Organization 101
FLEXIBILITY
Lord knows, when that first baby comes along organization goes out with the bath water.
It is a time of adjustment and it is no different, at first, with taking on the task of
homeschooling your children.
My daughter was 1 year old when I decided that I was going to homeschool.
I gathered up every educational implement I could find, from the fleamarket
to the most expensive German games. I cut out articles from every periodica
l that passed my way. Before I knew it I had a room full of school material, including
a black board, fish tank, bulletin board and a real school desk from a local school.
The only thing missing was the pointer (you know, the stick teachers used to use to point to
something on the black board) and I had considered it, just never found one. By the time
my daughter was 5 and ready to formally start kindergarten there was barely a place to sit
in our school room!
In the months before we were ready to start I planned out a cirriculum. It was an
overwhelming task. At my request the local school supplied me with the curriculum
overview that they use. It was a hundred pages long, had alot of big words and made
me feel completely inadaquate. There was this underlying feeling that I had to teach
my little girl, in this one year, everthing she needed to know for the rest of her life! I ended
up tossing it all and buying a very nice curriculum that was one book.
If you are a seasoned homeschooler you may chuckle and empathize with me, or not.
If you are new to homeschooling don't do what I did. I soon learned that it was not necessary
to have a school room, school desk, black board or most of the material I had collected.
The kitchen table, a book shelf, an English and a math curriculum, and a library card are
all that is necessary.
Flexibility is the key to having a rewarding homeschool career. We try to start our day
before 9AM and finish with our English and math text book work by lunch time. This method
leaves the afternoon for persueing the interests of our children, be it science, history, art o
r whatever. We may choose to do a different subject each day. It is, however, important to
set aside a certain time of day, each day, to spend on the 3Rs. The children become
familiar with the routine, know what is expected of them and the amount of time it will take.
On a particularly hard day when they are not motivated and I can't seem to find my
enthusiasm we may even do a small fun project in between math and English. Flexibility
keeps things running smoothly.
Here is a sample of an average homeschool day at our house last year:
9AM- Bible reading, prayer and discussion
9:30- Weather observation, recording and predictions
9:45- Read 1 chapter of current long book. (Social studies). We have a snack during
this time.
10:00- Math-older child works on her own, I work with younger child.
11:00- English-older child works alone, I work with younger child.
Noon-Dad arrives home for lunch, we eat.
1:00-3:00 Depending on the weather, motivation levels and interest, we may:
Play outside, read from our long book, do science experiments, play educational compute
r games, or we may go to town, gym class, the library, doctor's appointment or visiting.
This is just a sample of an average day. If the principal needs clean underware we may skip
school completely and clean house, and then double up on math and English the next day.
A very important thing to remember is that school should be incorporated into your life- life
should not revolve around school.
It is, afterall, your homeschool. Don't let it become a battle of wills between you and your
child, you are on the same team. What Joyce down the road does is of no consequence to
you. What the public school does is irrelevent to your homeschool. If it is better for you to
stick to a strict schedule then do it. I know homeschool moms for whom this works very well.
I also know of a mom who has absolutely no schedule whatsoever. The children in her
family know that they must do their schoolwork everyday and it is up to them when they
do it. Hey, it works for her.
By staying flexible, trying new ideas, we find that place that is just right for our own
children. We teach them that learning is fun and interesting.
ORGANIZING THE HOME
It is amazing how cluttered and messy a home can become during the homeschool year.
All the cute little knick-knacks that were so easy to care for during the summer become
unreccognizable statues of dust. The laundry takes on a life of its own. The bathroom...
.ugh, we won't even go there! It is so important to have a plan for the house.
Summers are the best time to de-clutter and prepare the house for the winter and
homeschooling. As hard as it may be to put away Nana's beautiful silver tea set,
do it! Simplicity is key to managing a busy homeschool enviornment. The less there
is to dust, wash, polish and iron, the better. Soon enough you'll will be inundated with
unusual, brilliant, works of art, science and lego sculptures to fill all the empty spaces.
Summer is also a great time to clean out closets, paint, add on, build and refurbish
. You will not have time for these projects in the winter. After you have de-cluttered keep
doing it at least once a month during the school year. Doing this will keep your morale up
and keep you focused on the important task at hand- homeschooling.
I find that getting up early and giving the house a quick straightening works well for me. I
call my mom, make my bed, do the dishes, straighten the livingroom and start the laundry.
Sometimes I even have time to clean the bathroom. By the time I finish, some sleepy-eyed
child comes shuffling past on his way to the bathroom. This is my five minute warning. At
any moment the kitchen will become a buzzing hive of activity. By taking a half hour every
morning to do these few things I am able to keep some resemblence of order and prevent
myself from being distracted by a sinkful of dirty dishes.
Around dinner time is the next shift of tidying up. The floors get swept, rug vacuumed,
firewood comes in, garbage goes out and dinner is made. This is the time when my children
are helping. It is so very important for them to help. One, because they need to learn
responsibility and how to do these things. Two, because I just can't do it all.
There is usually time after school, or when the children are working independently for those
areas that have become a distraction: the pile of of paperwork on top of the microwave, the
over flowing catch-all bowl or my bedroom, among other things.
Here are some quick helpful tips for keeping the house organized:
Simplify, simplify, simplify. I can't stress it enough.
Go through the mail discarding all the junk right away. You know you will never look through
the catalogs, enter that sweepstakes or join that gym. Why handle the material more than
once.
Do dishes and laundry every day. Everything else will get done eventually.
Straighten up every morning and evening. Give the children chores to do each day.
Take a day or two off of school every month, without guilt, to get caught up. Call it an
in-service day.
Go easy on yourself. Having a messy house shows you have good priorities. You spend
time with your children. Do you want to be known for excellence in housekeeping or
homeschooling?
