Homeschooling- The Plan

Our calendar

Our "homeschool room"...aka, the living room.

My monthly lesson plans- I just fill it in week by week, not a month in advance

We're starting to get into a bit of a groove with this homeschool stuff.  I thought I'd share a little bit about what we do and how I plan for it.  Sunday nights I take a while to read through our story for the week...we have been working through The Book of Children's Classics, which includes stories like Corduroy, Ferdinand, Miss Rumphius, selections from Homer Price, Pippi Longstockings and more.  We're about two thirds of the way through, and so far the kids have loved every story.  After reading the story, I jot down some ideas for loosely-linked thematic activities, and I usually print off a few pages or projects I find online.  For example, when we read Pig Pig Gets a Job we talked about community helpers and different careers.  When we read Ferdinand, we talked about measurement.  This week we are reading Winnie the Pooh and learning about bees and honey.  I try to include a math activity or two, as well as art projects and a science or social studies connection.  I'm pretty flexible...we run with what sparks their interest.

After jotting down the basic plan on my monthly lesson calendar, I write the activities for the week on a white board for the kids to see.  As we go through the week, we check off the things we've done, add new ideas to the board and work our way through most of it.  We rarely get to all of it, but that's okay.  I find a weekly list to be about right- a daily list was too structured, but it is good to have the plan visible.  

Besides our story and related activities, Matias is working through a daily math book like this...he generally does the whole week's worth in one sitting and grouses at me when I don't let him complete the next week's work (mean mom...this kid is going to learn us out of house and home!)  We also are reading through Willy the Wisher, which is a collection of critical thinking stories that asks the kids questions- it is something I used when I was teaching.  Finally, Matias is also working through his math facts- so we spend time on those while the girls are napping.  Sometimes we play cards or checkers, flashcards, or if he's been very good, we will "play" Khan Academy online together.  I wish this had been around when I was struggling through math...he really loves the teaching style and the way the program displays his progress through concepts like addition, subtraction, representing numbers, telling time, etc.   It is a cool site!  Like I've said before, Matias is a math LOVER...he begs for these activities.  I swear we are not pushing it on him...I know that watching math videos is not most 4 year old's idea of a good time, but it is his!  I also try to do a bit of handwriting with them each week- copywork, working on letters on a whiteboard...something fun.

Add to that an attempt to get them outside for at least a little while each day, tae kwon do, piano, swimming, playdates with friends and taking Violet to preschool, and that about fills our days!  

I am certain that our routine will change many times, but for the moment, this is how we roll.