Schedule Schmedule

This week's question for The Old Schoolhouse Blog Cruise is  

"Do you follow traditional school

day/time/schedule/year?"

Short answer:
Kind of, but not exactly.  :)

Long answer:
I do have a plan for the year.  We do year-round schooling for many reasons.  Here are a few:

• Helps keep information fresh in the children's minds.  
• Can take a break whenever is necessary.
• Life doesn't just happen in two semesters a year
• Better preparation for when you are an adult and you don't get summer vacation and a big long break for the holidays.

So I plan to do our "normal, necessary" school for the main sessions and during the summer and holidays (or other needed breaks) we do "fun" school.  Lots more specific unit studies, activities and craft-ladden days.  I can also plan things that might take longer or a more focused time for the summers or breaks so none of their other school work gets disrupted.

For example, the last two summers we have planned themed weeks.  Mainly because our local movie theater has free movies during the summer.  So on the weeks we were going to be able to go to the movies I figured out what it was and planned our theme to coincide with the movie.  One of the movies was a Dr. Seuss movie so that week was Seuss themed.  The girls loved it and look forward to it each summer now.


I also have a plan for each week/day.  Well it's more an idea then a plan.  I know which subjects we are to do each day and which subjects that we only have to do weekly.  I'd love to say that my weekly or daily plans always work out, but that only happens in movieland.  I always make sure the essentials are completed.  Our essentials include math, reading, Bible, and some type of writing.   Our other subjects include, art, music, Latin, history, science, spelling, character training and nature study.

We also make sure they do home/life studies  regularly.  I think many people have not been taught from a young enough age of how to care for themselves, their personal belongings, their home, or others.  So we try to make sure that we concentrate on those areas throughout our week.

My daily schedule varies some.  We tend to try and begin school around 10a, and most days that works.  Some days (like today) start much late rdue to unforeseen circumstances.  [Today my husband was to start back teaching and going back to school tonight, but due to an ice/rain/sleet winter weather storm all schools have canceled classes.  We live in the south and they just do not know how to handle icy weather.]

So today's "school" consists of an online unit study, online math (that we are reviewing - so look for that review later this month), reading, and house work (taking down all the rest of the Christmas decorations and putting away a lot of items.)

Our school day usually goes until around 3p with lunch somewhere in there and at least one other break.  However, we have been known to have school well into the evening if errands or visits come up out of the blue.

So there you have it.  Our schedule schmedule!  So how do you do school?  Are you thinking you may have to change it up?  I would love to hear fro you about your ideas.  Oh! Be sure and read how others schedule over at the Blog Cruise.