{"id":702,"date":"2014-12-25T14:32:42","date_gmt":"2014-12-25T21:32:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/?page_id=702"},"modified":"2015-05-19T10:51:50","modified_gmt":"2015-05-19T16:51:50","slug":"minimum-daily-requirement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/minimum-daily-requirement\/","title":{"rendered":"Minimum Daily Requirement"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"candycane7\"Oh, the holidays and vacation days are so exciting to kids!<\/p>\n

And it is nice to have a little break from teaching school ourselves, right?<\/p>\n

But I don’t look forward to the days in January trying to re-establish habits and get control of our schooling<\/strong> again. So. . . rather than let completely go of the reins, how about a little “minimum daily requirement” even during vacation days? I’ve found that although there is an initial groan, the kids adjust quickly, view their reduced workload as a vacation, and eagerly get it done in the morning. Because it is such a light load, there’s still plenty of time to play. Even if we get up early and attend some activity, they can get their “minimum daily requirement” finished during quiet time in the afternoon.<\/p>\n

Another point in favor that I’ve discovered is that kids, just like adults, like some semblance of order to their day. While free play and vacation is fun, it can also be a bit boring if you are used to having your days busy. Knowing they have a minimum to get up and do puts some order in the day<\/strong>. Some days I find them reading way beyond what is required.<\/p>\n

So how much do I require?<\/em> Well, the plan is to keep them in the habit of doing some mental exertion every day so they can more smoothly transition back into schoolwork when the vacation is over. It can be as simple as having them do 10 math-fact problems, and read a story or chapter in their reading book.<\/p>\n

I like to keep music practice going<\/strong>, because it is such a milestone to get them practicing daily in the first place, and they can loose ground so quickly if they stop practicing. Even 10 minutes a day is better than nothing at all.<\/p>\n

I want my children to write in their journals every day<\/strong> too. I think it is good for them to get in the habit of record keeping and preserving memories. It is therapeutic to write down your feelings, and helps you sort out your thoughts. It makes a wonderful family heirloom for your posterity\u2014my teens love reading their childhood journals, and I know their children and grandchildren will find them priceless! Besides all this, writing is an important skill that improves with practice. A couple of paragraphs jotted down per day can be finished in just a few minutes, especially if you are typing them on a computer!<\/p>\n

So, for my daughter Louisa (11 years), her vacation schedule includes 10 minutes music practice, 2 paragraphs in her journal, 10 multiplication facts problems, and reading a chapter in her book. That takes her about 30-45 minutes. For a younger student, 20 minutes is probably plenty.<\/p>\n

Would a little “minimum daily requirement” be good for your children over the holidays?<\/p>\n

To your homeschool success!
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

May I recommend<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n

\"Louisasummerwork\"
\nSummer Skills Maintenance
\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

\"Abbysun\"
\nIllness
\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

\"homeschooling-journal\"
\nK-5 Journal and Language Arts Program
\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Oh, the holidays and vacation days are so exciting to kids! And it is nice to have a little break from teaching school ourselves, right? But I don’t look forward to the days in January trying to re-establish habits and get control of our schooling again. So. . . rather than let completely go of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3,4],"tags":[42,233,234],"class_list":["post-702","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-how-to-homeschool","category-homeschooling-method","tag-christmas","tag-holidays","tag-minimum-work","entry","has-post-thumbnail"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6IrRN-bk","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":751,"url":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/what-do-you-want-mommy-to-do\/","url_meta":{"origin":702,"position":0},"title":"What Do You Want Mommy to Do?","author":"Diane Hopkins","date":"","format":false,"excerpt":"Working on a quilt with my daughter Julianna Years ago, I made a list of all my duties I was attempting to keep up with\u2014which can be voluminous when you are a young mother! It looked something like this: Nurse the baby Wash the clothes Fix meals Keep the house\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "How to Homeschool"","block_context":{"text":"How to Homeschool","link":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/category\/how-to-homeschool\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"whatmommytodo","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/whatmommytodo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":671,"url":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/summer-skills-maintenance\/","url_meta":{"origin":702,"position":1},"title":"Summer Skills Maintenance","author":"Diane Hopkins","date":"","format":false,"excerpt":"Summer time, and our kids' brains go on vacation. At least, that is what it seems like when we start up school again in the fall! 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It is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "How to Homeschool"","block_context":{"text":"How to Homeschool","link":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/category\/how-to-homeschool\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"kid-673584_1280","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/kid-673584_1280-300x199.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":625,"url":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/kids-gardening\/","url_meta":{"origin":702,"position":3},"title":"Kids’ Gardening","author":"Diane Hopkins","date":"","format":false,"excerpt":"Planting a seed, watering and weeding, watching it grow, and finally eating the fruit of your labor is a fabulous lesson! Help your kids get enthused to plant a garden with these fun ideas! Instant Radishes Nothing spurs interest like success! Radishes grow so quickly\u2014just 20 days until harvest\u2014that kids\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Life Skills"","block_context":{"text":"Life Skills","link":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/category\/what-articles\/life-skills-articles\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/radishes-630868_1280.jpg?fit=1200%2C715&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/radishes-630868_1280.jpg?fit=1200%2C715&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/radishes-630868_1280.jpg?fit=1200%2C715&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/radishes-630868_1280.jpg?fit=1200%2C715&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/radishes-630868_1280.jpg?fit=1200%2C715&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":735,"url":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/be-patriotic\/","url_meta":{"origin":702,"position":4},"title":"Be Patriotic!","author":"Diane Hopkins","date":"","format":false,"excerpt":"Independence Day is one of my favorites holidays, because of the wonderful feelings of patriotism we get thinking about our country's miraculous founding, the courage of our founding fathers, and the freedoms we enjoy every day! 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When I began homeschooling ten years ago, I was in for\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "How to Homeschool"","block_context":{"text":"How to Homeschool","link":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/category\/how-to-homeschool\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"DCP_5869","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/DCP_5869-200x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/702","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=702"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/702\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7289,"href":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/702\/revisions\/7289"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=702"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=702"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=702"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}