Ammon at Mesa Verde
Does homeschooling feel overwhelming to you? So many subjects to teach . . . so many different age levels . . . such a frantic rush to get it all in?
If you are feeling this way, you may want to try the “Subject of the Day”. This plan is simply to choose one subject per day of the school week. I like to alternate fun subjects with more intense subjects, ending with a social activity or field trip on Friday. Plan it however you like, but post it on your fridge or wall, so that everyone has a sense of order.
Here’s one plan to give you an idea:
Monday: History
Tuesday: Literature Discussion
Wednesday: Science
Thursday: Fine Arts (music appreciation, art appreciation, drama)
Friday: field trips, or socializing with other homeschoolers
Each day, you know where you are headed, and that alone is a huge accomplishment.Teach all your children the same “Subject of the Day” as a group lesson, varying assignment difficulty according to each child’s abilities.
There will still be studies that are done daily like phonics, math, music practice, and journal writing. But, all-in-all, just having one teaching topic for mom to focus on each day reduces the overload feeling quickly! This group time can last from 45 minutes to a few hours and can include discussion of reading assignments, giving reports, looking at pictures in books together, watching a video clip, reading aloud, and doing projects, or experiments. Having just one subject allows in-depth study, and time to really absorb and explore the topic together and enjoy!
Recently, in my homeschool, we studied the topic of Weathering on our Science Day. We are following an Earth Science course. You can teach the same topic to all age levels at the same time with just a little modification. We read about and discussed the effects of the elements on the earth: how wind and water wear away and crack rocks, and reduce rock eventually into sand and soil. We studied pictures in textbooks and library books. We saw photos on the internet of how statues have had their details worn down by weathering. We talked about the Delicate Arch formation created by weathering. We searched for examples around our own neighborhood: flaking bricks, cracks where plants have grown in a sidewalk, potholes in a road, root pry from a tree breaking up a fence. We could visit the cemetery and look at the details on old graves, how their engraving is being worn away by the weather. This is fun!
It takes just the same amount of teacher preparation to teach all the kids as it does one child. Older children can be assigned more in-depth reading and reports. Young ones can do easy projects. The whole family can learn together and it really does take the pressure off mom with the “Subject of the Day”!
May I recommend:
This has made a monumental difference in my homeschool! I can manage it now, and we have so much fun learning together. Thank you!
Thanks for sharing this post. I may give this a whirl. I know when it comes to cleaning my house, I am more efficient when I schedule each day to focus primarily on one area than trying to work in every room every day. My kids may like this because it would be easier for them to pick their favorite days and look forward to it.