Homeschool Rhythms & Time Tables

Over the past three years we've adjusted our school schedule frequently. My older boys' coursework gradually became more cumbersome; we added a new baby into the mix who then learned to crawl, walk and drop naps; and I learned more about Charlotte Mason's (CM) philosophy of education. After two years of testing and tweaking time tables and rhythms, we have landed on a schedule that works for us.

Inevitably our schedule will change, since it should serve our family where we're currently at. New seasons will arrive in which this particular structure is no longer serving us and we will have to re-evaluate; however, my purpose in establishing a schedule is not to fret over time slots or hold to one schedule for the rest of our home education journey. Rather, I’m laying an intentional foundation for what a regular day of home education looks like, here and now.

For context, I am currently homeschooling my two oldest boys. They're 8 and 6.5 (only 17 months apart) and both doing Y2. I also have a 5 year old son and a 15 month old son who are often underfoot, snuggled beside, or listening-in on our mornings. We primarily use Ambleside Online (AO)—a lovely, free CM curriculum—with a couple additional curriculums. If you're interested in knowing all that we used this school year, read my 2023-2024 curriculum choices here (though I will say... some of my opinions have changed and we will be relying more on AO in the coming years).

When initially looking to create a schedule, I sought out wisdom from CM and the Parents’ National Education Union (PNEU). There's often confusion around Charlotte Mason's Parent Union School’s (PUS) time tables (found here) because what may work best in a cottage school format—with a classroom of students in the same Form and multiple adults—would, of course, not work best in a home education environment. Even Miss Mason herself encouraged home educators to formulize a system that best honored their families; you, as mother-teacher, have that privilege and freedom!

Personally, I use Charlotte Mason's PUS time tables as a starting point and then focus on her principles surrounding schedules when fleshing out our daily rhythms. I believe in the heart behind the schedule, not so much the perception that our home education needs to replicate a classroom.

Some CM principles to note:

• Lessons should be short and intentionally staggered: Each term and subject within that term has a designated time. You may be surprised to discover that lessons are far shorter than you anticipated! Short lesson times allow children to do their best work while also recognizing their need to move and engage in a variety of content.
  

• A broad feast: instead of divulging in one book at a time or spending a large portion of the day studying one subject, small portions from each subject should be studied. This means you'll likely be doing a specific subject multiple times a week.
  

• The most taxing work should be the first work: start the day with the most difficult work. Children are more able to tackle difficult content when fresh. Remember to stagger intentionally so the arduous work isn't back to back.
  

• Intentional rest: Children should have breaks and space—particularly in the afternoons—for imaginative play, nature study, and handicrafts. In the CM world these are called "afternoon occupations.” While some structure to your afternoons may feel cumbersome, the handiwork skills taught primarily in Form One set the stage for future years of independent, enjoyable work for your children.

After assessing our family's needs, curriculum content, and CM's principles, I formulated a time table and daily rhythm. You'll find both for the 2023-2024 school year below.

Time Table

Times	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
7:30-8	Breakfast & Bible	Breakfast & Bible	Breakfast & Bible	Breakfast & Bible	Breakfast & Bible
8-8:30	Morning Habits	Morning Habits	Morning Habits	Morning Habits	Morning Habits
8:30-9	free-play	free-play	free-play	free-play	free-play
9-9:30	Riches	Riches	Prepare for Nature Group	Riches	Piano
9:30-10	Reading (history, natural history, biography, literature, etc)	Reading (history, natural history, biography, literature, etc)	Nature Group	Reading (history, natural history, biography, literature, etc)	Swedish Drill
10-10:30	Break	Break	Nature Group	Break	Spanish
10:30-10:50	Math	Math		Math
10:50-11	Writing	Writing		Writing
11-11:15	Phonics	Phonics		Phonics

Daily Rhythm

Morning Habits

-Breakfast

-Get dressed

-Responsibilities (feed dog & birds, collect eggs, etc.)

Morning Time

-Morning Menu

-Riches: hymn, folk song, recitation, artist study, etc.

-Poetry & snack

-Reading: history, lit, geography, natural history, etc.

30 min break

Formal Lessons

-Math

-Handwriting

-Phonics

Lunch (+ additional reading if needed)

Quiet time

Afternoon Occupations

-Handicraft

-Free-play

-Nature Study

-Walk

Some things to note:

• Typically all of the boys' coursework is finished before lunchtime. That's roughly 2.5 hours of schoolwork in total. Some days we do work past lunch because we started late or that day's work requires more of us.

• Wednesday is particularly light. We do a handful of formal lessons (writing, phonics, and math) in the early afternoon, once we return from our nature group. This light day also changes from Wednesday to Tuesday every week as we regularly attend a ministry on Tuesday mornings that alternates weekly with nature group. I just kept it on Wednesday to not be visually confusing.

• We do a four day week with Friday as an "extra-curricular" type day with dad. Since my husband is a pastor and works Sunday mornings, this is another area we've modified to best suit our family. He's an involved homeschooling dad and I happily accept the help!

• Our Morning Time is spent as a family covering some of the Riches . We've tried scattering them throughout our day for mental variety, but a family-focused morning time works best for our boys. Starting our days sitting around a table—baby often falling asleep in a carrier—while enjoying goodness and beauty together is the hallmark of my day. It helps us start off on the right foot.

• Our Quiet Time and Afternoon Occupations can be one in the same; it just depends on the day. We also don't do multiple occupations in one day; our rhythm just lists some options for the boys to choose from.

  Perhaps you're interested in homeschooling or the Charlotte Mason method, but our schedule looks intimidating. It certainly would've scared me three years ago! Let it be an encouragement that this is my third year home educating and we've continued to add in content as we've felt capable.

As my boys have gotten older and homeschooling has very much become part of our daily family life, they've naturally grown accustom to what our days look like. They are not without the occasional unsavory attitude, of course, but I've had some relief in this season seeing my boys more regularly transitioning to the next part of their school day without surprise or pushback. Some days they've even taken initiative and started studies on their own!

    Consistency has been the biggest help with our work load and transitions—especially for my spirited child—but I also believe our visual aids have helped significantly. My boys can't read my mind and I generally don't want them flipping through my Mother's Binder, so having visuals up in our home for all to see works best.

I initially made the rhythm cards for myself. I wanted something simple, beautiful, and CM specific. I also wanted the images to help my younger children—who can't read—to know what the day holds by glancing at the rhythm cards. They've been a game-changer for us; I wish I had made them years prior when I was deep in toddler-land and our days could've used more structure and habit building.

I hope this glimpse into our days at home is insightful. We often get asked how we manage to fit school into our days, especially with a 5 year old and 15 month old to care for. It really is possible!

We have difficult days like everyone where we have to pause and reset with deep breaths and prayer. It's taken a couple of years of dedication and character building to get to this point. I have continued to learn to be more disciplined and so have my boys!

It isn't perfect or always Instagram pretty, but it is worthy work.