Have a Great Week in Homeschool

     Step one:
                    Pray, pray, pray!  Spend as much time as you can the weekend before praying alone, and with your husband for the school week to go well.

     Step two:  Plan, plan, plan!  Sit down and plan out the week's lesson plans, if you are more of an unschooler list out some ideas of activities or trips so you aren't scrambling when Monday hits.

     Step three:  Sunday night-- Get the kids to bed at a descent time, and go to bed at a descent time yourself.  Keep this up all week.

      Step four:  Start Monday morning with some worship songs, sharing a Bible verse or devotional thought and pray for the school day together.  Do this every morning.

      Step five:  When there are irritations, interruptions, or arguments during school, think of it as a bump in the road and not a stop sign.  Try to keep positive, and move on without thinking "Well, there goes the day (week, year, etc.)". 
 
      Step six:  Focus on the positive times, like when they are actually studying quietly, (or eager to play a learning game for those active ones).

      Step seven: Take breaks and end school at a decent time.  Even a positive school day will degrade as the day drags on, and hungry, tired and bored kids want to just GO PLAY! 

     Step eight: Take a little time each day after school's "out" to pick up the school area, sharpen pencils, and pray for each student as you clean up their area. 

     Step nine:  If possible, add a fun learning activity that isn't in the curriculum like a field trip, watching an educational video, or studying art or Classical music.  I have learned that it is often these "extras" that my children remember most about their school year.

 
        Hope these help YOU have a good week in homeschool this week.
PS.  If you are having a "bad" school week-- kids are sick, there have been SO many distractions, etc. go ahead and have "half-days".  Do Math and Language and call it a day.  You DID SCHOOL (even if it only lasted 30 minutes)... mark that down as a school day!  Maybe you'll be able to do more tomorrow, but don't discount doing a half-day.  Public schools often have only half-day due to assemblies, fund-raisers, Parent teacher meetings, etc.  So, you don't have to do EVERY subject to think of it as a school day.   Blessings!