What are some tips that help your school day run smoothly?

[Carrie]

Ladies,

I thought we might benefit from sharing some general tips that don't necessarily pertain to scheduling but do pertain to making your overall school day run more smoothly. Tips can be anything that help your day run better and might be things that pertain to meals, bedtimes, structure, routine, rules, organization, laundry, chores, telephone, computer, recess, etc.

One tip that has made a huge difference at our house this year is to have a scheduled playtime in the afternoons for our olders to each take a turn playing with our youngers. My older two boys each take a 30 min. turn with a younger sibling during the afternoon, and I cannot believe how much my littles look forward to this time! Also, since my older two now have this in their schedule at the same time every day, they come prepared with ideas of their own of what to do with the littles. It is such a part of their routine that we are no longer trying to squeeze it in as time allows.

My middles and littles play with each other already as part of their school schedule, but it's great for my olders to take a turn too. I used to think my olders' schedules were too full to squeeze in one more thing, but it is surprising how much they actually enjoy the break and like to blow off a little steam by being young and silly along with my littles.

We also put everyone's computer time on the schedule too, so everyone knows when they are to do it and they are no longer asking me about it all of the time. A couple of my kids have two potential time slots for computer during the day, in case they miss one time, then they default to the back-up time slot. The computer was just getting to be too much of a hardship to get in for 4 boys to use during the day without a plan.

These two things make a big difference in our overall day as they matter to my boys! Both of these things also give me a little breather in the day, which is so important.

Blessings,
Carrie

[countrymom]

My boys are done when the last box is done, but my cardinal rule is I am not done until I have skimmed through the next day and put any needed supplies in the general school bin to easily grab the next day. The boys each have a little drawer/bin thing that holds their pencils, crayons, scissors, etc. We have a general bin that always has construction paper, yarn, glue, paint, and paintbrushes in it. If we need anything else the next day I throw it in as I am preparing. Having everything right there so we can quickly grab it as we do our boxes makes things run smooth for us. This quick check at the end of the day also prevents me from getting to a box and discovering I need something I don't have, which doesn't happen often with HOD but occasionally there is some food item (such as whole milk) that I need. I also put the sticky tabs in every book we are using to the correct place for the next day so there is no page flipping as we go through the guide.

[abrightmom]

Carrie,

Would you have a minute to address how you have trained the olders to play with the youngers? What kinds of activities are they doing together?

Also, what do you use for computer time at various ages/stages?

[holdinon]

For some reason, food/eating times always seemed to be our time killers---and our biggest mess maker-- which obviously kills more time! We implemented a couple of changes about a year ago that really helped us in this area, freeing up much more time in our day.

Dh has always cooked our supper meal (yes, I'm a lucky girl ). Now when he cooks, he intentionally cooks enough for lunch the next day. When we fix our plates for supper, we also each fix a plate for lunch the next day. I bought a set of sectioned, deep microwavable plates with lids. We just put them in the fridge, and microwave them the next day. Basically wipes out lunch prep time completely. Also, we eat our breakfast meal together and our supper meal together, but our lunches are not all together. I have them built into the school day to fit each person's schedule best. The plates are easy enough for all of the kids to heat on their own, and they are also responsible for putting them in the dishwasher after they have eaten. Ds10 and dd7 are the last to eat, and they start the dishwasher and finish off wiping down table, sweep, etc.

We also have done away with an official snack time. We have out a variety of fruit, individual bags of pretzels, and occasionally brownies or cookies on a tray on the kitchen island. They can have (one) snack at their leisure if the tray is out (I usually set it out on one of my many trips through the kitchen as I'm walking back and forth between kids), but they can't get anything except what's on the tray (with the exception of string cheese that stays in a drawer in the fridge). This saves me having to worry with snacks/snack time, but also minimizes the messes that they would inevitably make when I allowed free reign in the kitchen .

Ang

[CrystalM]

he intentionally cooks enough for lunch the next day. When we fix our plates for supper, we also each fix a plate for lunch the next day. I bought a set of sectioned, deep microwavable plates with lids. We just put them in the fridge, and microwave them the next day.

We have out a variety of fruit, individual bags of pretzels, and occasionally brownies or cookies on a tray on the kitchen island. They can have (one) snack at their leisure if the tray is out

I love both of these ideas. I will need to try to implement the sectioned plate idea for both my husband's lunch for work the next day and for us at home. And the snack idea reminds me of what my mom would do when we had snack after school when we got home.

Crystal

[andreacress]

One thing that has helped us came from one of Carrie's ideas about lunches. I made a list of 5 simple lunches, one for each day of the week. That way I know what to buy at the grocery store and lunch prep is fast because we don't waste time deciding what to have. My other tip is to sort laundry in the evening and then put the piles by the washer. The next day, when my son is working on something independently, I'll throw in load. I can usually get 3 loads done by the time our school is over.

[glperky]

One thing that has helped us came from one of Carrie's ideas about lunches. I made a list of 5 simple lunches, one for each day of the week. That way I know what to buy at the grocery store and lunch prep is fast because we don't waste time deciding what to have. My other tip is to sort laundry in the evening and then put the piles by the washer. The next day, when my son is working on something independently, I'll throw in load. I can usually get 3 loads done by the time our school is over.

I like the lunch idea! Would you mind sharing your list? And if you happen to have the link to Carrie's idea, could you share it too? Thanks!

[andreacress]

I wish I could remember where I read Carrie's idea. It may have been on Facebook - an HOD tip for the day. As for our weekly lunches, they are: Monday - PB & J sandwiches, Tuesday - canned pasta (ravioli, etc.), Wednesday - frozen pizza (a favorite day), Thursday - grilled cheese and soup, Friday - turkey and cheese sandwiches or Lunchables (Oscar Myer packages with cheese and crackers, etc.). I think Carrie said in her suggestion that they don't worry about getting all their nutrients at lunch and make up for it at dinner - that way you can keep it simple and the kids can make their own lunches if need be. As I side note, I also did this for breakfasts: Monday - Oatmeal, Tuesday - waffles/pancakes, Wednesday - cereal, Thursday - scrambled eggs, Friday - bagels. HTH

[MomtoJGJE]

First, for making all the rest of the school days run smoothly I do not have any two of my kids starting a new guide at the same time... if it looks like they will I will draw someone out longer... do half days (generally with the younger one) or just do 3 days/week. That way, when we start a new guide, I can train that child in that guide (and with more independence than required) without worrying about if someone's getting the short end of the stick on attention to training.

Also, I do not try to do everyone's school at once, necessarily. If it works for that day, great... if not, awesome.

I also will send them to different rooms to do their independent work. That way they can read outloud if necessary and it won't distract someone else. Not to mention they don't play

I have made sure to allow daily life to go on while the baby is napping. Hopefully that'll make it easier as we go along so that she will be able to nap while everyone is doing something. Right now a train could run through the house and she can nap through it. I hope that continues (we literally have run the vacuum around her while she's sleeping on a blanket on the floor)

We have integrated chores as part of school. I guess this would fall more under scheduling, but I'll say it anyway. We do five minutes of tidy time first thing, then five minutes of studying AWANA verses, then we start school. If someone is not doing school, they are free to watch tv/play/whatever until I call them. That ends the day someone says "Wait!!"

I also will go through (when things are going well) the night before and stack up everyone's work for the next day, including any craft items needed unless it's food stuff. In the vein of workboxes, except it's a pile per person on our desk. Fortunately I have at least 3 years if not 4 before I have to include Penelope in that because our desk is not wide enough for five piles

I go about 8-10 units at a time once I hit Preparing.... all the books they are not using in that span are in a box in the closet. The only things out are what they will use in that span. That keeps my shelves from being overwhelming to me and to them. For the younger guides, I keep it all on the shelves and put it away in a box when we get through with it. That helps them see how much they have left in the guide.

[momtofive]

One organizational type thing that I've included that really helps our days run more smoothly would be a dry erase checklist for each child. At the beginning of a guide, I'll figure out what order I want their day to go (usually a meeting with me, then independent work, then a final meeting with me to check things all over). I'll list out what boxes/subjects they need to do, and in what order, in list form. Type up a page and print it off. Then I laminate it with contact paper. I'll then hang it up next to their work area, and as they finish things, they'll check them off with a dry erase marker. It really helps them to see what's left for the day, helps them not to miss anything, and gives them a sense of accomplishment seeing their work get checked off. At the end of the day, they just erase their checkmarks, and their checklist is ready to go for the next schoolday! This also helps me to have some working on independent things, while I have others doing teacher meetings with me. With five children to keep up with, it really helps everyone to know what to do and when to do it!

They really like this feature, and it helps our day to run more smoothly!

[Carrie]

Ladies,

These are all such terrific tips! I am enjoying this thread so much.

In response to the lunch ideas, I'll just paste the post below that I shared on Facebook about it awhile ago.

One thing that you may wish to consider as you plan for your school year is to have a streamlined standard lunch menu that is quick to prepare. I post my lunch menu on the fridge, and then any of my kiddos who are ahead in their schedule for the day or who happen to be done early for lunch can begin to prepare what is on the menu. This is a huge timesaver for me and is something I started when the kiddos were little. Even my littlest ones can help get lunch ready if it is easy enough! We have a 5-day easy lunch schedule that we use all school year, so the kiddos get really good at it! I try not to rotate it too much or the ease of preparation is quickly lost. We always have our larger meal in the evening and that is where the variety takes place at our house. Consider having a streamlined standard lunch menu at your house and see how much it helps your schedule!

We use the same 5-day lunch menu all school year, but each year the menu changes some, depending on what the kiddos want to keep and what they wish to let go! Below is our menu from the 2011-2012 school year. In past years, we've had tuna sandwiches rather than ham and cheese buns. We've also had salmon patties rather than PBJ sandwiches. Another year, we had chef salad instead of the baked potatoes. We just set out all of the toppings for the salad and the dressings and let the kiddos create their own salad.

The healthy cereal was added to the menu when we switched to oatmeal and eggs every morning. The kiddos missed having cold cereal! So, last year we added it to the lunch menu once a week, with the stipulation that it had to be a healthy cereal. The kiddos have loved that too! As you can see, we keep it pretty simple here! However, we've found simplicity helps keep our day rolling along smoothly and allows the kiddos to help with lunch more easily. Maybe these ideas will get you thinking about the possible options that would suit your family best!

Monday
- Deli Ham with one slice of cheese on a bun (Choice of warmed in microwave or cold)
- Canned pears
- Corn
- Yogurt (optional)
- Dessert – 3 smalls squares of 80% dark chocolate per child

Tuesday
- Baked Potato w/ choice of: cubed ham, bacon, butter, sour cream, shredded cheese
- Grapes/apples
- Yogurt
- Dessert – 3 small squares of 80% dark chocolate per child

Wednesday
- Choice of Healthy cereal
- Applesauce (cinnamon or regular)
- Toast w/ peanut butter
- Dessert – 3 small squares of 80% dark chocolate per child

Thursday
-Choice of: Tomato or Chicken Noodle Soup
- Toast w/ smart balance spread
- Peaches
- String cheese or one pre-wrapped cheese slice
- Dessert – 3 small squares of 80% dark chocolate per child

Friday
- PB&J Sandwiches
- String cheese
- Choice of fresh fruit or applesauce
- Dessert – 3 small squares of 80% dark chocolate per child

Link: http://www.facebook.com/heartofdakota

Blessings,
Carrie

[glperky]

Thanks Andrea! That's great! If anyone runs across that link by Carrie, please let me know! Thanks!

[glperky]

Thanks Carrie! You must have been posting when I was. This is great. I love this thread and hopefully add what helps my day soon!

[TrueGRIT]

The biggest helps for us was -
1) Getting our 8yo his own alarm clock and "schedule", and making him as independent as possible.
He gets his and 3yo breakfast, makes lunch a couple days a week, washes his own clothes, cleans the children's bathroom, etc.
2)Staggering school start times (and will be staggering the start of each new guide as well)
3) Turning off phones, computers, etc. during main school hours
4) Having a rest time in the afternoon where everyone has to go to bed (they do not have to sleep)
5) Only leaving the house 1 day per week during 'school times'
6) Not conforming to a public school schedule, instead planning what works for us
7) Having a couple hours every week scheduled for Daddy time w/ the children - giving Mom a refresher, along with a date night out once a month, and a date night in a couple times a month. We also plan for family night or day once a month.
Even though this is only indirectly related to school, it really helps our whole family when it happens as planned.
and last Limit the amount of laundry done in a day - even if I don't get it all done. This is a hard one for me. I hate having anything dirty in the baskets!

Hope this gives a few ideas. It is not as complicated and scheduled as it sounds. We have been incorporating these things into our lives a step at a times until what works becomes routine. And that sums up how to streamline anyones day - ROUTINE.


Thank you, Carrie, for your lunch routine. We do that but were getting bored, and I got fresh ideas. I never thought of a "salad bar" for lunch!

[GrannySimplicity]

I have to admit that my typical day sounds very different than most of yours through reading the board. We live fully off-the-grid. I charge my netbook and cell phone on a small solar power system. Other than that, we don't use electricity. This means that we do everything the old way, including hand washing laundry to be hung out to dry. We heat and cook with a wood stove, use oil lamps for lighting (battery operated lanterns for the kids), and propane for refrigeration, kitchen stove in summer, and heat. People jokingly say we live a "Little House" lifestyle. LOL

Due to our lifestyle, I have to work on a schedule to keep everything going properly. I love the idea of having a rotation of lunch menus throughout the week. I already have a monthly menu for suppers. I had pre-planned a week's worth of suppers, complete with ingredient/shopping list written on back of each week's menu. In total I have 12 weeks' worth. Half are cold weather menus with lots of casseroles, soups, and stews. The others are warm weather meals consisting of in season produce that we raise ourselves in our garden, along with BBQ style meals. Being as we do not use fans or A/C, we cook outdoors almost daily in the hot part of summer. Each month, I choose 4 menus and place them in the order I want to use them. On a laminated blank calendar, I post the supper for each day of the month. I have a master shopping list made from the lists on the back of each week's menu. I first check the pantry though to see what I already have on hand. When I go shopping, I buy the entire month's groceries at one time, with the exception of eggs & milk which I buy weekly. By pre-planning and shopping for the month, I have cut our grocery bill in half. It also allows me to prepare each night for the next day's meal. I gather the supplies for supper right after breakfast and while the kids are doing morning chores, I quickly for meal preps for that night's supper.

Another thing that really has made a difference in our day running smoothly is to allow the kids ample breaks. Our son has a short attention span and needs frequent breaks. Our daughter who is 2 yrs older also enjoys those breaks. Each time they take a break, I quickly do another task of my own.

The most important thing that I have found to benefit my day (and thus the children's) is if I wake earlier than they do. I get up early enough to have a cup of coffee & read a Bible passage, then I quickly hand wash the clothing worn the previous day. By the time the kids are getting up, I have the laundry hung up to dry. If my day starts quietly and at a slower pace, I find the rest of the day to go smoothly. If I wake up late enough that I don't have that personal time or the kids happen to wake ahead of me, I go through the day feeling rushed constantly.