We just completed our first two weeks of homeschooling!
It's weird to say... but coronavirus has made it possible for us to homeschool and I'm grateful for this opportunity! When our family moved to Gaming five years ago, the right to educate your children at home in your own language, using a curriculum of your choosing was making it way through the legal system. As Ellie began Kindergarten a year later, that right was denied. Homeschooling is not very common here, and if you do it - you must teach your children the native language (German) and the education must include the curriculum Austria uses. This ruling meant Kartause families could no longer homeschool here. We had a good experience with the Kindergarten. But we wondered if we would like Ellie going to the Volksschule (elementary school) starting in First Grade. Fortunately, we have really liked it and really like her teacher (who she will have through fourth grade) and her religion teacher is our Kartause neighbor and dear friend -- so God definitely answered our prayers that it would be good for us. We also like that school is out at 11:10am each day (except for Mondays when Ellie stays longer for the optional choir group). But still part of me wonders, having been exposed to amazing homeschooling families (many of the rotational FUS faculty that come and live next door to us homeschool for the semester they are here - which is still legal), what would it be like for us to homeschool? Well, I've got my chance now that it is required due to the coronavirus!
We've got a great set-up going on - like an Intro to Homeschooling (in German) Made Easy. We just completed our second school week. I think it was helpful that Ellie was already halfway through first grade and has learned a lot - both in her classes and how to sit and get work done (also hugely helpful is the fact she's a girl & an oldest child!!!) At the beginning of the week, Ellie's teacher sends a daily list of assignments - primarily, reading/writing and math. She also includes some crafts and "science" (like this week we identified all the blooming wild Spring flowers!). We also get religion assignments (it's a public school, but the country's official religion is Catholicism, so they are taught it in school). Ellie can normally finish all of the assignments in about one hour. Her teacher sends the answers for that day's work each afternoon. Yes, it's in German. I can understand a little bit of German but Google Translate helps a lot!
I've added a few additional daily assignments - including a daily religion lesson from the Faith & Life Series (which I bought last summer and never used til now) and an English phonics lesson from Phonics for Young Catholics from Seton Press (which was gifted to us when the homeschooling families moved away). And we got Ellie some learn-to-read English books, which she is loving! She was already reading really well in German (which was been amazing to watch!), but she wanted to learn to read in English... and just in these two weeks she has come so far! She enjoys reading to her brothers all over the house (see pics below) and they love listening!!
Seeing how the kids interact is definitely the biggest blessing and, at times, the greatest challenge. But overall, given their ages and Brian's availability (he was home with us for a few days, and is now working part-time at the office), things are going so well! Francis is almost 5 and Isaac is almost 3, and they're actually starting to really play together! I knew this because I see it the afternoons, but now that they have mornings to play together (Francis normally leaves on the bus for Kindergarten at 7:25am & returns at 12:45pm), I see it much more :) We started potty training Isaac.. we did one day without diapers.. which ended with 5 pairs of wet pants. The other days we've left the diapers on and he's actually made it to the potty (with the lure of a chocolate banana treat) a few times! Clare is napping well most days (one in the morning, one in the afternoon and sometimes a third nap around dinnertime). She is sitting pretty well independently. So far all the kids are doing great and seem to really be enjoying homeschooling. Francis has a few workbooks that I previously bought him that he now likes using alongside Ellie. And Ellie likes creating her own problems for Francis to solve. We definitely miss having all of the student helpers though! I’m used to having one helper in the morning for two hours. And two or more helpers in the afternoon. But getting outside together as a family has been good! Or with Brian’s availability, I’m still able to get time to pray or be alone without the kids. Brian and I are trying to keep up our newfound discipline of reading and then discussing the daily Gospel music over a cup of tea or coffee.
So what has it looked like on a day-to-day basis? (This was the part I was most curious about when I read other people's blogs or asked them about their homeschooling experience).
6am - all kids are up (Isaac normally earlier) & Brian gets up with them
6:30am - I get up & nurse Clare
6:30-7:30am - breakfast / playtime
7:30-8:30am - Ellie does her English work (Phonics & Religion) - I read the directions/lesson & then leave her to do the work. Clare goes down for her morning nap. I shower & start laundry. The boys play together (if Brian's home it's great, he can make sure they play well. If he's gone, sometimes the boys play well alone or they'll watch a show from Formed.org (eg, Brother Francis).
8:30-9:30am - Ellie does her Austrian work (German Reading & Writing and Math).
9:30-10am - snack / playtime *Clare wakes up around 9:30 or 10am
10-11:15am - outdoor playtime or family walk
11:15-noon - lunch time
Noon-2pm - Isaac nap. Ellie and Francis play. They like to play "Bibi und Tina" - which is a show in German on Netflix - they like to play that they are the characters. It's great because they only speak to each other in German while playing. Sometimes Isaac plays as well. He is the horse. He neighs in German.
2-5pm - anything goes. We listened to a great podcast by Messy Family Project that talks about this time being good for the kids to be "bored" and figure it out. Between 3-4pm we try to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet if one of us remembers. Sometimes we go on family walks (we're still allowed outside the house for this purpose during lockdown) / on Fridays we’ve been able to hike the Stations of the Cross in the mountain behind our house. Also sometime in here Brian and/or I prepare dinner.
5-6pm - dinner time
6pm - Family Decade of the Rosary! I'm so excited about this because we're finally doing it!! Ellie and Francis take turns leading us. Sometimes it's crazy (Isaac often wonders around 'saying the Mass') - but the more we do it, it's actually become peaceful! We all sit on the couch (it's required except for Isaac) and start by sharing our prayer intentions. Right now we're praying especially for all those affected by the coronavirus
6:30-7pm - Brian puts Ellie & Francis to bed (he just finished reading them The Wizard of Oz). I put Clare to bed. Isaac watches a show.
7:15pm - Isaac goes to bed (well, we put him in his bed anyway... when he actually falls asleep varies)
As a part of our own homeschooling curriculum we have Acting Class! Just kidding. But for real, we love making movies! Last Saturday, we made the Wizard of Austria. And in celebration of the Annunciation (Jesus is conceived in Mary's womb... 9 months til Christmas) this week, we made Christmasish.
OUR VIDEOS:
Wizard of Austria (click here to view)
It's weird to say... but coronavirus has made it possible for us to homeschool and I'm grateful for this opportunity! When our family moved to Gaming five years ago, the right to educate your children at home in your own language, using a curriculum of your choosing was making it way through the legal system. As Ellie began Kindergarten a year later, that right was denied. Homeschooling is not very common here, and if you do it - you must teach your children the native language (German) and the education must include the curriculum Austria uses. This ruling meant Kartause families could no longer homeschool here. We had a good experience with the Kindergarten. But we wondered if we would like Ellie going to the Volksschule (elementary school) starting in First Grade. Fortunately, we have really liked it and really like her teacher (who she will have through fourth grade) and her religion teacher is our Kartause neighbor and dear friend -- so God definitely answered our prayers that it would be good for us. We also like that school is out at 11:10am each day (except for Mondays when Ellie stays longer for the optional choir group). But still part of me wonders, having been exposed to amazing homeschooling families (many of the rotational FUS faculty that come and live next door to us homeschool for the semester they are here - which is still legal), what would it be like for us to homeschool? Well, I've got my chance now that it is required due to the coronavirus!
We've got a great set-up going on - like an Intro to Homeschooling (in German) Made Easy. We just completed our second school week. I think it was helpful that Ellie was already halfway through first grade and has learned a lot - both in her classes and how to sit and get work done (also hugely helpful is the fact she's a girl & an oldest child!!!) At the beginning of the week, Ellie's teacher sends a daily list of assignments - primarily, reading/writing and math. She also includes some crafts and "science" (like this week we identified all the blooming wild Spring flowers!). We also get religion assignments (it's a public school, but the country's official religion is Catholicism, so they are taught it in school). Ellie can normally finish all of the assignments in about one hour. Her teacher sends the answers for that day's work each afternoon. Yes, it's in German. I can understand a little bit of German but Google Translate helps a lot!
I've added a few additional daily assignments - including a daily religion lesson from the Faith & Life Series (which I bought last summer and never used til now) and an English phonics lesson from Phonics for Young Catholics from Seton Press (which was gifted to us when the homeschooling families moved away). And we got Ellie some learn-to-read English books, which she is loving! She was already reading really well in German (which was been amazing to watch!), but she wanted to learn to read in English... and just in these two weeks she has come so far! She enjoys reading to her brothers all over the house (see pics below) and they love listening!!
Seeing how the kids interact is definitely the biggest blessing and, at times, the greatest challenge. But overall, given their ages and Brian's availability (he was home with us for a few days, and is now working part-time at the office), things are going so well! Francis is almost 5 and Isaac is almost 3, and they're actually starting to really play together! I knew this because I see it the afternoons, but now that they have mornings to play together (Francis normally leaves on the bus for Kindergarten at 7:25am & returns at 12:45pm), I see it much more :) We started potty training Isaac.. we did one day without diapers.. which ended with 5 pairs of wet pants. The other days we've left the diapers on and he's actually made it to the potty (with the lure of a chocolate banana treat) a few times! Clare is napping well most days (one in the morning, one in the afternoon and sometimes a third nap around dinnertime). She is sitting pretty well independently. So far all the kids are doing great and seem to really be enjoying homeschooling. Francis has a few workbooks that I previously bought him that he now likes using alongside Ellie. And Ellie likes creating her own problems for Francis to solve. We definitely miss having all of the student helpers though! I’m used to having one helper in the morning for two hours. And two or more helpers in the afternoon. But getting outside together as a family has been good! Or with Brian’s availability, I’m still able to get time to pray or be alone without the kids. Brian and I are trying to keep up our newfound discipline of reading and then discussing the daily Gospel music over a cup of tea or coffee.
So what has it looked like on a day-to-day basis? (This was the part I was most curious about when I read other people's blogs or asked them about their homeschooling experience).
6am - all kids are up (Isaac normally earlier) & Brian gets up with them
6:30am - I get up & nurse Clare
6:30-7:30am - breakfast / playtime
7:30-8:30am - Ellie does her English work (Phonics & Religion) - I read the directions/lesson & then leave her to do the work. Clare goes down for her morning nap. I shower & start laundry. The boys play together (if Brian's home it's great, he can make sure they play well. If he's gone, sometimes the boys play well alone or they'll watch a show from Formed.org (eg, Brother Francis).
8:30-9:30am - Ellie does her Austrian work (German Reading & Writing and Math).
9:30-10am - snack / playtime *Clare wakes up around 9:30 or 10am
10-11:15am - outdoor playtime or family walk
11:15-noon - lunch time
Noon-2pm - Isaac nap. Ellie and Francis play. They like to play "Bibi und Tina" - which is a show in German on Netflix - they like to play that they are the characters. It's great because they only speak to each other in German while playing. Sometimes Isaac plays as well. He is the horse. He neighs in German.
2-5pm - anything goes. We listened to a great podcast by Messy Family Project that talks about this time being good for the kids to be "bored" and figure it out. Between 3-4pm we try to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet if one of us remembers. Sometimes we go on family walks (we're still allowed outside the house for this purpose during lockdown) / on Fridays we’ve been able to hike the Stations of the Cross in the mountain behind our house. Also sometime in here Brian and/or I prepare dinner.
5-6pm - dinner time
6pm - Family Decade of the Rosary! I'm so excited about this because we're finally doing it!! Ellie and Francis take turns leading us. Sometimes it's crazy (Isaac often wonders around 'saying the Mass') - but the more we do it, it's actually become peaceful! We all sit on the couch (it's required except for Isaac) and start by sharing our prayer intentions. Right now we're praying especially for all those affected by the coronavirus
6:30-7pm - Brian puts Ellie & Francis to bed (he just finished reading them The Wizard of Oz). I put Clare to bed. Isaac watches a show.
7:15pm - Isaac goes to bed (well, we put him in his bed anyway... when he actually falls asleep varies)
As a part of our own homeschooling curriculum we have Acting Class! Just kidding. But for real, we love making movies! Last Saturday, we made the Wizard of Austria. And in celebration of the Annunciation (Jesus is conceived in Mary's womb... 9 months til Christmas) this week, we made Christmasish.
OUR VIDEOS:
Wizard of Austria (click here to view)
So I don't know... is just homeschooling (with the teacher's guidance) for two weeks like the "honeymoon phase"? We'll be doing it until at least Easter Monday, so we'll find out! Stay tuned!
