New Ideas for School

As I was praying for ideas and solutions God answered my prayer. I am trying a few new things for our school. School is taking way too long. One of the benefits of homeschooling is free time for the children to play outside and explore their interests. I have found that one on one (or one on three) tutoring goes much quicker than in a traditional classroom. There are benefits to both models of education but I prefer home education. So, I do not want to be working on our school work at 6 pm.

1. Instead of our usual big breakfast and family devotions during breakfast I bought 50 yogurts. Each child can have his breakfast when he/she gets up. We will do our family devotions at lunch.

2. I set up lunch trays with Play dough for Ollie and Abby while I work with Christian and Gillianne. I only put out a few of the play dough toys. The downstairs is gated before school so the special activity doesn't lose it's luster by 6am. I made a pile and will read some of the readalouds to everyone. We will have a snack at a set time.

3. I bought a case of English muffins to have English muffin pizzas for lunch. Not the healthiest but easy for now. I also planned easy dinners for the next few weeks.

4. I clipped Sophie's chair to the school table so she can sit with us and doesn't get into the play dough.

The main gist of it is that everyone needs to be downstairs when school is in session. My friends Nanette came up with the concept and God helped me to flesh it out. These changes may seem minor but I hope they contribute to having a better flow to our days.