School for multiple children
-Planning
· Try to determine what curricula that you can do together (science/Apologia, history/Story of the World, Bible, Geography)
· Keep in mind what really “must” be accomplished and focus on getting that done and don’t worry about the “extras” (For example, Latin or logic- Sure, they are great but focus on math and reading first.)
· Some subjects do not need to be grade specific during the elementary years
· You can vary the expectations depending on age/ability without making more work or planning for yourself
· Utilize a lesson plan form that incorporates subjects done together
· Here are a few great websites to help in this area:
http://www.thehomeschoolmom.com/gettingorganized/planner.phphehomeschoolmom.com/gettingorganized/planner.php ,
http://www.thehomeschoolmom.com/gettingorganized/000049.php ,
http://www.thehomeschoolmom.com/gettingorganized/allplanners.phpchoolmom.com/gettingorganized/allplanners.php ,
http://homeschooling.about.com/cs/recordkeeping/ht/htrecords.htm ,
http://momishome2.blogspot.com/2008/07/how-to-example-of-mid-range-planning.html ,
http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/bbullard/646197/ ,
http://www.naturemoms.com/lesson-planning-for%20homeschool.html
-School Work Space
· If possible, have an area for each child’s books. You can use shelving, plastic crates, boxes, or whatever works best for your school space.
· This is their area that they must keep organized. Give them the tools they need, but they are responsible for keeping up with what they have.
· Don’t be too authoritative over this area. Give them control over their work space.
· Let each child make
their own clipboard so that they can make their work transportable.
· Have a designated area for materials that are used outside of school time but still need to be accessed by the kids every day. For example, have a special basket for their piano notebooks. Along with that, have a three ring notebook for their piano music so that you do not have loose papers flying around the room. If you have a family reading time, have a basket in the reading area with the books everyone is reading.
· Here are a few websites that can help in this area:
http://organizedhome.com/storage-strategies-homeschool-families ,
http://www.homeschool-curriculum-for-life.com/organize-your-homeschool.html ,
http://www.educationbug.org/a/creating-a-homeschool-area.html ,
http://www.howtodothings.com/education/how-to-create-a-home-school-classroom ,
http://www.homeschool.com/articles/Calvert/default.asp ,
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/101616/how_to_create_a_homeschool_room_in.html?cat=30associatedcontent.com/article/101616/how_to_create_a_homeschool_room_in.html?cat=30
-Chores/Cleanliness
· Use a week calendar to designate the chores each child is to do for each week day. I make two different weeks and then alternate them each week so that they children are doing different chores every other week.
· Set a specific time for chores to be done; for example, after school work is completed.
· Do not allow play time until chores are completed to your satisfaction.
· Make sure that your child understands what “clean” is. An interesting way to do this is to clean the area yourself and have the child watch you do it and let them help organize their stuff. Then take pictures from various angles around the room. Develop the pictures and mount them on a piece of paper and place them
on the back of the room door. When the child is a
sked to clean the bathroom, refer them to the picture so that they understand that the bathroom is not clean until it looks like the pictures on the door.
· Designate an area of your house where each child has a “box” for their stray items that you inevitably will pick up during the day. At the end of each day, have each child empty their box and put all of the items in their place. I have a box for each child on the stairs and when I am walking around the house during the day and see an item I pick it up and drop it in their box. Then it becomes their responsibility to put it up, not mine.
· Give each child a small laundry basket for their closet. They must keep their dirty clothes in the basket. Choose a Laundry day for the chore calendar and have each child bring their basket downstairs to be washed. Depending on the age of the child, you can teach them how to wash their own clothes. If they are not old enough, you can wash, dry, and fold their clothes and place them in their basket. After you are done, they must take their basket to their room and put up their own clothes. Even young children can do this with a little guidance.
· Here are a few websites that offer help in this area:
http://www.homeschool-curriculum-for-life.com/free-printable-child-chore-charts.html ,
http://www.homeschool-curriculum-for-life.com/free-printable-child-chore-charts.html ,
http://www.homeschool-curriculum-for-life.com/free-printable-child-chore-charts.html ,
http://www.homeschool-curriculum-for-life.com/free-printable-child-chore-charts.html
Household Duties
-Meal planning
· Create a menu for each week of the month and number them 1-4.
· Based on the weekly menu, make a grocery list with any items need for the recipes that you have chosen for the menu. You can also add to your list any items that you need to purchase weekly (milk and bread).
· Think about your weekly schedule when you are creating your menus. Will you be tired from practice on Tuesday night? If so, then plan a meal that you can cook ahead in a slow cooker so that it can be ready when you are. Don’t put yourself in a position where you are exhausted and have to come home to cook over a hot stove and fighting kids!
· On Sunday, place the weekly menu on the refrigerator so that everyone can see what is for dinner so they can stop asking every five minutes!
· Try to find a day of the week that your family can do something fun for dinner; maybe you can have a Friday night pizza night or a Tuesday night breakfast for dinner night. IT will give the kids something to look forward to.
· Here are a few great websites to help in this area:
http://www.menus4moms.com/ ,
http://www.thehomeschoolmom.com/pdf/menuchoretodothsm.pdf ,
http://www.homeschool-curriculum-for-life.com/menu-planning.html ,
http://www.heartofwisdom.com/heartathome/homeschool/homemaking/menu-plan-monday/ ,
http://organizedhome.com/printable/household-notebook/weekly-menu-planner ,
http://organizedhome.com/kitchen-tips/menu-planning-save-time-kitchen ,
http://www.vertex42.com/ExcelTemplates/meal-planner.html ,
http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/menuplanning.htm ,
http://orgjunkie.com/
-Calendar organizing
· Every Sunday night create a “To do” list for the week. Make different categories for yourself- “To Call”, “To Email”, “To Pay”.
· Keep one central calendar that everyone can see and update it once a week.
· Whenever you get an invitation, email or make an appointment, write it down on your calendar right away so that it is not forgotten.
· Leave yourself margin in your day. Don’t think just because you have an hour that is unaccounted for that you must squeeze something into it!
· Give yourself a head start when going somewhere. If you need to leave at 12:00 start telling the kids to get ready to go at 11:30. This gives them time to get all of the necessary things ready and on their bodies without causing you unnecessary stress. Kids do not have the foresight of adults. They cannot plan ahead as well as we can.
· Here are a few websites to help in this area:
http://momishome2.blogspot.com/search/label/calendars ,
http://www.homeorganizeit.com/organizedhomeschooler.html ,
http://www.donnayoung.org/calendars/index.htm ,
http://712educators.about.com/od/lessonplans/ht/lesson_calendar.htm
