When I was starting to think about homeschooling, I did NOT want to have a schedule, not that I don’t crave order or structure, it’s just that the most readily available books on homeschooling in my library were written by un-schoolers, and I thought that I’d be too un-responsive to my kid’s educational passions if I had a schedule. I also know how task oriented I get if I have a list – oh I LOVE lists, but I’m not always lovable while I’m fixated on one.
So with my foot surgery looming this Thursday, and being able to describe what the kids expect as a normal day being a good idea as I’m about to pass them off on my Mom, DH, and my in-laws, I made the slightly snarky chart from the last entry. I truly was surprised by how predicable our days are.
One thing that jumps out to me is that when M has been telling me that he’s bored, he’s not just complaining. I really need to focus on him more.
I downloaded Susan Wise Bauer’s talk from Amazon last May about the Joys of Classical Education. It made a lot of sense that a grammar stage child’s greatest need is for things to be the same, as they don’t realy know what to expect out of time yet. M is always asking what day it is (and not just because he wants a turn at warzone 2010, or BZ Flag, which are only allowed on weekends). He doesn’t know yet. I’ve been avoiding time to go home now meltdowns at the park since B was a toddler by giving a heads up, "You have time for one more slide, then we are leaving." I learned that trick at a class on personality in children at a conference on childcare, my neighbor organized it for the local day care centers for getting the credit hours their workers needed.
Since May, I’ve been reminding M of what day it is, and helping him get oriented to the week. This Sunday he gleefully announced at breakfast that today was Sunday, and that meant Sunday school.
I also took a book out of the library on toddlers and sleep. I can dream can’t I?