Homeschooling Reassurance - Is my Schedule OK?

Hi Julie,
We have finally settled into some sort of pattern after homeschooling for 1 year!!

We start the mornings with some reading and my younger daughter has some playtime, (she is 5 yrs). Next we will do our timetabled work,this includes work such as,bookwork in maths, english and science, there might be worksheets to complete for fun eg,wordsearches, colouring pages on certain topics. Research projects on people or places and topic work,eg, my son is at the moment doing about ww2.

All this we try to do before lunchtime then after lunch I usually leave them to go there own way and find things to occupy themselves eg, building with lego, online games like chess, snooker. My daughter is very creative and will sit for hours making "things" out of paper and stuff out of the recycling box!!! They might just spend all afternoon in the garden with the dog, trying to teach him how to play hide and seek, poor dog!!!

If all work is completed then fridays are a "do what I want to day" after chores are done. I think I just want someone who knows to tell me we are doing o.k? Even after a year I am still having we're not doing enough panics and its not 3 oclock yet they shouldn't really be up from the table.

Thanks for reading my ramblings!!! kind regards Kerry.

Hi Kerry
Ha! I know exactly where you are coming from with this. I have felt the same in the past.

But you know, you are confusing learning with school-timetables. Schools have persuaded us that learning can only take place at particular times and in particular ways. But we don't need to be sat at a table to learn. Nor does it only happen between 9 and 3. In fact, learning can happen in lots of ways that don't look anything like we expect it to. See what Paula has to say about homeschool schedules for example.

Are your children learning when they are playing lego, or making stuff, or 'training' the poor dog? Yes - of course. They are learning to explore avenues that interest them and develop their creativity. They are learning to take charge of their own learning experiences. They are finding out what motivates them - and how to get results.

This is just as valuable as your other ways of learning. To my mind, this space and time you are giving them is an investment in them - and one that will repay you with interested and questioning children.

I recommend you read some of John Holts books such as Learning All The Time (UK version here).

At the end of the day, you have found a schedule seems to be working for you and the children right now. You have a balance of learning experiences that seems to suit you all.

If it changes, change with it by all means. Just trust yourself - YOU know what is best for your family.





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