I can’t think of any more hectic time in my day than the hours between the girls coming home from school and bedtime. They come home with a flurry of activity, ready for a snack and hulling full backpacks. These are the witching hours. As they’ve gotten older, their homework has gotten more extensive. In fact, this is the first year Ainsley’s had homework and boy does she have a ton.
It used to be that we could all sit on the couch helping Natalie, but now I’m pulled in two directions while simultaneously worried about getting dinner prepared. Since switching to the Paleo diet in the summer, dinners have become simpler, which is a good thing.
I’ve also tried a few different things to organize the homework crunch, but the most recent and the one that’s worked the best, is the simplicity of a white board.
Comments (7)
We homeschool and have used the white board many times, depending on where we lived and what kind of space we had. It’s nice to just be able to point, or remind them to check the board. Less drama. 🙂
Thats funny, Mark and I just talked last night about getting 4 boards for the kids since they are always forgetting some chore or reading. So we are going out tonight to pick some up one for each kid.
My 1st grader attends a Montessori school, so there is very little homework. However, we do have a weekly schedule of piano/violin practice, tennis, chess and a few sheets of homework. We’ve found a weekly goal is very helpful…it gives her control and choice over her week. She knows what she HAS to get done by Thursday mornings & sometimes it takes reminders from us. But, we get zero push back. As with most things, it depends on the child:)
We have only 2 kids, and each has a white board that is on the refrigerator. We don’t use it as often as you do, but it is nice to sometimes remind them to do chores. I think I should continue to use it like you do. 🙂
I have fallen off the chore wagon because life got so stressful. I ask them to help me with various household duties as they come up. As far as homework goes, we all sit at the kitchen table and work on homework. I read with the 2 younger kids and am also there available to help the older ones if needed. Not very organized but I actually enjoy that time together. One day I will be organized and the chore lists will come back.
We use a white board with home schooling… they have their classes listed approximately how long they should have each class (which does vary from day to day sometimes) They also have listed what must be done before we start school (this came about after moving onto a farm an having animals to care for) Then they have their after school chores. Since we are usually done with school between 12:30 and 1:30 they still have time for any thing they want to do.
I also use the white board for scheduled activities, church, teen soul winning, Revivals, field trips ect….
All that to say I LOVE having a the white board.
Simple, but effective.