Looping

It is amazing to me after 9 years of homeschooling I am still making adjustments. But, some things work and some things don't and I have got to just be flexible.

I think one of the major changes is I will allow more visual learning. At the moment, I have at least one child who really learns better by not just reading something but visualizing it as well. So I guess I will be in search of good historical fiction movies etc.

I have added the iPad to our schooling tools. One of my students takes the iPad when she reads. She can look up any words she doesn't know and actually listen to how they are pronounced. I also will use it when I read with each kid. If there is something I think they might benefit from by seeing an actual picture, we will stop and look it up. Like Abigail Adams' home for instance. Or a particular flower.

The other great thing I added to our day is "looping." We loop chores and extra school subjects. We spend a lot of time reading during the day. We read about science and history on a daily basis but we don't always get to the timelines and the Latin words. So, I have this list of about 8 school related subjects and each day we do one. One day it might be a spelling test. Another day it might be a nature study. Once we have hit all 8 things, I just start at the top and go through the list again. That way I can focus on all the major reading yet still make time for some of the extras.

I do the same for chores. The kids have their morning chores which they do every day. But, in order for us to homeschool and do extra curricular activities I need a little help around the house. The house can get pretty messy considering we are in the house day after day. All day long. Anyway, I made a list of about 6 chores and each day we do one. It may be cleaning bathrooms. The next day might be the 15 minute timer to straighten or go through loose ends or random things that need to be done. Again, once we have gotten through the 6 chores, we just start our list all over again.

The kids have their "work for hire" chores and they can grab a card and do the chore and get paid. The new procedure is if no one picks any of the cards, the chores eventually end up on the looping chore list under the 15 minute timer. I have done paid chores numerous ways and they always end up being way more work for me to keep track of. So this is new for this year.

We have these super cool printable maps I got. The organizer of the maps looked at all the books from a bunch of different curriculum and coordinated the maps that go with each book.  So I print off maps for almost every single book the kids are reading. This way they have a visual of where the story is taking place. And they are learning geography too! There are probably close to 500 maps from ancient Egypt to a current world map. From Jamestowne to Elizabethan England. (The maps are a personal favorite!)

I have said numerous times in the last two weeks we are going to start school. Today we attempted a little bit. Hopefully by the time summer is "officially" over, we will be well on our way to some type of rhythm. At least that is my goal today. I like schooling in July and August when it is super hot so we can take days off when it is cooler. Plus, we take our yearly beach vacation when everyone else goes back to school. And this year we are planning a trip to Wisconsin to see family. So, we need to make up the days somewhere. And summer, when it is brutally hot outside, seems like a good time to me. . .

Chores

So, this week we are working on our chore charts.  (I really don't like calling them chores.  The top of their chart says "How I contribute to the family.")  We have been using the same chart for quite some time now.  And you would think it would be a habit to just do it, get it done and check it off.  And, it is for awhile.  But then we get busy and lazy and it gets done half heartedly.  By them and me.

I am taking the time, each day, to work with each child and their chores.  We do such things as wiping down bathrooms (always keeps the guest bathroom ready for visitors) and unloading the dishwasher.  In all honesty, the big girls rock at this and last week I even heard them talk about mentoring the little ones.  But that was kind of short lived!

I have been remiss in showing them, especially the littles, how and what I want done.  And so I am taking the time to do that.  I have been trying to get up a little earlier, although fairly unsuccessfully, to get my stuff done so I have time to help them with out feeling rushed.

That has been one of my attitude adjustments that I have been having to make.  Reminding myself we have nothing else to do but get our chores done right.  I have to resist the urge to hurry through so we can move on to something else.

I have had some time to teach basic cooking.  While LM and I were at dance Monday night and Boop and EG were helping daddy with the masterbath, NG made dinner.  Yesterday afternoon I was able to take the time to have Boop help me with last night's dinner.  I want the kids to know how and be comfortable with the basics of living.  Whether male or female.  To be honest, hubby is the true chef in our family.

But, again, I am just trying to solidify our foundation.  I know in a couple months, if I am not careful we will have to double check our work.  But, I feel if I take the time to really ground them in their morning and afternoon chores, if we get off base a little, it will be easier to get back on track.

I might add another layer to work on towards the end of the week.  But, for the next day or so, basic chores are my continued focus. . .