# Schooling and farm work?



## Ezekiel's Garde (May 10, 2009)

How do you do it all?

Right now, I need to school through the summer to catch my students up. We also have a huge garden, dairy goats, chickens, and getting llamas in a month. I realize that the livestock only take up about 2 hours out of our day, total. However, the garden is big, the laundry mess is huge, and trying to keep up with everything can be daunting some days. For instance, I'm washing a load of towels with bleach because I forgot about them for a day, being so busy, and they smell funny now from sitting in the washer 24 hours.

Also, how do you incorporate farm chores? My older 3 are 8, 6, and 4. 

TIA!!!


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## Tracy Rimmer (May 9, 2002)

Homes educating takes us about two hours a day. Two hours a day on food related chores (i.e., garden and livestock), and probably the same on indoor chores (laundry, food prep, cleaning, etc.)

I guess I don't have as many children as you do, but we haven't found that we don't have time for things. Do your children work together? Are they able to amuse themselves for a few minutes at a time, or do they need constant attention from you? If the latter, then honestly, you're going to have to set some priorities and let stuff go. 

Having a plan for each day might help. Have a list of things that must be done each day of the week. Cross them off as you do them. Assign chores to the older children. Even a three year old can help set the table, clear the table, make sure his laundry is in the laundry basket and toys are picked up. A four year old can feed chickens, if show how. A six year old can clean a bathroom, tidy a room, fold laundry, and set a table.


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## Ark (Oct 5, 2004)

Hey - even a 3 yr old can clean a bathroom! LOL
Just had to comment here - my 3 yr old niece uses vinegar spray and paper towels and does a fine job cleaning the bathroom. It is SO worth it to spend time teaching your kids to do things when they are young. 

Yours are old enough to do a lot - do you use a dryer or hang clothes on the clothes line? If you hang them, your 6 and 8 yr old can do it. Even if you need to provide something for them to stand on so they can reach the line. 

*Make a list of chores, provide incentive for getting work done,* and you'd be thrilled at what they can do and how fast they can do it. If it's not done properly, send them back to try again. 

When my kids were the age of yours, they LOVED to have a chore chart where they could put a little tiny star sticker after they completed each chore. 

I dont know if I helped you any - what exactly did you want to know? LOL
But, I want to encourage you to train those precious kids to be your helpers! Dont give in to the tempting suggestion that it would just be easier to do it yourself...


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## Ezekiel's Garde (May 10, 2009)

Thanks, you two! 

I think I have a handle on household chores, fortunately. At least as far as enlisting help. They are all responsible for getting their laundry to the hamper in my room and then folding it and putting it away after it is clean. I will be teaching my 8yo how to do it once we get our new washer (which will be after we get a water system so our well doesn't ruin the washer). The 4yo loves to be my "shoe chef" and they all help with food prep now - boy did that take a lot of guts to "let go" with them, but it's worth it!

I was mainly wondering about the farm chores. They do help weed and hoe, to a certain extent, in the garden. I can't wait until they can help harvest. I think they'll like that. Right now, we only have lettuce and spinach to harvest. They want to help milk, but we're dealing with mastits right now, and I just don't want to add anything strange into the equation that might send a goat back over into mastitis. They like to help put hay in the pen. I can't let them do the grain because the goats knock them over, but they do help with grain at the milking stand.

Their incentive is either "the quicker you get it done, the quicker we get to eat" or time on the Wii. I owe my oldest a lot of Wii time right now because he helped me out so well today in the garden.  It was with my old kid-sized hoe, too! That sure made me feel nostalgic, lol.

Thanks again!!!!


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## Farm 36 (Mar 21, 2009)

I find that this is very challanging to get the day done with teaching and the chores . But I believe a good work ethic is very important and my son has chores or resoniblity of some animals.He has a group or boiler chickens that he has feed from two weeks to butcher and when they are butchered he will get paid 50 cent per bird to buy a toy of his choice or go to the fair and spend how he wishes . Their are chores that him and I do together that he has resposibly that I can moitor. The Garden is a important part of the the family livelyhood so when it is time to garden we spend time there.Now while we are working together we are also teaching some of the work that he needs review or what is a head like in science when we were doing plant growth that was taught before in the garden so that was marked off with little discussion. We also will teach al lot of sat and sun and holidays and rain days because of the time off that was off during the good days .


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## sheepish (Dec 9, 2006)

It helps to look at the pieces instead of the whole. The whole often looks so intimidating you don't even want to attempt it, but when you break it down into pieces, you can achieve each of them, and soon the whole is done.

Learn to set priorities. There are thing that need to be done right now (like putting the wet laundry to dry  and things that can be done later, as well as things that may never need doing.

I read a book by Shirley Conran in which she stated Conran's Law "Housework takes up the time available, plus half an hour." In other words you can spend as much time on it as you wish to devote, and it will never be quite done. I think that probably applys to farm and garden work as well. 

Assuming that you have followed some of the tips given like teaching your children to do jobs well, making lists and giving appropriate incentives, decide how long you want to spend and move on when the time is done. Don't be afraid to be less than perfect.


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## BlsdMama (Dec 28, 2008)

We all pitch in.
Our ages are 13, 10, 7, 5, 4, 2, 1, and we're expecting a new little one.

The 13, 10, 7, and 5 each have animal chores. Even the 2yo can gather eggs, let out the hens to free range, and scatter grain from ONE scoop from the bag. Yes, it took time to teach them, but better a little time spent teaching in order to be able to delegate! Better in the long run for them as well.

We utilize our naptimes. The baby can play on a blanket or in a wagon being drug around by the 5yo while we weed for an hour or two. We also have a huge garden and it's the first year, so we're fighting grass. You have my sympathies.  

Are there some schooling items that can slide and some that are necessary? If so I suggest you do "summer lite" and just school on the necessary. My 5yo and 7yo will still be doing phonics/reading all summer long and my 10yo will be memorizing math facts, but we won't be doing full on school until it gets super hot around late July. By then the garden veggies will have conquered the weeds more! 

Laundry is one of those things you just keep goin' just like on Finding Nemo - "Just keep swimmin'" We do laundry all day long and throw it in one huge, clean pile. After nap or at night, the kids sort it all into piles - Girls, Boys, and then one pile for Mama, Daddy, & Sarah. I'm responsible for our stuff. The girls are responsible for theirs, the boys' - theirs. Even little Abby (2) can fold dish towels and diapers and put undies and socks and pajamas in the right drawers. By the time they are 4 they can totally fold all their own clothing. It's not perfect, but you know what? Perfectionists have to do their own laundry! LOL, I'll settle for a few wrinkles and a lighter workload.

Get up in the AM. Switch laundry. Do chores. Switch laundry. Eat breakfast. Switch laundry. Then do a bit of schooling. At naptime switch laundry and do the things that are difficult with littles around. You said the ages of your top 3, how little are your littles? Those top 3 are very capable, just remember it's NOT true that it's faster and easier to do it yourself. It's a lie.  It's better in the long run to train them to help and serve their family. Good habits and attitudes start young.

By the way, I don't know if it helps, but we don't "pay" them. Not in rewards, money, or privileges. They work for the family because we all pitch in in order to eat, have clean clothes, and have pets. And we give them money to spend because they are part of the family or give them play time (to watch a movie or play on the computer) because Mama & Daddy have a time to work and a time to play and we want to teach them balance. But we never want them to feel they are "owed" something simply because they did something for us. We do for one another because we're a family and that's what families do.


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## Cheryl in SD (Apr 22, 2005)

You have had some good advice. Evryone of the children have chores to do. It was hard when they were younger, but it has gotten better. Now everything runs so efficiently that they just about run everything themselves. One thing i would suggest is to take a good look at chores and see if there are ways to streamline the system. You mentioned that the little one could feed grain because of the goats pushing, could you fix it so that the little one can feed from outside the fence. 

We also don't pay the children for chores of any kind. We all work together.


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## Louisiana Mom (Oct 15, 2004)

Everything will not always go great, but scheduling really helps.

~You could throw in a load of clothes before going to bed. First thing in the morning put them on the line. 
~Right after breakfast & devotion we all get dressed & do our morning chores. (Make bed, pick up bedrooms, brush teeth & clean the bathroom)
~Head out to the schoolhouse to do schoolwork. (usually about 2 hours)
~Feed & water all animals, collect eggs
~We have our lunch & I clean up kitchen. (I also do any dinner preps now. Like start bread dough, make jello, etc)
~Rest time (watch tv, play a game, read)
~Do afternoon chores (we swap these but they include, vac. living room, dust, windex, tidy living room & computer area, mop, sweep, fold & put away laundry)
~Free play until dinner
~Dinner & clean-up
~Weed, pick, water garden.(It's already in the 90's so this is done in the evening or on occasion early in the am)
~Bathes
~Time with dad and then bed.

Yard work & pool cleaning/chemicals is done on weekends.

Does our day always go like this, no, but most of the time. I find that even at times I do get some complaints or sighs, if they know what's expected of them it makes it go much more smoothly.

The main thing is don't look at your schedule as a hinderance. To me it's a great help. On days with appointments, we usually just do the animals & school if possible, sometimes you just don't have time for school. Your children are learning much more valuable skills just living & doing everyday living.


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## TurnerHill (Jun 8, 2009)

Rose gives some good advice. I would also add that just as you would expect your kids to make their educations their primary focus, if you are homeschooling, that need to come first.

If that means, for example, no llamas, than that means no llamas.


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## garliclady (Aug 14, 2008)

We all have the same problem TIME. I am still trying to figure it out. What a difference a year will make mine are now 7 and 5 and can do so much more than last year at this time. Mine clean there bathroom and have done so for a year. we use vinergar dish soap spray ,disposable gloves, the youngest does the sink the oldest the tolliet and they both do the floor and tub. My son is in charge of trash. Daughter empties dishwasher and clothes I fold clothes still but both put away there on clothes. Most of our farm is vegetables /Field chores . They can pick , plant, etc . Cleaning the garlic is one major thing right now they can help with. We will start back with school next week. We will save school time for mid day when it is too hot to work outside. We do special fun days in the summer also that makes tehm motivated to do chore and school work


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