Scheduling notes for the AO/MA 2014-15 school year

Hi Friends,

Many of you are in scheduling mode right now and asking for help, so here is our routine/schedule for the upcoming school year using AO Years 0, 2, 3, 12. (Mater Amabilis years Prep, 1B and Year 2 of 1A)

Page one is the schedule, which I based on my combined experiences at Basic Combat Training in the US Army and with Carmelite monastic life, because I'm crazy like that... and it works. True story.
Page two is the gritty details... what exactly we are up to.

As before, we have three formations (we call them consilium)-- one in the morning, one after naps, and one in the evening.  I'm toying with the idea of having afternoons be poetry AND music and opening up the evenings more because we always have company at night... we shall see as we go along.

I'm schooling three elementary children, tutoring one high school senior, and entertaining a toddler, and "academics" go til noon. Haven't used this much yet (although it's close to what we did last year) so it may need some tweaking, but this is the general plan. I'll keep you posted as far as how it seems to be working.

A couple notes:

I don't combine years. Each kid gets cycled through time with me, youngest to oldest. Kids can get up whatever time they want and join me in that morning routine as long it's AFTER 6:30 and BY 7:30. Obviously, there are days where.... yeah. It's not happening. That's why we school year roundish (we break for advent, lent, and a month in the summer but usually keep "schooling" lightly because CMing is a life.

We don't snack. Meals are an event around here. They take a while, and since we cook from scratch, they require prep. Also, we ALL nap. If you're not sleeping, you are having a "quiet time." That's when freereads goes down.

Wednesday nights we do a book study/bible study or prayer group in the community so that is pretty open. Workbaskets are just random tups full of whatever handicrafts the kids are into at the time (Sewing, knitting, spinning, woodworking, whatever)
The "phases" are what they do to make soldiers in BCT, and I use it in the same way-- as a guideline to help me know how to provide the right environment/ oversight to each kid. Kids are cycled through as needed.

In keeping with "Education is a discipline, atmosphere, and life" we aren't going to do much breaking from good habits this year to see if that helps with the Mondays. ;) As before our observation of the Hebrew Catholic liturgical year makes for a good mix of ordinary and holy moments throughout the week.
Hydration just means I make sure they drink some water.... and I think the rest is pretty self-explanatory.
Don't be put off by the military mindset.... our days feel relaxed and it plays out as naturally as breathing.

Feel free to ask questions in the comments!
Good luck, I'm praying for you in your planning!

Nesbitt Routines 2014/15 by Barbie Nesbitt

Planning Days

When I think about planning, my main goal is to keep it simple.

Trouble is... I enjoy planning. Probably a little too much!

While spending time doing homeschool planning is something I enjoy, it's not something I need to do too much of at this stage in life when I'm juggling school for the kids, school for myself, the demands of home life, of caring for my sick father in law, of and marriage and parenthood with young children. I could spend all day immersed in my lists, but at the end of the day, the only thing that matters is what I did, not what I planned.

So if you're like me, you'll need a system...and  here's how I have worked it out.

Just like staying organized or clean or growing in prayer, homeschool planning requires regular time and attention.

The formula I have used this year is super simple, but it works really well and I hope to stick to it in following years. I have each of these scheduled into my calendar as much as possible.... with the only ones I've slacked in being co-op, and that's for a good reason (babies! Ah!!!)
By next year I hope to have co-op days regularly scheduled each month as well.

YEARLY
1 yearly curriculum review and planning retreat day (full day with goal setting, curriculum selection and review, evaluation of the previous year, checking in with those pesky govt. requirements etc.)
2 bi-annual philosophy/method retreat days (one in the spring and one in the fall, preferably with like-minded friends and family. Some people go to conventions.... I like to get together and dig in with friends and hear what they are up to, and pray together.)

MONTHLY
1 monthly evaluation session (as easy as ten minutes with a cup of coffee & a notebook on the deck) that includes a one-subject review (for example, focusing on history, or math)
1 monthly method session (studying CM, praying, and chatting with husband or friends)
2 bi-monthly co-op days (I do mine on first and third Fridays.. or will when we get back in gear here.)

WEEKLY
1 weekly lesson planning day (I do mine on Sunday evenings and love it that way)
At least 1 weekly blog post or journal entry about the journey

DAILY
1 morning check-in with my CM study group on facebook for info/inspiration and a prayer covering.
1 evening check-in with my notes for the following day.

That's it!
It's enough to satisfy my inner love of list-making and book-reviewing and coffee with friends, while making sure to keep me on track. It's also enough to make sure I'm on top of my goals, enough to make sure my kids don't come to the table in the morning and find me empty handed.... and enough to ensure we are always growing and learning in Charlotte's methods and ideas and doing our part to share them with others.

If you have a system that works for you, I'd love to hear about it!

Principles of scheduling

Last year's Year 0 books

It's FINALLY spring again, and I bet I'm not the only one working on homeschooling plans for next year!

I've been working on next year's schedule for weeks, it seems, and making very little headway.
Part of the reason, I realized, was that I didn't have a vision in mind--- or rather, I had an end goal but few concrete steps to help me achieve it.
I mean, yes, of course, we have the methods to go by.... we know what Charlotte wanted us to do, and how often. But the methods are only half  the battle in scheduling. I also needed to evaluate what things and activities were important to my family, to discern our strengths and weaknesses, and to give thought to my husband's and children's preferences. I need to consider what has been working for us and what needs to go.

I admit that I'm daunted by the prospect of having three kids in three different AO years and soon four kids in four different AO years. Those I've spoken with who have done it have called it glorious, but I'm not walking the path yet so from down here it just looks.... frightening. :D

Over and over I've worked out scenarios in my head. Should I teach all the children at once, which results in running around and heart palpitations and stress? Or one at a time? Should I be done by twelve or go all day? Should I do one subject per day or switch them up and do them all every day? There are so many decisions to make, and each one of them could be the critical thing that gets my school year off to the wrong start come the first fall breeze.

Over the past year I've tried and retried at least six different organizers, planners, scheduling worksheets, etc. Each one of them worked well but needed tweaking. So as I sat here, last night, trying to re-write next year's schedule, I suddenly realized that before I can write the schedule I need to have some principles, and not just the CM methods,  in mind.

Now yours may be very different, but I thought I would share what I came up with, because to me this is the stuff that makes this whole home education endeavor glorious--- when we inspire one another.

So, without further ado.... my new principles of scheduling.
1. We work around the liturgical year, and NOT the "school year."
2. We use CM's methods (short lessons/perfect execution/living books and narration etc.)
3. We schedule one subject per day of the week
4. We go by checklists and not time slots
5. We schedule a quiet time each day, masterly inactivity, and outdoor time.
6. We have each kid in their own year, but we combine subjects where we can.
7. We don't have to fit it ALL in each week, because when the weather changes here in the Carolinas,so does our schooling style.
8. A little bit every day goes a long way.
9.  We keep in mind that education is a discipline, an atmosphere and a life.
10. We schedule chores and habits into our work day and we know when to stop and play.

There are some things we do every day:

Morning and evening prayer
Hymn Study
Catechism
Bible reading and memorization
Crossfit
Yoga
Folk Song study
Habit training
Arithmetic
Copywork or dictation
Foreign language
Reading/Recitation
Voice or Musical instrument
Poetry
Masterly Inactivity
Outdoor Time
Quiet time
Free Reading
Chores

And some things we do once a week:

The Rosary
Confession and Divine Liturgy
Picture Study
Literature
Fine Arts
Geography
Science
History
Picture study
Music theory
Art theory
Music study
Shakespeare
Plutarch
Dance
Torah Study
Gospel Study
Handicrafts/ Life skills
Nature Study and journals
Map Drills
Prayer journals
Book of Centuries
Commonplace books
Shabbat dinners
Havdalah

And some things we do once a month:

Purge toys/books/clothes
History overview week
History Projects week
Formal science lessons
Family service project

And some things we do once a year:

Birthdays
Anniversaries
Liturgical feasts
Family events
Community events

Now, if I could just get that schedule written.... ;)