Having a set schedule really is essential in a successful homeschool. I've heard people say, "oh we can do school anytime," and then later discovered that they gave up and sent their kids back to school. Schooling "anytime" is a myth! Don't fall for it! You need a set and predictable schedule. But how to establish that set and predictable schedule is totally up to you.
Time of Day
Our lives include milking and caring for farm animals, so while we don't start school until about 9am, it's because we've already put in two full hours work before we start. Other families like to start early in the day and get done early. I know families who love sleeping in and don't start their day until 10am or 11am.
Most children have better mental stamina in the morning. Take advantage of that time. Morning is when children should do the subjects that take higher mental energy, like math or reading for the younger ones. We do our heavy seat work in the morning and save the afternoons for science activities and read alouds.
Some families schedule their day to be finished by 3pm. In my family, we work through the morning, have lunch, and then EVERYBODY takes a nap. We've always had little ones who needed a nap, so we discovered by accident that naps are good for older ones too. Our 6 and 8 year olds are nicer boys if they've had that two hour quiet time. They only sleep occasionally, but the alone time really does work wonders on their disposition. Our teens spend naptime reading on the couch or occasionally sleeping.
The typical day at the local public school is six hours long with about an hour of homework, but at home, that same learning can be accomplished in about 3-4 hours. Some families do the 3-4 hours and call it good. My poor children do the full 6-7 hours and study twice as much. There are just so many interesting things to learn!
Days of Week
Early on we tried to replicate the school experience and do school five days a week. After a few years of frustration, we went to a four day week and we've stayed with it ever since.
Don't get me wrong, my kids don't have it easy. Those four days we do school are four really full and intense days. I discovered that it works better for me and my kids to do four full days with an extra day for field trips or catching up, than do five mellower days. We do school Mondays through Thursdays and then Friday is our library/field trip/catch up day. With as much farm work as we have, it often turns into the day to get projects done.
Weeks Per Year
The local schools do 36 weeks per year and so do we. Sonlight, the curriculum we use for history and literature, is designed on a 36 week year so we follow that. Well, that's our intention, but every year as we get the end, rather than sprint to the finish line, it's more like a collapse. We combine weeks 35 and 36 and call ourselves done.
The public schools have 180 "instructional" days. They do five days a week and 36 weeks a year. But a quick jaunt around town in May lets you know that not every "instructional" day is equal. Those 180 days include lots of spring time field trips, classroom management, assemblies, etc. Don't hold yourself to 180 intense learning filled days in order to be "as good" as the school system.
Some homeschooling families follow the traditional school calendar, running August/September through May/June. Other do a year-round schedule. That's what we do. With a year-round schedule we don't lose learning over the summer, which alone pushes my children ahead of their age peers. That's a good reason to do year-round school, but the real reason we do it is because I just can't do more than six weeks of school at a time. By the end of six solid weeks, I need a break from planning, scheduling, working with kids, and correcting papers. I just can't do it! So after about every six weeks, we have a week off.
Except for September. We take a six week break in the fall, beginning right when the local schools start up. Here in Idaho, we have some of the best camping in the country, but the mountains are full of people all summer, until the day school starts. In September the weather is still fantastic but the campgrounds are empty. It is a glorious break that we relish.
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