Family Routine 2016-2017

On Monday, I posted our curricula choice for the 2016-17 year, which begs the question: how will I fit it all in to our days? This post tries to answer that question.


As I planned the somewhat heavier school loads of my second and fourth graders, as well as now teaching Kindergarten, with two other little guys causing as much havoc as possible, I drafted an updated Daily Routine for myself in hopes of keeping some order during this beautiful adventure that is homeschooling!

I say a 'beautiful adventure,' and I think of the beauty of a tropical jungle. Sure, there are some exquisite specimens of flowers, trees twisted in shapes unimagined, animals of glossy coats . . . but there are also swamps, mosquitoes, quick sand, venomous spiders, and getting lost! Homeschooling in a large family to boot is beautiful but messy.

Any time a Mama drafts a highly specific schedule for the day, she risks dashing her hopes and gnashing her teeth when the inevitable happens: illnesses, injuries, fights, discipline, diaper blow-outs, potty training accidents. On the contrary, I find that if a Mama aims for nothing and just figures "school will all work out," then she achieves little: without a map, a Mama doesn't know where she is going.

Thus, I try to draft a routine that has wide slots in which we are trying to achieve certain goals, which leaves buffer room within each hour/slot for the inevitable surprises. I don't know if I've done that below, but I sure have tried hard.

Proposed Family Routine 2016-2017

5:30     Mama’s alarm, exercise, devotionals

7:00     Mama wakes up any sleeping children

            Breakfast / Saint-of-the-Day

Time	Mama	John (4th)	Mary (2nd)	Margaret (K)	Joseph (3)	Thomas (1)
8:00-9:00	MARGARET'S HOUR	Music practice and theory	Music practice and theory	Kindergarten subjects with Mama	Preschool with Mama	Mama
9:00-10:00	MORNING BASKET HOUR	Morning Basket	Morning Basket	Morning Basket	Morning Basket	Morning Basket
10:00-11:00	JOHN'S HOUR	Spelling with Mama (10 mins.) Computer work: Math Facts Pro Teaching Textbook Typing Geography	Supervise younger siblings	Piano practice Supervised (fun activity) by Mary	Supervised (fun activity) by Mary	Supervised (fun activity) by Mary
11:00-12:00	MARY'S HOUR	Supervise younger siblings	Spelling with Mama (10 mins.) Computer work: Math Facts Pro Teaching Textbook Typing Geography	Supervised (fun activity) by John	Supervised (fun activity) by John	Supervised (fun activity) by John Early lunch?
12:00-1:00	Lunch	Lunch Recess / PE	Lunch Recess / PE	Lunch Recess / PE	Lunch Nap	Nap
1:00-3:00?	EXTRA HOUR of School Work (includes some teaching	Teaching with Mama: M-Composition W-Grammar Th-Geography CCE presentation Independent Work: History Religion Penmanship Latin Science	Teaching with Mama: W-Grammar Th-Geography CCE presentation Independent Work: History Religion Penmanship Science
Bedtime		Literature reading	Literature reading

Free play in late afternoon most days.

4:00     Afternoon daily chore (varies by day)

4:30     Big experimental change: Independent Reading Time (replaces TV): each child takes his stack of required independent books and reads in a separate room. Joseph (3) may watch TV on iPad. Mama is cooking dinner.

5:30     Dinner

7:30     Rosary with older children (needs to start by 7:30 in order to be completed on time)

7:00-8:30         Various bedtimes for children

8:30      Wife collapses in husbands arms