JoviOval Time: What it looks like... kinda.

Remember those idyllic moments I mentioned happening 'bout every 23 days around here? You know, the 'glowing hour' surrounding what we call 'JoviOval' time...?

Well, the other 22 days go something like this.


I don't know about you, but this picture  mentioned in this context makes me LAUGH!


Sometime before 10am, I call to my kids, giving a 10-20 minute warning. They've already been doing school on their own since 8:30 or so, hopefully. During those minutes, I take a shower or make my coffee or eat breakfast, gather my stuff and finally sit in My Spot in the circle-ish, perhaps more ovate, sitting area of the schoolroom.

Usually, at least some of the kids are sitting there waiting when I come in. Other times, they run over immediately. Occasionally, they have to be called another time. Almost always there's a scuffle over who sits where... we are all still in training. :)

From there, for the next hour and a half or so, we're able to get a lot of things in that might otherwise slip through the cracks. Wait, that DID slip through the cracks. Many years ago, we started out with just memory work and our read-alouds, but with travel and moving there were lots of cracks! Plus, things have morphed as we've added students and subjects over the years to come by what we now have an official name for and everything!

During JoviOval time we SING and dance... uh, just kidding. We mostly stick to singing, though we could dance. ;) We read the Bible and poetry. The kids tell their memory work and practice recitations. In between stuff, usually everyone scuffles over seating arrangements. Again. Sometimes they tackle [ahem..] bother each other. Yes, in fact, they do.

Just keepin' it real. ;)


In fact, here's a real life of one our moments...
me reading aloud, people milling about,  someone grabs the camera... yeah. It's like that. :)

We also do Helpful Together Things which smooths having lots of students at different levels. I read aloud from a science, geography, literature or history book for EVERYBODY. We do French and Spanish together. And a bunch of other stuff. You'll see. In my next post, I'll put up the list of what we're doing this term.

After we finish the official 'all together' stuff, some students skedaddle and we move on to the subjects that need at least my partial attention. That'd be mostly math, but can include Latin and/or grammar, among other things.

We've had to change lots of stuff to make 'JoviOval' time work. Matter of fact, I make changes every term. Some things I hope to do seem to get put off for an entire term even though they're on the list. Sometimes, it's all a flop because of moodiness or unpreparedness. Which is why habits contribute so much to atmosphere. It definitely doesn't just happen. No magic here. I have to make it happen, and all of us have to keep working to ensure that it continues. :)

Please don't forget that nothing really worthwhile will just up and happen overnight. One doesn't accomplish one's goals without some trial and error. It wasn't 'til last year that I really started to feel really quite happy with our 'together time'.

Key point: Take one thing at a time.

Also in my next post, in the Spirit of Newness (yes, I am in fact stretching the New Year theme out THIS LONG), along with our schedule, I'll share what's new in JoviOval time for this term/year, what's being tossed and why.

If you want to be really inspired, or need help with ideas for beginning a Morning/Circle Time, definitely have a browse over at Cindy's. She's got 30 days of MT! If you're interested in an all-out-AO-ambler's outlook and of her sundry daily experiences gathering her chicks into an egg-shaped formation and of some multi-age combinations, you'll want to read my next couple of posts, too. AND there's the linky, too! Only my friend Brandy has shared so far. She has a habit of posting about her Circle Time each term, so you could see her older posts as well.

Have you blogged about your Morning Time/Circle Time? Do you wanna? Help us out!
Please post and share your experiences in the linky below!

:)

Scheduling :: Finding Your Family Rhythm

It is my hope that through identifying regular life rhythms and learning to move and dance to them with our families, we will improve the quality of atmosphere in our homes. Finding our family's rhythm and beginning to order our days can also help us (and our kids) to form good habits, help us to look at life calmly knowing what comes next (or where to pick up when we get off track), and help us to make the most of our family's precious time.


It's very likely that your family already has a rhythm, it may be fast or slow (it may seem kind of chaotic at first glimpse!) Take a moment to consider, you may realize you already do many things the same way every single day. Your rhythm is influenced by the individuals that make up your family and what you think is important... and we know what we think is important by what we make time for.

Charlotte Mason taught that a big part of education is atmosphere. Our family rhythms influence much of what she would call 'atmosphere': the things we think are important, the way we move from one thing to the next and the way we treat one another in the midst. She also labeled education a discipline... this has to do with forming habits. The habit of orderliness (with our time, especially), is something we are looking to strengthen when we identify, concentrate on, or begin new family rhythms. It is calming to certain personalities to know what comes next. Finding and keeping a rhythm will especially help those kinds of people.

Keep in mind, when making lists or schedules, you don't want to create another guilt-inducer that will scream back at you when it simply doesn't work, something changes, or when for some reason or other you are unable to carry it out. Our goal for finding family rhythms is to come up with a visual reminder based on what we are already doing or things we'd like to add, which should serve as a tool to help us improve the atmosphere of our homes. After taking care of basic needs, we can calmly accomplish the things we've determined are really the most important.

If at any time you notice that following a list or schedule is stressing your family out more than it's helping (after the initial working-out-the-wrinkles stage), you need to remind yourself that all of these are only tools. They are meant to serve us, we should never find ourselves slaves to a schedule (or anything else for that matter). We aren't marionettes, we must find the freedom to move in a way that reflects our individuality!

Why, if we we get ourselves too tied down to a certain way, or try to dance to someone else's tune, that'll take the joy right out of dance! :)
Here's a little printable guide that hopefully will help you to identify, develop and dance to Your Family Rhythm. (Please let me know if you have any trouble downloading).

Daily Rhythms :: Fisher Academy

Q&A: Book Organization

Q:
"I would like to know how you organize your AO books. I've put colored stickers on the spines for year we need the books. Do you sort them more than that?"

A:
Something about books affects me. Certainly, when it comes to thinking about books AND organizing them, I get a little bit weak. A warm fuzzy kind of feeling creeps pleasantly over me. I may fall into a sort of daze. On the other hand, when there are books to buy (think childlightusa or library sale), these are the moments I dream about, I get completely befuddled and can think of nothing else 'til I can look through and buy as many as I can possibly carry (this is often severely limited by ever stricter baggage limits. such a sadness.) Scheming and rescheming about how I will arrange my books so I can look at them, is something I would like to do more often. Daily, in fact. But then again that's impractical. I do sometimes sit and gaze at my bookshelves though.

Happiness, yes. Idolatry... Lord have mercy, no.

So, when it comes to actually placing them on the bookshelves, I sort mine loosely thus:

* When at all possible, I have a bookshelf or three purely for all the books we could possibly use for school. My husband's books take up another bookshelf or two, mine another, books for lending on another, etc. the more the merrier. :) These are spread throughout the house.

* My own books go in a combination of places - they have a shelf all their own, but the ones I'm currently reading, or planning to be currently reading, or wish I could be currently reading go somewhere close to my bed. in a precarious pile. The book I am actually reading at the moment goes everywhere with me. and I really mean, everywhere.

...these are just the school books!

On the school bookshelf, then:

* by the working AO years we're in (this year there's a shelf for y3 & also for y8)
* by theme (nature study - field guides, etc.; history; languages; poetry; music; art, etc.)
* picture books & those for my blessed y0 child (on a shelf low down, easy to grab)
* free reads and other living books, alongside all other AO books from previous
years.

* I do this every. time. we. move. (and we move frequently :)

* I actually did do the whole color-stickers-w/-printed-labels elaborate scheme at one point, but have since found that i've pretty much memorized which books are where, and otherwise rely heavily on a printed booklist which has all the AO/HEO books listed (and database software, thanks dad!) .

* I do NOT however keep the books for the immediate upcoming years/terms out and accessible. those stay hidden (yep, hidden) until the week before a new year or new term begins. that way the kids are super excited to look over their new books :)

* I have been known to sort my shelves by color, which is an absolutely constant source of delight to my very eyeballs every time I walk into the room. honestly.

Fisher Days

For some time now I've arranged our school by the day of the week. Have you seen that little ditty on my sidebar? Several people have asked about that, and it's time I updated and clarified :)
Oh, here it is:



It helps me to keep my head about me to have a loose idea of what we want to accomplish each day. I divide our work into subjects, which are designated to a certain day of the week. It doesn't mean we only do these things on the specified day of the week and no other... it just helps to know that everything will, or at least potentially could get done sometime during the week if all else gets crazy and unpredictable. Does that make sense? Schedules or checklists exist to serve me, I do not exist to serve the schedule! ;)

• monday - science & natural history
• tuesday - literature & poetry
• wednesday - biography & geography
• thursday - history
• friday - leftovers

Friday is left free so that anything we don't get done during the week is done that day :)

When I only had two children in any given AO year, it was VERY simple, I didn't even have to write it out, and we rarely had to look at a schedule. We got into the habit quite quickly knowing which books were read on which day. 

This year, as I have four, it is a HUGE help to have the subjects divided by day... here are my thoughts about using this list in the different years:

y2: I pretty much arrange the littles' entire day, every day (they still have plenty of free playtime in which I get to practice masterly inactivity). The amount of work in this combined year (see below) doesn't reflect a normal AO year. Even though their year is combined, there are several things that I only do with one or the other that I didn't put there on the list below.

y7: The bigger kids have arranged their schedules as they see fit when it comes to which books are read on which day at whatever time of day. :) But there are still quite a few things I help them with or am in some great way still involved. Their subjects that I am needed for are arranged by day. I commit to make myself available for those subjects at some time that day (usually before lunch). If they don't take advantage on that day, it gets pushed 'til Friday, or if neither of those, will have to be based on my availability at another time (meaning it may not get done that week).

Here's an example of our days:





Click to download

Our Year 7 with Ambleside Online!

I never thought this day would come. Didn't I? Javen and Cullen are growing up. I cannot believe it. Or can I? This summer was one of marked change in them, and still more upon returning to Peru. I'm so impressed with them lately. It has been so fun to begin to share more 'grown up talk' with them over the last several months. I love it. But still, it makes me feel so old.



Ah, yes. Year 7.

This is the year that the transition becomes most noticeable, from elementary-ish school level to the higher studies. It is clearly reflected in their weekly checklist. They've got a lot of interesting things to do this year. They're excited, I'm excited; we are ALL excited.

Because I tend to think more clearly in ink or type, the plan of our first term follows. :)

This year we'll be continuing to concentrate on:
The habit of attention. Strengthening the will.

"The student may be compelled by a necessity which he recognises, or stimulated by compitition: the latter is a poor broken reed, and the former he will rightly try to escape, unless he has somehow come to regard his study as a duty--the "something which has to be done, whether it pleases anybody or nobody":--otherwise he will detest and resist atoms and molecules as strenuously as accidence and syntax, or any other subject that can be laid before him."

R. L. Leighton, Head Master, The Grammar School, Bristol

AOy7, Term 1

Gospel of John.  Commentary by VanRyn, or in the absence thereof, Tasker's.

Book of Centuries will accompany and mapwork is to follow the history readings: Birth of Britain, Ecclesiastical History of the English People, King Alfred, The Brendan Voyage. We'll use an ancient map of Brittania, a map showing Britain as part of the Roman Empire, and a modern map for Brendan Voyage and for Map Drill (specifically UK).

We will be using Ourselves as our own family book club reading. We will meet weekly to discuss (preferably over tea :).  I'd like to do a map of Mansoul as we go along... we'll see.

Plutarch's Lives, Poplicola - read aloud (use Anne's AO study guide). I'll probably mostly look at the study guide myself and only address things if/when they come up. With discussion questions, I hope to help them to observe in order to outline a character sketch at the end of the term. **They REALLY love Plutarch!**

Whatever Happened to Penny Candy
Current Events: Student News Daily and World Magazine's Top story. Weekly, make an entry in written narration notebook, "This Week in History."

Literature for the first term includes: Watership Down, The Once and Future King, English Literature for Boys and Girls, Age of Chivalry, Ivanhoe

All readings will continue to be narrated as in all years of a CM education. This first term of y7, I will require weekly:  

• 1 or 2 - written narrations from their choice of readings (gently edited);  
• 1 - science lab book entry;  
• 1 - 'This Day in History' narration/blog post (self-edited). 

In addition to these, there will be one supervised copywork, several commonplace notebook entries, and one or two studied dictations. This pretty much means they will be writing every day, maybe more than once! This is a huge jump from last year.

Poetry: Daily reading from Lord, Alfred Tennyson and/or The Timeline of English Verse.
Grammar of Poetry: one lesson/week
Grammar: one lesson/week using Our Mother Tongue.

Recitation: We'll have one (15min) lesson every couple of weeks to practice, go over pronunciation, presentation as outlined here. They'll go over their selection daily. They may choose from Last Words of Chaucer, Lady Clare, Sir Galahad, Henry V's prayer before Agincourt, or part of Locksley Hall.  If they have something good that they'd much rather do, by all means I'll allow it! :)

Shakespeare: We'll first finish reading aloud Romeo & Juliet (by the boys' request) and continue with Henry V.  I am encouraging them to come up with creative narrations of this reading, such as dramatized narration, comic strip, etc.

Math – Continue MEP y6 math – 1 lesson/day. In Tarapoto, finish Life of Fred Decimals - 30min/day,  continue with Live of Fred Pre-Algebra.
Apologia's Physical Science – (use science lab book for narrations – spread a lesson over 2 weeks). Read this article on the necessity of keeping a science lab book.

Nature Study - This year we'll be once again shooting for almost daily entries (minimum 2/week). This will depend greatly upon how often we make time to get outside... it being seriously more difficult here in Trujillo on the fourth floor! Entries may include any of the following: sketch an object w/ watercolors, monthly tree observations, maintaining bird & plant lists, recording phases of the moon, etc.  Read: Lay of the Land.  Read: an article outlining Nature Journals.

Folksongs:  follow AO rotation + specific to year 7,  Bold Robin Hood and the Pedlar, The Three Ravens, The Outlandish Knight. Watch youtube videos here and here.  Here's a post illustrating why folksongs are so valuable.
Hymns: He Leadeth Me, Dear Lord and Father of Mankind & He Hideth My Soul
(see AO hymn page for lyrics, links and midi files)

Composer Study: Mozart. All of his music can be found free online here. I have the Opal Wheeler book, which I plan to use as well as simply listening to the music whenever we think to.
Artist Study: Fragonard. We'll use this book, read this biography and look at these prints.
The Story of Painting.
Music: Guitar and Singing practice, 15min/day (would love to pay for lessons?)

Latin: Getting Started with Latin. 2-3 lessons/week.

"It follows that we must look elsewhere to find grounds for preferring one study to another, or, indeed, for requiring the young to study anything beyond those elements which have become necessaries of life for civilized mankind. The only safe ground is educational value: the worth of study as the means of suppling and strengthening the intellect, over and above that moral value which belongs to all forms of work."

R. L. Leighton, Head Master, The Grammar School, Bristol

At home, we speak English and Spanish. The kids are learning Spanish without even trying. As for lessons, we do read to them in Spanish, and they narrate back. We sing in Spanish at home and at church. Our friends speak Spanish... etc. But apart from that, we are not pushing formal lessons at this time.

French:  The Easy French
(Unfortunately, this will only happen sporadically; ideally, in Trujillo, as we have native-speaking French friends here. There is even a French Club! But, seeing as this first term, we will be concentrating on regaining our routine after furlough and before traveling again, we have to postpone the more intense study of French for another term at least.) In the meantime, I'm looking forward to looking over Anne's posts on their French studies.

"The language chosen should differ widely from the mother-tongue of the student, because sharp contrasts, as of black ink on white paper, more readily fix the attention and stick in the memory. It should also be at least equal to the mother-tongue as an instrument of thought, and it should be capable of stimulating the mind of the learner by introducing him to new ideas and unfamiliar ways of looking at the world around him. Finally, as it is not to be an end in itself, but a means of awakening the intellect to a consciousness of the delicate differences and shades of meaning conveyed by slight variations of expression, it should be a language which will not be required to be employed with the glibness of every-day intercourse." 

Health: We will begin with Fearfully & Wonderfully Made when we arrive back in Tarapoto (the book is there!)

Another couple of things new and exciting to this year (y7) are the Commonplace Notebook and the Book of Centuries. Read this article for the merits of starting your own Commonplace Notebook, and here for your BoC.

Work: continue with chore list.
Physical Education: Run with Mom & Dad, 3x/week. Soccer in the park with neighborhood kids, 2x/week.
Handiwork: Sand and paint tables.

Free Reads: 30min/day as a suggestion. Please plan accordingly to finish by end of year.

Notebooks:
Nature Journal
Copywork Notebook (technically, this is being phased out, soon to be replaced by Commonplace)
Written Narration Notebook - all written narrations, including 'This Week in History'
Commonplace Notebook - to take down memorable quotes, living ideas as stated by other authors.
Book of Centuries
Science lab book - pretty informal at this point.
Math Practice Book
Personal Journal (personal/spiritual, private)

Helpful Links:
This plan is based almost exclusively from the AO Year 7 recommendations: See here.
Would you like to see this plan for yourself? Download here.
I've created a handy-dandy checklist to hang on the fridge for AOy7, term 1. Download here.
Can I just say that I love how Naomi approaches scheduling?! Read about her schedule here.

Planning around life.

Well, I'm just pulling my plans together for Term 2 (we started the year early and have to continue on - see note below :), and I've come to realize that the sample weekly list I posted a few days ago was REALLY complicated looking!  hahah!

I guess I'd just gotten used to looking at it since I'd been using it for over a year... but today as  I started subbing this term's information into the boxes... whoa!  I could hardly look at it!  With the cute fonts here and there, it was much too busy.  So, I've renovated and made something a LOT more plain... as well as legible. ;)  I thought I'd put it up here in .doc format and that way if there's anyone doing a AOy6 or AOy2, maybe you could even tweak it to work for you?  Well, regardless, I'm putting it here for my own use... I'll always know where I can find it when I need it!  :)  Also, the list shows how I keep track of multiple students using different years.

Here's what the new format looks like...



Click here to download a copy.

Notes about how I organize:
*I am easily overwhelmed with information overload!  To help with this, I categorize the readings by subject and assign each subject a day (for example, Tues=History, Wed=Literature, etc.).  I do this in order to have a daily checklist.

*I've worked out a daily schedule that we follow loosely, this has been essential for maintaining order around here.  Just to get my head around it, several years ago, I used Managers of Their Homes for working through that.  Our schedule undergoes almost constant tweaking.  Regardless of how I plan, our days are rarely regular.  And we're okay with that ;)

*A daily checklist helps me to easily see the things that need to get done.  When something doesn't get done on the assigned day we move it neatly into 'catch-up' day and don't worry about it a bit until then!

*I re-vamp our weekly list often (as you may have noticed) at the beginning of every term.  I sub in all the readings for that term into the list with page numbers and print off copies for my own use as well as for my older boys.

Keeping it real:

This term includes a good amount of disruptions to normal living as there are two more river trips planned before the end of the year, we'll have guests for several weeks and then will be packing up (putting everything in storage) and moving (across the country to Trujillo).  Then crawling on top of each other adjusting to life in a tiny apartment (for a couple of months... yay!) as well as traveling to and around the US (we may be in Term 3 by then...)  ALL while trying to finish the school year.  heheh.  Life has a way of getting kind of complicated sometimes. (My husband wrote a cool article about our life in missions here.)  At the moment I feel kind of overwhelmed about how it will all work out, but I'm sure it will all work out...


The cool thing is, as homeschoolers we are able to roll with the punches!  We can be flexible!  We can work with what we're given.  Isn't that one of the best perks of teaching our own kids at home?    

I will be finishing my Teaching Reading series this coming week (I've been SO enjoying my study of it). I hope you all will continue to comment and add anything I forget!  Also, make sure to link up in the comments if you've blogged any CM reading lessons so that we can all find them and learn from you!

how to go weekly...

How to make a weekly list using the Ambleside Online curriculum...

...notice I use my AO list to note groceries, and new guitar chords I'm learning too ;)

I need lists.  I need to see what needs to be done, as well as be encouraged seeing what's been finished!  Lists are wonderful!  However, if the list is too long, or too boring, or poorly organized it does me NO good.  I make lots of lists, but the one I use absolutely MOST often is my AO weekly list!  :)


Get a hold of the Term Schedules:

First of all, we are spoiled rotten because of the files AmblesidOnline is coming out with VERY SOON (*edited 4/9/2013) for EVERY AO year in both .pdf and .doc format! You will be able to find all these schedules at AmblesideOnline.org or on the forum. I print a copy of the entire year for my Homeschool Planning Day every year and use it extensively in my planning throughout the year.

The same information is available on the AO site for every year.  You'll see the pages for the booklists and the schedules for each year.  But, that long list is SO overwhelming for me... having to find my place each week, and oh me oh my...  I'm so thankful for the Term Schedules!

Here's an idea of what you'll be looking for in minuscule version :)

Term 1

Term 2

Term 3

Basically, what we have here is all the AO subjects/readings for year 2 plotted out by week (horizontally), and books/subjects (vertically).  In a lot of cases it even has the readings broken up.  Sometimes not, it depends on the book because there are different versions available, so you can easily just count the pages in your book and evenly divide it up over the term.

I used to just have a print out of this glued to my forehead handy at all times and crossed everything off as we read/narrated.  It has blank fields for you to add in assignments for math, language arts, foreign language, handiwork, etc.  This was a really easy way to go in year one and two even.  But increase the number of children = the result is more complicated...

SO.  I personally need to limit what I see.  Too much information leaves me feeling quite swamped and overwhelmed.  Which leads me in the direction (finally) this post is supposed to be going; the need for a weekly list.

Converting to a weekly list:

The idea is to basically just transfer all the information from one week at a time from the Term Schedule (or from the AO Schedules online), to fit our daily routine.  I fill out this weekly list each term so that I have 12 weeks done ahead of time.  This is my main task each Homeschool Planning Day.  Transferring the information to a weekly list, counting off pages, filling in the assignments for the other subjects, etc.

If you need help figuring out, or putting order to your daily routine, I highly recommend Managers of Their Homes (MOTH), which was vital early when I was first beginning juggling of days. :)

My weekly list incorporates time frames that normally (hah!) work for us... but we are SUPER flexible.  It's there as a guide, nothing more.  Mainly, I work from the following schedule as a list of what I have to accomplish that day.  Here's an example (sorry it's not super clear).



You'll notice the little checkboxes!  These help me keep track of what everyone's doing and done.  :) I'm such a listy girl :)  Basically, a LOT of the information on this list is just transcribed from Judy's Term Schedules pictured above. I put in every assignment and every reading, the exact page numbers so that not only they know what to read, but I know what they're reading (so that I can stay ahead in the readings, if desired, and so that I can know what they are to narrate).

Every 4 weeks I print off the two older boys and myself a booklet of 4 weeks worth (4 pages) of their weekly assignments.  I print it off using booklet format on my computer and it ends up looking something like this:

Imagine that middle gray as a fold ;)

Of course, I had to go and make a fun version for my seven year old girl to check off her assignments as well, here's a peek at hers (she doesn't have all the page numbers on her assignments because for the most part, we're still doing most of her readings together out loud... they are detailed out on the weekly list pictured above):



Now, I could go on FOREVER about my routine, schedule, weekly list... but I'll stop and see if there are any questions.  If there are, I'll be happy to elaborate  ;)  If not, I'll be satisfied knowing that this post covered everything you wanted to know about how to make a weekly list for multiple children doing Ambleside Online!!   heheh.  ;)

I did make a blank weekly list that someone may be interested in using as a guide in making your own weekly list... it's here:

(right click the image and select Save As... to save the full-size pdf file to your computer)
and here's a zip file of the pdf and doc version :)

Tips for a successful school day

After about 5 years of teaching my children, I have finally figured out ahead of time what will help me to have a good day!  I've experienced huge motivation to get my act together after too many days when everything that could have HAS gone wrong, everyone's upset and I feel that I'm failing miserably in this daunting task called homeschooling.  In the last 4 years I've been somewhat consistent at implementing these changes and I can attest to their awesome improvements!

very hilarious, OLD photo!  awwww...

So, here's a list of things, that if I can manage to accomplish all these things, I am pretty much guaranteed a successful day of learning in our house.

1. Wake up on time 

For me sadly, this is no small thing. I am the queen of sleeping in. For years I've not thought it possible for me to consistently wake up early. I do think my body needs more sleep than some to stay healthy, and for this to happen realistically, I have to get to bed at a regular hour the night before. Truthfully, this has taken a few years to realize how really important this is and how it affects my attitude and even my outlook on life.

2. Read the Word of God

Taking time to focus my day, my attitude, my priorities. Vital. I do this before I even get out of bed.

3. Turn things over to Him

I recognize that I will mess everything up if left all to myself (constant reliance on the Spirit throughout the day, I need LOTS of reminders). This is VERY important.  - Included here, is the fact that I must be willing to turn things back over to Him if they start getting crazy...  :)

4. Get dressed and shod...

... and not just sweatpants and t-shirts, when I'm really dressed I feel better and if someone comes to the door, or I have to run out quick, I'm ready. In our line of work and in this country, people show up at ANY time and it used to be such a frustration for me... but NOT anymore, 'cause I'm ready for 'em ;) Now if I only could manage to have a meal ready at all times... heheh.
Being nicely dressed whether or not I have plans to leave the house, I've found, has helped my Beloved to relate to me in a manner I really like as well. I dress everyday with him in mind.

5. Establish the kids in their own morning routine.

I'm actually in the middle of implementing this right now. My kids wake up before the crack of dawn, NO MATTER WHAT time they went to bed. They would wake up and play (boys play loud) and then play until lunch time if left to themselves. I would regularly get frustrated when I called them down to breakfast that they weren't dressed and their room was a mess. Now, I've created a checklist of things for them to do before 8am - breakfast. I now just need to get them a clock for their room to make sure it's all done on time, and without reminders!

6. Have plan in place for breakfast, the night before.

This could be as simple as just knowing what we're going to eat, or it could mean actually preparing it ahead and having the table all set.

7. Do not turn on the computer before starting school

I know myself. I have a hard time just checking mail! In my mail there are ads that I just have to read, my AmblesideOnline or Spell to Write & Read and MathUsee yahoo groups to browse, and then there are notes to respond to and links to freebies and all the rest, and before I know it, I'm late starting... again.

8. Keep the little kids nearby at all times.

This is vital to a peaceful day. If the kids are nearby, I can sense when trouble is afoot. When I get busy or distracted and they are left to themselves, I discover little messes around the house made by sneaky, hungry kiddos. Not to mention, I get frustrated at the frequent sometimes fierce combats that ensue upstairs that cause me to have to run up to play policewoman before someone is killed. If they are with me, this doesn't happen. We like being together :)

9. Having a plan 

Sounds obvious, but... Knowing what I'm supposed to be teaching and what the kids are supposed to be learning and doing each day, let alone at certain checkpoints throughout the day, is absolutely essential. I need several planning days a year (speaking of which I haven't had one for...TOO long - no wonder I'm a mess ;), in order to keep on top of all of the kiddos learning requirements. I actually benefit from having a daily schedule that keeps all of life a little more trackable.

10. Keep 'em busy!

My Beloved and I have had a tumultuous last year with moving back here to Peru, hosting various guests - some with moderate stays, and just the extreme busy-ness of ministry and cross-cultural dealings. We don't have TV, and limit movies to once a week or so. The kids don't play outside in the neighborhood because it is unsafe... all this has meant many days where school consists simply of the basics and the kids are left with lots of free time. While free time cultivates creativity perhaps, my kids creativity doesn't seem to need any cultivation, it's in full bloom! What they need more of is direction. So, making sure their assignments are clear, giving them work to do around the house, and even providing directed play or project ideas has been very helpful. This includes keeping the little ones busy while we do school with the older ones. Having toddler and preschool activities on hand at all times has helped immensely.

So there you have it :) That's what we do...

What do you do? 

a repost from the archives...

Homeschool Planning - part two

3 ways to plan for order in YOUR homeschool:
a 3-part series :) 
{part two}

photo by typofi

For our family, and for me as their teacher planning ahead makes all the difference in how smoothly our school days go.  When we all know what is happening and what is about to happen, everything goes MUCH better.

In the last post I wrote about how having a regular HPD (Homeschool Planning Day) throughout the year seriously eases the amount of brain strain on mom.  The yearly planning days are like getting your plates up and spinning.  The weekly preview planning is what you do to keep those plates spinning!

For me, the whole weekly planning is really just a preview.  To have a preview, I have to have a plan already worked out to view!  So, this is very dependent on having my schedule and all the assignments already worked out during my regular HPDs.  Many however, don't have really detailed plans, that's okay too!  A weekly plan ahead time can still avail much! It will just involve more time each week to plan out assignments and gather materials.  (See notes below)

After you've had your homeschool planning day:
In order to have a really productive WPD, you'll need to have the following:

1. A plan of some sort of what you're kids will be learning the coming week.  (AO has all the readings for each year broken up into weekly reading assignments - HERE is the schedule for Year 5.  This is what I base my plans on.)  I print off a weekly sheet that has all the kids' assignments for the week plotted out. See a sample of this here.

Once you have a plan broken up into weekly segments, WPD is a breeze: only 15-30 minutes a week.

1. Look over the subjects that need some extra help, or supplies to be used...  For me this includes:

• MEP math (make sure I have all the pages printed and manipulatives gathered)... in this case when one of my kids is struggling, it really helps to look over the lesson ahead and figure out how I'm going to explain something.
  
• Astronomy (check to make sure I have all the project materials within easy reach)
• Backyard Scientist (gather this week's experiment stuff)
• Book of Centuries (make sure all the timeline figures are printed off and ready)

2. Gather up the materials (or make a list to be bought the next day).
3. Pray about the coming week (this is an excellent moment to put this on your schedule)  Pray for character issues, academic struggle areas and for your own attitude.

If you haven't had an opportunity to have a homeschool planning day, but you still want to have a weekly plan, here are a few suggestions that might help you:

1. Make a list of all the subjects you'd like to have your kids cover in a week.  Include everything you can think of, starting with the main subjects.
   
2. Determine how much time each thing should take & then break each subject into daily bite-size chunks keeping in mind the age of your kids.  
3. OR determine first how much time each day you will spend on a subject and THEN plot out how much you expect you can cover...
4. Print off a checklist so your kids can check off their daily assignments.

Now, as is normal, we have days when things do NOT go according to plan or schedule no matter how much we'd like them to.  That's OKAY!  There are actually weeks that we are off schedule sometimes.  If we get all down or stressed about it, we'll never get back to an orderly state.  The schedule is there to serve us.  Not for us to serve the schedule.  For helter-skelter days (or weeks), I've put together a daily list of things that I want to accomplish each day.  See the sample HERE.  That way, I can see which things I most want to accomplish in the time available quite apart from the disrupted schedule.

So, did any of this strike a chord with you?  How do you plan?  Did you learn anything helpful?  Do you have any tips I ought to add in here?  Please leave a comment!


Posts in this series:

1. Yearly Homeschool Planning Day(s) - part one
2. Weekly Planning - part two... You are here :)
3. Yearly Book Ordering - last post

(photo of spinning plates courtesy of thecolor.com, online coloring sheet site)

Forms for an organizational freak... like me

Forms, forms and more forms. I am a listy girl!

A super amazing organization site is: donnayoung.org She has every form under the sun available. It is simply amazing. Most everything is free, but she does sell a cd of the website with even WAY more stuff on it. Cool stuff.

Some of the pages on her site:

Home Homeschooling Homeschool Planner Household Calendars Art English Handwriting History Math Science Planner Guide Planning Help Lists Administrative Lesson Plan Forms
High School Extra Sets Weekly Term & Subject By Columns Journal Unit Excel Weekly

Site CD

Have a great evening,
Amy

Homeschool Routines ~ a memoir

I'm playing catch up. Because of our jungle trip, I got all off my routine! ;)

So, my routine is that I work around whatever craziness my husband sends my way... every day! :) Being in ministry he has a schedule that depends on lots of other people. People come by, they call, he has different meetings everyday and has lots of spur of the moment things too. While every day is not the same craziness, it is crazy every day so that is my routine!
heheheh.

However, we do have a loose routine of:
7am wake/read Bible
8am breakfast
9am start school
1pm lunch
2pm nap/quiet time
3pm read alouds
5-6pm dinner
8pm kids' bedtime


I'm always working on ways to make my day run more smoothly. We have a wonderful schedule using Managers of their Homes, but it is in re-evaluation right now, so we're between schedules.

Tips for a successful school day

After about 5 years of teaching my children, I have finally figured out ahead of time what will help me to have a good day. I've experienced huge motivation to get my act together after too many days when everything that could has gone wrong, everyone's upset and I feel that I'm failing miserably in this daunting task called homeschooling. In the last 2 years I've been somewhat consistent at implementing these changes and I can attest to their awesome improvements!

So, here are a few things that if I can manage to accomplish all these things will pretty much guarantee a successful day of learning in our house.

1. Wake up on time 

For me sadly, this is no small thing. I am the queen of sleeping in. For years I've not thought it possible for me to consistently wake up early. I do think my body needs more sleep than some to stay healthy, and for this to happen realistically, I have to get to bed at a regular hour the night before. Truthfully, this has taken a few years to realize how really important this is and how it affects my attitude and even my outlook on life.

2. Read the Word of God

Taking at least a few minutes to focus my day. Vital. I do this before I even get out of bed.

3. Turn things over to Him

I recognize that I will mess everything up if left all to myself (constant reliance on the Spirit throughout the day, I need LOTS of reminders). This is VERY important.

4. Get dressed and shod...

... and not just sweatpants and t-shirts, when I'm really dressed I feel better and if someone comes to the door, or I have to run out quick, I'm ready. In our line of work and in this country, people show up at ANY time and it used to be such a frustration for me... not anymore, I'm ready for 'em ;) Now if I only could manage to have a meal ready at all times... heheh. I've found this helps my Beloved to relate to me in a manner I really like as well. I dress everyday with him in mind.

5. Establish the kids in their own morning routine.

I'm actually in the middle of implementing this right now. My kids wake up before the crack of dawn, NO MATTER WHAT time they went to bed. They would wake up and play (boys play loud) and then play until lunch time if left to themselves. I would regularly get frustrated when I called them down to breakfast that they weren't dressed and their room was a mess. Now, I've created a checklist of things for them to do before 8am - breakfast. I now just need to get them a clock for their room to make sure it's all done on time, and without reminders!

6. Have plan in place for breakfast, the night before.

This could be as simple as just knowing what we're going to eat, or it could mean actually preparing it ahead and having the table all set.

7. Do not turn on the computer before starting school

I know myself. I have a hard time just checking mail! In my mail there are ads that I just have to read, my AmblesideOnline or Spell to Write & Read and MathUsee yahoo groups to browse, and then there are notes to respond to and links to freebies and all the rest, and before I know it, I'm late starting... again.

8. Keep the little kids nearby at all times.

This is vital to a peaceful day. If the kids are nearby, I can sense when trouble is afoot. When I get busy or distracted and they are left to themselves, I discover little messes around the house made by sneaky, hungry kiddos. Not to mention, I get frustrated at the frequent sometimes fierce combats that ensue upstairs that cause me to have to run up to play policewoman before someone is killed. If they are with me, this doesn't happen. We like being together :)

9. Having a plan 

Sounds obvious, but... Knowing what I'm supposed to be teaching and what the kids are supposed to be learning and doing each day, let alone at certain checkpoints throughout the day, is absolutely essential. I need several planning days a year (speaking of which I haven't had one for...TOO long - no wonder I'm a mess ;), in order to keep on top of all of the kiddos learning requirements. I actually benefit from having a daily schedule that keeps all of life a little more trackable.

10. Keep 'em busy!

My Beloved and I have had a tumultuous last year with moving back here to Peru, hosting various guests - some with moderate stays, and just the extreme busy-ness of ministry and cross-cultural dealings. We don't have TV, and limit movies to once a week or so. The kids don't play outside in the neighborhood because it is unsafe... all this has meant many days where school consists simply of the basics and the kids are left with lots of free time. While free time cultivates creativity perhaps, my kids creativity doesn't seem to need any cultivation, it's in full bloom! What they need more of is direction. So, making sure their assignments are clear, giving them work to do around the house, and even providing directed play or project ideas has been very helpful. This includes keeping the little ones busy while we do school with the older ones. Having toddler and preschool activities on hand at all times has helped immensely.

So there you have it :) That's what we do...

What do you do?  Please leave a comment or a link to your helpful homeschool management tips?

This is a repost from the archives at my other blog: http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/amada/567751/

Our schoolroom

this is a close up of the right half of the shelf above...

I can´t figure out why all my picture look dark and dinghy... it´s either my camera´s flash is annoying, or else my house really is dark and dinghy! hahahahahahah!

Amy

How I keep plans:

Well, one of the awesome things about AO is that everything is online... just a click away. So, really I just need my reading schedule for the term and I'm set.

But... I am a binder girl. I LOVE three-ring binders, maybe a little too much ;) I have 2 binders for my AO stuff. An AO reference Notebook (has pretty much anything I find and print off the AO website, or other resources) and the AO term Notebook (has all the information I need for the term if not for the entire year). This is divided by subject: History/Timelines (I put the term's timeline figures here to use as needed), Art/Music (prints for the term, Music selections), Nature/Science (resources that I will use for the term), Copywork/Hymns (pre-printed copywork selections and the lyrics to the hymns for the term which we also use for copywork), Shakespeare/Plutarch (nothing here yet), Poetry (term's selections printed from the website) Memory/Recitation (passages we're working on or will work on), and Handiwork/Life Skills (any ideas I find I stash in here).

Normal people would have no need for AO reference notebook because they have reliable internet. I keep it because where we used to live the internet and/or electricity was not always reliable, and I needed to have the info in case I needed it (I also downloaded all the e-books and online content into files on my computer and burned a DVD for each year in case emergency).

AO reference Notebook

AO term Notebook

How I keep records:
I do not keep records other than the boys each keep a personal notebook/portfolio (kept accessible) every year for their loose papers, and we periodically sort through it, keeping only their best work as a reminder to them of what they've studied (& in case anyone asks). Every year, before the new school year, we empty out their notebooks and store only their best and favorites. We put all of this into the BIG binders (these are gigantic 3" binders kept in our office for periodic reminiscent perusal) that have the samples of several past years' work combined. We get rid of everything else by sending artwork to grandparents and throwing the rest away.

personal notebook/portfolio:
This is how I manage to keep the papers
under control around here:

Amy

Storage room/Guest room

Well, we're having **house guests! YAY! I'm really looking forward to it. However, if I'd had guests and they'd had to stay in the guest rooms as they WERE... I don't think anyone would ever come again! ...that is, IF they survived! I killed at least 20 spiders! But our guests may rest assured, I am sure that I got them all... I did a real thorough cleaning! **Our friends from Trujillo are coming tomorrow, he's from Lima, and she's from France, they're bringing their two little kiddies plus a dentist plus some girls interested in seeing our town. That makes 7 people, in 3 beds... hmm...that should be interesting! Okay, so here's the pictures of the downstairs guest room/storage/pantry: Check out all those empty storage bins and boxes!! Those are due to the fact that we move a lot. We will probably be moving again in July. Good thing I'm cleaning and organizing my house, just so that I can pack it up again, huh?! The good thing is I have a gigantic pile of stuff to 'bless' someone with, or throw away... less to pack! Amy

Thursday, April 20, 2006 - Untitled Comment

Posted by drewsfamilytx (64.234.0.103)

Wow, great job Amy!!! While cleaning for guests can be a lot of work, it is so nice to have the motivation with a deadline! We seem to get all of those little things that need to be done/fixed/cleaned/created whenever we have company. Come to think of it, maybe I need to invite someone over this weekend so I can get this mess cleaned up! heheheee... Have a great day! Marsha

Thursday, April 20, 2006 - Untitled Comment

Posted by DandelionSeeds (209.81.100.196)

These pictures are awesome!!! Good for you! My sister is blessing me by coming tomorrow to help me clean and try and find everything that was stashed from last week's showing of our house. Blessings, Amy

Saturday, April 22, 2006 - another awesome one!

Posted by Jimmie (222.209.219.38)

Wowee Zowee! Great transformation! Love those before and after layouts! Any guest would be glad to stay in there. But I do wonder where you'll put them all.

Saturday, April 22, 2006 - My Goodness!

Posted by Fiffi (196.211.157.57)

I am impressed! You really are taking the clean heart clean home quite seriously! But it is looking GREAT. Well done! I'll drop by soon.

Still no pictures on Peru... BUT yes, pictures of CHCH Challenge!!

Okay, I finished the kitchen yesterday, and it wasn't too bad. It is now organized. I meant to post the pictures last night, but I was exhausted! We had our date night last night. Very fun. Oh...I'm getting side-tracked... Here's the pics: Yes, those are dishes in the dishrack in the 'After' picture... come on, at least they're clean! I even washed the walls and the grease off the stove (let me tell ya, ...that was WAY more work than I thought it'd be!). Wow. I impress myself. I did this in about an hour and a half. I started before breakfast, and worked right through... and after breakfast, Micah did reading with the boys so that I could finish up. YAY! Mission Accomplished! Hooray for me! Amy

Saturday, April 22, 2006 - way to go!

Posted by Jimmie (222.209.219.38)

Looks great! Your kitchen is so big! Your refrigerator is so big -- normal size I mean. The refrigerators here are so tiny! I've finally gotten used to it, but it's still hard right before a big party. There's no room! So glad you have a nice place to live. Oh, and for the record, dishes that are clean still look good even if they are not put away!

Tuesday, April 25, 2006 - Untitled Comment

Posted by momanna98 (69.209.255.79)

Wow, i can't believe you did it so quickly. What a cute kitchen. It looks like a pic from a magazine. I have looked at Ambleside (sp) and I really don't get it. Am I missing an explaination page? Do I start at the beginning? Or at grade level? Maybe you could write a review... ;-) heheheh I was just skimming through it. There were a lot of words I didn't feel like sitting here a reading... (sheepish grin)

Tuesday, April 25, 2006 - Untitled Comment

Posted by momanna98 (69.209.255.79)

Oh, and you should put your rss feed on your site so I can link to you and keep up with your blog better....

Tuesday, April 25, 2006 - Amy it's beautiful!

Posted by PreschoolersandPeace (66.42.86.112)

All that light! You did a really nice job. When I stand back and admire my work after a big project like yours, I call it "work gazing":)

Thursday, April 27, 2006 - Response about my kitchen and other things...

Posted by amada (200.121.135.115)

Jimmie: Yes, our kitchen is big... our whole house is big (more to decorate, more to clean - the grass is ALWAYS greener on the other side!). Our fridge is one of the biggest models you could buy at the time. And it is okay. I sometimes still wish I had more room! Okay, it might have been like an hour and 45min, but it was super quick considering. But I always am amazed at how much I can get done when I am not distracted by a million things! momanna98: The kitchen DOES look nice, but in real life it looks nothing like a magazine, honest! I will be commenting about Ambleside for you soon! PreschoolersandPeace: I love to "work gaze" so much so that I'd rather gaze than work! Amy