a day in our homeschool, part 1: our mornings.

I realize that while I mention our school days quite often, I haven't given a very detailed view of what our days actually consist of lately.  I believe that the last time I gave a full run-down of our day was in 2016, in our Cedar Falls house, and to be honest with you, I have been putting off doing another one because going back and looking at those photos just makes me miss our cute (bright! sunshiny!) house and my tinier-than-now babies, so then I get depressed and lose steam.

But I think the time has come - a lot has changed in our days since then!  Our homeschool, St. Anne's on the Hill, is now in its eleventh week of the current school year, so we're nearing the end of our first trimester.  Our schedule seems to finally be ironing itself out and our days running more smoothly, though the transition was pretty rough!

This Year

This year, the big kids are working through AmblesideOnline's Year 4 (5th Grade) schedule, a notoriously difficult leap from Year 3 for Ambleside families across the board.  I knew it was going to be intense, but have been surprised by how long it took to settle in!  However, now that we've adjusted, it is actually going pretty smoothly and doesn't feel too heavy.

The little kids are in Year 1 (1st-2nd Grade) and doing an actual structured school routine for the first time.  We'd been casually working on phonics, sounding out words, writing and early math for quite some time, but I wanted to wait until Finneas was 7 (and Laurelai, 6) to start them in formal lessons.  If I can give you one piece of homeschool advice, it's this: do nothing formal before age 6.  No preschool, no mandatory school time, until at least age 6 (and 7 is even better for boys).  I know you won't listen to me, but it's good advice.

So, to sum up - two kids are in 5th grade, two are in 1st/2nd grade, and I have a preschooler, toddler, and nursing infant.  Brace yourselves for a little bit of crazy.

Let's start with our morning routine!

8:00 Wake Up, Bible Time, Big Kids Work Independently

Yes, I wake up at 8:00.  Yes, my kids get up earlier than that.  Here is how I guide them through starting their days when I say so.  One change has been made to our previous routine, however, and that is that the big kids get out their independent schoolwork once they wake up.  They prefer just getting started so that they still have plenty of time to play in the afternoon.

The things they're responsible for taking care of independently are:

*2 math worksheets
*Cursive handwriting
*Copywork
*Spelling
*Reading for 30 minutes from assigned free reads
*History reading and accompanying written narration
*Spanish
*Piano practice (this has to wait until everyone is awake!)
*Music theory

It sounds like a lot, but they're usually able to get it all done in about 2.5 hours total, including time after breakfast when I'm working with the younger kids.  They're typically done with all of this part of their schoolwork before lunch.  Later this week, I'm hoping to post on what resources we use for these subjects, and how the kids work on them independently.

While they're working, the little kids are playing.  I get up, make my bed (a consistent habit I'm trying to cultivate), and read my Bible.  I also check the schedule and to-do list that I write out the previous evening to help me visualize the goals and obligations for the day ahead.

You don't have to tell me twice that I need curtains in here.

I'm almost done with my Bible read-through plan this year - the first time in years that I'll have actually gotten all the way through!

I try to plan each day the evening before, putting together a schedule and to-do list, and thinking through what I'll be making for dinner.  It has made a huge difference in the smoothness of our days!  The layout of this Day Designer planner from Target is just perfect.

9:00 Breakfast and Chores

When breakfast is ready, the kids are responsible for making sure their 'before breakfast' jobs are done before coming to the table - getting dressed, brushing their teeth, making their beds, and cleaning up their rooms.  Big kids put away their schoolwork so we have room at the table to eat.

I keep timers with our toothbrushes to make sure they're brushing for an appropriate amount of time without needing me to hover.

There's always one kid who finishes up way before the rest!

Once I get Callista up for the day, the tornado begins.  Luckily, she plays well in her bed while she waits for breakfast.  The big kids are instructed to not get her out early unless there's a fire. ;)

I make breakfast easy on myself by limiting our meal options.  Each morning, I serve either eggs or baked oatmeal.  It takes the guesswork out of meal planning that early in the day, keeps grocery costs consistent, and limits whining about the food.

After they're finished eating, the kids are dismissed to do their after-breakfast chores (which I'll post about in more detail at some point) and exercises (which I posted about here).  With any free time they have after this before we begin Morning Basket, they either get back to work on independent schoolwork, or they play or draw.

10:30 Morning Basket

This is a new routine to us this year.  I've attempted it before, but as it was never really necessary before now, it always slipped through the cracks.  This year, I find it's such a helpful tool in getting through a lot of school work in a little bit of enjoyable family time.  Again, I'll be posting further details on this soon, but the main gist is that we all get together for about an hour to enjoy some reading and riches that all family members can appreciate and enjoy.

It is truly amazing what all can be covered in a little over an hour!

11:45 Little Kids Work With Mom

After morning basket, the big kids work on anything they have left (usually piano practice and Spanish) while I work with the little kids on Math, Handwriting, and Reading.  This usually takes about 45 minutes total.  I'll give you a rundown soon on the resources I use for teaching first and second grade!

At this point, it is around 12:30 - time to make and serve lunch, and jump into the second half of our day, which I'll chronicle tomorrow!

What Do I Do with the Littlest Kids?

I imagine you may be wondering what our younger kids do during this time.  Juniper (6 mo.) is up with us at times, and at other times is napping in my room.  Her nap schedule is more of a nap routine, and doesn't fall at set times.  She wakes up for the day, I nurse her, and then she's up for about an hour or an hour-and-a-half.  When she starts to fuss, I lay her down, and she sleeps for 2-2.5 hours.  We follow this cycle through the day.  I just nurse her while I do whatever else we're in the middle of, and she plays on the floor near me while she's awake.

Rocco (4 years) is typically found playing, either by himself, or with Callista, or with a bigger kid who isn't currently working.  He's pretty easygoing and doesn't need much redirection or hypervigilant supervision.

But... Callista.  Callista is a wild card.  Some days she plays just fine by herself or with Rocco, or is happy to just snuggle me while I work with the older kids.  Other days, not so much.  On her crabby days, she can be incredibly disruptive, and is often capable of finding the most unsafe activity she possibly can if left unsupervised.  So I allow up to an hour of our morning routine to be dedicated to independent playtime in her bed - either during Morning Basket, or during my work with the Little Kids, whichever seems to be the most helpful that day.


Tomorrow I'll tell you about our afternoons!