| School of Housekeeping |
By: Debra Dragon, Homeschool Columnist
On 1/21/06
Homeschooling families certainly have a lot on their plates; what with creating and following their own educational curriculums, using the entire community as the classroom, and juggling outside activities- just how do they find time to wash those plates?!
| "If you think about it, chores are an important part of growing up, and gives you ample opportunity to start teaching responsibility to your children." |
Young homeschooling families may feel like they can only be successful at one or the other; one day they have a clean house, the next a great schooling experience, but never both at the same time.
When your children are very young and you are trying to homeschool them, unless you can afford to hire housekeeping help, the reality is you just might have to lower your standards a bit. Is it really the end of the world if the dishes are only done at the end of the day instead of after every meal? Does it matter if there is a stack of matchbox cars on the couch, or the windows could use a good cleaning?
What you can do to improve the homeschool/housework juggling act with young children is make yourself a list of everything that needs to be done, and divide that list into things that must be done daily, things that should be done once or twice a week, and things that can be done monthly. Once you have your list, try working things into your routine. You might be surprised at the idle time you have throughout your day that you could squeeze in some housework.
While the children are having breakfast for example, throw a load of laundry into the washing machine, and make a quick sweep through the house picking up any toys that are lying around and putting them back where they belong. After you start your school routine and the children are involved in an activity that doesn't require your constant attention, switch your laundry from the washer to the dryer, and do as many dishes as you can until the children are ready to move on to the next activity or need your assistance. Even young children can work independently on some tasks, like coloring or watching an educational video, and give you an opportunity to speed clean.
At the end of the schooling hours, while the children are napping or having free time, fit in another 20 minutes of cleaning. You'd be amazed at how much you can accomplish in these short bursts of time. Don't despair if a day or two goes by and you can't seem to do anything more than homeschool activities- you have your list, you know what needs to be done, and it will get done!
With older children, it is beneficial to everyone involved to include some of the housework into the homeschool routine. If you think about it, chores are an important part of growing up, and gives you ample opportunity to start teaching responsibility to your children.
Tamara Eaton is a homeschooling mother who has developed a daily routine that includes several “quick pick ups” throughout the day. Her article, ”Homeschool and Housework!” describes how each child is responsible for certain morning chores, and they strive to get them all done by 9am each morning. They then move on to their homeschooling activities; with another clean up session taking place after lunch, and another before dinner, and the last right before bed. Not only does this result in a clean house, but the children are learning time management, responsibility, and how to manage a home.
It can be a daunting task to learn how to budget your time well enough to fit in all of your homeschooling activities with your housekeeping necessities, in addition to all of the other obstacles life throws your way. The trick is to set reasonable goals for everything that needs to be accomplished, and break those goals into smaller, more manageable pieces. As your children are able, use housekeeping as just another part of your homeschooling curriculum and give everyone some of the responsibility of keeping the house in order.
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