Good morning!! We just got an email from our school last night about the upcoming school year. This year will be a little different than last year because we are still “safer at home” due to the Corona Virus Pandemic with cases still rising. Our school district has chosen to start the school year online which means everything will be way different than it has been the last few years. I will be honest, I am going to be a little anxious until I have a good schedule worked out. I am just that type of person. I want to make sure we are getting everything we need to get done in a day done and have ample time to do it.
Asking other homeschool moms and using the internet for research I have found that making a homeschool schedule can be as strict or flexible as you wish. Most homeschoolers spend less time actually schooling than ur children in public school do. Largely because the teacher to child ratio is lower and concepts can be taught and understood in less time.
When distance learning started at the end of the school year last spring we made a rough schedule based on our teachers suggestions. We will most likely follow a similar schedule this year we will have some new factors to consider as well.
How many hours a day do you homeschool?
I had always thought time spent home schooling would be similar to time spent in school, 6 hours. But after talking with some friends who homeschool full time I learned I was wrong. I have a friend with 7 children 5 of which are school age. Her school day varies from day to day and increases as the students get older but her younger children are not doing school time for 6 hours. Another friend has been homeschooling for 2 years and her child is entering 2nd grade, his day is also not as long as I was expecting either. So far great news!
When children are at school they aren’t actively studying the entire time. There are transitions, meals, recess and down time. I volunteered in my daughters kindergarten class often last year and saw this myself… but I had to be reminded when I started making our schedule. In her kindergarten class they would start a topic or worksheet and each child would finish at thier own pace. When they were done they would play quietly until all the students were done and playtime was over. In a home setting focused instruction on a few kids will make these transitions more smooth. If you have a fast worker they may finish rather quickly making school time fly by. I have to admit I stressed myself planning distance learning last year because my daughter works quickly and would finish all her work in an hour or less. Then a teacher friend posted this graph on Facebook and reassured all of us parents that we were doing fine in our efforts and the school day is much different at home than in the classroom. That hour of work was right on par with her age group.
As long as we aim for a well rounded school time, covering a good amount of topics and work load your child will learn well. It may only take a few hours of focused school work depending on age and ability. Last year my focus was to hit math, reading, spelling or letters, a craft, singing or music. Then we would work in science, social studies and other topics as time and personalities allowed. I believe this year will be similar depending on what structure our new teachers will expect.
This year will have some added distractions as mom and dad also try to get some work done in-between the home learning and online sessions. Plus siblings and trying to get outside once in a while.
What time do homeschoolers wake up?
Waking up is never an issue in our household. Out three little ones are often awake playing or eating before I even get up. In fact I am surprised when I am awake before them. I think they like to wake with the sun, where I usually roll out of bed around 6:30 or 7am if I am lucky.
If your kids like to sleep in or you like to sleep in plan that into your schedule. Chances are you are more coherent and productive later in the day anyway. The nice thing about homeschooling is being flexible with your schedule and other events in your life. I am assuming our children will need to check in regularly this school year for online school. If mornings are a struggle I bet they can check in and listen in PJ’s and while eating a meal or snack.
What does a typical homeschool day look like?
A homeschool day can look like anything you want. It is flexible and can be worked around the family schedule. You can do it on the road, at home or outside. Thats the beauty of it.
One thing I learned last year is not to create a strict schedule. But we thrived in a routine we followed once school began. Last year our typical school day looked like this:
- Wake up and eat breakfast, personal hygiene and making beds.
- A little tv or independent work so mom and dad could get organized and prepared for the day while the kids were busy.
- We started school by singing 3-4 songs on YouTube about letters or numbers or anything like that. Usually something from Singing Walrus.
- A writing prompt, high frequency words or English for Eleanor (Kinder) and letter practice and writing practice for Anderson (pre-k)
- Reading practice
- Math worksheets and apps
- Outside time
- Social studies/Science
We would fill in food breaks or mental breaks when needed and come back to work when ready. We found that working in a routine vs a schedule allowed us to tend to our toddler, deal with attitudes and personalities and leave room for adjustments when needed. Eleanor also loves to know what to expect and what is coming up. She liked the routine because she could work at her own pace look forward to what was next.
Many of us will be homeschooling or doing online school this year. My hope is that we can thrive in this environment and really work with the flexibility.
Scheduling Tips
After a few months of distance learning experience you can learn a lot. In addition to asking other homeschool moms what systems and tips they love I have a few to share with you. Hopefully these ideas will make homeschool or online school run more smoothly for you too:
- Factor in your set items like appointments or meetings that can’t be changed first. When I plan out a normal week for the family I look at what is scheduled first and then fill in the flexible things around them. School work should be a priority, however the flexibility is nice.
- Consider siblings like toddlers and babies. I can say from experience it is easier to work on school work while little ones are napping vs when they are awake and wanting attention. Most of the time I can get away with coloring a little one being around and coloring quietly while me kinder and pre-k students work on a workbook or read. But as I am teaching new concepts it will be more smooth without little ones wanting to play.
- Consider when your child is most attentive and productive. If they are hungry or tired they will not be focused and ready to learn. If they are night owl and you wake them up early to study they will also have trouble.
- Prep as much as you can the night before. I got into the habit of putting my papers and materials in order the night before. This helped me sleep at night and not worry about remembering to cover a topic. You can also prepare crafts and pre cut some items and gather supplies and materials needed to make sure you have everything. Teachers spend tons of time prepping and taking a little time to prep will make lessons run more smoothly.
- Keep school work and materials in one place. We have a set of cabinets off the dining room where I keep all our supplies and study materials. A lot of home schooling families have entire rooms set aside for school time. We don’t have the space for that currently so we are relying on our cabinet area and dining room table. You can make small spaces work too.
- Keep a check list of work to be done each week. You may not get everything you planned on teaching or working on done in a one day. Having a weekly check list will give you and your student something to reference when checking progress for the week.
I have to say I am kind of excited for online learning this year. At first I was bummed with school decisions to go back to school online. I really wanted the socialization of kindergarten for my son. I am excited for all the quality time we will have this year learning together. I am excited to sprinkle in some life lessons, some bible stories and learning outdoors. I am excited to watch my kids grow up in front of me.