Mary Ellen: A home school day with five, aged 2-11 years.7:00 am:
I am awakened by my two-year-old daughter's, "Good morny mommy!!". I am supposed to be up at 6:00 am, but evenings are the only time I have to myself and I usually stay up late a couple of nights per week. I get out of bed, dress quickly and find my 11-year-old has made me a pot of coffee. The children are all sitting down eating breakfast. The older ones have helped the little ones. I join them with my cup of coffee.7:30
After everyone is through eating, the 11 and 8-year-olds clear and wipe the table and counters, then get dressed. Meanwhile, I get the 2yo dressed and tell the 4yo and 6yo to dress.8:00
I yell out to everyone it is time for school. We skip our 1/2 hr of morning prayer. 11yo son (ADHD) forgot to take his medicine and goes back to the kitchen. The other kids are loud while they play in the classroom. (We had an extremely large walk -in closet for a classroom until this week when we divided the great room into two rooms; a classroom and family area.) 11yo comes into the classroom as 2yo asks for a bottle. I go get the bottle and when I return the children have dispersed!8:20
I call the children back. I hand 4 multiplication sheets and 1 division drill sheet to my 8yo son, and an addition and subtraction sheet to my 6yo son, who whines. I begin instructing my 4yo daughter with her alphabet book and math book , and invite the 2 yo to join in and color, which she does not want to do, so I put a Pooh tape in the VCR for her. My 11yo son has his own lesson plan book and is quietly doing his history reading.8:50
4yo daughter is finished with school and goes off to play with 2yo daughter in the family area. 11yo son begins his Latin study. I instruct the 6 and 8 yo children in Bible/Catechism today. We alternate days; Bible/Catechism study on Tues. and Thurs., Primary Language Lessons text on Mon and Fri..We are composing a Bible history book. I read the Bible story, and then they each narrate the story to me while I write their words down on a sheet of notebook paper. The oldest must copy his into his binder. I simply insert the 6yo's into his binder. Then we work on the catechism questions and answers, chanting them back and forth.9:15
4 yo joins us again and sits at her desk with her coloring activity book and coffee-can filled with crayons, scissors, glue etc. 6yo is given a phonics page to do. I do intense spelling with 11yo and 8yo. We start with a daily test of dictated words, mark the mistakes and carefully go over all the words mispelled: The children MUST correct the words by remembering rules, phonograms and patterns. I will only guide them! They each have to spell back to me the words that they missed as I write them on the board. Then they have to do a Spelling Power study sheet. The 2 yo still does not want to join us, wants TB (TV), so I turn "Little Bear" on for her.10:15
6yo, 4yo, and 2yo go outside in the fenced in area. I keep a window open to listen as I instruct the 11 yo in "Singapore's Primary Math". 8yo does copy work from "Little David Copperfield" by Charles Dickens10:45
8yo goes outside; I call 6yo back in for reading, after his reading he copies two sentences in his copybook. 11 yo goes into another room to work on his math assignment.11:15
6yo is told to put away the clean dishes. As always he whines, but has been improving since his computer time was taken away for whining over having to do dishes. 8yo is called in to do Primary Math. 4 and 2 yo old are called in and go upstairs to play in their room. 11yo reads from his catechism textbook or Bible and study guide. We alternate those classes quarterly.11:20
Girls are repremanded for fighting. 6yo is scolded for bothering 11yo and for abandoning his job.11:45
Mom calls for a much needed lunch break! The children disperse and I call certain children back into the kitchen if help is needed.12:00
Lunch is on: We do the table blessing in Latin, then eat!12:15
The older two boys clean up as mom washes off the 2yo and changes her diaper.12:30
Recess!! Computer time for Mom.1:00
Children are called back to the classroom. 2yo joins us this time and proceeds to draw on paper, then peels the labels off of the crayons.
11yo works on finishing his Latin, 8yo works on a phonics sheet or Geography while I instruct the 6yo in math.1:30
6yo does math assignment. I listen to 8yo read and 11yo works on poetry or latin prayer memorization.
2:00
8 and 11yo do Shurley Grammar level 6 with me. Girls watch TV2:50
I dictate a passage to my 11yo from Little David Copperfield. He has dictation on M T Th and copybook on W F. He corrects the work alone. 8 yo finishes his math assignment then works on memorization of poetry or latin prayers.3:00
I work on the Writing Road to Reading program with the 6yo.3:30
School is dismissed a 1/2 hour late. 8yo is detained for an incomplete assignment. I take the girls to their room, read them a book and put them down for a nap. Free time for the boys until 5:30 when they must be in to help with dinner prep and evening chores. I kick back and relax until 5:30.What a day!! I must add, when the children are through with an assignment they must bring them to me, and I immediately grade them, hand them back and have the child correct them. No paper is complete until it is 100% correct! I use an egg timer to keep us moving and on schedule.
"Dona Nobis Pacem"
Mary Ellen
My Brood: Jacob 11, Nathan 8, Matthew 6, Joanna 4, and Elizabeth 2
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