A look at my day...and remember, you can only hope to have 1 out of every 10 days really "work" :) For individual activities like "Devotional", and "M&M dice" see my "Games and Activities I use" post.
(As with everything I post, this has evolved over the years to become something that works for us...take what you want, bag the rest! I have found with schedules, you need to have infrequent "Walden Days" when you let the "bells ring" as it were and get a realistic outlook of what is do-able, and then go from there. For more on "Walden Days" see my soon to bedesperately un-editted version of "Walden")
--get-up whenever my mind is so awake it drags my unwilling carcass out of bed.
7-8-ish: feed kids breakfast (it's easier to do it earlier with the time change!)
until 9 am: kids do basic stewardship over areas: personal and family (see work chart to be posted later :)!)--awesome resources for "work"....article on Family Work, BYU magazine Spring 2000
9 ish: Devotional: Ideally, they all hang out and listen, enraptured...typically, this is done amidst much chaos and occasional bickering.
'tween time: Group study! I choose from the following. Some, most or all of the kids usually will decide to participate, especially if I am trying to visually have a great time doing it :).
--Read aloud whatever I want to them while they color out of the "just for this time" coloring books (I ordered some amazing one in bulk from Dover.com for all ages)
Bauer's "Story of the World", "A Year with Miss Agnes","Little Britches", and "The Once and Future King" are ones we have either just finished or are slowly working through
--Play "file folder" games
--Teach anatomy or science using books from the library, coloring books, or ideas from Science project books.
--"Art class" using "how to draw" for young artist books
--play math games like Rack-o, Set, Rummy-O, Pirates' Dice, Monopoly, the Farming Game, M&M dice (everyone tries to add up the dice they have rolled before the others so they can get ONE M&M!!! WOOHOO!! And then the fun begins all over again with a new roll :). Tova has 3-4 dice and typically throws in some multiplication or subraction, Kel 2-3, .....Piper just rolls it and shouts out numbers, letters or names.)
--Do workbooks...they pick the pages (although sometimes they will listen to my excited suggestion) while I talk about how awesome it will be when they know all that information so they can either read, do money math so no one cheats them someday :), or just be that genius I know they were meant to be :).
--Write a selection for our "Author's in the Attic" somewhat weekly gathering (although we have gone months before without it! :)!)
--Go on a time machine
--Bake with them
--work on outdoor projects
--go on field trip (but usually this is in the afternoons)
--read aloud their choice of books
--do GeoSafari
Lunch--a needed, yet dreaded interruption!
Typically they run outside before or after this for tramp time, basketball, or just alone time.
Quiet time 1-3: They can do whatever they want in their own area. Sometimes I shorten it, but not if I can help it! The older kids are doing more of their own, self-directed studies; the younger ones build, color, do puzzles, look at books, rest...This is when I can do one-on-one mentoring better, have the occasional piano lesson for the kids who want them, and do my own things!!!!
Free-choice time ("free time" is getting weaned from our vocabulary after some lengthy discussions about "stewardships"!) This is the time for friends, when they watch the movie if they pick one, we play games, work, fight,...you know, all those good family things!
Dinner
Family time, games, chasing, bathing
Family scriptures/treats/reading aloud by Daddy when we can
Bed-time 7-8:30 range
where do the little ones fit in? all over! we get snuggles during devotional, play along with the "bigger kids" during group time, learn how to love, work, play nicely, resolve fighting, communicate. Core phase at it's best!
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