Routine has never been something that our family has been good at. We like to be spontaneous and with daddy working from home and mommy staying home with the kids, we don't usually have to coordinate who gets the car for the day or even what needs to happen in any given day. As much as we like this flexibility, it also has it's drawbacks. Sometimes we decide too last minute what we want to do and stress ourselves out trying to get out of the house to make things on time. Other times we say we'll do one thing and switch it up, and that can be a disappointment to the kids if they were looking forward to doing something different (and with two kids it seems like one always wants to do the new activity and another wants to do the old!)
Sometimes family devotions happen at breakfast; other times in the living room on the couch. It all depends on how the morning has gone thus far. On Mondays, we read from our ABC Bible Verses. We do one letter/verse per week. We also sing the hymn for the month from the Ambleside Online list of hymns. This month we are learning For All the Saints For Whom Their Labors Rest. I've printed and laminated the hymns like I did here, but we also have enjoyed watching it on YouTube. Some other lovely women that homeschool with Charlotte Mason have put together a playlist of all the hymns for the year on YouTube as well. It is a wonderful resource. Every day after Monday, we review our verse from ABC Bible Verses, sing our hymn, read a story from The Jesus Storybook Bible, and pray together. Right now, this is how our time together goes. This may change as the boys will be starting Pioneer Club in a couple of weeks at our church so they may have extra activities to prepare for their time at club.
Other Subjects
After family devotions every other subject can either come or go. We try to do a little bit of Read-Alouds/Literature, Math, Geography, and Fine Motor Skills everyday. Other subjects we do regularly but not everyday. This includes Art, Science, Nature Study, and P.E. We also find that things that were not on the original schedule get added as the boys interest in something becomes apparent. We are very flexible with what we accomplish.
Mixing it up...
We try to vary the subjects as much as possible to keep the kids interested in what we are doing at the time. I try not to have two different books to read to them one right after another. Instead, we'll try to do a hands-on activity in between book times.
How Long Does It Take?
We are usually done in about an hour unless we have more hands-on activities.
Being Flexible
Each day is so different from the last. The routine is there though now so we have something to do each day even if not everything happens or extra fun stuff gets added. For example, we recently got a bunch of books on apples from the library. These books don't have a particular place in our preschool schedule, but the boys always love getting books from the library. We even made applesauce in the crockpot together to celebrate the theme!
Yet as the kids get older, we've seen that it is time to find a better routine in our lives. Buddy especially likes to have a schedule to follow and will remind me if I haven't updated the sign from the day before. It has also laid some good foundations for setting up times for chores and family devotional time. Although we aren't perfect in any way with it, we are at least moving toward the right direction.
So how do our days usually go?
Early Morning Routine
We usually begin with with the boys waking us up between 6:30 and 7:15 in the morning. They usually play and daddy makes breakfast for them. We then try to do chores. Chores at this stage only consist of getting dressed, brushing their teeth, and making their bed. Of course, if there are other things that need to be done, they know they need to help mommy if mommy asks them. Daddy goes in for work for work at 9, so we try to do family devotions before then.
Family Devotions
Other Subjects
After family devotions every other subject can either come or go. We try to do a little bit of Read-Alouds/Literature, Math, Geography, and Fine Motor Skills everyday. Other subjects we do regularly but not everyday. This includes Art, Science, Nature Study, and P.E. We also find that things that were not on the original schedule get added as the boys interest in something becomes apparent. We are very flexible with what we accomplish.
Mixing it up...
We try to vary the subjects as much as possible to keep the kids interested in what we are doing at the time. I try not to have two different books to read to them one right after another. Instead, we'll try to do a hands-on activity in between book times.
How Long Does It Take?
We are usually done in about an hour unless we have more hands-on activities.
Being Flexible
Each day is so different from the last. The routine is there though now so we have something to do each day even if not everything happens or extra fun stuff gets added. For example, we recently got a bunch of books on apples from the library. These books don't have a particular place in our preschool schedule, but the boys always love getting books from the library. We even made applesauce in the crockpot together to celebrate the theme!
We're loving our flexible schedule for now. And the great thing is, that we are actually planning time to use all the great resources we have around our home instead of forgetting that they are there. The boys really enjoy doing "school."
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