9am--We get up between 9 and 10. I'm hoping to move this back to between 8 and 9, but we've stayed up late a lot this summer. The kids get their own breakfast, usually....poptarts for Nathan, granola bar or cereal for Becca. We usually have to help her. I know I'm not going to win any "Mother of the Year" awards for my breakfast skills. I'm not a morning person.
The kids also get about an hour of TV at this time...we're still into the preschool shows, Sesame Street, Dora, Mickey Mouse, etc.
Mark works 2nd shift, so the mornings are our family time. Sometimes we have appointments, or sometimes we hang out and play with daddy. Just depends on what's going on around here.
12pm--Lunch prep for Mom. I'm trying to get better about cooking ahead, but I haven't done so well at it since we moved to the new house.
1pm--Lunch. This is the other reason I don't do a very elaborate breakfast. We eat our big meal of the day at lunch to accommodate Daddy's schedule. We read our Bible lesson at lunch...it's worked best for us at this time, because we're all together.
2pm--QUIET TIME. Kids are supposed to be playing in their separate rooms. Most of the time, they end up playing together. Quiet time has become more about giving me a break than them actually being in their separate rooms.
3:30pm--School time. Nathan does math and handwriting...anything else is bonus. Becca does some writing and some other skill, like coloring, painting, cutting with scissors, etc. Sometimes we do this outside, sometimes downstairs.
After this, they play outside or we swim or something. Maybe we'll play a game.
6pm--Dinner, which for us is more like lunch.
At bedtime, which is typically around 9, I have Nathan read me a page out of his reader, and then I read the read aloud book. Because of all that, they don't end up in bed until 10, hence getting up so late. I need to push it earlier, but it's been so hot, that I haven't let them play outside until 7:30 or so.
On Mondays, we have Mommy Moments in the mornings, and on Fridays, both kids have gymnastics. I hope to also start the kids in AWANAs this fall, but I haven't decided where they will do that.
Daddy is supposed to do science on Fridays, and we don't do much school other than that on that day. Sometimes we school on the weekends, just because the kids are bored and don't know the difference between weekends and weekdays. I haven't integrated the whole history part of Sonlight yet, I'm not sure how I want to add it. We basically spend a lot of time reading and talking about what they're interested in right now.
My main goals for the day are that Nathan does a math lesson, a language arts lesson, reads his assigned reader. Becca's goal for the year is to learn to write all her letters. I feel like we've accomplished a good day when all those goals happen.
I'd be interested to see if there are any other 2nd shift families out there and how they schedule their day.
Great "Day in the Life"! Homeschoolers have so much fun and are so creative :)
ReplyDeleteoh, to be able to sleep in until 9am!
Thanks for sharing and have a very enjoyable 2010-2011 school year!
~Tamara
www.BranchOfWisdom.com
I'm sure it presents its own challenges, but it sounds like the second-shift schedule allows for some great family time in the mornings!
ReplyDeleteThat schedule sound like it would be tough to adjust to, but it sounds like you are doing great. If having a different sleep schedule works for you, then I say don't sweat it. That's the beauty of homeschooling! Your educational goals sound just right too - no need to stress everyone out trying to cram in 18 subjects a day when they are young and just need to play.
ReplyDeleteHave a great year!
When I first started homeschooling 14 years ago, my hubby worked 2nd shift and I LOVED IT. It was a beautiful time period in our family. We all got up around 8 a.m. and started our day by 9. We had our big meal at noon time, and we did left overs later for just the kids and I. They were all tucked in by 8 p.m. Daddy helped out with homeschooling in the mornings, and I put out a big meal before he left for work. The dishes rarely got done until after the kids were in bed, but that was my compromise. I kept the day going and caught up on my chores later. It was nice because hubby would come home to a clean house. I had some down time in the evenings, and I just loved the second shift routine of things.
ReplyDeleteWe are a second shift family too! My husband leaves at 2 PM and has to work until the trucks are loaded. I posted about our schedule too which is different than most others. You have a great schedule here. I love our family times in the morning too!
ReplyDeleteSecond shift-that's a good term for our family even though we arent 2nd shift. As I typethis its 10 am, only 2 of my 3 are even out of bed yet and no one is dressed. Thanks for sharng your schedule!
ReplyDeleteLove that you are doing school around your husband's schedule, so you can have that family time. That is so important!! :D
ReplyDeleteWe're an odd shift family too! My husband leaves a bit after 4pm and gets home anywhere between 2am and 4am. I'm excited to see another family out there with strange hours! We are just beginning our homeschooling life, so I have yet to see how it will all work together.
ReplyDeleteOdd shifts here too. My husband stays home with the kids while I work either second or first shift, and some days I'm out all day while I study one shift and work the other... I love that homeschooling gives us the flexibility to adjust our schedules and spend time together as a family. We're not into formal schooling yet, but I usually do some reading or unit-study type work with my son before work, and my husband does the rest while I'm gone.
ReplyDelete