What's Working For Us

It's been a while since I've posted about our day, so I thought I'd thrill you with the details :)

Xander wanted a picture of him and Jack so it's here just because :)

This is what I've been doing lately that has been working for us:

Every weekend, I spend a couple hours (yes it takes me hours, I'm super slow though I'm sure) and go through each boys' lesson list to make them a schedule for the week. I could print out the weekly view sheet, but we found we liked to have little boxes they could check off for each item in the lesson.

This is Charlie getting ready to do a unit review in History.

For instance, with K12's weekly view printout, you'd see the lesson title and number only.

When I do it, I put the lesson title and number, but then list below each item that needs to be completed before the lesson is done. So it might look something like:

MATH 4:12

• online student activity
• pig 235, 236 (we call the math textbooks the ugly pig books because of the pictures, lol)
• big or small w/s (a worksheet)
• assessment
  Charlie's to-do list for this week. He or I check off the items that have been completed.
  Sometimes he goes straight to the assessment, if he feels he can handle it.

The boys are responsible for checking off each item as it is completed.

I print out their to-do list with all the lessons they need to do for the week. Using columns, I can fit it all onto one page. They do six math lessons, eight language arts lessons (but in Xander's

case, it equals many more smaller lessons since the lessons are broken down into subject matter for him), four history, five science and several spanish lessons, each week. 

At the top of their page, I tell them how many lessons they need to complete each day. So they know they need to complete five or eight lessons a day, whichever it might be.

Xander standing in front of our school shelf.
They each have their own shelf, and I do too.

Charlie having a bad-attitude day :)

I also print out every one of their worksheets and such and file them in my "Secretary". That way, the boys can do many things on their own if they are feeling proactive.

On the left you can see the tabbed folders I use in my Secretary to keep handouts and tests for each subject. The boys can find their own stuff easily.

We start our school day at around 10:00 in the morning, and go until 2:00 or 2:30 with a lunch break. The boys take fifteen minute breaks between every two lessons. 

And there you have it! What's been working for you?

Heading for the Holidays

Wow, sorry I haven't been around for so long ... I had PRK vision correction surgery done a whole month ago and I still can't read well. It's very frustrating!

But I can see a tiny bit tonight, so I thought I would drop in to let you know I hadn't completely dropped off of the face of the planet.

Things have been going very well lately with school. I'm ashamed to admit that I've found my boys' price: video games. If I let them have half an hour of gaming time for having a good attitude during school, then they will work hard and quickly for me. Amazing! Ta Da! It's a price I'm willing to pay.

As a result, they've been working hard and not only do they get that coveted game time, but they also get done school pretty quickly. So what before would take four hours or so, now takes only two, if that. Amazing again! 

However, now that we're heading to the holidays, I'm having a harder time keeping school going. I'm distracted and 'busy' and it's hard to focus on school. How are you doing? Are you staying focuses, even with the busy-ness of the holidays? 

I hope you have a very Merry Christmas! 

Before the Boxes Arrive ~ K12 Speaker Series

Today I attended my first online K12 Seminar with Lori Beverage and Heidi Higgins. It was really good! Up until now when I've thought about the upcoming school year, this has been my response:

"Ahhhhhhhhhh ..................................."

Yeah. That about sums it up!

So I was grateful for today's seminar because it gave me the kick in the pants I needed and taught me just exactly what needs to be done "before the boxes arrive". And I'm going to try to share what I learned with you!

Your To Do List:

Family Routine:

• Think about what might work for your family and plan for it.
• Be flexible and don't expect your days to go exactly as planned.

Priorities:

• Your first priority should always be to your husband and your children.
• Household chores, laundry, dishes and all those things are just distractions from what's really important.

Phone/Door Messages:

• Let callers know that you are busy homeschooling your children between the hours of ... and to call back later.
• Leave a note on your door that you aren't available until after school is done.
• Don't let yourself get distracted by callers on the phone or at the door!

Trim Down Outside Activities & Obligations

• Learn to say "no" when you get those inevitable calls for you to help.
• Limit your childrens activities also to those things that are most important.

Family Preparations

• Family councils or planning sessions prior to school starting can help children, spouse and extended family members come to understand what might be expected once school starts.

Home Preparations

• Food prep ~ you'll have children home all day so you'll need snacks and lunches planned for. Consider crockpot dinners ~ these will help make dinner run more smoothly plus they make your house smell yummy!
  
• Location for books and school supplies. Where will you put all of your materials? Book shelf? Loose bins? There is no set way to do this, you just need to find what works for you.
• Distractions ~ turn off the T.V. and set aside the remote. Put away all things that might tempt your children away from their studies.
• Clutter ~ this is another distraction thing, but the more clutter/distractions, the more difficult it is to concentrate on the school work.
• Laundry ~ this can be a major hurdle for a lot of families. Consider letting your children do their own laundry! If you're not ready for that, at least work on it together so you don't carry the burden of all the work on your own.
• Chores ~ the same goes for chores. Be generous in considering what your children might be able to do to help with the daily chores.

What Space You Will Use:

• You will need access to your computer.
• You'll need space to spread out.
• Some families spread out to the couch, using T.V. trays even for their work. Some use the kitchen table, while others have rooms or offices set aside for their use.
• In the end, do whatever works!

Materials You Will Need:

• You'll need regular school supplies, including pencils, notebooks and loose leaf paper, etc.

Time You Will Spend:

• Print daily or weekly schedules for you to share with your children.
• Make meals a part of your schedule, i.e. snack time is at 10:30, etc.
• Be careful not to over schedule!
• Consider using a dry erase marker on your window or sliding door to write out the schedule.
  
• K12.com has an education plan for your children which you can print out. Add daily chores and other activities like piano practice.
• Be sure to have a cut-off point when you'll be done school for the day and it doesn't drag on and on.
• Consider calling this your kids' Ticket to Freedom, as Heidi calls it ~ when your kids have completed their tasks for their day, they're free~

Best Strategies:

• Plan your school days at the best time for your family, not what works for other people or traditional school. It's all about you and your family.
• Plan 'down-time' activities.
• Make your plan in advance of school starting, so it's ready to go as soon as you need it.
• Plan your meals and snacks in advance.
• Read your education objectives so your goals can be renewed in your mind.
• Materials prep ~ be prepared for each day, it will help you to stay on top of things.
• Don't loose sight of the the PLAN (see Family Routine.)
• Have Fun!
• Read.
• Have a list of friends you can call or talk to online when things get tough.
• Go to the OLS (online school on k12.com) for help.
• See the online tutorials for help.
• Take advantage of yahoo groups ~ you can see the link for the K12 group in my sidebar, but you could also search for k12 groups in your state for more local groups.

Contingency Plans:

You will have your bad days. Or days when school doesn't run to so well, or you're not running so well - or your kids.

• Re-evaluate your priorities.
• Help someone else ~ service.
• Do some different sort of work, preferably physical work, like gardening or household chores.
• Focus on your health. Exercise. Play.
• Read good books together.
• Have a good support group of friends for yourself and your children.
• Music ~ put on some fun, happy music to do your chores to.
• Endurance ~ hang on! Think and act positively and your children will follow suit (plus you'll feel better too.)
• Goals ~ keep your progress sheet handy.

Most of all, 'down days' are a great opportunity for you to model how you can overcome life's challenges!

Lori encouraged us to remember to have fun. She discouraged us from becoming 'box checkers' - so focused on completing the work that we forget what we're doing this for. Enjoy the journey!