Our older children use weekly check-off lists for their school work and successfully plan their own week. Somehow, this year I had forgotten that little ones can’t manage that. Oops!!
Little ones need their work for the day planned out. They need to know when they’re done each day because they cannot decide that for themselves. No wonder they kept rushing off to play every time my back was turned!
So I’ve just finished typing up a chart for both of the Little Misses (ages 9 and 7) that lists the work that we’re planning to do for each day of the week. This will, hopefully, increase the girls’ learning and reduce my frustration. Some things are done everyday (Quarter Mile math, regular math, reading/phonics/English, Rosetta Stone Dutch, organ, and recorder) and others are done less often.
I hope these charts will help the Little Misses with their daily work and will also remind me to work with them on the things we don’t do every day, such as nature walks, picture study, history, science, and PE. Not only the girls were running away from their work; I was doing the same thing, figuratively speaking. With our new charts, we’ll all be more accountable, and I’m hoping that will make a difference.
I have to write everything down or I forget, too. It goes back to my nurses' training. "If it wasn't written down, it wasn't done." They drilled that over and over.
Jenn
Groan. I will have to take this as confirmation that we need a little kids' schedule here. You are right. They need to be told what to do next, and they don't know when they are finished. And Mom lets them get away with lots of minimal-effort days. I have known for years that a schedule is a need here. It's totally contrary to my make-up, which is probably all the more reason why we need one. Submission.
My daughter, HSB/alizona is doing NaNo, too, for the first time. Are your kids bloggers? Do they know each other?
Thanks for stopping by my blog! As I told Tia, this diamond wasn't exactly ready to be unearthed yet, but it's a nice honor. :o)