Home School Routine

Congratulations on this wonderful, big step you are taking for your son! Exciting and scary days. :) We have been homeschooling forever, and have forever to go. :) My oldest is 20, and my youngest is 6.
1. It is totally up to you if you teach every subject everyday. There may be some that you do everyday and others that you tackle once a week. Be flexible and try different options to see what fits best for your family.One of the main things is that there aren't any rules on how you *must* do it, especially in Texas.
2. Curriculum is just a tool. Your teaching style and your child's learning style are very important in this decision. We tried one curriculum the first year we started homeschooling and hated it. It just didn't fit our family. So, that year, I spent a lot of time researching our learning philosophy and the curriculums that fit into what we wanted. We landed on Veritas Press and have loved it. However, over the years, we have tweaked it for our own needs. We changed math curriculum just recently to Teaching Textbooks and have LOVED the change. We don't do everything they recommend in the Veritas curriculum because we just can't do it all. We add things, take away things, etc., to suit our personal needs. My advice is that you shouldn't become a slave to a curriculum. Remember, it is *YOUR* school, and nobody has the right to dictate what you do with it. Enjoy the journey! I would recommend getting the Veritas Press catalog just because it is beautiful and they have great reading ideas for each grade level. If you are ever in a quandry about what to have your son read at any particular time, you can just browse through the catalog and get a great idea, which is probably available at your library. Also, your reason for homeschooling plays a huge factor in your curriculum decision. If it is just about geography (no philosophical or religious reason to homeschool, you just want his school to be at home), then it probably doesn't matter what you choose. If you are homeschooling because of a religious/Christian reason, then you want to be very careful about which curriculum you chose. There are no neutral choices out there. They all teach from a specific worldview. It is vital that you chose one that reflects your worldview and the one you want to influence your son. That is a huge deal. You will be hardpressed to undo the damage done by a humanistic worldview if you are trying to teach your son from a Christian worldview. But, if not, then it doesn't really matter what you teach him in those regards. He'll get the humanism easily enough.

I'm using k-12 so it's lined out daily what is taught. Pretty much the core classes are everyday: math, english, language etc..

Everything else kinda of alternates.

I use Seton for my kids grades K-6. As others have said, the recommended schedule that comes with our program requires both daily subjects (M-F) and others that are only scheduled for one or two times a week.

We do not have to use Seton's recommended schedule, but I choose to do so, because it is designed to follow a similar schedule to those used in traditional schools. That means if we stick close to it, we get done for the year and get days off at approximately the same time as traditional schools take vacation or finish for the year.

For the 2nd grade program, Grammar, Math, Phonics, Handwriting, Religion and Reading are the daily core requirements with this curriculum. Rotating subjects with the Seton 2nd grade program (such as every other week or once or twice a week topics) include History, Geography, Art, Science, Phy. Ed., and Music.

Each topic takes about 20-30 minutes to discuss, read and complete work. Our 1-3rd graders finish their entire school day in about 2 1/2 to 3 hours unless Art goes long or Science has a lab experiment.

I love our curriculum because it is thorough, seems to keep us about 1-2 years ahead of our traditionally schooled peers, is very flexible so if I need to tailor things for the needs of the child, I can. And, for those who are Catholic and may be interested, it has a solid catechism program.

Yes I teach every subject most days depending on our schedule. This allows us to finish many subjects early in the school year so we can add other subjects or just have shorter days. My son will also be in 2nd grade and is the oldest of 4. My second son will be starting Kindergarten this year at home as well. We are Catholic and have used Seton as well as Kolbe. It's also a great idea to get involved in a co op or support group in your area. Good luck to you!

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