Desk Apprentice and What our day looks like

Please forgive me. Only after I uploaded all these pictures did I realize that I probably should have broken this post into two. But putting pictures on blogger is the world's biggest pain in the bum bum and I didn't want to have to go through that again. So here you get Parts I, II, and III. (And I would just like it known [AGAIN!] that these are just the things that have worked for me and my kids. It is quite possible that some or all of these things will not work for you. And I promise not to be offended that you aren't exactly like me and do everything the way I do. Pinky swear)

Part I: Getting started

You need to know the laws for homeschooling in your state. It can vary between not having to do anything to notify your school district to having to take standardized tests and turn in thorough records.

You can usually Google: "(state name) homeschooling organization" and find an organization dedicated to helping you navigate your state's laws. Make sure you turn in the proper paperwork and keep the proper records. Unless you have extreme circumstances, I wouldn't worry about joining HSLDA or anything like that. So long as you know and keep your state laws and are able to prove it (usually with well kept records) you should be fine.

Interpreting those laws is generally up to the parent. For example, Utah law states that for K-6 grade I must teach "reading/language arts, math, science, social studies, the arts, health education, physical education, and educational technology." But that doesn't mean I have to teach each subject every day for seven years. I could spend two weeks each year on health or once a week on PE. I don't even have to do any formal PE; playing outside counts. It's up to you.

To ease into it, I would start slowly. Don't try to get everything done the first day. Just start with a subject or two and then a week later add another one; rinse, repeat. Lots of people recommend that you don't try to set up a replica of school at home. One of the benefits of homeschooling is the flexibility, so if it's a nice day, take your books outside. Or watch an educational show (we love Bill Nye over here).

We plan on following the classical method as outlined in The Well-Trained Mind. It may seem daunting to some people, but please realize that you don't have to do everything in it. They designed it so that you can pick and choose which curricula/subjects you want to study. For us, I doubt we'll ever do Latin and music instruction is a long way off. And that's ok.

I strongly dislike the Thomas Jefferson Education method. That's all I'm going to say about that.

PART II: How I organized it all

Just in case you are tempted to see these pictures and read this post and think I've got it all together...DON'T. My house isn't clean, dishes are in the sink, my kids are still wearing their pajamas for pity's sake! And keep in mind, this system has only been going for a week. For the entire two months before that, school was very haphazard as I was constantly sleep deprived. Once my baby started sleeping through the night, my life got easier.

I have a six year old boy (Pigby), 2 year old boy (Digby), and a 1 year old girl (Chuck). You get a cookie if you know from where those nicknames came. Pigby uses Math U See, All About Spelling, First Language Lessons (grammar), Start Write (handwriting practice and cursive instruction-he asked, I didn't force), Writing With Ease (writing instruction and more handwriting practice). Things we plan to start soon Galloping the Globe (geography), Elemental Science (biology), and Artistic Pursuits.


This handy contraption is known as the Desk Apprentice. It's available from Staples. It costs a pretty penny, but it is soooo worth it. It will hold files in the middle and books and pencils around the outsides. I put all the supplies/curricula we use on a daily basis in this and it keeps everything organized.









This is my big supply of curricula. I buy the PDF version of books, print them out on my handy dandy laser printer (seriously, if you don't have one of these you MUST get one), 3 hole punch them and put it all in a binder. Or some books, like Math U See, come soft bound. I hate that, so I rip all the pages out and stick them in the binder. Some things, like Ordinary Parents Guide to Teaching Reading, also come soft bound, but it's not a workbook. It is a major pain in the bum bum to try and hold that massive book open with one hand and point with the other. So I take those types of books to Office Depot and get them to cut the binding off and have it spiral bound.

Workbooks get put into a binder, non-workbooks get spiral bound, got it?





View from the top. You can kinda see some of the files on the left. There's an insert where you can store some more supplies. I have a large eraser, some tape (which eventually got removed because Digby kept getting into it), our little clock, and an ink pad. In the space underneath, I keep our MUS DVD, our Story of the World book, and our All About Spelling cards. I also keep our three hole punch in there. I use it when putting completed papers into the Completed Work binder. Although, come to think of it, we stopped using the program that didn't have the 3 hole punch sheets, so I could probably take that massive thing out. What a relief, it is taking up so much room! And then on the right is a mini dry erase board and some more books.







A view of all our files. The Hanging File labels and the manilla folders inside are as follows:

Assignments for the week
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Friday
Saturday (there is no Thursday because he goes to a charter school on Thurs. We don't really do anything on Saturday, but I put stuff in there just in case he ever asks or gets bored. Whatever is still there on Sunday night gets put in the Monday folder for the following week)
Completed work to be Filed
Handwriting Sheets
Pigby
Digby (he doesn't really have to do any, but he kept stealing Pigby's so I made some just for him. He loves them)
Pages for Digby
(I put some review pages from Pigby's MUS book in here. He didn't need them and Digby likes to pretend he does school too.)
Coloring Pages
Me
Boys (Yes, that's right. I get my own coloring pages. I got two books from the dollar store, Precious Moments for me, Winnie the Pooh for them. The best way to get Pigby to color is to sit with him and work on it myself. Since it's a good way to improve handwriting by building those muscles, coloring is part of his schooling.)
CAP Weekly Tracking Sheet
Blank
Filled (these are for his charter school. You probably won't need these, although keeping track of how much time you worked isn't a bad idea. That's all these sheets are: forms for how long we do each subject).
Paper
Scratch
Lined (the handwriting paper)
Blank
Art (just the lesson plans for that glorious day when the planets align and angels sing and we actually get around to doing art)



The books I have around the outsides: All About Spelling TM (binding chopped off and spiral bound), MUS TM (hardcover, binding intact), FLL, Old Testament stories, Gospel Principles, Friend Magazine (1 copy for each boy so they stop fighting over it), 2 sketch pads, dry erase board, clip board (the school table is textured so we use the clip board so he has a smooth surface upon which to write). Pencils, colored pencils, markers, pens, dry erase crayons and eraser in the little cups around the outside.































WHAT I DO AND HOW I ORGANIZE IT


(I apologize for the sideways pics)

Every Sunday, I take one of the books with the worksheets in it. MUS is a good example

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I pull out enough pages for the week and split them up amongst the folders in the first hanging file. Math gets two pages a day. He may or may not do two a day. If he doesn't, I just stick the unused one in the next day's folder.
















Then when it's time to work, I pull out that day's pages.














For math, he watches the lesson on the DVD while playing with the manipulatives.















Then he uses the blocks and completes the worksheet.














I put the finished pages in the Completed Work to be Filed folder.






























On Sunday (or whenever I get around to it), I pull the pages out of the file and put them in the Completed Work (Kindergarten) binder. This is for my own memories (awww...look how cute) and as proof that we are actually doing something. In Utah, the law specifically states that the school district cannot ask to see any work or records or mandate testing. But just in case I have to prove myself, there it is.










PART III What the actual day looks like

What we used to do: When Digby went down for his afternoon nap, Pigby and I would go sit at the table and try to hurry through everything. We had to be finished before Digby woke up or all heck would break loose with Digby trying to get into everything. Well, now Digby is a little older and has a (very) little more self-control. He's also cutting out his afternoon nap *grumbles grumbles grumbles* so I decided that he needs to be a part of the school day. Just some things to mention: he comes and goes as he pleases. I don't make him sit, I don't make him do any sheets. When his attention wanders I try and give him a new activity to see if that will hold him for awhile.

I'm trying to find a few used filing cabinets with locks. I want to put some art supplies in there and make some fun activities for both of them. I also want to make some file folder games. The lock is so that I am the only one who can access them (and keep them from pulling out every single piece from every single game and scattering it across the floor). With toddlers, you just have to keep moving through things; their attention span is so short. So while most of these pictures show Digby sitting at the desk, please keep in mind that it was over a several hour period, we had a break sometime in the middle of it, and he was up and playing more often than not. I just try to keep him out of Pigby's space. Digby seems to like doing school, he sits more than I thought he would. He likes being a big boy like Pigby and likes the attention he gets from me.



What we do now:
Everyone usually wakes up sometime between 7 and 730. We eat breakfast. In the future, I want to start reading scriptures at this time, but so far I haven't made that habit. (Just an FYI-what I am doing is not that difficult or magical. It's all about creating habits and doing what works best for the child. So far, this is going really well. In two years? Who knows, Digby might be doing math while jumping on the trampoline. He's my more energetic child, Pigby is very mellow and laid back. Getting him to sit still isn't that hard. Getting him to focus is sometimes difficult. What you don't see is him staring off into space or asking random questions about frogs or poking Digby across the table or doodling on his math sheet. Believe me, it all happens. It just didn't happen for the pictures. Maybe I ought to take some videos.)

We play and talk, have fun, whatever. I try to stay off the computer. It's all about habits. I have a bad habit of wasting too much time on the internet. I'm trying to replace it with productive habits.


When Chuck goes down for her morning nap, the boys and I go to the table. Pigby usually does math first (it's his favorite) and then spelling (his second favorite). I give Digby a handwriting sheet and a marker.











For a two year old, I think he does a pretty good job.














I try to break up all the writing time for Pigby. I don't want his hand getting too tired, otherwise it could trigger a meltdown. So I space out the writing subjects (math, spelling, handwriting). After spelling, we usually do grammar. Then I give him his copy of the Friend magazine.










I think it was after this that we took a 1 hour break and had a snack.














Then he got to work on handwriting. He wanted to learn cursive, so I made some handwriting sheets for him.

































Digby went and got himself a snack at some point.



















Pigby worked on his Writing with Ease.















I bought some time with the dry erase board and dry erase crayons.















And then I let him cut up some paper while Pigby and I did grammar.











I hope this helps give you an idea of what the schooling part of our day looks like. I'm still trying to get a good schedule for cleaning and doing chores, playing outside and getting dinner made. For chores, all I can say is teach your children how to contribute. The time you put in now will save you so much time later. For dinner, all I can say is: FREEZER MEALS! If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.