Heavenly Mothers Prepare - Day 26

"Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;"

Ephesians 6:14-15

It is Sunday night, a new school week is looming ahead, and although I have thought about it a lot, I have not set any plans down on paper.  This is not ideal. 

I have tried many of different methods for homeschool planning. I have tried making plans two weeks ahead of time and handing them out to my children (my favorite). I have also tried planning a day at a time, and then there is my current mode, not planning at all. 

Although, I am not writing things down weekly for us to do, we have had a school routine for many years that keeps us learning, even when we are in a season where the daily planning might not be as detailed. This routine keeps a regular rhythm to our days which provides a healthy amount of structure, with lots of time for creativity.

Our routine-

Wake up
Personal Bible Time
Breakfast
Make Beds, Tidy Rooms
Start Laundry
Do Breakfast Clean-up
Feed Animals, Collect Eggs
Circle Time: Worship, Bible Reading and Devotionals, Prayer, Memory Work, Spanish, Timeline, Spelling, History or Science Read Aloud
Independent Work: Math, Science, History, Handwriting, Writing, Grammar, Phonics (This is also when I help younger learners.)
Lunch
Clean-up
Outside Chores or Free Time
Read Aloud
Outside Activities
Dinner Prep

Although I am not doing a stellar job with passing out school plans to the children right now, I do have a two-week at a time  plan that was inspired by this schedule which Ann Voskamp created. On this sheet, I list weekly meal plans, school subjects that I want to highlight and also any projects that we need to accomplish. 

I also have a master list of all the school subjects that my children are supposed to be doing, so I can yell out, "Do your math!", if I see them stealthily pulling up a video game while they are sitting at the computer. 

Having some kind of routine or plan is essential for having a heavenly home. The Bible says in Proverbs 29:18, "Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he." 

Children are happier who have some framework to their days. A routine offers security and direction, and until they are mature enough to create that direction and vision on their own, it is our responsibility to provide it for them. Having a routine, even a loose one, is a good preparation for peaceful days.

Check out some other homeschool schedules here
and here
and a post about routines vs. schedules here

For more on Heavenly Mothering, click here