First week of 2014 homeschool year

After much thought and prayer, I have again decided to start a blog chronicling our experience educating and learning with our kids. I hope to write once a week. I am mostly writing for myself--as a creative outlet and a record. If it helps a couple of other people get ideas or be encouraged, that will be an unexpected benefit.

This year I have four little learners along on this journey--three girls and a boy: RJ is 9, AG is 7, MA is 3 (almost 4), and CN just turned one.

Last week we started our current homeschool year on Tuesday after taking a rather frustrating trip to the dunes for Labor Day (remind me later that we do not do well with one-night-away trips). I have found that easing into our year makes for a happier mama and kiddos. We took all of July and August off (doing a little math and finishing Sonlight Core B read alouds in June), so adjusting to a new schedule is a big transition.

I've arranged our schedule this year into blocks of about an hour. They include 45 minutes or less of time to spend on our work and then 15 minute breaks of free time (or, in my case, diaper changing time). We will have three blocks before lunch and one block after lunch before rest time.

This past week we started Block One and Block Four. Our aim was to have kids dressed and breakfasted by about 8:15 at the latest. Then we gathered in the living room for Block One.

Block One includes:
Bible/Family Worship
Math for RJ and AG
Mommy time for MA while the older two did math and Caleb did his impression of a tornado
15 minute break

I was so pleased with family worship time. It's only the first week, granted, but it went a lot better than anything else we've done before. We all have folders (even the three-year-old) containing our memory work and hymns. We began by reciting the Apostles' Creed together (our memory work). On Wednesday we came up with motions for it. Then Nathan read the collect prayer for this week and we discussed any confusing parts. Then we repeated after him to say the prayer. The rest of the week we just repeated the prayer after him, and then he read a scripture and we talked about it and how it went along with the prayer. We ended each time with singing part or all of our hymn (God, All Nature Sings Thy Glory) for this term (we are doing a 7 week term at the moment). This all took about 15-20 minutes.

Cuddling during family worship time

RJ and AG went with Nathan to work on their math. RJ is working through the second half of Math Mammoth 3 and AG is in the beginning of Math Mammoth 2. Both girls are working on their math facts on my iPhone. They both were done with a sheet or two of math in about 10 minutes, and they were excited to find out they had a break for awhile.

While they did math, MA and I had some time together.  We are working through a loop (for more on loops see Sarah Mackenzie's blog: Amongst Lovely Things or read her book Teaching from Rest).
Her loop: Read books together/Math activity/Read book together/Alphabet activity/Books/Workbook (like Kumon or coloring)/Books/Other activity (like rice bin or play dough).

Over four days we went through the first three in the loop.  We spent two days on the Math activity (Lauri puzzles).  I try to set my timer and spend the full 25 minutes with her, even if RJ and AG finish math "early".

Block Four is basically Sonlight read alouds. We are in Core C this year. We loop through the read alouds as we have time. Each day I start the block with playing the geography song we are learning. Then if it's the first day of a new week (not an actual week, but a new week of read alouds, which might or might not be the same thing) we do RJ's and AG's timeline books. Then we do the loop (History read aloud/Bible read aloud/fiction read aloud) until we finish our hour. Normally we will do this block right after lunch, but this week we did it in the morning.

Friday is a little different.  We still have Bible, but then Nathan is trying to play Pentathalon games with the older two while I have mommy time with MA.  Then I spend a half hour with each of the older girls to work on part of a requirement for their independent badge work for American Heritage Girls.  RJ wants to do Dawn of our Country, and AG wants to do Music Appreciation.

So far it's gone all right. We've had frustrating moments and good moments. The girls are enjoying the read alouds so far. And they love the geography songs. I think the hardest thing will be to get going on time.

This week we will add Block Two: Morning Time.