I hesitate a bit even to post about this topic, in case I sound completely crazy. But after much thinking and prioritizing, I've put together a tentative schedule, so that we'll be all set once we get started for real, about... umm... about six months from now :)
Actually, though, the real reason I tried to plan out our future schedule was more so that I could get a better picture in my own head of what homeschooling would really look like for us, in real life as opposed to in theory. I also wanted to make sure I would allow for enough quiet, ordinary time at home. Our lives lately have been a bit too busy: I've been taking the girls to plenty of homeschool-oriented activities and playdates, so that we'll have plenty of friends once we start homeschooling for real insha'Allah, but meanwhile, Basbusa still has preschool two mornings a week. We've been running around all over the place, and Basbusa really doesn't have the stamina for it yet. The ensuing fussiness, plus the experiences I've heard about from other very busy homeschooling friends, has convinced me that I'll need to be more careful about not cramming too much into our lives, rather than worrying about finding things to do and people to do it with!
So here's what I'm thinking, starting in the fall, when Basbusa will have just turned four insha'Allah:
NESA is New England Sports Academy, which has a great set of offerings for homeschoolers during the day while most kids are in school. Basbusa wants to do gymnastics, so insha'Allah we'll sign her up for that, and the bonus is that any kid enrolled in their classes (and the kid's siblings) can come play for free in their gym on Tuesdays and Thursdays. That should be a lot of fun, let us get to know other families, and give us somewhere to play when it's cold or wet outside.
Our local playgroup is already up and running, and it's even better than I had hoped! Five other girls around Basbusa's age, four of whom happen to have younger siblings the same age as Kunafa. And four other moms who are so much fun (for me!) to hang out with. Al7amdulillah :)
And we have two nice, quiet days per week left open, for just hanging out at home, or going to the Children's Museum, etc.
Sound ok...? I'd love to hear any feedback, if any experienced homeschoolers stumble across this!
Assalaamu Alaikum!
ReplyDeleteMashaa Allaah looks great! May Allaah give you success and rest assured things will be great! Happy homeschooling bi idhnillaah!
Jazaaki Allahu khayr! If things go anywhere near as well as your homeschooling with your daughter masha'Allah, I'll be delighted!
DeleteLooks great! Over and over again I've heard the advice "make routines not schedules" and it strikes me that your schedule is more of a routine. Looks like it will give you a nice mix of structure and flexibility.
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