Hey everyone,
I have been trying to post resources, but I have heard from a lot of parents that they aren’t sure what to do with some of them when to use them, how much do they do, etc, so I decided to post some of our current general weekly schedule (though it changes often), so people can see if that gives them any ideas of what might work for their own kids and lives. Every family has a way of doing this that is unique to them, so this is just our very personal way, as it works right now, for those who asked.
I am purposely leaving it very flexible, so you can fill it in with whatever materials you have and activities your kids will easily participate in.
Usually, we have several groups and activities outside (one might say too many sometimes) such as dance, martial arts, piano, playgroups, field trip groups, poetry, swimming, choir, math and arts coop, Ethics for Children, robotics teams, nature survival, etc. I have tried to keep some of those in some format, though without all the friends (we miss you!) and with a more flexible structure.
For some clarity, Tahra is 7.5 years old but is currently working on a 4th-grade curriculum, so the amount of time can go up or down according to the grade and age group. We were probably doing 5-10 minutes less a year ago.
So below is a sample week (COVID edition):
MONDAY:
Morning:
– She plays for a little while (she isn’t usually hungry when she wakes up)
– Breakfast
– About 20-30 minutes of Math (workbooks and some mental math and a math game or manipulatives).
– About 20-30 minutes of grammar and writing (workbooks, some oral and written practice).
– A few minutes of dancing, stretching or a martial arts form.
– Music Theory – One or 2 pages of a workbook or one of the websites we really like such as Prodigies Series. She loves their exercises and has done the whole series and is now doing the Ukelele lessons. They usually target younger kids, but the most recent lessons are good for older kids as well.
– About 10 minutes of Piano practice.
– Music appreciation – We either pick a composer a week and read about them and listen to their music, or use one of the resources HERE.
– About 10-20 minutes of diverse topics such as: Architecture, Law, Engineering, Graphic Design or one of her current topics of interest.
– About 20-30 minutes of Science (using a workbook or a science website, such as the ones HERE). This will go on longer if we are doing a science experiment of some sort, which tends to happen once or twice a week. When we do, she is the one that decides how long we are going to spend on it by her level of interest.
Classes with other teachers:
– Varied classes, online group classes that can vary from book clubs to drawing dogs, usually at a site such as Outschool, which is a favorite.
Throughout the day:
Playtime, reading, building, singing, which now includes doing some Zoom video chats with friends. We tend to avoid screens unless it is for a particular objective (coding, a particular resource or online concert), but each family knows what works for them.
At least 1-2 hours of physical activity or nature time – Online Yoga, an obstacle course, and either some ball outside, roller-blading, stilts, or some scootering (in a quiet street and maintaining social distancing), going to the park ( though currently, that requires that we hide in the woods to keep social distancing)
We used to do that all day long and spend endless hours in the park with friends a week, so this has been a huge change for us.
Gardening or cooking – Which is always an excuse to measure things in different ways, doing one day in pounds and ounces, one day in kilograms or grams, quarts or liters, inches or centimeters.
Some of the toys she rediscovered since that have helped during rainy days are:
– Geospace Jumparoo Deluxe Bungee Boing Foam Bouncing Toy
– HearthSong Adjustable Ergonomic Amazing Featz Kids Stiltz
and
– SereneLife Portable & Foldable Trampoline
Before bed:
We have a pretty long bedtime routine. It is actually a big part of our homeschooling. We take turns reading with Tahra. She picks which books she will read to us and we pick the books we are reading to her.
We usually read nightly (a chapter of each, or a whole book if they are short):
One book in Portuguese
One comic book in Portuguese
Bedtime Math app (we do all questions nightly)
One book about science, world culture, poetry or art topics.
One living history or social justice-related book.
One storybook from a series she is into.
TUESDAY:
Morning:
– She plays for a little while
– Breakfast
– About 20-30 minutes of Math (workbooks and some mental math and a math game or manipulatives).
– About 20-30 minutes of poetry (we usually read some, she works on memorizing one she likes, and writes her own).
– A few minutes of dancing, stretching or a martial arts form.
– Social Studies (one or 2 pages of a workbook).
– About 20-30 minutes of Geography or History – We usually choose a country a week and look for things about it all week. Music, cook some food, art, music, famous people, main historic events, maps, etc. We tend to start by watching Geography Now or something similar.
– About 10-20 minutes Second Language practice (workbooks, or one of our websites or apps such as Duolingo or Mondly. In her case, her second language is Portuguese, but there are many others on these sites.)
– Art appreciation – We either pick an artist or art style a week and read about them and look for their work. Then we do an art project related to them or their style. How long we spend on this depends on Tahra and her interest. For those looking for a good book with some diversity and that also includes historic events, I highly suggest:
Vincent’s Starry Night and Other Stories: A Children’s History of Art
– About 20-30 minutes of Coding or Robotics (using a couple of websites such as code.org or a little programable robot we have built.)
Throughout the day:
– Playtime, reading, building, singing.
– At least 1-2 hours of physical activity or nature time.
– Board Games. A couple of the ones we like that are:
Cytosis – A cell biology game
SmartGames IQ Puzzler Pro – Brain Teaser for Ages 6 & Up
Valence Card Game – Have fun with Chemistry
Brain Games Kids
Ticket to Ride – Travel through the USA ( other versions also include different countries and continents)
SET: The Family Game of Visual Perception
Before bed:
We usually read nightly (a chapter of each, or a whole book if they are short):
One book in Portuguese
One comic book in Portuguese
Bedtime Math app (we do all questions nightly)
One book about science, world culture, poetry or art topics.
One living history or social justice-related book.
One storybook from a series she is into.
WEDNESDAY:
Morning:
– She plays for a little while
– Breakfast
– About 20-30 minutes of Math (workbooks and some mental math and a math game or manipulatives).
– About 20-30 minutes of Narration and Journaling – I will read her a story or book, or she reads it herself, and she retells the story to her stuffed animals in as many details as she can remember. Then I pretend to be the animal and ask her many questions about it. Basically, it is verbal reading and comprehension. Sometimes the animals create a multiple-choice sheet for her to answer “with the questions they need her help with”. She also does a little journaling, with writing and drawing. That can take as long as she wants to take with it.
– A few minutes of dancing, stretching or a martial arts forms.
— Music Theory – One or 2 pages of a workbook or one of the websites we really like such as Prodigies Series.
– About 10 minutes of Piano practice.
– Music appreciation – We either pick a composer a week and read about them and listen to their music, or use one of the resources HERE.
– About 10-20 minutes of Geography or History
– About 10-20 minutes of Classics – We snuggle and read classics from different parts of the world, such as Indian Mythology stories, Shakespeare or Greek Mythology. We tend to focus on one topic for the whole month and read books at night on that topic. The morning time is focused on vocabulary, making up sentences with words we learned, watching videos about the topic or putting it into a larger geographical or historic perspective.
Classes with other Teachers:
– Varied classes, online group classes that can vary from book clubs to drawing dogs, usually at a site such as Outschool, which is a favorite.
Throughout the day:
– Playtime, reading, building.
– At least 1-2 hours of physical activity or nature time.
Gardening or cooking
– Listening to Podcasts such as Brains on, Classics for Kids, Bedtime History, Story Pirates, Wow in the World, Storynook, Tumble Science and so many more.
Before bed:
We usually read nightly (a chapter of each, or a whole book if they are short):
One book in Portuguese
One comic book in Portuguese
Bedtime Math app (we do all questions nightly)
One book about science, world culture, poetry or art topics.
One living history or social justice-related book.
One storybook from a series she is into.
THURSDAY:
Morning:
– She plays for a little while (she isn’t usually hungry when she wakes up)
– Breakfast
– About 20-30 minutes of Math (workbooks and some mental math and a math game or manipulatives).
– About 20-30 minutes of Grammar, vocabulary and Copywrite (A few pages of a workbook involving grammar and/or vocabulary, then she copies a passage from one of the classics she liked that used a lot of new words, or writes a passage in the style of what she read).
– A few minutes of dancing, stretching or a martial arts forms.
– About 10 minutes of Piano practice.
– About 10-20 minutes of Science (using a workbook or a science website, such as the ones HERE).
– About 10-20 minutes Second Language practice (workbooks, or one of our websites or apps such as Duolingo or Mondly.).
Classes with other teachers:
– Piano class which used to be live, but is now a Zoom class with her teacher.
Throughout the day:
– Playtime, reading, building, singing.
– At least 1-2 hours of physical activity or nature time.
– Meditation or Mindfulness – We try to practice meditation or mindfulness exercises at least once a week.
Before bed:
We usually read nightly (a chapter of each, or a whole book if they are short):
One book in Portuguese
One comic book in Portuguese
Bedtime Math app (we do all questions nightly)
One book about science, world culture, poetry or art topics.
One living history or social justice-related book.
One storybook from a series she is into.
FRIDAY:
Morning:
– She plays for a little while (she isn’t usually hungry when she wakes up)
– Breakfast
– About 20-30 minutes of Math (workbooks and some mental math and a math game or manipulatives).
– About 10-20 minutes of Logic or Philosophy. We either do logic games, riddles or discuss a philosophical dilemma or concept.
– About 20-30 minutes of Narration and Journaling
– A few minutes of dancing, stretching or a martial arts forms.
– About 10 minutes of Piano practice.
– About 10-20 minutes of Science (using a workbook or a science website, such as the ones HERE).
– About 10-20 minutes Second Language practice (workbooks, or one of our websites or apps).
Classes with other teachers:
– Portuguese lesson which she takes with a teacher using a website called Verbling
Throughout the day:
– Playtime, reading, building, singing.
– At least 1-2 hours of physical activity or nature time.
– Invention or large building project using tools or mechanical devices – which tends to continue throughout the weekend.
Before bed:
Documentary night ( we usually watch a documentary on Fridays or during the weekend)
We usually read nightly (a chapter of each, or a whole book if they are short):
One book in Portuguese
One comic book in Portuguese
Bedtime Math app (we do all questions nightly)
One book about science, world culture, poetry or art topics.
One living history or social justice-related book.
One storybook from a series she is into.
In general, our schedule changes every couple of months, and it has been deeply affected by the pandemic. We do that because we change the curriculum depending on what Tahra needs at each point. She is also part of the team that decides what she is working on. Though I will assign her things she might not particularly enjoy doing, it is usually part of an agreement about giving her choices to select some of the material we use. Collaboration has helped curb a lot of the complaining days and push back. I design the schedule with her, explaining which parts are necessary and why, and she helps choose the materials that help us work on it and I add what I feel might be missing.
It can be a dance sometimes, but it works best when done with joy and levity. Understand that everyone is stressed (including the kids), that our whole lives have changed temporarily, and let’s be kind to each other and try to enjoy our time together. Adapt, adjust, and you will find something that works for you.
Best of luck.
