Wednesday, September 12, 2018

To have a smooth day


I love schooling my children.  It's super tiring, very busy, mind boggling, and amazingly rewarding!  Each year I tweak things a little bit trying to make sure things run smoothly....or try to!  Each day is quite unpredictable.  But, I find that the more I plan beforehand, the better our days go!  So, I thought I'd share a few tips of what works for us and some new things we are doing this year.

~Schedule out our day.  I like to have posted a basic schedule for our day.  Do we follow it to a 'T'?  Ha!  Not  all the time.  But, it is a good guide and a general goal.  I also like to have the kiddos morning chores posted so they know which one they are assigned for the day.  I also have a list of the things that must be completed before school starts on their "Good Morning" chart.  They know we cannot begin until those things are done.

~Start at a good time.  If we run behind first thing in the morning, it sets our whole day back.  By early afternoon my kiddos are done...no matter what time we start.  So, my goal is to get started early and with a fresh start.


~This year I've started "spot checks" in math for my Silas.  At the end of Math class he comes to me and I randomly ask for answers on about 5 questions.  It keeps him accountable and it lets me make sure he understood what was taught.


~Abeka is big into "mini sheets."  And last year there were mini sheets all over the place!  (mini sheets are pieces of loose leaf paper that the kids work on in class.  It may be to write some new words, blends, or combination problems.)  I decided to forget having random pieces of paper with a few letters on it and gave them a notebook for each subject.  Any time they need a mini sheet or they need to write spelling words, or a place for their math work, it's all in one place.  I told them to try and use each paper completely.  It's easier now for me to go back and check their work and not have to look for a mini sheet somewhere!


~This year we also started to have "To Do Boxes" and "Done Folders"  During Bible class, I go into the kids work and tear out each paper for the day.  I also write down on a 3x5 any extra work or homework they need to check off.  Then, I put all this in the "To Do Box"  They put their box on their desk and know they have to do everything in there for their day to be done.  I also put in a "Done Folder."  My kiddos like to show me their work throughout the day and what they've learned.  But, with 3 kids doing school, I was finding that my day was going from kid to kid looking and grading, and the DVDs were being paused so much that it was taking Forever!! So now when they finish a paper they put it in their folder.  At the end of the school day I look through every paper, correct, grade it, and we talk about it.  They get the joy of letting me brag on their work, they get the benefit of seeing the corrections being made, I get to keep on top of grading, and we have some one on one time together.  It also helps to keep school flowing without stopping so much.


~We've also started a sharpened pencil rule.  At the end of the school day they are in charge of sharpening 3 pencils.  That way when it's time to start they are all ready.  There's no looking for pencils and sharpening them.  It's really helped us start better!

So these are just a few tips from that help us.  It's been a great year so far!


Linking Up with A Wise Woman Builds Her Home

And Raising Homemakers

6 comments:

  1. I love how each year the Lord gives us new ideas to implement into our schedules/days as we do our best to bring order, peace, and productivity to homes. I remember the year I switched to mechanical pencils. No more sharpening, no more pencil shaving mess, no more broken sharpeners, no more noise disrupting us with the electric sharpeners, and I think it cost less by far! Something so simple that made our school days so much better! I LOVE how we get to learn and grow along with our children!

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    1. Hi Jaynee! It's so true, He does! Each year is so different. I'm finding that schooling my 3 younger is bringing back lots of memories for when I schooled my older three. Time sure does fly!

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  2. I love this! I was homeschooled and plan to give my own children the same gift: a personalized education!!

    My husband and I are praying for a large family (two little girls so far!) and I love reading these #lifehack type posts before hand.

    Keep up the good work!

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  3. Hi there!!! I found your post on A Wise Woman Build's linky party! I really enjoyed reading your blog, and I have a Callie too :) I have put together a small group of ministry wives and began a blogroll, and since I stumbled on your blog I wanted to invite you to join if you would like :) The blogroll is here http://www.ahomemakersheart.com/p/ministry-wives-connect-blogroll_8.html for more information, and if you would like to be a part of it, you can email me at stacynduncan@gmail.com!
    Even if not, I'm glad I found your blog! I love finding new good blogs to follow!!! Especially fellow ministry families! :) The tips are great, I especially like the pencil sharpening idea! This seems to take a lot of time in our household too.. hmmm... lol!

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  4. I'm always amazed at women who home school. I know it takes work, organization and dedication but I think it's great.

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  5. I started giving a jelly bean or small piece of candy for each set of items they still had at the end of the week. So, one for pencil box (with three pencils, eraser, and scissors), one for their box of crayons, one for their dry erase markers with the caps on in the right place, and one for not asking me to help them find a school book. It has really helped and they are so motivated to keep track of their things. Ages 6, 7, and 7.

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