Most homeschool moms plan to do it all …
but most weeks, we fall short,
fall behind …
My secret to fitting in most of the extras in our curriculum is to
do “One More Thing” after our basics …
We have a …
Theme for the Day
Our homeschool mornings start at about 9:30am after chores, farm rounds, milking and breakfast.
Every week, I plan to cover all these areas in our school work ~
- Overview Year Planner ~ My version of the a Home Model by Clay & Sally Clarkson “The Wholehearted Child”
Our first lesson is Discipleship Studies with a short Bible Study, review our scripture memory, sing a hymn and end with prayer.
Everyone settles down to Disciplined Studies ~ short lessons (+ 10 minutes to 15 minutes each)
- Maths
- Spelling
- Language Arts & Dictation (which is also Handwriting practice for the younger kids)
- Afrikaans (our 2nd language)
We take a short tea break, some jumping/ skipping/ play with balls or a moment to play with the puppy …
Back to school and we do our core curriculum. Although this is the major part of the Discussion Studies, it is much more relaxed because it mostly involves my reading aloud while the kids keep busy hands. In winter we snuggle up in a sunny spot, in summers we sit under a shady tree.
By then it is nearly time for lunch. We usually fit in “1 More Thing” on the Discovery Studies and my wall chart works so well ~
- Monday ~ Main Core = More research on the topic, read additional books, get going with a project or a lapbook, sometimes just catch up on reading.
- Tuesday ~ Timeline & Science = add details to timeline chart/ Book of Centuries and a lesson from our Exploring Creation Zoology books with a quick notebook page/ minibook element
- Wednesday ~ Wonderful World = Geography study/map work/ and our regular Nature Study activity
- Thursday ~ Tea & Poetry & Shakespeare = we simply read and listen and enjoy
- Friday ~Fine Arts = Famous Composer and Famous Artist of the month. Simply appreciate his music or an artwork. We sometimes do an art activity or Sketch Tuesday while we listen to the musician.
Now for our reality – we live on a farm very far from any town or shop, so we always take a whole day off to go to town. That means we always miss one day of the week. Seldom, if ever, do we stick to every theme on every day, but it is there to remind us what we need to cover each week. I always have to catch up!
I simply join 2 themes and “Do 1 More Thing After Lunch” on another day and catch up. Some themes work so easily together ~ core & timeline/ Nature Study & Science/ Shakespeare & Fine Arts.
In a nutshell ~ 3 days we do “1 thing after core” and on the 4th or one other day we add “1 more thing after lunch“. It works for me!
Here is my free Theme of the Day chart for you to download ~
Theme for the Day 2012
For more online inspiration ~
- Pop over to Amy from Are We There Yet? and view some of her Theme of the Day Chart and check out her free daily activity ideas.
- Tricia of Hodgepodge shares her ideas of How to Fit in All the Extras and Survive
Hope this inspires and encourages you. If you have some more ideas that work, please share in the comments below. Any questions? Please just ask – other readers may also be wondering …
Blessings,
Thanks for linking to mine! I love your chart graphics. Did you draw them? We don’t usually get all five days done either, but it keeps me accountable for the things that typically fall through the cracks.
@Amyswandering, thank you! Your charts are so much fun! Yes, I drew and painted mine. It was fun! I think that the colors and simple visual concept, along with alliteration keeps it fresh!
Nadene – I admire how you your organize your days – and name them! I adore alliteration
Like you, we also enjoy Sketch Tuesday sometimes during our composer study. Thank you for sharing our Hodgepodge of extras. The ‘one more thing’ idea really helped change my thinking and was an encouraging way realize we truly could enjoy all those enriching subjects.
@Tricia, your posts have encouraged and confirmed my homeschooling ideals! One doesn’t have to “do it all” – just add a little extra to the basics and it makes such a profound difference!
I gained so many wonderful ideas reading this post!! I love your idea of a theme a day…now you have me thinking
Thank you for this post. I am working on our plan for kindergarten next year and this gives me some fun ideas. Heck – even though my son is in preschool this year, we may institute a few of those ideas this year to get into the habit. No time like the present!
@T.Beard, what fun for you – and for him! Keep it simple, fun and short & sweet and you’ll develop a lovely routine!
Reblogged this on On Planting Seeds… and commented:
I just LOVE this graphic! I’m very visual, and this organizer is PERFECT, not only because it captures why we homeschool (education is more than the bottom left circle, after all), but because it also helps me determine the kind of product to expect (the joy of discovery, an animated discussion, a life experience, or a perfectly executed work sample). This is terrific! Thank you for sharing.
@Bugsandstuff, thanks for the reblog! I’m so glad that you enjoyed the graphic. I think it sums up the “Wholehearted” approach we should all strive for. That’s also why I needed to “add 1 more thing” Theme of the Day -I tend to get stuck in the Disciplined Studies circle and loose sight of all the rest.
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