Ambleside Online Year One Daily Schedule
The Spirit of the Schedule
Any schedule you find online should always be taken with a grain of salt. No one’s life looks the exact same every single day. It is a truth universally acknowledged that (with young children underfoot) mischief will abound, the unexpected will come into play and interruptions are a natural part of daily living in which opportunities for cultivating the virtue of patience are endless.
Therefore, when you read through our schedule, please note that you can give or take thirty minutes at any point and that the “order of events” is more important than a rigid timetable. We run a home and not a one room schoolhouse.
My goal is to have benchmark times in our day that anchor some semblance of structure in our homeschool. Breakfast by 8:00 AM, homeschool lessons at 9:00 AM, lunch by noon, out of doors by 2:00 PM, dinner at 6:00 PM and bedtime for the children by 8:00 PM. This helps create a rough outline of a schedule while leaving plenty of room for life to happen in between.
What Our Life Looks Like Right Now
Before gleaning ideas from someone’s schedule, it’s important to have some idea of what season of life they are in. If their season of life is completely different than yours, you may not find much help in trying to create a similar schedule of your own. So, I thought it might help you to paint a picture of where our family is at during the time of this specific schedule.
We have three children ages seven, four and two. Our seven-year-old daughter is the only formal homeschooling student at this point. We do not participate in any outside extra curriculars other than church on Wednesdays and Sundays. This leaves our schedule pretty free to follow the whims and needs of our own family.
Ambleside Online Year One Daily Schedule
You can download a FREE PRINTABLE of our schedule near the bottom of this post.
We have chosen Ambleside Online (AO) as the curriculum plan for our Charlotte Mason homeschool. This year we have been AO “purists” and have done everything that the Year One schedule prescribes. It has been the perfect fit for our family, and I have personally delighted in using it as the mother-teacher. We are currently in Term Three of AO Year One at the time of this post, so I feel confident in sharing that this is the schedule we have used all year and not just an ideal schedule I hoped to use in the future.
6:00 AM Mother Wakes Up
I shoot for waking up by 6:00 AM, 7:00 AM at the latest. I have a cup of coffee and enjoy a bit of Mother’s Morning Time before I start my day. I read my Bible, a bit from a spiritual non-fiction book or devotional I am working through and a poem from a poetry collection that is just for me. I do this whether my children are awake or not.
If they are awake, they snuggle me or play while I am reading. If not, I enjoy a quiet morning to myself. Then, I get fully dressed for the day and try to start breakfast preparation by at least 7:30 AM to have it on the table by 8:00 AM.
Each of my children wake up at various times. The two-year-old is often up when I am, my seven-year-old wakes up pretty consistently by 7:00 AM and dresses herself, and our four-year-old may sleep in until breakfast.
8:00 AM Breakfast
Getting everyone around the breakfast table by 8:00 AM sets the tone for getting our day on schedule. Breakfast meals are simple and quick to assemble. Some combination of eggs, toast, bacon, oatmeal, greek yogurt or fruit is usually on the menu.
Breakfast Table Morning Time read-alouds are primarily for my younger two children, the two and four-year-old. This is when I read Bible stories, nursery rhymes and a picture book at their level of attention and interest. This ensures their young literary lives are tended to before I focus on formal lessons with Big Sister.
After breakfast, we do a quick tidy up of the dining table and breakfast dishes. Then, I dress the younger children for the day. There’s usually some extra time after this to start a load of laundry and dishes if I haven’t already or film a 15-minute video for my YouTube Channel, as that is when that particular room catches the best lighting.
9:00 AM Homeschool Lessons
My AO Year One student is at the school table by 9:00 AM. I begin her school day with independent work she can accomplish with only minimal supervision by me. This allows me to tend to any needs of her younger siblings before preparing to focus a lot of attention on her lessons.
During our first term, I sat with my daughter to help her get the rhythm of this first portion of lessons. Now that we are in term three, she can handle this independently. I am preparing this habit now for later years when my younger children join the table and need help with formal lessons as well.
Independent Work
First, she reads one chapter out of her current book of choice for Phonics/Reading instruction. She will ask me if there is a word that she cannot read on her own and I will occasionally ask her to read aloud a small section to check-in on her reading skills. We used Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons during her kindergarten year and her reading is exceptional.
Then, she reads a small section of the Bible for her Personal Bible Study. This isn’t usually more than 10-20 verses depending on the length of a section. She did not do this until after she personally dedicated her life to Christ earlier this year and was baptized. She reads out of my old She Reads Truth Bible that is a CSV as that is more suited to her reading level. (An NIV Bible would work as well.)
I will ask her about what she read afterwards, though I don’t technically require a narration for her Personal Bible Study. This is between her and the Lord. The Holy Spirit will work on her as He wills. The first book of the Bible I had her read as a new believer was the gospel of John as it beautifully and lovingly tells the story of Christ.
Next, she moves on to Handwriting. Each day she writes her name, the day of the week, the date, and then practices a few letters of my choosing that I know she needs to work on. She does this in a cheap, primary lined notebook. I check to see if she has done her best and will make her correct anything that I can tell she did not put her best effort forward on.
Then, she moves on to Poetry. She reads one poem a day from AO’s scheduled poet for the term. I used to read this aloud to her at the beginning of the school year but now that she can read it on her own, she will read it aloud to me.
After Poetry, she moves on to Recitation. She recites aloud the Pledge of Allegiance, Pledge to the Bible and Pledge to the Christian Flag. Then she recites Ambleside Online’s Recitation selections of scripture and poetry.
Lastly, for independent work, she follows along and sings the AO Hymn or Folk Song for the month. I print out the lyrics for her to read and play the selection from the YouTube Channel, Folks and Hymns which follows along with AO’s schedule.
Lessons with Mother
The rest of her lessons require my involvement in instructing, reading aloud or writing down her oral narrations.
We begin this portion with the AO Bible readings in the Old or New Testament. I read aloud out of the King James Bible for these Bible lessons.
Then, we move on to our Spanish lesson from Speaking Spanish with Miss Mason and Francois.
Next is our Math lesson from the Simply Charlotte Mason Elementary Arithmetic Series Book One.
After math, we move on to the AO Year One Schedule readings for the day from History, Natural History or Literature. You can see how we schedule AO Subjects throughout the week in a blog post here.
This is a great time to grab a snack or some hot chocolate for all of the children as they can eat while I read aloud and refresh my own cup of coffee or tea. After each reading, my daughter will narrate to me as I write down her oral narration in her narration notebook.
We finish off this portion of lessons with either Grammar (one lesson from Gentle Grammar Level One), Copywork or Spelling.
How long does this really take?
This has been the best order of subjects for us as it varies the “type” of lessons as Charlotte Mason prescribes. The Ambleside Online Year One schedule looks intimidating at first glance, but because all of the readings are short, it does not take nearly as long as you think. We can do all of this from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM and that is including multiple interruptions from the younger two children.
What about homeschooling with littles around?
When it comes to homeschooling with younger toddlers in tow, I wish I could tell you there was a great secret of success but, there really isn’t. I have tried setting them up with activities but that only often causes more interruptions and messes to tend to.
I simply let them play freely with songs or audiobooks in the background. In a tough situation, where my Year One student can’t focus (usually during math), I will put on a show if needed for 20 minutes but not every day.
Some days are easy, some harder. They will often interrupt to see what we are doing or sit at the table and color. My daughter and I have both grown to expect this and accept it with patience. We pause; I address their needs and then get back to lessons. It’s just life. Adjusting your expectations to meet your reality is far better than lamenting your circumstances.
11:00 AM Housekeeping Hour
After homeschooling lessons are complete, we put away our schoolbooks. This is when my housekeeping hour takes place. Wiping surfaces, sweeping or mopping floors as needed, tidying up toys and focusing on cleaning one room a day is my homemaking strategy. This is when I listen to an audiobook or podcast. I also have my children help in age-appropriate chores that only take about ten minutes for them. The rest of this time they are playing and my Year One student is taking a break while I clean.
12:00 Lunch
At noon, housekeeping hour is at an end and whatever I got done for the day is good enough. I then prepare a simple lunch for everyone. Chicken nuggets, sandwiches, pizza, fruits and cold vegetables, cheese and cracker boards or pasta salad are normal options on the menu. After lunch, we clean up after ourselves. This is also the time we may bake something together after eating, before we start the next set of lessons.
1:00 PM AO Weekly Lessons
We try to end the day on something beautiful, so we tackle our AO Weekly Subject(s) last. These are subjects like Artist Study, Composer Study, Geography, Handicrafts, Nature Study and Art (Drawing). Occasionally, when the two youngest are having a good day, we fit these lessons in before lunch as well but that doesn’t often happen.
These lessons take only around 20 minutes or less so afterward, we tidy up the school space and give the house one last tidy up before heading out of doors.
2:00 PM Out of Doors/Leisure
Our “working hours” come to a close at 2:00 PM and we head out of doors for the rest of the afternoon, weather permitting. If it is extremely hot or cold weather, we go out of doors as long as we can stand it. For inclement weather, we stay indoors and the children have unstructured free time.
The best way to get out of doors as much as possible as a Charlotte Mason mother is to bring as much of your to-do list as you can out of doors with you. I lay a blanket down over my porch swing and fold our laundry on the porch. I edit my YouTube videos out of doors on my laptop or work on blog posts or Substack posts while the children play. I am interrupted quite a bit to “come and see”, push someone on the swing or stop them from going “out of bounds” in the yard That’s just motherhood.
I love to read and bring a stack of “Mother Culture” books outside to read by my children’s outdoor play area, which consists of a swing set, trampoline and climbing dome. Though they are mostly running around the yard and seeing what their father is working on outside. (He owns a welding business and works from home.) I also bring my workout outside (very inconsistently) and jump rope on the sidewalk or walk laps around our yard. It’s not fancy but a mother only has so many hours in a day.
5:00 PM Dinner Prep
I head inside to cook dinner around 5:00-5:30 PM to have it ready by 6:00 PM. The children may come inside with me or stay outside with my husband.
6:00 PM Dinner/Family Time
By 6:00 PM, we are all gathered around the dinner table. After dinner, we may watch a family friendly show or play one of our favorite games: Uno, Yahtzee or Checkers.
7:00 PM Kids’ Bathtime and Read Alouds
At 7:00 PM, the children start getting their baths. Our seven-year-old can handle this on her own and goes first. Then, while the younger two have their bath afterward, I read aloud one chapter of a chapter book to my oldest daughter. This is usually when we do the Ambleside Online Free Reads.
When the younger two get out of their bath, I read them a favorite picture book. Then, we all say prayers together. The girls go off to their bedroom to bed, and I take our two-year-old son to his room. He still needs me in the room to fall asleep, so I bring my book and booklight or my Kindle to read quietly next to him until he falls asleep. (Usually within 15 minutes)
8:00 PM Kids’ Bedtime/Parents’ Alone Time
By 8:00 PM all of our children are in their rooms, asleep and my husband and I have some child-free alone time. We may just talk on the couch or watch something we both find interesting together. Then, grab our bath or shower before bed.
9:00 PM Mother Reading in Bed
My husband and I are both usually in bed by 9:00 PM. We may talk a bit longer or head straight to sleep if it’s been a tiring day. I often capture some more reading time with my booklight before going to bed by 10:00 PM. (Unless my book is exceptionally gripping, of course).
Clearing the Air
Does every day look exactly like this? Well, no, not every day. Hiccups occur in our daily and weekly plans just like they do in everyone else’s family. However, this is what an average or typical weekday looks like in our home.
I am very protective of our homeschooling hours. I do not often say, “We homeschool, so we can make any time work.” Instead, I say that we are free in the afternoon after lunch or after 2:00 PM to ensure we get our homeschooling done.
Discipline and consistency are your closest companions as a homeschooling mother. Setting “benchmark” times throughout the day helps me feel that we have structure in our days without falling into the trap of stress that an overly detailed timetable may create.
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Free PDF Download of our Daily Homeschool Schedule
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Dear Reader,
I hope that you found some inspiration within our homeschool schedule. If your days won’t look exactly like ours, that’s okay! Your family’s schedule will be largely dependent on the number of children you have, how many of them are in the formal school years and even what your husband’s schedule may look like. It may take some experimenting to fine tune a system that works well for you.
Happy homeschooling!
Humbly,
Haley
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