Set up a Schedule

After selecting a program and ordering textbooks, it’s time to set up a schedule.  Be flexible.  Be consistent and start early!  The first priority is to start classes by 9:00 am.  Morning hours are the most productive time of day.  Right now, we are walking, bike riding, and playing basketball an hour after breakfast because of the heat.  Normally, we work for 9:00 am to 12:30, break for lunch, and spend an hour after lunch biking and walking.  

With the heat, we return around 10:00 am and read for 30 minutes to recover from the heat outside.  We break at 12:30 and resume studies after lunch.  During the summer, classes are about 3 1/2 hours each day.  We maintain a schedule after formal studies conclude, too.  After lunch, we usually have a science lab or project.  Each day, Paul, 10, has 30 minutes of guitar, 10 minutes of typing, and thirty minutes programming.  We try to add 20 minutes of art, too.  Paul is making Christmas projects, largely photos and custom art.  This schedule allows plenty of time to play board games, shoot nerf guns in the basement, or text his uncle, Fr. Josh.  

It is going to be a shock stetting a schedule.  Start now!  Begin with class from 9-noon.  Add a reading block after lunch or extended recess.  Plan a few hands-on projects for the afternoon.  I’ll post a few ideas for projects in the next post.  Don’t wait.  Get your household back on track with a schedule.