Dumb Ox Academy

I am trying to figure out how to incorporate the TJE method and make it our own.  One that truly suits us as a family learning together.  So I am going to try to create a rough draft of what our daily routine might look like.

* I wake up naturally about 6:30 every morning.  shower, dress, put on a load of laundry, make some tea and sit down at the PC.

* Kids wake when they want, but if they are not up by 8:00 a.m. I will get them up.  They must tidy their rooms for a few minutes, shower (at least every other day), dress, do their chore of the day (laundry, kitchen, bathrooms or official tidier upper!). 

* Breakfast should be about 8:30 or so. During breakfast we’ll have Familyschool!  This is my version of TJE’s kidschool.  Elements of Familyschool will be On The Fridge stuff (which the kids can contribute to), discussion of current events, a little Latin lesson, memory chants and the like.  Maybe short read alouds.  We wouldn’t do all of this every day, but some each day.

*Free School – This is after breakfast is over.  The kids will be set loose to pursue their educations.  They can do whatever they like as long as it falls within mommy’s definition of educational.  Some things they might do:  practice an instrument, play educational computer games, read, work on a project, do a science experiment, do art, study from a book, work in a workbook, write something, ask mom to read something aloud, go on a nature hike, put on a skit, memorize poetry; get into discussions, etc. Whatever moves them.  I am not going to allow TV though at this time.  The teens can use this time to prepare for outside classes or attend outside classes. (Hannah will have 4 outside classes; William will have 2).

*Lunch (anywhere from 11:30 to 12:30) This is our usual time for Bible Study and other religious reading.

*Quiet Time (about 1 hour):  Younger children play quietly in their rooms, may read/look at books, listen to storytapes, play board games, rest, think, daydream, whatever!  Older children will have Videoschool at this time.  We’ll watch Teaching Co. lectures and Life on the Rock.  Lectures are 30 minutes.  So the rest of the time for the older ones will be spent meeting with mom about their studies and working alongside mom while I work on my studies.

After about 2 or 3 o’clock, afternoons vary widely depending on outside activities:  The teens are going to try out the Study Buddy program at the homelessl shelter our parish works with.  On Tuesday afternoons they’ll help grammar school kids with their homework.  Also on Tuesdays, Hannah has voice lessons.  We have chess club on Thursdays at 1:00 and then Irish Step in the Evenings.  That won’t change next year.  I also hope that the piano teacher can come at a different time next year.  She comes early Monday mornings and it starts the week off funny.  I need to feel in control of my Monday mornings so I feel the week is starting off well.  Anyway,  I think I’ll call this time of day our Errand/Outside Time because it is when we are either outside playing, at outside activities or running errands.

This time also always devolves into junk TV (what I call non-educational TV) and videogames.  I don’t mind the kids doing a little of this but I always seem to be struggling with keeping it limited.  I find TV and videogames so intrusive.  But during this time I’ll let those kinds of activities go on.  They fit in between the errands/outside stuff and when dinner time rolls around.  They get broken up too, by kids coming over to play and other such things.

Dinner is at 6:30 or 7:00 usually.  About 20 minutes before, I like to call everybody to tidy up, follow through with their chore of the day and then set the table.  I plan to journal the day in microsoft word.  So we’ll recap our day and whlle the kids clean up, I’ll journal on my laptop.  After dinner, the older ones can work on any prep work still needed to be done for their classes.  We’ll also make this our Commonplace Book time.  Then read alouds, prayers, visiting with Daddy, bedtime.  Kids can read for 1/2 hour at bedtime.

Well, that is the rough draft.  I think it looks pretty good.  I have to ruminate on it some.  Lots of it is what we basically do now in varying degrees.