THe Heart of the Matter is hosting a meme every Friday and last weeks (yes it has taken me a week to get this done!), last week’s topic is "A Day in the Life".   Here is our Wednesday 16th Jan. 2008.

Our Day…

I wake up nice and early at 4.30am, with my head filled with the lesson planning I started last night.  Into the computer to finish it off.

Then a quick devotions and Bible Study (which is the same Bible study I am going to lead my older two in later today).

The boys wake up just before 6.00 and by 6.30 Daniel has asked if he can go to work with his Dad.  So breakfast of a couple of rounds of sammos, some fruit and a cuppa for Pete for the road and they are on their way.  Back to my Bible Study.

7.30am the girls wake up – a sleep in as they are still recovering from a social weekend.  The kids are all responsible for their own bedrooms, devotions, breakfast and chores as soon as they wake up.

8.00am I find myself in deep discussion with Josh over his schedule.  We have been working on this for a few days now and we are slowly getting the crinkles ironed out.  He is a black and white, lay down the rules type of kid and I am trying to teach him to be flexible and thorough (keeping our eyes on the goal not on the rule).  So we spend some time discussing what amount of work can be expected in an ideal day.  He is then free to manage and organize his time around that.

8.30am a quick “telling the time lesson” with Nomi.  She received a watch for her birthday and telling the time has become a priority.  She is finding this a hard concept to grasp so maybe having her own watch will help her recognize time in her day and create a context for this life skill.

Now I’ve started to type up my day.  We are a good hour behind – this is what happens when I start preparing lessons.  I get caught up in the learning myself!!

Jess has just come in from her devotions so she will set to and start her chores, Nomi and Josh have nearly finished their chores so they will both start with their independent studies – Math, Latin, Science for Josh and Math, Typing for Nomi.  We will touch base again at 9.30.  In the meantime I need to start my personal responsibilities(morning routine).  Bit strange without Daniel around.

9.00am – Josh and Nomi both doing their Math, both need some extra one-on-one tuition. 

9.30am – Jess has piano practice

9.45am – Jess and Josh begin their new Bible Study on The Blood of the Lamb, Blood of Christ.  We read the intro to a Thematic Study, confirm our theme, each child writes our 5 questions for the study.
 

Pete and Daniel arrive home.  Daniel took quite a few photos.  Download and enjoyed them with Daniel and Peter.  Photography is one of Daniel’s "things" (Talents)

11.00am  Daniel and Nomi begin their new science unit on Plants.  We go for a little nature walk around the house to classify tree or herb.  Daniel frustrated with the photos in magazines so takes Pete’s camera outside and takes his own.

While photos of trees and herbs are being printed we take 15 minutes to begin our Auslan lessons.  We are studying Colours.   Jess has done all this before (many years ago) and is my assistant while Nomi and Daniel start a new language (Australian Sign for the Deaf)

Since we are now finished Science and Auslan Notebook pages we take 15minutes to set up files.  Daniel just needs a new section in his files for Auslan, Science just continues from last year.  Nomi needs a new file as her work has stepped up a level.  Everyone fills in their Diaries for today so far.

While I am doing all this with Nomi and Daniel, Josh and Jess are continuing with their own independent studies – Math, Science, History, Reading, Writing etc.  (Read about our Development of an Independent Learner)

Lunch time.  Touch base with how Josh is going with is studies – he is squeezing his work around the Cricket as they start the 3^rd Test in Perth today.  The rest of the kids have lunch, chores and then move into their afternoon routine.

Our afternoon routine is

Me – in the office

Josh – Reading and Writing (still being a little distracted by the cricket)

Jess – Reading and Writing

Nomi – Reading, Writing, Art

Daniel – Reading, Mat time, Art

Mid afternoon Pete grabbed Nomi and Daniel and showed them onion cells under the microscope.  After discussing the cells, reading a little bit about it, they both completed a drawing for their journals. 

Nomi’s made paper flowers for the rest of the afternoon, Daniel built Leggo, Josh continued to watch the Cricket, Jess blogged.  I finally put aside my office work and sat down and began a short chapter book story on William Tell with Daniel. 

Soon enough the afternoon ended and we began to get ready for our evening which includes a workshop here at our house.  Pete distracted us all with a brain sample he wanted to show us before he sent it on to the Vet.Lab.  So just before dinner we had a full demo of the ins and outs of a brain.  We also saw samples of liver, kidney and heart though it was hard to actually get any real idea as they were only slices of tissue.

I really like the challenge to write down our real day – I think I chose a good one to be honest.  Today was a fantastic learning day – Pete was home – interesting things came our way and that doesn’t happen every day. 

Our evening will finish with dinner together – I won’t read our read aloud as I have ladies coming at 7.30pm.  The kids will do the chores, have a rough and tumble with Pete, have a time of family prayer, read in bed till lights out at 8.30pm.  Ready for our next exciting day … which will look totally different from today – I know that already!