Estimated Time: 2 hours
Family Stats: Just-Home Mom with 4 children: I have one 1st Grader, one Kindergartener, one Preschooler, and one Toddler!
My Workspace / Classroom: Our homeschool space is located in our partially finished basement. We have one long table and chairs. A few cupboards line the walls of the classroom, holding our books and supplies. I only have one main wall on which a one large cork board hangs. One whole side of my classroom is made of a curtain. In order to use this space, I used safety pins to display posters and memory work items on the curtain.
Off to one side we also have a small separate table and chair for a child to work independently. Off to one side we have a cozy reading nook made out of out of a bench and pillow.
Regardless of the time I have, for our week to be a success, I must stick to my plan and make the magic of school happen. So, when I do get my allotted time, how do I prepare?
My teacher space is limited. So I use a binder to keep all my materials lists, handbooks and
extra
notes in. I have a small space on cupboard where I place my laptop during school time. I have a printer scanner, extra ink, and extra paper on top of a file cabinet. I keep all my teacher supplies and extra art supplies behind the curtain in labeled containers.
Everyone has his or her own way of doing things. For example, my husband is very particular about how he loads the dishwasher, but I could care less. I say,” throw those dirty dishes in and start that sucker already.”
When it comes to homeschooling, the same kinds of differences in preferences exist. In my own homeschooling, I strive for at least 2 hours of planning. Sometimes it works just as I intended with ample time quietly to think, prepare, print, and arrange the upcoming week’s assignments. Other times, my time to prepare ends up being the night before. Yep! It happens to all of us. This is simply not a fun way to prepare a homeschool day. Let me tell you, these throw-it-together nights make for a horrible next day.
First, I begin with a short prayer. Something like, “Lord help me think clearly, act quickly and teach these little ones to be more like you.” The idea is it’s short, and precise.
I then open the Schola Rosa Suite and quickly read any news on the home page. Once, I have opened the new unit and have printed the handbook, I’m ready to start. I spend some time looking over details for the upcoming week. I highlight the parts that apply to my children.
Next, I open each subject folder and print what I need for the whole week’s worth of lessons and activities.
After I have prepped my Schola Rosa work. I spend some time adding my own embellishments to our homeschool room.
I put three different types of activates into white wash tubs, we call these tubs Learning Tubs. They are numbered 1, 2, 3 each containing differing activities with differing difficulty levels. The learning tubs gives my children the opportunity to have free time to discover, explore and learn with out my help.
Then, I prepare my calendar board. I hang up my printed memory work slides. Change out the daily calendar. I hang up the new printed, laminated McGuffey alphabet cards and my homemade Latin word cards. Lastly, I set out a few books on one the topics we are learning about. These are books I have around the house and or the preschool book of the week then I’m done.
All set!