If there’s one thing I have learned in seven years of homeschooling, it is that change is the only constant! We are endlessly tweaking our schedule, routines, curriculum, and plans all year long. We do what we can and we do what works. Things that don’t get left behind. Some years are busier than others, some are too busy, some are slow and hard to finish. This is one of our busy years.
I painstakingly molded our “final” schedule out over the past few weeks and we are trying to get on a normal routine with it now. So far it is working pretty well. There’s probably no way you can see it on the tiny graphic, so I’ll type it out by day below. We try and stick to it, but it is a guideline, not a rigid schedule (even though it looks that way). The bolded items below are outside of the home (so if it happens to fall on that week, we have to take portable school in the car with us).
By the way, I do custom forms, so if you need a schedule made, let me know and I will work for tips!
Monday
6:30 Mom Chores
7:00 Mom Bible/Kid Chores
7:30 Breakfast/Dishes
8:00 Prayer Journal/Prayer/Bible
8:30 Memory Verse/Devo/Drill
9:00 Math
9:30 Type
10:00 Penmanship
10:30 Journal
11:00 Vocabulary (write/define)
11:30 Lunch
12:00 Lunch Chores
12:30 KONOS
2:00 Timeline
2:30 Big IQ
3:00 Geography (Read/Computer Research)
3:30 Science Reader
4:00 History Reading
4:30 Library Books on Topic
5:00 Choir and Piano practice
5:30 Chores/Home Ec (help cook)
6:00 Free
6:30 Eat
7:00 Dinner/Chores & Pick Up
7:30 Free
8:30 Shower/Night Chores
9:00 Family Read Aloud
9:30 Bedtime
10:00 Mom Planning/Blog
10:30 Mom Read/Bed
Tuesday
6:30 Mom Chores
7:00 Mom Bible/Kid Chores
7:30 Breakfast/Dishes
8:00 Prayer Journal/Prayer/Bible
8:30 Memory Verse/Devo/Drill
9:00 Math
9:30 (doctor appointments?)
10:00 Grammar
10:30 Copy Work
11:00 Spelling or Writing
11:30 Lunch OUT – take all unfinished work in car
12:30 Choir
(take also in car: science, reading, history, free read books)
2:00 Car work
2:30 Keepers, or Chores (depending on the week)
3:00 Keepers, or Write (depending on the week)
3:30 Keepers, or ART (depending on the week)
4:30 Art Class or Nature Journal (depending on the week)
5:00 Art Class or Choir/Piano Practice (depending on the week)
5:30 Art Class or Chores/Home Ec (depending on the week)
6:00 Art Class or Free Time (depending on the week)
6:30 Car Work or Dinner (depending on the week)
7:00 Dinner or Chores (depending on the week)
7:30 Piano Lesson
8:00 Free Time
8:30 Shower/Night Chores
9:00 Family Read Aloud
9:30 Bedtime
10:00 Mom Planning/Blog
10:30 Mom Read/Bedtime
Wednesday
6:30 Mom Chores
7:00 Mom Bible/Kid Chores
7:30 Breakfast/Dishes
8:00 Prayer/Prayer Journal/Bible
8:30 Memory Verse/Devo/Drill
9:00 Math
9:30 Type
10:00 Penmanship
10:30 Journal
11:00 Vocabulary (Crossword)
11:30 Lunch
12:00 Lunch Chores
12:30 KONOS
2:00 Draw, Write Now!
2:30 Big IQ
3:00 Geography (Atlas/Family Book)
3:30 Science Reader
4:00 History Reading
4:30 Library Books on Topic
5:00 Choir/Piano practice
5:30 Chores/Clean up
6:00 Dinner OUT (homework in the car)
7:00 Church
8:30 Shower/Night Chores
9:00 Family Read Aloud
9:30 Bedtime for Kids
10:00 Mom Planning/Blog
10:30 Mom Bedtime or Read
Thursday
6:30 Mom Chores
7:00 Kid Chores/Mom Bible
7:30 Breakfast/Dishes
8:00 Prayer Journal/Prayer/Bible
8:30 Memory Verse/Devo/Drill
9:00 Math
9:30 Speed Drill or Math Test
10:00 Grammar
10:30 Copy Work
11:00 Vocabulary (quiz)
11:30 Lunch
12:00 Lunch Chores
12:30 KONOS
2:00 Study Jams/Educational Game
2:30 Big IQ
3:00 Geography (map/flag)
3:30 Science Reader
4:00 History Reading
4:30 Library Books on Topic
5:00 Choir/Piano practice
5:30 Chores/Home Ec (help cook & set table)
6:00 Free Time
6:30 Eat Dinner
7:00 Evening Chores
7:30 Free Time
8:30 Shower/Nightgowns
9:00 Family Read Aloud
9:30 Bedtime
10:00 Mom Blog/Planning
10:30 Mom Read/Bed
Friday
6:30 Mom Chores
7:00 Mom Bible/Kid Chores
7:30 Breakfast/Dishes
8:00 Prayer/Prayer Journal/Bible
8:30 Memory Verse/Devo/Drill
9:00 Konos Co-op (depending on the week)
10:00 Field Trip with local Co-op (depending on the week)
11:30 Lunch (depending on the week it may be out or in…
…our Konos Co-op has regional foods right now, so we eat together)
(if we are out and about, all portable work or homework goes in the car)
2-4 PM Park Day (depending on the week, park is different each week)
(if we are home, we do ART or leftover catch-up work)
4:30 Library Books/Reading
5:00 Choir/Piano Practice
5:30 Chores/Home Ec
6:00 Free Time
6:30 Dinner or Dinner out with Daddy if Payday
(sometimes we go to friend’s houses Friday nights or the kids have sleepovers)
7:00 Dinner Clean Up
7:30 Free Time
8:30 Shower/Night Chores
9:00 Family Read Aloud
9:30 Bedtime (unless Daddy rented a movie and then they stay up late)
10:00 Mom Planning/Blog
10:30 Mom Read/Bed
Saturday is free day/family day (and often lawn & gardening day), Sunday is church day – we have 2 or 3 church events and only a little bit of free time after lunch. The kids enjoy the busy time, though – because they have their friends to hang out with (and sometimes they go to their friend’s houses or let them come home with them after worship service in the morning).
And of course… we change this schedule as needed through the year… and hope that we can get as much done each day as possible! I’m not one of those homeschool moms who can get school done in 2-4 hours, but we try and remain flexible and relaxed despite the long list. Like today, for instance. It’s Thursday and we’re taking some school in the car so we can go eat with our youth group and co-op friends. Yesterday we skipped our late afternoon work so we could do Math at the library and read books for 2 hours. It’s all good.
So how about you? What’s your routine? Want to see more homeschool mom routines? Check out the Homeschool Post‘s linky and click down the list! If you want to participate in the more ‘current’ Homeschool Memoir memes (I’m really behind), be sure to subscribe to the HSBA Post and see what the new topic is each Wednesday!
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Penny says
I’m glad you reminded me that revamping is normal. We just redid our routine too and I kept thinking, “Eventually we’ll get this right.” But the truth is, it’s mostly been right every time we’ve done it. It just needs redone because life changes and so school has to change too.
I really enjoy your blog. Thanks for sharing all your wonderful ideas!
Penny
JoAnn says
Oh my! That’s some schedule. I’ve tried schedules like that but have never been able to keep them. Our newest schedule is much simpler and working. I can’t believe we have a working schedule! For the first time ever. I just posted about it yesterday, in fact.
Sprittibee says
Penny – yeah, we change ours all the time. My mom just asked me to move Piano lessons to another night. Not sure where we’ll fit it in. 🙁
Joann – We don’t stick to it religiously. We just have it as a guideline to see how much we can get done. Some days we are really off, others we make it through. It really just depends on the day.