am using the Charlotte Mason sight and sound lessons using the Bob Books. If you’re interested, here is a YouTube video of the lesson. If I’m not mistaken, this method is similar to what you find in the curriculum All About Reading. This week we are working on the book “Lolly-Pops.” On Monday, I introduced the new sight words using the CM method then I have my son read the story. Throughout the week I will review the sight words, have him re-read the story, work through the Bob Book Workbook, and re-read some other stories he’s already gone through. As with math, I try to make sure I don’t have my son doing too much as far as worksheets and writing.

Social Studies, Science, and Supplementary Lessons

The final rows on my schedule (marked in yellow) are activities we do together as a family. This is how I sneak in extra school work during the day. I use a unit-study curriculum called Five in a Row. We focus on one book a week. This week it was Papa Piccolo. Each unit has a list of discussion questions, activities, and lessons that cover all subjects, including art, language arts, science, and social studies. Some lessons are simple. For example, in this unit, I ask the kids what they think the role of a father is. How was Piccolo a good father? Or, for science, I explain and demonstrate what peripheral vision is. I do not do all of the lessons. You’ll notice I wrote down a list of numbers on my schedule notes. I number every lesson in the unit and choose the ones we’ll do.

For science and social studies, I have other workbooks and lessons (some of which I purchased through Teachers Pay Teachers). We do not do Five in a Row every week.

Our Days

When I was on the fence about homeschooling, I had visions of me teaching for 5-7 hours a day and I thought, “Heck. No.” Then I found out homeschooling takes a fraction of the time you would normally spend in public or private school. On an average day, it takes an hour for us (this is not including the Five in a Row lessons we do at lunch or other educational activities I sprinkle in throughout the day). We do have our bad days (and sometimes bad weeks) when things take longer or don’t happen at all. I think back to my days in public school and how there was always a few crazy kids in class who wasted everyone’s time. Well, with homeschooling, we all get to be that crazy kid once in awhile.

I follow the Charlotte Mason method of short lessons/tasks: 5-10 minutes per subject. For example, I may do five minutes of review of a math concept using blocks then have my son do five minutes on a worksheet. Then we move on to five minutes of reading together followed by five minutes of hands-on reading lessons.

Most of the time, we start around 10-10:15 and finish around 11-11:30. Again, this time does not include lessons we do as a family, crafts, and other learning-through-play activities. My son also spends time doing ABC Mouse online (spending his tickets haphazardly on hamster tubes).

One of the benefits of homeschooling is the flexibility it allows you to have when you desperately need some flexibility. For example, if someone is sick or having a bad week and the last thing you want to do is sit at a table and fight through a lesson, take it easy and read together. Do school through play. Put on an educational show, narrate what you learned, and then ask your child to do the same. Education isn’t just about completing worksheets and having results you can see or touch. Learning something new doesn’t always require us to produce visual evidence that we’ve learned.

Anywho, I hope our homeschool schedule encouraged you (or at least satisfied some curiosity).

Choosing a Homeschool Curriculum: The Carolyn Way

There are approximately 4 pootillion homeschool curricula out there (is it annoying to use curricula or should I switch it to curriculums?). Finding the “right” one can be a daunting task made worst by the fact that curricula can be expensive. Hopefully I can help you narrow down your choices.

Research Teaching Philosophies/Methods

If you are overwhelmed by the hundreds of curriculum choices out there, it may help to read-up on education models and choose one (or a few) that sound like a good fit for your children (and you). Familiarizing yourself with education models and philosophies could also help eliminate some curricula. Here are a few breakdowns of popular teaching philosophies and models:

Classical

• Use of three learning stages, referred to as the Trivium (grammar, logic, rhetoric)
• Language focused (learning comes from words rather than images)
• Systematic/rigorous study
• Follows a strict chronological reading plan
• Lots of memorization early-on
• Video Explanation HERE

Charlotte Mason

• Use of “living books” rather than text books
• Emphasis on the cultivation of good habits
• Narration
• Copy work
• Short lessons
• Liberal education (arts, music, nature study)
• Video Explanation HERE

Montessori

• Hands-on learning
• Mixed aged teaching/classrooms
• Children are free to choose learning activity
• Unstructured time
• Video Explanation HERE

Waldorf

• Threefold learning process: Thinking, Feeling, Doing
• Early childhood focus on doing
• Middle childhood focus on the heart/feeling
• Adolescence focus on the mind (Discernment, Judging, Thinking)
• Emphasis on well-rounded education
• Hands-on approach
• Block learning: study one subject for 3-4 weeks then rotate
• Video Explanation HERE

Unschooling

• Child-led/interest-led learning
• Learning happens through life experiences
• Children’s natural interests are nurtured
• Days can be structured, but not around a curriculum
• Video Explanation HERE

There are more education models and philosophies than these, but I just wanted to give you a taste of the similarities and differences. For more information, including pros and cons, I recommend this article: Homeschooling: Which Model Is Right for You?

Assess Your Child’s Learning Style

There are three main learning styles: kinesthetic (tactile), auditory, and visual. Knowing your child’s dominant learning style can help fine tune which curriculum you purchase as well as assist in what kinds of manipulatives, workbooks, and other supplementary materials can aid in teaching. Keep in mind, your child may be great with all of these styles or appear to stink at all of them. I think my son does well with visual and tactile (definitely not auditory).

Here are a two Learning Style quizzes: Homeschool On and Scholastic

That said, I personally wouldn’t rule out a curriculum or workbook simply because it doesn’t match your child’s dominant learning style. There are manipulatives and supplementary resources that you can use in conjunction with your curriculum to make things more visual/auditory/tactile.

Also, I recommend taking some time to observe your child in a learning setting. Can your child sit and do a worksheet? For how long? Test this a few times since kids have good and bad days. How self-motivated is your child? What distracts him/her? What calms him/her down?

Research then Narrow Down

When I first started researching education, I loved the idea of putting my son in a Montessori school. But as I began to research and use Montessori methods at home, I was put off by “child led” education. While I do adjust my curricula and teaching methods based on my son’s strengths and weaknesses, I knew he would end up a total bonehead if his education followed a child-led model. Once my husband and I decided we would homeschool, I started looking into the Classical method. I read a Well Trained Mind. Classical education sounded great until I actually imagined my son and I doing it, day in and day out. When I imagined attending weekly Classical Conversations meetings and teaching other peoples’ kids, I thought, “This will annoy me in two weeks.” Some people love that and are great at it. I am not one of them. Then I began to research the Charlotte Mason method and that method, for the most part, seemed like a great fit for our family. It excited me.

I’m not trying to promote one particular learning style over the other. Instead, I want to encourage you to choose a method that works for (and excites) you and your family. Some of these methods and philosophies may sound great, but if you’re like me, it’s easy to get caught up in the promotion of ideas and their results, only to find out it doesn’t suit your family. Think of it like a hairstyle. Might look great on that gal over there, but it’ll make you look like a freak.

Be honest with yourself: what are your strengths and weaknesses? Do you like going to events? Do you enjoy reading out loud to your children? How much structure do you want/need? I don’t like going to events, but I love structure…my structure.

If you don’t have the time (or interest) to read a lot of books, I recommend going to YouTube or doing a basic search of reviews of each learning model/philosophy. Also, keep in mind: just because someone gives something a bad review or a positive review, their lifestyle, personality, values, etc, may not be like yours.

Religious, Secular, or It Doesn’t Matter

I personally don’t feel the need to use a Christian curriculum. However, I think you should do what’s best for your family. You know your day-to-day life better than anyone. If incorporating religion into your schooling will assist you in teaching your child about the Bible, then go for it. Or, if you’re doing devotionals, prayer, etc, throughout the week, then you may not feel the need to narrow your choices to only religious curriculum. There are Christian-owned companies that produce secular curricula as well. For example, Math-U-See is owned by Christians, but the math curriculum is completely secular. Sonlight is Christian, but they created a secular option called Bookshark.

So, for example, a Google search of “Secular + Charlotte Mason + Homeschool + Curriculum” will narrow your search results quite a bit.

Choose a Curriculum

Here was my thinking: Charlotte Mason was the best fit for my family. My son prefers hands-on, visual learning (not a great listener). I value good literature and a well-rounded, liberal education. My son needs short lessons with lots of outside time and movement. He would enjoy it and so would I. However, I decided I would not strictly follow this learning method and would instead borrow from it.

For Kindergarten, I went “eclectic” and used the Charlotte Mason method for reading, Explode the Code (great for visual learners, illustrations are not visually overwhelming), Five in a Row (literature based unit study with focus on art), Handwriting Without Tears (GREAT for visual learners), and Math-U-See (visual and tactile, but not overwhelming).

For first grade, we will be using Bookshark (Charlotte Mason inspired) and Math-U-See.

Here are a few examples of curricula and programs that are either strictly or loosely based on each learning style:

Classical: Classical Conversations, Veritas Press, Well-Trained Mind

Charlotte Mason: Simply Charlotte Mason, Ambleside Online
Charlotte Mason Inspired: Sonlight, Bookshark (secular version of Sonlight), My Father’s World

Montessori: Because Montessori is more of philosophy, there aren’t curricula out there that are strictly Montessori. However, there are plenty of online stores that sell Montessori related materials: Montessori Outlet, Montessori Activities from Teachers Pay Teachers.

Waldorf: Oak Meadow, Christopherus Homeschool Resources

Unschooling: Who knows…

Christian Curriculum: Abeka, Five in a Row, Bob Jones University

The Technical Side of Homeschooling with a Charter School

If you are interested in homeschooling with a charter school, hopefully this post can give you a bit of insight into the process. There are quite a few charter schools in California that have homeschool programs. We are currently enrolled with Compass Charter, so this post will be about our experience with them. Compass Charter’s homeschool program, called Options, is completely virtual although they will host field trips, graduations, and random get togethers.

Enrollment

Enrollment is completely online. First you create a login, then fill out an application. If your child was previously enrolled in other schools, you will need to provide their transcripts. You will have to upload two proofs-of-address (utility bill, government mail, etc) and your child’s birth certificate. You can opt out of immunizations, but you have to sign a waiver. I took a screenshot of my son’s medical record online and the school accepted that. They also want proof of a kindergarten wellness check and dentist visit, but you can also opt out of these as well. Once your application is submitted with the necessary files, you get to sit back and wait until they e-mail you a “Master Agreement.” This usually occurs two weeks before school starts.

Educational Facilitator

When you are enrolled with a charter school, you are assigned a credentialed Educational Facilitator (EF). Your EF is there to answer your questions, advise you with curriculum, process orders, collect work samples from your child, etc. Your interactions with your EF depend a lot on your own needs and the preferences of your EF. Once a month, we are required to do a virtual meeting with our EF where we discuss my son’s progress and show her some of his work samples. These calls usually last 30 minutes. I rarely e-mail our EF. Other parents are in constant communication with theirs.

Work Samples

At the end of every month (aka Learning Period), we have to upload two work samples per child to an app called Seesaw. The type of sample alternates every month. One month the school asks for a language arts and a math sample. The next month, social studies and science. For kindergarten, I upload at least one worksheet from each subject. I usually “overachieve” and will upload 2-3 samples and occasionally a video of my son reading to give our EF a look at his reading progress.

Attendance

At the end of the week, our EF e-mails us a link to an attendance form on the site ParentSquare. We check off which subjects we covered each day (you have to do something related to math and language arts every day). You also must log how many minutes were spent doing physical activity and the specific activity your child was doing. I hate this part because my son’s entire life (aside from sleep) is physical activity. (Side note: ParentSquare is also where the school posts news, updates, field trips, etc. This information is usually sent via e-mail on Mondays).

Funding

Each student has access to $2,800 in funds to be used towards curriculum, supplies, field trips, etc. Funding cannot be used towards religious-based curriculum or supplies. 25% of our funds with Compass must be used towards core subjects (language arts, math, science, and social studies). There are also quantity and cost limits for certain materials. For example, you are only allowed (I think) 25 books per semester. Certain supplies, like pencil sharpeners, must be under a certain dollar amount. The school provides A LINK to these guidelines. Also, your EF will keep a spreadsheet of your spending.

Vendors

Compass has a lengthy list of approved vendors from which you can buy materials or go to for services (e.g. gymnastics, tutoring, classes). We have not used a service vendor yet so I am not familiar with that process. If you want a vendor added to the list, you can make a request with the school. I haven’t done this before, but new vendors are approved every month. For a list of Compass’ approved vendors CLICK HERE.

Material Requests

It’s a tedious process, but to get your curriculum and other supplies, you have to manually enter the product name, number, price, etc, into an online form. This form is first approved by your EF (if something on your list is not acceptable, your EF will contact you) then it’s sent to the vendor department who then sends it to the vendor. Once you receive your materials, you have to make sure everything is there, sign the packing slip, and send a photo of the packing slip to your EF as soon as possible. In the image, you’ll notice a column “Cons?” This stands for Consumable. If a material is consumable (e.g. crayons, paper, certain books, clay), you keep it. If it’s non-consumable, like a tablet or an instrument, the item must be returned to Compass when you un-enroll from the school.

Testing/Grades

For kindergarten through second grade, there is optional testing with a program called Istation. The results of this test are not reported to the state and are only used to give your EF an idea of where your child stands and if he or she is progressing. While it is optional to do the Istation tests, the school has a tendency to nag you if you decline. I had my son do it because I figured, “What’s the big deal?” Istation is garbage. It takes forever. The animations interrupt you. It’s awful. Anyway, as far as grades, I have to grade my son on a 1-5 rubric for all subjects. His EF confirms whether she agrees with the grading or not. Report cards happen at the end of every semester.

Benchmarks/”I Can” Statements

Part of what you will grade your child on is whether he or she is reaching and/or excelling in the benchmarks for his or her grade. Your EF will send you a link to the school’s “I Can” statements. I personally find these helpful (although some of them seem arbitrary). I print them out and check them off as we go. For Compass Charter’s benchmarks or “I Can” Statements CLICK HERE.

Anyway, I think that covers most of the basics when it comes to the technical side of homeschooling with a charter school. These standards and methods vary from school to school. For example, some charter schools require in-person meetings with EFs or the amount of funding may be more or less. I wrote this in the hopes that it would ease someone’s mind about using a charter school to homeschool. It can be overwhelming jumping into a process like this without knowing what to expect. There’s a lot to get the hang of, but once you do, it’s well worth the initial hassle.

My next homeschool post will be on how I determined which curriculum to use.

Homeschool Tricks from Someone Who’s Homeschooled for 7 Months

You’ve probably gathered from the post title that I am no expert when it comes to teaching. My intention is to give you guys some tricks that are mostly useful for when your kid/turd is having an off-day. As you’re reading this, please know that our formal, dedicated school time usually lasts an hour (my son is in kindergarten). Although most of these tips are for combatting bratty behavior, most of my school days with my son are not bratty. So, maybe I am an expert.

Trick #1: Leave the Room

There’s a good chance your kid is going to “act up” more around you than they would a teacher. They know your weaknesses and they’re going to try to exploit them. There are days when my son wants to sulk and pout simply because I’m sitting there. It’s a performance and I’m the audience. I noticed that if he has to do independent work (e.g. math problems, copy work), the performance starts up. I get it. It’s boring. Sometimes I want to whine when I’m pulling clothes out of the dryer. One technique I learned is to quickly say, “I need you to copy this sentence. I’ll be back. I have to get my coffee/go to the bathroom/check on something.” In reality, I just leave the room and come back in 3 minutes. Most of the time, the work is complete by the time I come back. Sometimes I have to go in and encourage him to finish (“Oh, just two words!”) and sneak out again to “check on something.” If I’m in the same room, he whimpers and it takes five days for him to write, “The cat is fat.”

Trick #2: Play Dumb/Let Them Teach You

Kids get insecure or frustrated when school work is a challenge. My own thoughts have sabotaged me, so I understand the need to shift my focus from feeling sorry for myself and to a “greater good.” Sometimes “playing dumb” looks like me reading a book to my son and pretending to struggle with words/sounds that he knows or is currently learning. He’s always happy to sound them out for me. If I’m introducing a new math concept, we work on the first worksheet together. He does one problem, I do the next, but I will often struggle to find the appropriate blocks or I’ll choose the wrong ones. Make sure you don’t go too far and enter the realm of comically dumb. I once went overboard and my son thought it was fun and also wanted to be dumb.

Trick #3: Have a Checklist

I’m satisfied when I get to mark something off a list and apparently kids are, too. I keep a schedule of what we’re going to do each day. I started posting my schedule on our cork-board in the office and if my son is being particularly impatient, I’ll show him he only has three tasks. Then I let him check them off as he completes each one. He gets a bit more pumped when he can mark something off. This would also work on a whiteboard or just a sheet of paper.

Trick #4: The Earlier the Better

This may not be true for everyone, but I’ve noticed if we wait until after lunch to do school, it is always worse. Our magic hour is 10 am. I’m reminded of my days working full-time in an office and how work was tolerable before lunch, but torture later in the afternoon. Still, I know people like to take advantage of the flexibility that homeschooling allows (I agree, it is a luxury), but I personally like a schedule and I think children respond well to a predictable routine. Even though kids are the ultimate bringers of chaos, they are happier and less anxious with routines. I read that on the google.

Trick #5: Don’t Do Anything Too Fun Prior to School

“Hey, I see you’re having a blast. Why don’t you stop and come in here and learn to read?” My husband and I let our son play video games. He is not allowed to play them before school. There have been mornings in the past where I was like, “Sure, go ahead and play Mario Odyssey for half an hour.” Bad move. And that’s my fault. Back in the old days, I would wake up early, make coffee, and play Fallout or whatever Zelda game came out at the time. Then I’d have to do work. I wanted to cry. Why do that to my son? Anyway, it’s easier to drag your kid away from a coloring book than a swimming pool.

Trick #6: Put on Instrumental Music

My son likes video game soundtracks. The only downside is if it’s “boss music” he gets worked up. Music helps me chill, too. Still, if your child is easily distracted, pay attention to what distracts them and remove it from your school area beforehand. If my son so much as sees a crumb on the table, that crumb is suddenly a wonderful toy. I don’t always use music, but I think it helps pep things up when he’s doing independent work or a craft.

Trick #7: Be Honest

My son likes to say, “I’m scared!” whenever he doesn’t want to do something. Sometimes I say, “Me too!” And it’s true. I get worried when I’m going into a task knowing that the one I’m working with is gearing up to be a monster. He did this today and I replied that I was scared, too. He calmed down immediately and we had a great school day. There are times I’ve told my son that being disobedient or having a bad attitude makes it hard for me to teach. I get grouchy or sad when he’s being a turd. We usually come away from these chats ready to work together as a team. However, I make sure I only address the effects of things he has control over (e.g. his behavior). I never say things about homeschool in general being tough. All that said, I try to tell my kids that they can be sad, grouchy, hungry, thirsty, bored, or whatever, BUT they don’t get to rant and rave. Just let me know how you feel and I’ll help. Don’t kick me in the chest.

Trick #8: Mirror Back Their Annoying Behavior

Sometimes kids don’t “get” how they’re sabotaging themselves. I have tried to explain to my son that the sooner he does his work, the sooner he can go play. In the heat of the moment, many kids (and adults) don’t listen to reason. One day I was on the verge of plucking my own eyes out and juggling them in a fit of insanity. Then an idea came to me: I told my son to tell me to write my name. I told him to count how long it takes me. I wrote my name correctly and quickly. It took five seconds. Then I told him to tell me to do it again, but this time I did all the annoying things he does when he doesn’t want to do his work. He started counting and a look of horror came over his face as I twirled my pencil, fell out of my chair several times, referred to the task as annoying or stupid, etc. This was actually one of the biggest turning points in schooling for him. I should also add that I did not mock him or over-exaggerate my impression of him. I tried to keep it exactly as he was acting. He needed a visual of the time he was wasting rather than just hearing it from me.

Trick #9: Don’t Hover Too Much

I enjoy watching my son work, but it sometimes annoys him or makes him uncomfortable to have my big head casting a shadow on his work. I’ve almost punched people for hovering while I was working. Sometimes I do have to watch how he’s doing things (like with handwriting), but I remedy this by pretending to do my own work at the table or tidying up the office while I watch him. I try to alternate between sitting next to him and observing from afar. Constant hovering is annoying and discouraging.

Trick #10: Do Hands-On Crafts/Lessons as a Family

If there are any lessons/activities/crafts that I can do at the breakfast table with my son and daughter (she’s two), I try to do that and keep these activities out of our normal 10 am school time. This makes “school” go faster. Social studies, science, and art normally have hands-on activities that I can print duplicates out for my daughter to do one, too. If you have a set time for doing school, I would recommend using that time for the necessities (language arts and math) and if you can sneak science and social studies into other areas of the day, do that.

Trick #11: Occupy Younger Siblings

I read a parenting book and the author referred to toddlers as the “weakest link” in the family. It’s true. I’m giving you permission to let the little ones watch TV or a show on the iPad. They won’t die and their brain isn’t going to turn to foam. I watched TV growing up and look at me. I have a blog! There are loads of educational programs for your kids to watch. Or just let them watch stupid garbage once in awhile. Another way I distract my daughter is I will get out some toys that we don’t let her have ready access to (play doh, kinetic sand, etc). Or I will set up her doll house really nice. She can’t resist when the doll house is setup nicely and all the rooms are decorated. Now that she’s getting closer to turning three, I just tell her we’re doing school and to go play. I know. That’s super abusive.

Trick #12: End School if Your Kid Is Being a Nightmare

There have been a handful of occasions where my son is resisting school to the point of throwing a fit and I knew it was a lose-lose situation. It’s tempting to lose my temper in these situations, but if I do, he wins. I see this in adults. They want a fight and the best thing for you to do is take control and walk away. When my son is in such a bad mood, I shut the books, put things away, and tell him to leave the office. But, I always tell him we are going to finish; at some point today, he will circle which one is bigger: the dime or the quarter. If I don’t end it, the lesson can drag on for hours and be the start of a bad habit. Plus I’ll end up in prison. By ending school, I set the terms and place the blame on his shoulders. No exaggeration, within 15 minutes, he’s ready to do school and he’s in a good mood.

Let me know if you try any of these tricks and whether they worked out. If so, please send me $5 for every time it works. It’s the least you can do.