Posted in Organization
What does a typical day look like for a homeschool family? Well, there really is no typical day, as all families are different. I work six days a week, and have three typical day types. This schedule changes three times a year. It changes according to my sisters school and work schedules. These are our days right now:
Monday, Wednesday:
8:00 - 9:00 am
I wake up, the girls are still in bed. Get dressed, wash up and brush my teeth and hair. I can here Zowie's alarm, she keeps hitting snooze. I pick up my room a little, making the bed. I start a load of laundry, putting it in the dryer when it finishes washing. I clean the bathroom: wipe it down, sweep. I load the dishwasher. I start up the laptop.
9:00 - 9:30 am
I wake up Skye if her boyfriend hasn't called yet. I make sure Zowie is up. I then check my e-mail and do what I need to online. I put my laundry and the bathroom towels, etc. in my room until I have time to fold them. Everything else goes onto the livingroom chair.
Skye and Zowie get up, get dressed, wash up, and all that good stuff, and they scoop out the litter boxes. They also pick up their rooms if the need be, and eat breakfast. They put their clean clothes away if the need be.
Skye feeds the cats and gives them water. She picks up the livingroom when needed. The livingroom is her responsibility.
Zowie empties the dishwasher if it wasn't done the night before, or starts it if I was able to load it with dirty dishes before she got up. It is a portable, so it needs to be moved. When the dishwasher stops, she puts it back and opens it so the dishes can air dry. Zowie puts clean kitchen towels, etc. away. The kitchen is her responsibility.
9:30 am - (about) 12:00 pm
Studies with me: Geometry, taxes (or other life skill), Science, Language Arts, Daily Warm-Ups (World Geography). We usually finish this early. We do these together because I want to make sure they understand everything properly. I consider these the most important studies. We study in the livingroom or at the counter where we eat. If studying in the livingroom, I sit on the sofa, Skye in the chair and Zowie on the floor.
I begin work about 10:30 when my nephew arrives. He watches TV or plays quietly until I finish working with the girls. He usually watches The Waltons or Little House on the Prairie at this time.
If the girls finish early enough, I take my nephew for a walk. Usually to the store and/or the post office. I will also take him to the playground to play if it is a nice enough day.
If the girls finish early, they have a snack and then start their independent studies early.
11:30 am
Begin preparing lunch. Sometimes I do this, sometimes one of the girls does it.
Isaiah picks up whatever he has been playing with.
Skye and Zowi pick up there school stuff.
12:00 pm
Lunch. Pick up after lunch. Even Isaiah (9) scrapes his plate and puts his dirty dishes in the sink.
12:30 pm
The girls do/finish their independent studies:
Skye: Women's Studies, World Studies, African American Studies, Cartooning, Literature, etc.
Zowie: World Studies, Cartooning, Literature, Forensics, Criminology, etc.
Most of this is reading.
I hang out with Isaiah. We play the fractions game, Whiz Kids, read, play a different game. Whatever we feel like doing. He is picked up at about 1:30. If we really don't feel like doing anything, we will watch Animal Planet.
1:30 - 2:00 pm
I take some time to myself, maybe have a shower. Just be alone. I try to do this each day, but don't always get to.
2:00 - 6:00 pm
The girls may or may not be done. If they are, they can hang out with friends or whatever.
I try to get some organizing in. I also make crafts for gifts, run errands, write, update websites and blogs or whatever else needs to be done. I try to get some cleaning in, so my afternoon chores get done.
5:30 pm
Someone makes dinner.
6:00 pm
Evening chores:
Skye is responsible for her room and the livingroom.
Zowie is responsible for her room and the kitchen.
I am responsible for loading the dishwasher, the bathroom, the hall and laundry area and my room. I also do a load of laundry if the need be.
6:30 pm +
TV, talking on the phone, hanging out and talking with each other, Skye's boyfriend may be here until 8:00 or 9:00 pm. At this time of the year we may be wrapping gifts, making out Christmas cards, making crafts or baking. The girls will sometimes hang out with friends at this time. Skye's cerfew is 9:00, Zowie's is 8:30.
8:00 or 9:00 pm
As soon as Skye's boyfriend leaves I go to bed and read.
Skye and Zowie do something quiet in their rooms.
9:00 or 10:00 pm (Depending on when Garnet leaves)
Bedtime.
Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday nights I can stay up a bit later because I do not have to be up as early the next morning.
Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday
6:00 am
My alarm goes off.
7:00 am
I drag myself out of bed and do my morning routine. I am not an early morning person.
7:30 am
Nephews arrive. Watch TV or they play quietly. We talk.
8:00 am
Breakfast.
Try to get the girls up and going.
The rest of the day is the same as Monday and Wednesday, with a snack at 10:00 am.
Thursday evening:
4:30 - 5:30 pm
Work. Boys arrive. They hang out with the three of us, or go outside to play with the girls.
6:00 pm
Dinner.
7:00 pm
After we do our chores, we may go for a walk to the playground and hang out there for a while. Right now we are walking to see the christmas lights. They are pretty.
Saturday
6:00 am
My alarm goes off.
7:00 am
I drag myself out of bed and do my morning routine.
7:30 am
Nephews arrive. Watch TV or they play quietly. We talk. The boys pick up their toys.
8:00 am
Breakfast.
The girls, if they spent the night at home, will probably sleep until they are ready to get up. Sometimes until almost noon.
9:00 am
Wake up the girls enough to tell them we are going to the post office, and the playground if it is nice. Lock up the house, let the girls go back to sleep. Then they get up and do their morning routine.
9:20 or after - 11:30 am
Return home, snack, play time.
11:30 am
Someone prepares lunch. boys pick up toys.
12:00 pm
Lunch
12:30 pm
The girls usually hang out with the boys, doing a craft, watching TV, whatever.
1:30 - 4:00 pm
The boys are picked up somewhere between these times. We are free this afternoon and evening.
6:30 pm
Evening chores
Sunday:
Sleep until we wake up.
Relax. Watch TV.
Catch up on work I didn't finish during the week, as well as housework.
Run errands.
Bill ASPIRE for childcare servises I provided.
Bill Penquis for meals that I fed the boys.
Make menus for us and the boys. Make out shopping lists. Go through sales papers and coupons.
Print up chore charts, schedules, etc.
This is the plan, and I try to stick with it whenever I can.
I have to walk 3 1/2 hours a week (at 1/2 hour a day), but have been getting almost twice that lately.
***This was the schedule for spring 2007. I will see if I have time to make our new schedule and post it.
Shannon
