Life Skills in the Home

I know this post is not about homeschooling...but who can homeschool effectively without some sort of organization to their home. Teaching life skills are an important part of educating all children regardless of where they get their education, so I discuss this topic here a little.

I decided that this house needs a better plan that what I've had in the past. There are three floors and it is VERY easy to overlook areas, like the basement. Which, by the way, attracts a LOT of dirt from the backyard as it is the only way to use the backyard, passing through the basement and upstairs to the main living areas. We live in a dry, dusty area of the country now and so the dirt is a constant issue.

Anyway, my new plan to keep on top of things is moderately based on Flylady principles where I take a space and spend 15-30 minutes on it for that day. Routinely doing each space will keep it up so that less time needs to be spent on it than if I just attended to it when it is so bad no one can use it. So, here is our current Cleaning Calendar.

My children also have "Zones" to clean, similar to Flylady. They are now old enough to be in charge of the entire Zone for a week at a time. We've been doing zones for several years now. The children are required to check their zone 4 times a day, cleaning as needed during those times.

The 4 times a day to check the Zone are:

1. After Breakfast, before education hours start.
2. After education hours are done.
3. After dinner.
4. Before bed.

This new cleaning calendar allows me to keep up with all those nooks and crannies that only need sporadic or monthly cleaning, like windows, organizing the storage room, or desk organization...along with the weekly maintenance items like vacuuming, bathrooms, and grocery shopping.

We've been on the new schedule for two weeks now and I love it!