• About Me
  • Work with Me
  • Disclosure
  • Privacy Policy
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube

Ranching with Kids

Raising Homeschool Kids on a Cattle Ranch in British Columbia.

  • Home
  • The Blog
  • Ranch Life
  • Mom Life
  • Homeschooling
  • Work with Me
  • Contact Me

5 Steps to Finding a Rhythm In Your Homeschool Routine

January 22, 2019

Tweet
Pin11
Share114
125 Shares

I get asked frequently about how we make homeschooling work on a ranch so I want to give you a glimpse into our “typical” homeschool routine. Of course on a ranch, it seems like no day is typical. However, I try to keep a similar rhythm to each day so that the boys know what to expect as best as possible. By keeping a rhythm and having good communication, the chaos is kept to a minimum.  Here are my five steps to keeping a daily rhythm.

Step 1 – Breakfast Rhythm

We wake up usually between 6-7am, sometimes earlier, but I aim for sometime after 6! I help the boys get dressed and make the beds.  I try to put out their clothes the night before, but that is the best-case scenario.  During breakfast, we will talk about what the plans are for the day, what tasks I need to work on and I ask them if there is anything that they need to do or would like to do. This is a great way for them to feel included in our daily routine and also gives me ideas for our afternoon.  I tidy up, take out anything required for supper and we then go outside to do our morning chores.  This usually takes us until about 9am, ideally. 

Chore time on a beef cattle ranch.

Step 2 – Homeschool Routine

From 9 to 12, we work on our school.  We start with a morning basket. Our morning basket is a collection of books that we loop through for reading time and then proceed through math, language arts and science and social studies.  Sometimes the order of these change, depending on what activities we will be doing. I like to alternate on the type of work that we are doing so it keeps the boys intrigued through the morning. These subjects will take us until about lunch, which is usually a quick meal solution from Epicure!

5 steps to finding a rhythm in your homeschool routine. #homeschool #homeschoolroutine #homeschoolroutinedailyschedules
Pin Me

Step 3 – A Fun Afternoon Rhythm

Our afternoons vary as it is time for our afternoon basket, fun activities, ranch chores or appointments.  I try to book all of our appointments for the afternoon so that we can focus on school in the morning. 

Our afternoon basket is always exciting as we rotate through some great activities. The boys look forward to the variety each week. It is full of full activities, such as art, poetry, music, physical education and a Home School in the Woods lapbook. 

What I love most about this schedule is that is allows us a chance to get some fresh air and exercise in the morning prior to starting school and we look forward to fun in the afternoon.  

Painting is one of our fun afternoon activities.

Step 4 – Planning for Meal Times

For suppers, I plan each week in advance and I take out the meat that I need for supper in the morning. I look ahead at our schedule and then plan accordingly. Fast, healthy and clean eating meals are a staple in our house, thanks to Epicure. Epicure makes it so easy for me to feel confident in what I am feeding my boys along with using our own beef and vegetables as much as possible. I can quickly plan our meals for the week and know that meal time prep will be simple and quick. Send me a Facebook message to chat about the simple and quick meal solutions that I use in our home.

Step 5 – Reading at Bedtime

We have some wind down time before bedtime and then read at least one book at bedtime.  Boys are hopefully in bed between 7-8pm so that I have a few hours of time to work and catch up on paperwork.

Daily Rhythm is Key

Life on the ranch is very unpredictable, so we don’t always follow this schedule. It works well most days; however, we sometimes have to switch it up and do a ranch task in the morning. I try to keep the rhythm as steady and consistent as possible.  By keeping a steady rhythm, we are all happier!

5 steps to finding a rhythm in your homeschool routine. #homeschool #homeschoolroutine #homeschoolroutinedailyschedules

Tweet
Pin11
Share114
125 Shares

Filed Under: Homeschooling, Mom Life Tagged With: homeschool, homeschool life, homeschool routine, homeschooling, meal planning

Previous
Next

About Me

I am a homeschooling mom to two busy boys & a baby and beef cattle rancher in British Columbia. My passion in life is family and all aspects of agriculture.  My hope is that this blog gives you some insight into our ranch life while being a homeschooling mom.  I would love to hear from you about your journey in agriculture, raising children and/or homeschooling!! Click here to read more about me.

Follow Me Here

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube

Join My Newsletter

Homeschool Review Crew Team Member

Review Crew

Follow me

@ranchingwithkids

ranchingwithkids

Homeschool mom of 3 boys giving you a glimpse into managing the many tasks of ranch life.
Local Beef & Lamb @ogilviestockranch
Learn more 👇

Ranching with Kids
Though I spend most of my days multi-tasking betwe Though I spend most of my days multi-tasking between all the tasks of being a mom, I tend to get my BEST work done outside in the fresh air. There is just no better place to be with three young boys than outside, running off all their energy and living life on the ranch! Who agrees?
Wow! Winter came in with a blast! We are now feedi Wow! Winter came in with a blast! We are now feeding hay once per day to our 2 year olds and a few of the older cows. We will soon start feeding the cow herd hay as well. But right now, the cow herd is grazing some amazing grass that we had saved for when the snow arrived. We also supplement them with protein tubs to make sure they get sufficient protein as the grass may not have quite enough protein this time of year. 

PS - This is one of the photos in our 2023 calendar, which we are now taking orders for.
What a busy week and it’s not over yet! Between What a busy week and it’s not over yet! Between hauling square bales, moving sheep fence, helping the boys with their show projects, checking hay, running the boys back and forth to the tractor for their “turns” baling hay, beef deliveries, tending to the garden, and doing all the other mom tasks, every day has been full. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. Being a mom on the ranch to three incredible boys is so special. Watching their keenness, enthusiasm and love of life is the reason why I do what I do. However. I have to admit, I am not sure how to keep up to their energy level sometimes. They don’t tire out!
We check the cattle on our summer pastures on a re We check the cattle on our summer pastures on a regular basis throughout the entire summer. This is important so that we can ensure that the animals are healthy and have adequate water and salt.  It is also very necessary to check the condition of the pasture to help us determine when the cattle need to be moved to maintain, and often to continue to improve, the land and the grassland ecosystem.
Recently I got stuck trying to figure out how to s Recently I got stuck trying to figure out how to stop some predators from continuously trying to take our lambs. I felt like I was constantly getting discouraged as we couldn't stop the lambs from getting out of their fenced pasture.  Then, I reflected on what I have been learning on social media by watching other sheep producers. This gave me a fresh outlook and I was able to figure out a new solution for all of the sheep to help better manage their large pasture and keep the lambs contained.  Everything changed, and all it took was a new perspective.  I didn't need to continue doing things the way that I had been.  Sometimes we just need a new perspective. Do you agree?
I will be the first to say that I was a bit scepti I will be the first to say that I was a bit sceptical about using electric fence for our sheep as I haven’t had the best experience in the past.  However, I am now 100% confident in using it while increasing our grazing potential for sheep on our operation. We currently use 2 sets of the electronet with the energizer from @fencefast_ .  I was amazed with how well it is keeping the sheep in, even when it is placed within tall grass. It is helping to protect the ewes with lambs from predators and allowing us to rotational graze the pasture. We are resting some areas of the pasture that have been grazed heavier and grazing areas that have a lot of grass that needs to be used.
Follow on Instagram
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Copyright © 2023 · Ranching with Kids · Hello You Designs