We have used a daily checklist for homeschooling for a while now
but I haven’t taken the time to share it until now. I have tweaked it a few times & I am sure will tweak
again a few more times!
Just thought I would share in case others may find it useful…even
if just for a guide/inspiration. You should be able to edit the checklist & make it
your own but just in case I am going to include a blank copy as well just in
case you need one to print off & fill it in by hand.
You can download it here: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/DAILY-HOMESCHOOLING-CHECKLIST-988033
First thing in the morning I have my son do a small list of exercises because I have read that for kids with ADHD (& I am sure it would benefit all kids) it is great for them to do some exercises to get the blood flowing before sitting down to do some work. After reading this I gave it a try and it seems to be working great for us! I should add that my son does also play outside during the day (usually once in the A.M. weather permitting & once in the P.M. weather permitting while I take my daycare children out) He goes outside a lot in the summer as well after school!
Math:
For math we use Math-U-See and it has been working great for us so far! I have my son complete 1 lesson per day. At the end of a unit (which consists of 3-4 lessons) there is a unit test so some days it is a lesson and some days it is a test.
For math we use Math-U-See and it has been working great for us so far! I have my son complete 1 lesson per day. At the end of a unit (which consists of 3-4 lessons) there is a unit test so some days it is a lesson and some days it is a test.
15 mins. Of logic time:
My son has a cart filled with his school books and I also keep a drawer filled with items for him to do during “logic time”. These items include puzzles, games, word searches, Sudoku, mind benders…. anything really to get him thinking. I originally named this time slot as “educational free time” but my son started requesting that he play on his tablet or computer on educational games and unfortunately it quickly turned into an ugly battle of trying to get him off of electronics to get some other work done. I have nothing against using electronics in an educational manner but with my son it is either all. the. time. or never. He is a funny creature that way and I really try to avoid any battles of him getting “sucked into” video games during school time so we save those for after school.
My son has a cart filled with his school books and I also keep a drawer filled with items for him to do during “logic time”. These items include puzzles, games, word searches, Sudoku, mind benders…. anything really to get him thinking. I originally named this time slot as “educational free time” but my son started requesting that he play on his tablet or computer on educational games and unfortunately it quickly turned into an ugly battle of trying to get him off of electronics to get some other work done. I have nothing against using electronics in an educational manner but with my son it is either all. the. time. or never. He is a funny creature that way and I really try to avoid any battles of him getting “sucked into” video games during school time so we save those for after school.
20 mins. Of computer time:
I have added this time slot because I know my son loves the computer but I have had to set boundaries because as I stated above my son needs them & if he has a meltdown about something it tends to throw the whole day off (this means he will not get off without pitching a huge fit/meltdown).
During this time he is allowed to play an educational game on
his tablet, play the educational games on Reading eggs or write a story on
reading eggs.I have added this time slot because I know my son loves the computer but I have had to set boundaries because as I stated above my son needs them & if he has a meltdown about something it tends to throw the whole day off (this means he will not get off without pitching a huge fit/meltdown).
Frequent Break times:
My son is able to use his tablet during reading time if he wishes. Sitting still is challenging for my 7 yr. old so I have tried to break up his lessons with frequent breaks. Sometimes I even have to add in extra when I can tell based on behaviour that he needs one. I really do try to push him to complete his work before he gets a break but if I can see he is stuck on something or getting aggitated then we take a break and either come back to it after or we move on and return to it another day.
My son is able to use his tablet during reading time if he wishes. Sitting still is challenging for my 7 yr. old so I have tried to break up his lessons with frequent breaks. Sometimes I even have to add in extra when I can tell based on behaviour that he needs one. I really do try to push him to complete his work before he gets a break but if I can see he is stuck on something or getting aggitated then we take a break and either come back to it after or we move on and return to it another day.
Unit study notebooking:
We have a binder that my son does his notebooking in.
Basically, we discuss which topic he is interested in learning about the week before and then I plan out what we will accomplish
for the next week and prep. worksheets, writing prompts and printables to go into
that binder.
Reading Eggs:
K completes his reading eggs lesson online (www.readingeggs.com) which takes about 15 mins. Or so daily.
K completes his reading eggs lesson online (www.readingeggs.com) which takes about 15 mins. Or so daily.
Reading & Copywork:
K loves when I read to him so we often read together but he also choses to read on his tablet sometimes as well because it reads the books to him (he is a struggling reader). I have him copy a sentence from the book into his journal and he usually draws a picture to go with it.
K loves when I read to him so we often read together but he also choses to read on his tablet sometimes as well because it reads the books to him (he is a struggling reader). I have him copy a sentence from the book into his journal and he usually draws a picture to go with it.
Journal time is meant to be creative & fun. K is just
starting to get familiar with blogger so he is doing the majority of journal
writing in his book for now but I have a feeling he will be doing some more
blogging in the near future. He really likes the fact that with blogger he can
add pictures. He usually writes whatever he wants to in his journal & I
also encourage him to draw a picture to go with it. If he has trouble with printing/spelling the words he will often grab his "spelling dictionary" book we made and have look in it to see if he can find the word.
Spelling:
We use “All about spelling” and love this curriculum! It is a great hands-on spelling curriculum and we complete one lesson per day.
We use “All about spelling” and love this curriculum! It is a great hands-on spelling curriculum and we complete one lesson per day.
History & Science:
We use “Story of the world” for history and I try to fit it into our schedule once per week. We love the curriculum because it is very easy to read and I love the comprehension questions and maps included in the activity book. As my son gets older I plan to add more history work but for now I am keeping his workload a little lighter.
I try to plan science for once a week and it is usually
incorporated into our unit study for the week. K loves science and we always
have fun with it. He has a science notebook and every time we complete an
experiment we complete a prediction and outcome entry as well as a picture to
go with it.
Chores:I have my son do his chores last on the list so he can do them at the same time his older brother is doing his (when he gets home from school). It is usually 2 things that I have listed on his chore chart and 3 days per week he has “shower” listed on his chore chart because it is something K always battles about. I am not sure why but this makes it easier for us to get it out of the way so we can enjoy our night as a family.
