A typical school day

Some of you have asked recently what our school day looks like.  I’ve struggled over the last few years to find a sustainable routine for our school days.  Whenever I’ve come up with something I think will work, I either find that I’ve been unrealistic about how much we can do or I’ve over-estimated their attention spans or interest or a “life event” happens (illness, pregnancy, newborn, etc.)
But praise God, we’ve been keeping to a consistent routine for the last couple of months.  If you are interested in knowing what a typical day at the Russell home looks like, keep reading.   (No pictures here, just text.) Otherwise, go do something more fun. :-)
6:30 – 8:00 Pre-breakfast chores.  Get up, dressed, make beds, do kitchen chores, fold clothes if needed.  One child regularly gets up at least by 6:30 (sometimes earlier) to see Daddy before he leaves.  Sometimes the others do, sometimes they don’t.  I try to get up by 6 or 6:30 and spend some time reading my Bible, praying, and getting ready for the day.  Then, I’m out of my room by 7 or 7:30 to change diapers, feed the baby, and supervise the aforementioned chores.  Depending on how much time there is, I might start some supper prep or bread baking as we are getting ready for breakfast.  The older ones tend to read or play during this time when they are not doing chores (and sometimes when they are supposed to be doing chores!)
8:00 – 9:00 Breakfast.  Everybody is supposed to be done and the table cleared by 9.  Lately, we’ve been practicing math at the table by counting how many things need to be cleared (not counting each person’s own dishes) and dividing by 4 to find out how many things each of the 4 older kids needs to clear and put away.
9:00 – 9:30 After Breakfast Chores. This includes wiping the table, sweeping the floor, brushing teeth, folding clothes if it wasn’t done before breakfast, and taking care of bathroom needs.  For me, this time is spent changing diapers, assisting with teeth brushing, beginning supper prep, and getting things out for school.
9:30 – 11:30 School Time.  If baby got up early, he’s usually fussy by this time, so I nurse him and put him down for a nap.  Then we can do school relatively uninterrupted for about one and half to two hours.  During this time we work on Bible memory, handwriting practice, preschool, math, and individual reading.
 Bible memory.  During the summer we worked on Psalm 1 and the first part of Matthew 5 (the Beatitudes) together.  We read the passage each day, then worked on learning one or two verses a week.  Now that Awana has started, the four older ones are all working on different verses, so we had to modify the routine a bit.  I try to work with each one either during the 9:00-9:30 time frame, during individual reading time, or any other time when we have a few minutes.
Handwriting Practice. I started making my own handwriting worksheets with cool fonts that have the guidelines built in. (See www.donnayoung.org) During the summer, I had the older 2 practice their handwriting with the Bible verse(s) for the week.  Now, they are both learning or practicing cursive (one or two letters a day) plus practicing their printing with words from the letter of the week (more about that later).  Sometimes they practice on paper with pen or pencil.  Other times we put the page in a plastic sheet protector (otherwise known as a “diaper”) and practice with fine-tip dry-erase markers.  The six year old is learning printing with the letter of the week (capital and lowercase) and short words starting with that letter.  He is also working through the “Developing the Early Learner” series of workbooks by Simone Bibeau which includes some pre-writing and coloring exercises as well as auditory and visual discrimination activities.
Preschool.  I hesitated to do anything formal or elaborate with preschool for the 4 year old.  I started out with some extra SchoolZone pre-K workbooks I had, trying to keep it low-key.  He liked those so much, he kept asking to do more than what I had planned for the day.  How could I say no?  He and the two-year old really want to be involved in our school time, so I’m combining pieces of several different “Letter of the Week” preschool programs I got free from the web or really cheap in an Ebook bundle sale last year.  These activities include pre-writing activities (tracing lines, shapes, etc.), coloring, recognizing the letters (capital and lowercase) and the sounds they make, counting, and related activities that work on their gross and fine motor skills. (The two year old knows at least 2 letters -- “E is for Elaine!” and “B buh Brian!”)
In case you are interested, the preschool curricula I am pulling from includes:

• ABC Jesus Loves Me
• Animal ABC
• Encompass Preschool
• Letter Of the Week by Erica

Math.
I’ve tried a number of different approaches to math… and still trying to find the thing that fits each child, to make it fun and interesting rather than frustrating, stressful, and the subject to be dreaded.  And it also has to be doable.  I really liked the idea behind some materials I bought last year…but since it is very much “hands on” (which is what I liked about it), that means it is also teacher-intensive.  And with 3 or 4 different levels … well, that’s just not realistic in this season of life.  Not if we are going to do anything besides math. :-)
So, I went looking for something that would enable a bit more independent learning.  We are trying out a new computer program this year called CTC math.  I like that for one price I can have an unlimited number of students signed up, and we have access to all grade levels for 18 months.  This seemed like the most cost-effective way to go in regards to computer-based math programs.  I have one child at least who really enjoys math and thrives with computer based math instruction. So, he’s doing that, supplemented by some workbooks I found used at a homeschool store and various games.  The other two haven’t found CTC math to be quite as much fun, so I have been trying to do some hands-on activities to practice the same concepts in a more active and fun way. 
Individual Reading.
Each of the three older children gets some time alone with Mommy to practice reading out loud.  The older 2 have been working their way through short to medium length chapter books. The 6 year old gets to pick his own book (usually a picture book or and easy-reader book) and we take turns, alternating pages or paragraphs.  I’ve been pleased at how they have all been willing to tackle books and words that are sometimes a bit challenging.
Sometimes this reading time happens during the morning school time.  Lately, we’ve run out of time before the baby wakes up from his nap, so I try to do it after my nap and before Daddy gets home.
I use this time while they are reading to me to work on whatever crochet or knitting project I have going.
111:30-12:30 Free time. Free time for the kids.  Mom tidies up any school stuff left out, maybe checks email,  maybe does supper prep if needed, and gets lunch ready.  Sometimes, I recruit helpers. :-)
12:30 – 1:30 Lunch. Sometimes we watch some educational videos, or we review our geography or talk about life or whatever questions come up.  Lunch is usually leftovers from supper the night before or sandwiches and fruit and yogurt.
1:30-2:30 Read Aloud Time. I read stories to the 2 and 4 year old before their naps.  When they are down for naps, I read a book to the older ones while getting baby ready for his nap.  Currently, we are reading The Wheel On The School by Meindert DeJong.  As soon as baby is asleep, it is officially “nap time.”
2:30-4:00 Nap Time. Mommy takes a nap and maybe does a little bit of computer work if she wakes up early enough.  If we haven’t done individual reading yet, we try to it between 3:30 and 4.  During nap time, the three older ones can read, play with Legos, or work on the computer.
4:00 – 5:15 Fun with Daddy.  We try to do a “10-minute pickup” game before Daddy gets home (picking up all the toys, books, etc.).  When he gets home, he gives kisses to each one.  Some try to escape and make Daddy chase them.  Sometimes they can give Daddy quite the workout till he catches them.  On Tuesdays and Thursdays, we try to do some kind of exercise.  Usually bike riding, or else trampoline in the backyard, or going down the the corner parks to swing, kick balls or throw frisbees.  When it is bike riding day, the 3 older ones ride their own bikes, the next 2 take turns on the back of Daddy’s bike, while I roller blade with 2 in the double stroller.  On these days, it’s especially important for me to have supper ready to cook in the oven while we go out riding.  That’s why I try to do supper prep in stages throughout the day.
5:15 – 6:15 Supper.
6:15 – 7:00 Baths.  Sometimes I make the older ones take their baths earlier to help save time after supper.  One bathes completely independently, one needs just a little help, 2 can bathe themselves but need supervision to prevent too much playing, and the last 2 always get baths after supper because  they can be a little messy at mealtimes. :-)
7:00 – 7:30 Story time.  Daddy reads stories (usually) .  Sometimes mommy will if Daddy just has to work on something else.
7:30 – 8:00 Bible Time. We read the Bible together and sing a hymn.  Currently we are reading through a Chronological Bible, maybe 10-15 verses at a time, discussing what we’ve read as we go.  We are working our way through one of the hymn books we have.  I think we are on the third book we’ve done.  After we finish this one, we plan to focus on one hymn a week and really try to learn it.  It will probably be a hymn that we will sing at church that next Sunday. Ronnie slips in some music education too…recognizing key signatures, time signatures, note values, and sometimes note names. He also slips in some math -- figuring out how long the composers and authors of the songs lived. I nurse the baby during this time and put him to bed, then use the remaining time to knit or crochet.  We finish with prayer time, which is the two-year old’s signal for “Mommy’s lap!”
8:00 – 8:30 Bedtime. Time for the potty train, hugs, kisses, etc. and finally lights out!
8:30 – 10:30 Mommy & Daddy time. Mommy and Daddy finish up chores, sometimes do a little on the computer, take shower, and finally go to bed.

There you have it.  Probably  more than  you ever wanted to know about a Russell day.  If you’ve read this far, you must really love us, or you are really curious. :-)