Since we have finally gotten our stuff together as far as getting into a routine, I thought it would be interesting to share how our homeschool day looks for a 5 year old and a 2 year old. It will also be fun to see how what works, changes from year to year.
6-7 a.m. We usually wake up to yelling from the other room (2 y/o). Either the 5 y/o brings her into our room or hubby goes and gets her. Either way, it’s too early for this pregnant mama.
7-7:30 a.m. We all finally pry ourselves out of bed and head upstairs to start the day.
7:30-8:30 a.m. I take my meds and do a little cleaning. I’m out of energy to have a shiny sink by nighttime, so I load & start the dishwasher and pick up the kitchen in the morning. I also fix breakfast for the girls and myself; sometimes at the same time, sometimes later. I have to wait an hour and depending on dinner the night before, they may be starving!
8:30-9:30 a.m. I shower & get dressed. If I’m really ambitious I will also blow-dry my hair & put on my makeup (LOVE BareMinerals!). I also make sure the girls are dressed and the 2 y/o has a fresh diaper.
9:30-10:30 a.m. I start gathering items for my 2 y/o to “do school.” We have been using the Flowering Baby curriculum for ages 2-3 and she ADORES it. So do I. Once she is finished, it’s time for my 5 y/o to start her school.
10:30 a.m. – 12 noon. My 5 y/o does her school work. We start with the Bible, morning prayer and Catechesis. Then we move on to the core — reading, math, spelling and handwriting. We will usually get a snack for everyone at this time and the 2 y/o is usually sitting with us at the table the whole time, coloring, playing or just being…well, 2.
Then we move on to electives – science or history, art (Friday’s), French or First Language Lessons (grammar) and typing. It sounds like a lot but we operate on a very Charlotte Mason-ish schedule. Each subject is pretty quick and she’s finished in 1 to 1-1/2 hours usually. Unless she is being extra stubborn.
12 noon – 1 p.m. We make lunch when my 5 y/o is finished with school (or is finishing up). Since we do school at the dining room table, it’s not a big deal for her to finish up the last of her work without me, many times.
1 – 2:30 p.m. Lunch never takes an hour. My kids INHALE their food and they play until about 2:30. While they play, I think about dinner and do my chores.
2:30 – 3:00 p.m. We do a massive house pick up. The kids pick up all their toys and put away books in the playroom and downstairs living room/tv room. If they made a mess in the kitchen/dining room, they need to pick that up, too. They aren’t quite old enough to be able to do it alone, so I help.
3 – 4 p.m. I used to let them watch TV for an hour, but they sleep (and behave!) much better without it. Usually the little one will nap and my 5 y/o will play by herself while I work on the computer for a bit. I take this time to do a little social marketing for the business & this blog, maybe write a blog posts, do computer-centered work (like balancing my checkbook), etc.
4-5 p.m. Adelaide is usually up by this time and I start on dinner & when it’s going, either the girls are playing nicely or I end up reading books. I alternative reading chapter books (right now we are reading Little House on the Prairie) and Adelaide’s picture books.
5:00 – 6:30 p.m. Somewhere in this hour and a half, we end up eating. Hubby eats whenever he gets home. (No our dinner isn’t this fancy every night. This pic was from Christmas Eve.)
6:30 – 7:30 p.m. It’s play time again. Most days that is when they hang out with hubby and on bath days it’s playing in the tub. By 7:30, we are getting into pj’s, brushing, teeth and moving to the downstairs where we spend the rest of the night.
7:30 – 8:00 p.m. It’s story, snuggle and prayer time for my 5 y/o. If we got lucky and the 2 y/o didn’t get a nap, it’s bedtime for her too.
8:00 – 9:30 p.m. It relaxation time for mom & dad. If the 2 y/o got a long nap, she’s pretty content to play on the floor without her older sister bossing her around :). We tend to watch an episode of Star Trek: TNG & Everyone Loves Raymond on Netflix or read books & talk business. ‘Cause we’re nerdy like that :).
9:30 – 10:00 p.m. I put the 2 y/o down for bed if she is still up and then hop into bed myself. Hubby comes to bed when I do.
And that is how our day normally looks. There is a LOT of home time and I find that I get more done that way. Imagine that.
I find it funny how quickly that all changes, too. I originally wrote this post 3 weeks ago and our whole afternoon changed right afterward. Figures :).
I’d love to see how your day looks! Leave a link in the comments if you’ve shared that!
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