Ready, Set....

We are on the countdown to another school year beginning. Our first day will be on August 6th this year. We will start earlier and end later than usual. Last year I found that I (and my kids) got very burned out with our school schedule, so this year I structured it so that we will have 5 weeks of the regular school schedule then on the 6th week we will have a project week. I hope by June I am not regretting our longer school year!!


Our year at a glance... 

Week 1: August 6-10

Week 2: August 13-17

Week 3: August 20 – 24

Week 4: August 27 – 31

Week 5: September 3 – 7

Project Week: September 10 – 14

Week 6: September 17 – 21

Week 7: September 24 – 27

Week 8: October 1 – 5

Week 9: October 8 – 12

Week 10: October 15 – 19

Project Week: October 22 – 26

Week 11: October 29 – November 2

Week 12: November 5 – 9

Week 13: November 12 – 16

Thanksgiving Vacation: November 19 – 23

OFF: November 26 – 30

Week 14: December 3 – 7

Week 15: December 10 – 14

Project Week: December 17 – 21

Christmas Vacation: December 24 – January 1

Week 16: January 2 - 4

Week 17: January 7 – 11

Week 18: January 14 – 18

Week 19: January 21 – 25

Week 20: January 28 – February 1

Project Week: February 4 – 8

Week 21: February 11 – 15

Week 22: February 18 – 22

Week 23: February 25 – March 1

Week 24: March 4 – 8

Spring Break: March 11 – 15

Week 25: March 18 – 22

Project Week: March 25 – 29

Week 26: April 1 – 5

Week 27: April 8 – 12

Week 28: April 15 – 19

Week 29: April 22 – 26

Project Week: April 29 – May 3

Week 30: May 6 - 10

Week 31: May 13 - 17

Week 32: May 20 - 24

Week 33: May 27 – 31

Week 34: June 3 – 7

Summer Schedule Begins

Our curriculum...
We use My Father's World for our main curriculum. This year we will do the Exploring Countries and Cultures which will cover Bible, Geography, Art, Music, and Science. This will be my third year to use MFW. We love it! Here is a run down of the other curriculum that we will be using this year...


Math U See
Writing Strands
Primary Language Lessons
Spelling Power (Isaac)
Spelling with Sound and Structure (Julia)
Explode the Code
Handwriting without Tears - Cursive
Reading Skill Builders
Drawing with Children
Rosetta Stone - Spanish


Most of the above curriculum I have used before with the exception of Spelling Power, Primary Language Lessons, and Writing Strands. I have gotten questions from new to  home school Moms asking how I pick curriculum. My answer is that most of the time it is just trial and error with a lot of recommendations from more experienced home school Moms. Everyone has an opinion about certain curriculum so sometimes you just have to go with your gut. The benefit with homeschool is that you can change curriculum if it doesn't fit the needs of you and/or your children. Years ago I used Math U See, but my oldest son had a lot of frustrations with it so we switched to Singapore for a few years. Fit the curriculum to the needs of your family and the learning styles of your children. When it no longer fits, change it!


Managing Behavior...
One of my biggest struggles in the past is managing behavior. Of my oldest two children, one is very head strong and has perfectionist tendencies. That combination is T-R-O-U-B-L-E. We have had some very trying home school days to say the least, days where I ended up in the bathroom crying (I kid you not) I am very adamant that as soon as the behavior digresses in the tiniest bit the kids are dismissed from the school table to take some consequences. I will  not tolerate the fits, fights, and tantrums during school. As much as I am adamant about that, it still happens. Just the personality of this particular child. Last year I implemented a coin system to reward appropriate behavior. It worked, sort of. This year I am going to try a point system.

  


I made a folder where the kids will record their points for each day and tally them up for the entire week. At the end of the week they have to have 20 points to get a reward at the end of the week. If you look closely at the picture you will see that 20 points means the kids have to get Outstanding every day. I don't expect them to be perfect but I do expect them to be obedient to the standards set for them. So the reward will only be given when that standard is met. Can you tell I am having to crack down on this behavior issue? I am a sucker for second chances which is a great thing, but I have learned the hard way that to give this one child warnings or second chances is to simply reinforce the negative behavior. We have recently cut out all TV and movies on weekdays. So when the point system goes into effect on August 6th, the kids can get screen time on the weekends only if they have earned at least 15 or more points during the week. I'll let you know how it goes!


Our daily schedule...

7:00 - 8:30 Breakfast/Jobs

8:30 - 11:00 Group Work

11:00 - 12:30 Individual Work/ Caleb Lessons

12:30 -1:00 Lunch

1:00 - 2:00 Isaac Lessons (teacher led) – Julia Chores/Free Time

2:00 - 3:00 Julia Lessons (teacher led) – Isaac Chores/Free Time

3:00 - 5:00 Make-Up Work or Free Time

I had a hard time last year getting caught trying to teach different lessons to different kids at the same time. It got frustrating to be pulled in so many directions at once. So hopefully this year I can get some one on one time with the kids for the subjects that need to be teacher led. During the individual work time, Isaac and Julia will do independent work while I teach Caleb elsewhere. The only problem I foresee with this set up is keeping Isaac and Julia on task during independent/ individual work time while I am not physically in the room to make sure this happens. One problem we faced last year was bickering and aggravating between them. So I bought some tri-fold project boards to set up on the table that will create a private workspace for each child during this time. I know this is not the end all solution, but I think it will help.

As you can tell from my tweaks and changes, I have learned a lot in the past of what to do and what not to do. I am sure I have plenty more lessons to learn as we go along. This year's challenges will include implementing a more robust curriculum for my oldest two, teaching a third preschool lessons, and adding a newborn to the family this fall. Lots of changes ahead for us. If I have learned anything, I have learned that I have to be flexible. Flexibility is KEY to homeschooling without loosing your mind!