A Day in the Life - Part 1

Here is a day in the life of our homeschooling. (I'll post pictures soon!)

4 kids - 7 (2nd), 5 (K), 3, 1 (13 months)

WEDNESDAY - a few weeks ago 

Breakfast - Read from the Preschool Devotional Book - it is simple but the kids get it. At about 8:00

Chores - Kids put dishes away, get dressed, put pjs away, make bed, sweep, brush teeth and hair 

Madeline down for nap - at about 9:00

Circle Time (20 minutes) 

Prayer

Pledge

Songs - Jesus Loves Me, Down by the Station, BINGO, Hickory Dickory Dock (I used the Wee 

Sing Children’s Songs and Finger Plays - not the CD, we just sang from the book)

Poetry Reading - From Child’s Book of Poems by Gyo Fugikawa

Bible Verse - Gen 1:1

Calendar Time - sang the days of the week song, found today’s date, circled the kind of clouds outside (My Calendar activity book from Rod and Staff (Milestone Books)

Math time with Wes - (30 minutes) used craft sticks  of 2 different colors to talk about different ways to make 7 and 8 (review), played a game kind of like go fish where you make pairs for 7 or 8, or whatever # you choose from 5-10. We played for 7 twice and 8 once. 

  - While we did this, David played with Legos in the same room

- Catherine, of her own accord took the colored craft sticks and organized them by color. Then she took the cards we weren't using and laid them out in rows. She also colored.

Break/Exercise 20 minutes- Boys played legos a bit and I cleaned up some and regrouped myself. Since it was raining outside we did some stretches inside like arm circles and knee lifts, etc and jumping jacks and push ups. Then we lined up pillows with space in between and hopped over them. Then we had races doing this.

Snack/Bird Study  - yogurt, oranges or pistachios. 

- while eating we reviewed the different ways birds use feathers. The we discussed reasons that birds fly and why they land. Then I read some from a portion of a book about this topic. Then I had them draw a picture of a few ways birds fly and land. (Madeline woke up from her nap and I put her in her chair where she ate a snack).

Wes had independent learning time - he did Handwriting Without Tears, a phonics cut and paste activity I came up with and a portion of a math sheet practicing addition facts to 7.

David did some phonics with me for about 10 minutes max.

Activity Time (Music) - The kids then played with some cuisenaire rods for a few minutes while I cleaned up a bit. Then we read from An Introduction to Classical Music about  dancing being a way that we use music. We listened to a track that played the Can-Can and tried to do it. That was fun! 

School time was officially over at about 11:40 or so. I cleaned up a bit, while the kids played with the cuisenaire rods some more. Then Wes decided to make lunch - one eyed monsters! Eggs with a chocolate almond in the middle as the eye, strawberries for ears, carrots for hair, and toast for a phone(?) While he did that I played with the cuisenaire rods some and looked up a recipe for peach cobbler, then I had David help me set the table. 

Lunch - I read a story from History Stories for Children.

Clean up - We all worked to clean up the mess from school and lunch - toys from Madeline, Wes cleaned the bathroom sink and counter, the kids put their laundry away, they put the pillows away from our hopping races, etc. 

1:30 is tv time - sometimes. If they are playing outside, i don’t call them in to watch tv unless they ask for it. They watched Peg + Cat on PBS. While they did this I read two books to Madeline and put her to bed. Catherine was with me. Then I cleaned up more, swept and then counted all the numbers in one of the books I read to Madeline (123 to the Zoo by Eric Carle) by Catherine’s request. 

2:00 - Read Aloud time - we read a book written for the music The Carnival of Animals and a book about germs. 

2:15 - Game time. I also did a few stickers with Catherine in her Winnie the Pooh Sticker Book, then she went upstairs for a nap/rest time. She took a book about teeth with her to look at. 

2:45 - the boys have play alone time/rest time. David played with Legos in our “school room” and Wes played in his room - until 3:45 or 4:00, then snack and free time for all until dinner, around 6:00. Madeline goes to bed around 7:15 or 7:30, the rest at 8:00 after we read a chapter book and bible story to them.