Schedule, Organization,and More

Our Schedule for teaching...

Well since my son is still considered Pre K, I have to start off by saying we go to CC once a week and do school three days a week. Equaling the amount my state requires for other preschools to teach. However with the quality one on one time, I think the hours are less important as the information and love that is passed out then.

Here is what we do, I'd love to hear what you do for scheduling....

7:30- 8:30 Get breakfast, and get ready
8:30- 9:15 Memory CD/ Calendar Time/ Puppets
9:15- 9:35 Reading with Tony (Lucy does manipulatives and seat work)
9:35- 10:00 Reading with Lucy (Tony does manipulatives and seat work)
10:00- 10:30 Math with Tony (Lucy does art or creative project)
10:30- 10:45 Snack break (teach a Montessori style life skill)
10:45- 11:00 Play outside/ PE/ Activity to get them moving
11:00- 11:45 Project of the day related to CC memory (Science, History, Geography, etc)
11:45- 12:00 Clean up
12:00- 12:30 Lunch
12:30- 1:00 Play and clean up again!
1:00- 1:30 Read stories (related to CC) and Lucy get put down for nap
1:30- 3:30 Tony works on unfinished projects (lap books) with less assistance from me and/ or plays
While I get as much done as possible and get dinner started!
3:30- 4:00 Lucy wakes and we have a small afternoon snack (yes, my children eat a lot!)
4:00- ? Play on their own till dad gets home, then he joins the fun!

One more thing- From 8:30- 12:30, I don't answer emails, texts, phone calls, etc. It makes for a better morning for all! :)

I hope this helps some when looking at how to plan your day.

I know we all do it differently, so I'd love to hear what works and what doesn't.

Ok, so since this is week 5, it's about time you see how we organize our daily stuff. Right?

No really, this is just one more idea to put in your head. I love hearing how others do it, so please chime in or send me a few pictures and I will post yours as well. :)

I got this idea from my teaching days. We used folders incessantly then. I mean I should have bought stock in Wal Mart. We had a folder for everyone, everything, every day, ughhh! So glad I don't have to deal with 300 folders today.

Ok back to my daily system-

Creating a Great Daily Set Up

I have a daily work binder with the following tabs:

I have my daily work folders: I set up my work folders in numbers. Day 1, Day 2, Day 3. I only teach them 3 days, so if you do more, make extra. Each pocket holds one child's work. Then we have a "Finished Work" folder, and a "Next Week's Folder. "

resources and activities tab: sight words, letter teaching order list, tangram sheets, etc.,

assessments tab: I did very informal assessments- letter recognition, writing, etc. The sooner you get something in the better. Then you can reassess at the end of the year. If you need help with this, just email me and I can go into further detail. :)

work samples for Tony: I put anything that demonstrates what he is learning or doing. I pick one sample from the week. As the weeks go on and the work pages increase I will choose bi monthly and so on. In the beginning you want to pick things that you know he will improve on. This is to show what growth they have made throughout the year. It's a visual assessment.

work samples for Lucy: The same as for Tony I do for Lucy.

So there you have it!

A great way to keep the momentum going all year. :)

Our Curriculum and Resources

Oh my, how there is a sea of curriculum out there.

If you are new or just needing a better fit and have not gotten a hold of this book- I highly recommend the book,

http://www.amazon.com/100-Top-Picks-Homeschool-Curriculum/dp/0805431381/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1346393050&sr=8-3-fkmr0&keywords=homeschool+curriculum+duff

It's the answer to what to do and how to get started. It's what my homeschooling moms recommended to me and I recommend this book as the first step of many for choosing and thinking about your goals.

Next, I decided upon our main curriculum to come from a Classical approach with added philosophies. I love unit study, Charlotte Mason, and Montesorri. Mix that with a little Classical Education and wha la, you have... me!

I sell lesson plans to supplement a classical approach of information. 

Our Math 

is Singapore Math because after doing a ton of research and lots of thought about what suits my child best- I chose this one and he is loving it! I got the curriculum from Sonlight, and specifically have the "California" one.

http://www.sonlight.com/KMUS.html

It was pricey, but well worth it! My son loves doing math and started this when he was almost 4. We did each page slowly and carefully and I stopped when he was attending preschool last year. Regardless, we picked it right back up this fall and he hasn't skipped a beat.

Our Reading 

I LOVE this curriculum for reading! In a few lessons it had him reading and he is doing really well with all the activities. My only wish is if they could maybe set up shorter lessons, but I make do quite fine. He is learning a ton and I really appreciate how they are teaching the phonetics.

As for History, 

I'm purchasing it through our Kindle. I hope I like it in that version. :)

http://www.amazon.com/Story-World-History-Classical-Earliest/dp/1933339004/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1346394469&sr=1-2&keywords=story+of+the+world

Plus the Activity Book

We have a CO- Op with our Classical group. I'm going to try to attend it with my kids and if it gets too hectic, I will just do the activities while Lucy naps. But hopefully all will work out with her participating as well. 

Ok, well, I hope that helps. As for the other subjects I piece meal and add whatever I find helpful at the time.