How do you schedule homeschooling in your day?
A lot depends on who is teaching and who is learning. Our body clocks help regulate our day, influencing when we are sleepy, when we are hungry, and when our brains are most receptive to learning. Everyone has a body clock and they all tend to operate similarly. However, genes can play a role.
Are you usually a morning person? Or do you tend to not feel awake until the afternoon? Of course, things like inadeqaute sleep, poor nutrition, and not enough exercise can contribute to this, but so can your naturally occuring body clock.
This has implications for school. Teenagers are at a time of life where they actually need more sleep, and many studies have shown that they do not learn well earlier in the morning. All of us differ slightly as to when we have our optimum learning time.
You can figure out how this works for homeschooling by observing yourself and your children. When do you seem to get the most productive work done? Are there times of the day that seem to not go well, that end up in consistent frustration for you or your children? Pay attention to those signals, and plan your days accordingly.
For example, I have found that when we do a math lesson after lunch, my children seem to go much slower and become more easily frustrated. So do I, as a matter of fact. If we try it the next day, in the morning, it is a piece of cake! Now we schedule math for the mornings.
Pay attention to the natural energy surges in your day and in your children. Use these to plan your school schedule. You may find that early afternoon, when we are all tend to be sleepy, is a good time for reading and art. You might even be surprised to discover that your family's optimal learning time is late afternoon and evening.
Homeschooling gives us choices. We do not have to school from 8am to 3pm, or even in the morning at all. Find what works best for your family. Do not compare yourselves to others or worry that you are too strange. Do what works for you, and you will find learning at home can fit your schedule!
