Monday - Thursday we are doing school at home. Friday's are Kingdom Builders Co-op day, in which my Sons of Thunder attend three morning classes and an afternoon science class. Lunch is in there too. Our home school looks something like this on any given day:
7:00 am - I get up between 7:00 and 9:00 am depending on what shift I've worked and depending on what needs to be accomplished in the morning. The Sons of Thunder are already up and out completing their morning walk. Coffee is usually already on or I start the pot grabbing a cup as soon as the coffee pot makes enough. I head into the office for emails and checking out my favorite blogs.
7:30 am - The boys have breakfast and always have a book they've chosen to read propped up in front of their plate. Breakfast varies between an omelette, breakfast burrito, homemade waffles or pancakes from dinner earlier in the week, or grits and toast and usually a banana. If I eat it is usually scrambled eggs or omelette, leftover waffles/pancakes, grits, or oatmeal.
8:00 am - School begins. If it is a Monday, and I haven't done it over the weekend (which happens often), I'll write the boys' schedule for the week. I use a template that looks like this:
This can take up to 30 minutes or so depending on assignments that are included into the week. At some point during the end of each month I write a monthly syllabus for their Spanish III, which I then just assign as (See Syllabus).
While I am doing this the boys are listening to Uncle Tom's Cabin on audio for the next couple weeks. They knock this out along with their Adventures in Oydessey series for American History (Wednesday's).
9:00 am - The boys either begin working on American History or we go ahead and read our read-a-louds for American History. This week we are still reading another American Literature selection, Co. Aytc,h so I read that out loud while they snuggle up in blankets sprawled somewhere in the living room. If I am reading a couple of books at once I could read up to an hour.
Around 9:45 - 10:00 am - American History assignments, Biology assignments, and Bible begin here. Every other week in Biology are either assignments or studying for a test, and usually Pre- or Post- Biology Labs. American History is pretty much the same but studying for a test may be every third week depending on how many lessons are included. We have found that if they accomplish all of the assignments earlier and leave a week before the test for study time they do so much better on their tests.
They are in a Bible class at co-op and have been memorizing the Sermon on the Mount with a written recitation when they are done. Each week they are adding a couple more verses, so I make sure each week they are beginning with Matthew 5:1 up through where they've left off, so they don't forget anything. On Thursday's they'll recite verbally their verses (and because they have to write their verses they have to do this sometime during the week too).
If I'm not needed during this time I am either blogging, preparing posts, scrapbooking, working on projects around the house, and/or prepping dinner for the boys.
Around 11:00 - 11:30 - By now, the boys are usually ready to go over Biology and/or American History. Each day of the week of the test we review aloud. I read the questions and they give me, verbally, the answers - no multiple choice - but, give me short answers, and we discuss the questions.
12:00 pm - The boys get their lunch and I get ready for work (shower, dress, pack my bag/lunch). The boys will inevitably pull the books they've been reading out and enjoy it while they are eating. Sometimes they'll draw after they get done eating too.
Around 12:30 - 12:45 pm - The boys commondeer the office chairs and computer for their Spanish III lessons and Algebra II DVD lessons. They are usually engrossed in one or the other through the 1:15 pm hour when I leave for work so at this point the remainder of the afternoon is up to the boys to schedule.
1:15 - 3:30 pm or so - I leave for work and the boys work on the remainder of their lessons. Usually, completing Algebra II assignments, and remaining history assignments that I assign, and Merit Badges (or work on their Eagle Scout projects).
It's pretty obvious that the Sons of Thunder are mostly responsible for their own learning - as it should be for 10th graders. We read aloud because we have found all of us enjoy this the most. And we review for tests together out of necessity - I can make sure they know the material.
Because of their taking responsibility for their school work, I have been able to go back to work full time while still homeschooling, which in turn has afforded us many advantages, with few negatives. In other words, it's working for us.
On Fridays, the boys and I attend homeschool co-op all day (until 2:30 pm). The boys are in American History, Bible, and Art 3D in the morning, lunch at 12:30 pm, and Biology from 1:00 - 2:30 pm. I stamp Elementary students notebooks until 10-ish am, then I am in the teacher's lounge grading my own classes papers or chatting with other mom's. My Meteorology science class begins at 1:00 - 2:30 pm. We almost always go to the library after school on Friday.
I'm positive our week of homeschool looks nothing like others'. That is one of the beauties of homeschooling - none of them have to look alike.