2013-2014 Proposed Routine for a Classical Conversations Family

**UPDATE**
For a downloadable, detailed planner, click here.
*********

I used to throw around words like “schedule” when I talked about our homeschool days.  Going into our third year and 3 additional kids later, I know better.  Routines are better because they are not time dependent but help us create patterns of behavior that keep my 4 kids from hard places feeling a little more secure. I also know that what’s in my head right now might not work, but here’s hoping.

Our biggest challenges last year were having 3 kids who needed me constantly and 2 more who needed me most of the time and 1 who always got the short end of the stick.  It was also tough not having John, Kayla, and Grace formally in CC.  This year, everyone will be in Foundations and the 4 oldest will all be in Essentials.

Last year, I tended to hand out work in the morning in amounts that I expected to be finished that day.  It created a lot of bottle necks and down time while kids waited for me to be available.  I also fought a lot of battles while the big kids adjusted to a new academic standard.

Moving forward, each child will have a notebook that will have enough work to keep him busy (even if I’m not available to help).

I will guarantee each child an allotted amount of undivided attention from me.  When the time is up, I move on to the next kid or next task I need to accomplish.  If it’s not a child’s one-on-one time, their questions have to wait.  Move to another section of the notebook and keep working.  If all else fails, find a book, or sit with your memory work.  This will hopefully curb the amount of people incessantly calling my name during school.  We’re doing a modified version of this now as we work through some summer work and it’s working well.

Wow, that was a long prelude to our actual routine.

Here are my best laid intentions: