I am new to homeschooling this year, trying to work out my daily schedule. Do "homeschool's" schedule a recess? I have 7 yr old tripets I will be teaching while their 5 yr old brother goes to kindergarten. I am sure that they will need a break. Am I over thinking this? Will we loose our momentum if we stop for a 20 minute recess?

Definitely schedule a recess (if not 2 or 3)! My kids have to get the wiggles out, and I need a little recess myself. I pretty much make my kids go outside and play in the back yard no matter what time of year it is. If it's raining, not so much. But even in the winter unless it's very cold, they run around and get the wiggles out and I have a little down time. I have 2 very active boys (9 and 7) and an equally active girl(5).

We usually start our school day at 9:00 after morning routine and chores. Then we're all ready for a small snack (usually an apple) and a break at about 10:30. They play for 20 to 30 minutes and then come back in and do some more work until about 12 for lunch. While I'm cleaning up lunch, they play some more and we're ready to go again by 1:00. We usually finish by 2:00 or 2:30 at the latest.

This year will probably be different because I'll be teaching my daughter Kindergarten this year. Last year she just sort of played school (pre-K stuff) while the boys and I worked. Plus, this is my first year using TOG, so I'm sure that will affect the schedule as well.

Good luck making your schedule, but I would definitely do a recess, especially with 7-year-olds.

I agree. One of the best benefits of homeschooling is allowing kids to be kids. We now have an outdoor trampoline, and my kids get several 15 minute jump breaks. Lunch hour consists of 30 minutes eating and 30 minutes outdoor play. Before we had an outdoor trampoline, I had a small indoor rebounder for my Kinder boy to bounce on after 20 minutes of seatwork.

Another thing I do is I allow them to move during school. My 9 year old son practices spelling words by spelling them out as he does karate type moves or jumping. My 6 year old daughter practices her speech therapy drillwork by throwing a ball to me every time she says a word, etc... Hope this helps! The kids will be better at staying still when they HAVE to if you alternate seatwork with active learning.

AnnM, mom to 2 very ACTIVE kids

Thanks for the input, it makes perfect sence. I am sure that we will all need a little "bottom break" thru out the day.

we definately have recess, especially coming from public schools 2 years ago! In fact, we have "recess" right after lunch, which is so nice for me because I can regroup, have a cuppa tea and check email. I need it as much as they do!

We definitely have recess because it is developmentally appropriate! Our OT taught us that when she taught me Sensory Integration activities. It also helps to get the brain back to focus mode. Even the brain needs a break!

While I don't schedule "recess" (well, actually I don't schedule a whole lot--I just keep moving from one child to the next, and they can do their subjects in whatever order pleases them), my children know that if they are having trouble concentrating, they should take a break. For us, that often means doing chores, whether it is vacuuming, folding laundry, emptying the dishwasher, making beds, etc. I occasionally will find a couple of kids engaged in a card game, but I really encourage mine to get their breaks by doing chores. This is active, too, and they can talk to their siblings while they fold laundry, etc. When I tried to schedule recess, I invariably had someone tell me, "I'm not at a good stopping place--can't I finish this first?" So I went pretty quickly to allowing them to schedule themselves. I have had to tell them, though, "No Risk games before your schoolwork is done!"

With my schoolagers ranging in age from 5 to 13, some obviously have longer attention spans than others.
Michelle