A Day In The Life

We truly do not have an exact schedule around here other then we study certain subjects on certain days and have certain chores to be done on these days as well. As far as a routine time that we get up and get started with our schooling is concerned that isn’t even set in stone.

I am always up early, Selena gets up between 7:30 and 8:00. After the beds are made we fix breakfast. Selena has been working real hard at making sure I know just how independent she is, and so long as the jug of milk isn’t too full she will pour her own milk. One morning I gave her a glass of milk with her cold cereal and a spoon. She looked at me so funny, I then told her she could pour her own milk on her cereal. She stood up put her hands on her hips only to inform me that the milk in her glass was for drinking, and I just needed to go get the milk and pour some on her cereal. My kids use to love to make their own cereal, not Selena.

After breakfast we take our time at getting dressed, sometimes I admit we just spend the morning in our pajamas. I try to get Selena to settle down by 10:00 to get our formal lesson done, usually she is pretty good to do just that, sometimes she wants to start earlier though, I just tend to follow her lead on those days. We do our lesson until Selena gets squirmy or I feel she has achieved enough to move on to some hands on activities which take place throughout the day.

At this point I let Selena watch one TV show, well cartoon, then it is time to do something educational again. We will play a game or read a book, something that is going to reinforce what ever our lesson was for the day. Sometimes Selena has different ideas of what she wants to learn, and so long as it doesn’t take forever to put the materials needed together we go with her lead.

By noon Selena helps me fix our lunch and we sit down to eat. Sometimes we read a book while we eat and other times we just sit and talk. When we are done eating we start our chores. Selena loves to help dust, vacuum, sweep, mop the floors, and load or unload the dishwasher. When this is done, I have Selena go in and have at least an hour of down time. She usually falls asleep, and will nap for a good hour if not an hour and a half.

When she gets up, we start getting ready for Papa to come home. If everything is done and the weather is permitting we will head outside for some fun in the yard. Once Papa is home then it is his time to see everything that Selena did through the day, and I fix dinner. We spend the evenings as a family either outside or sitting around the living room playing, talking, reading or playing a game.

Selena goes to bed at 9:00. After she is tucked into bed, I will go and log what we did learn in school, areas I feel we still need to work on, and prepare the lesson for the next day. We are all in bed by 10:00.

As you can see we really are pretty relaxed here, so far it is working very well for us. As long as it is working I do not plan on moving towards a more structured routine. I love the non structured atmosphere, and love allowing Selena to direct so much of her learning throughout the day.