As mentioned before, The McGrew Crew is a homeschooling family. While we may not have the same time constraints as a normal school environment, setting schedules and making routines is necessary to assure we cram it all in. I will go over a few of the ways we get everything done around here.
To avoid wasting time in the morning I think it's important to set clear expectations from the beginning. I have three boys. Being their mom I know they won't work well for me if I put them straight to work out of bed. They are allowed to get up, eat breakfast, watch 1 show and/or play quietly in the morning. But by 8:30, the TV goes off and school starts. Having this routine helps everyone stay on task.
One way that I make sure I'm getting everything in during the day is my lesson plan...which I prefer as detailed as I have room for. I have learned that writing in pencil is necessary though, as flexibility is a must in teaching. This is my new lesson plan for the year:
As in regular school, having a plan written down helps anyone (grandparents, my hubby) be able to take over easily should I get sick or need to be gone.
Another way I try to use my time wisely is by putting 1 or 2 kids on computer lessons when I know someone will need my one-on-one help. Then I can switch kiddos and be able to give individual help to everyone without wasting precious school time!
My last idea for cramming it all in without wasting time is by being as organized as possible. Make your organization strategies be convenient not only for you, but for the kids. This is my favorite way to organize my kids work.
Each of my boys has a cart like the one above. The first 8 drawers have their school work and the last 2 are saved for special projects or assignments they're working on. Every night I will put a star on each subject box that needs to be completed for the day. If it's an assignment that can be finished independently they will remove the star and put it in the box, which tells me it's been completed. Any stars that are left tell me they needed help and couldn't finish it on their own.
Fitting everything in each day can sometimes seem impossible, but having a routine and organized classroom that is convenient and useful by everyone will keep you from wasting time.
HAPPY CRAMMING! ;~)
No comments:
Post a Comment