Scheduling

One of the primary hurdles I have faced in the past as an unschooling mother has to do with time management. It is difficult to manage the routines/rhythms of five individual people who are so distinct from one another in absolutely everything and who function consistently on entirely different planes. In years past, I have worried (like most mothers) that I was slighting one child as I gave another what she needed, or that I had not followed through on a tangent or simple request made in a busier portion of the day. For example, Madeline asked me last week if I would show her how to sew. A few years ago, I might have worried that I had been too lackadaisical in my mothering as time passed and I somehow never got around to her special request.

But with more than a decade of home education under my proverbial belt, I have learned how to manage my time in such a way which allows my family freedom of direction and simultaneous reasonable, but not rigid, consistency. Here is a portion of what I have learned:

1. Set aside a period of each week for scheduling/planning with your family. It is the most important thing you can do. It will work best if everyone involved is present. Remember that your planning session is meant to direct (not dictate) your week.

2. Fill in the things you have to do first (dental appointments, dance classes, etc.) and then go from there.

3. Have each person make a list of all the things they would like to tackle throughout the week, or for smaller children, make a list of activities you hope to engage them in, and then start to plug these wishes into the available times you have left in the week. Don't forget to include acts of kindness you never get around to, movies you've been meaning to see, field trips you've had in the back of your mind for years, etc...

4. Whatever you do, be reasonable! You should only tackle a few new things each week and/or one new thing each day. Also, keep in mind that there is only one of you, and if you're planning on one-on-one time with one child, don't fill that block of time with new activities which will need your input with your other child/children.

5. If something comes up, and your schedule becomes completely moot for the day, let it go. The entire purpose of writing it down is to be able to see which things you didn't get to and tack them on to next week's to do list. In this way, you can relax in the knowledge that you will eventually get to everything.

6. Don't front-load the week. Mondays are challenging in our home, so we do fun things first (library time and fun outings, etc.) and build momentum as the week progresses. In the same manner, don't front-load your day, especially if you are not a morning person.

7. Save old schedules in a three-ring binder. This way you can keep up with all that you do accomplish, and when people ask what you do all day, you can smile serenely :) (This is also one healthy, low-key method of keeping attendance records, which are required in Indiana.)

Not Back To School Camp, Vermont 2009!

She had such a great time! What a great idea! Check out their website by clicking here.