Colonial Williamsburg

We had a fantastic time at Colonial Williamsburg this year!  We've been there several times but this is the first year we were there for the Homeschool Days.

The Ferry over to Williamsburg is always a big hit!

Benedict Arnold came riding into town to try to convince us all that we were following the wrong leaders!  We needed to go back to being loyal to England!  This was one of several educational

re-enactments we saw.

P.J. loved his new fold up wagon.  So did the rest of us!

 

The stocks, of course.

 Just one of the many exhibits we saw - the Powder Magazine. 
The kids did a great job asking questions and listening to all of the presenters.  Some of the favorites were the Wig Maker, the Taylor, the Silversmith and the Brick Maker.

On their way back from the Brick Maker.  Builder was in a hurry for lunch, which we enjoyed at the King's Arms Tavern.  Excellent food and excellent atmosphere.  I highly recommend it if you go there!

The kids all went on the "Children's Orientation Walk".  This is Andrew, the leader, who did a great job explaining what some of the aspects of life were like around the time of the Revolutionary War.

This is not an exhibit from Williamsburg but the cottage we stayed in!  We normally stay at a state park where we camp.  However, this year we decided to try the cabins at the same state park which were from the early 1800's. This is the boys bedroom in the upstairs of the cottage.  It was built in the early 1800's and preserved to be an exact replica except for the electricity and running water.

The cottage was surrounded by cotton fields on one side and peanut fields on the other.  This was a big deal to us northerners who don't often see cotton and peanuts growing!

This is a picture from the kitchen. The stove is obviously electric and designed to look old, but the cabinets, walls and flooring (and maybe the kitchen table) were original to the house.  It was a great place to stay while visiting Williamsburg.  We felt very much immersed in the time period.

Do these stairs look dangerous?  They were!  Carrying a toddler down these steps was not an easy task.  And, since he constantly wanted to play on these steps I had to carry him down way too often.  Next time, we'll remember the baby gate!

These last pictures were taken in the Master Bedroom.  All the rooms had fire places. 

 

 Social Butterfly's bed (her room was also upstairs) had a trundle where Beany slept. The one bathroom in the house was built in what we think was a pantry of some sort.  It had all the electricity and running water of a modern bathroom but was designed to look old.  I didn't get a picture of the free standing, claw footed tub but wish I did. 

  It was a very memorable experience!

Creating a Schedule

Below, (very large!) is the final school schedule we will be using this year.  Well, I guess I should say almost final.  We have several extra curriculars we still need to work in, but at least the main part of our day is worked out. 

Getting the schedule set up gets easier each year.  We have a general flow to our day and for the most part, I just follow that flow.  For example, once our day is started Social Butterfly is first on the list.  Social BF is generally my early riser and enjoys some quiet time with me in the morning.  I take advantage of that and plug her time with me into the early morning.  I don't have my personal early morning routine on this schedule, but I generally like to be up before anyone else, including Social Butterfly.  This is the time that I take to pray and get organized for the day.  If you want to see me really grumpy, come over some morning when I sleep in and all the kids are up before me!

Something new I'm trying this year is a scheduled time for each of the older kids to play with PJ, or Patch as his nickname is quickly becoming.  After a couple of weeks, I'm not sure I can say it's working.  While all the kids love their baby brother, they are finding it a chore to watch him for a certain amount of time each day.  I think this is odd since it has always been easy in the past to ask one of them to take him outside to the swings, or for a walk, or to the couch to read a book or two.  Maybe now that it is scheduled, it is something they have to do, so therefore it is no longer enjoyable.  I'm hoping that with a little more time and maybe some suggestions regarding what they can do with PJ during their time with him it will get better.

You'll notice Beany has lots of blocks that say "Quiet, independent work or...".  The whole "quiet, independent work" think is a dream of mine (LOL).  Actually, he does do well with quiet activities for a while, but like most kindergarten aged children, he really likes to  move and be noisy.  Because of this, after spending a bit of quiet with puzzles, books, coloring or other activities I have available to him, he runs over to wherever his older sibling and PJ are playing and joins them.  He and PJ are the best of buddies and it is cute to watch them play.  So far this is working well and he is just loving his "Kindergarten Time" with me first thing in the classroom.

I would like to note that after all the work of creating a schedule, we really don't follow a schedule!
We follow a routine.  The times along the side of the schedule below are just general.  The reason I even go through the process of creating a schedule is so that I can see it on paper, see how it flows, and keep us generally on track.  The times also help me to see that I am not trying to cram way too much stuff into one part of the day, which I have been known to do.

Finally, I would like to mention three resources that I have found helpful for scheduling:
Managers of Their Homes - This is the first homeschool scheduling book I read and, as a brand new homeschooler, it helped me to see all that was involved with scheduling our homeschool day.  I really think it helped me that first year because I remember the feeling of being completely overwhelmed before having a schedule which this book helped me create.  That being said, I don't agree with all that the author believes.  Never the less, it helped me to make a plan that would actually fit into the 24 hour day that I have, instead of one that requires a 36 hour day to complete!
A Mother's Rule of Life - I really like this book because it combines the Catholic Faith that I love dearly, with planning the day, serving my husband, teaching my children, etc.  It was truly a blessing to read.  I would say it helped me to embrace my call as a Catholic mom to educate my children, and then gave me some tools to make that possible.
Planning Your Charlotte Mason Education - I just purchased this book this year to help me with the planning process.  As a 10 year homeschooler, I think it may have been more than I needed, but it helped me to get into planning mode this past summer when I had so many other things going on.  I would highly recommend it for those just starting on this homeschooling journey, or for those who are changing over to a Charlote Mason influenced methodology.

Finally, here's my finished product!  I do not list specific subjects because my children have those on their assignment sheets.  I would be happy to answer any questions regarding specifics though.  I just didn't want to get overly detailed with this post (another thing I tend to do!).

School Schedule for the 2012-2013 School Year
7:30	8:30		Mom Meets with Social Butterfly Boys – Up, dressed and morning hygiene, breakfast
8:30	9:30		Morning Prayer, Chores and Memory Work
9:30	10:30		Classroom – Beany works with Mom – all other students do independent work.
10:30	11:15		Social BF – Patch Duty	Jetter - Religion and Geography with Mom	Builder – Religion and Geography with Mom	Beany –   Quiet, independent work or join  Social BF  and Patch.
11:15	12:00		Social BF - Independent Work	Jetter  - Patch Duty	Builder   - Work with Mom	Beany  - Quiet, independent work or join  Jetter  and Patch
12:00	1:00		Social BF - Independent Work	Jetter  - Work with Mom	Builder  - Patch Duty	Beany  - Quiet, independent work or join  Builder  and Patch
1:00	2:30		Lunch and Outdoor Recess  *( Social BF  – Monday – Class at 1:15)
2:30	3:30		Social BF  - Independent School Work on Monday and Tuesday.  Adobe Connect Classes on Wednesday and Thursday.	Jetter  - History Reading and completion of school work.	Builder  – Quiet Activities	Beany –Quiet Activities
3:30	5:00		Afternoon Chores followed by Tea Time
5:00	6:30		Social BF  - Mon – Tue –Computer Wed – Dance Thu – Fri -	Jetter  - Mon –  Computer Tue –Tae Kwon Do Wed – Rock Wall Climbing Thu – Fri -	Builder  – Mon – Tue –Tae Kwon Do Wed –   Rock Wall Climbing Thu – Computer Fri -	Beany  – Mon – Tue – Wed – Rock Wall Climbing Thu – Fri - Computer
6:30	8:30		Dinner and Family Activities, Prayer, Bedtime