The Fall Schedule
Do unschoolers schedule their learning? Why, yes. Having a schedule has not made our household anything like traditional school.
What it has done is created a tool that allows a shift-working Daddy to come home and know where we are in our day, even if it's at a different time than he came home yesterday. It also allows energetic, inquisitive children to know where they're supposed to be at, even when they're miles ahead of a worn-thin Mommy.
Our days this fall are divided into slots of varying length, mostly half-hours. Those half-hours are when everybody's got their own activity to keep them busy. Since there are four kids, there are four half-hours on the list. The kids rotate through music practice, typing practice, art and math.
The longer slots are family times. These include 45 minutes to work on our trip journal, an hour to read while folding laundry, and a variable amount of outdoor time in the afternoons.
The downside is that we're finding the allowances for housekeeping and meals aren't adequate. But, unless it's piano and dance lesson day, we just let the time slots flex to fit the kids. Not everything gets done every day, but something gets done every day. And that's what counts. Slow and steady wins the race.
What it has done is created a tool that allows a shift-working Daddy to come home and know where we are in our day, even if it's at a different time than he came home yesterday. It also allows energetic, inquisitive children to know where they're supposed to be at, even when they're miles ahead of a worn-thin Mommy.
Our days this fall are divided into slots of varying length, mostly half-hours. Those half-hours are when everybody's got their own activity to keep them busy. Since there are four kids, there are four half-hours on the list. The kids rotate through music practice, typing practice, art and math.
The longer slots are family times. These include 45 minutes to work on our trip journal, an hour to read while folding laundry, and a variable amount of outdoor time in the afternoons.
The downside is that we're finding the allowances for housekeeping and meals aren't adequate. But, unless it's piano and dance lesson day, we just let the time slots flex to fit the kids. Not everything gets done every day, but something gets done every day. And that's what counts. Slow and steady wins the race.
Labels: Unschooling
1 Comments:
My daughter has recently really blossomed in taking responsibility for her own schedule and work. It has been such a delight for me.
Dana
Principled Discovery
By Dana, At December 2, 2007 9:36 PM
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