I’m not the only one who shakes things up in January when we return to our homeschooling routine after our extended hiatus. We are not great at sticking to strict schedules, even though we’re ready for structure (whether or not the kids are aware of it). Routines, though? We love them.
From our start in July until the end of 2022, I began reading our unit while they ate their breakfast. I’ve always found that meals are a great time to read because there is a captive audience. This worked for us when we read Beautiful Feet History or just read aloud in general. It was a little different with Gather Round.
Gather Round is a simple concept: You read the same pages/paragraphs to each child, and then they are given their notebooks for that level. My kids would often look through their workbooks as I read, which led to a chaotic, unfocused and hurried school day. I decided to change things up in our second half of the school year. What I changed was:
- Implementing slower mornings. Most of my work is done in the early morning, and I enjoy taking Finley for a walk. Sleep is a favorite activity for my kids. Homeschooling has its perks, so I changed my expectations of when we should start the day. They set their alarms to 8:15 but are not expected to arrive at school until 9:30. It gives them more time to get up and start the day in a peaceful manner.
- I cook for my family as a way to show them how much I care. But I also realized that my kids were at an age where they could (and should be able to) make their own breakfast. We switched to them making their own breakfast in the morning. Next, get dressed and prepare for the day. As they are doing this, I have more time to do my computer work, dress myself, care for the dog, etc.
- Use the homeschool/playroom. I’m not sure if it will stick, but for now, I like having everyone meet in the playroom instead of at the kitchen table. We can leave materials in the playroom instead of lugging them around.
- Performing the extended activities. It’s not something I take pride in, but sometimes I just want to “check the box”. It could be that I skip the videos recommended or don’t take the time to collect the materials for an activity. It’s not surprising that my children enjoy those parts most. I will commit to doing them. It’s been great fun in the first week. Next week, we’ll be getting together with other friends who are also studying chemistry to do a full day of experiments. We’re pumped.