Sunday, August 8, 2010

Pegging - Homeschool Helps No.1

I can't claim credit for the idea of 'pegging' as a homeschool technique - it's one of those ideas being bounced from blog to blog - but it is one of the more useful ideas I've come across for getting things done.

Instead of having a timetable for certain subjects (as students and teachers would do at school), the idea of 'pegging' is to create a reliable rhythm to learning that fits in with your life.

For example - it's important to me to read aloud to my kids. One way of making sure it happens (almost daily) is to 'peg' reading aloud to just after lunch. It doesn't really matter what time we actually have lunch; what's important is that lunch triggers off the idea that it is almost time to settle down on the sofa and read together. If we miss a day here or there, we don't get out of the habit of read alouds because it is pegged to a reliable event.


Maths work in our house is 'pegged' as well, this time to after - breakfast chores.
Everyone needs to get dressed each day - ok, nearly every day! - breakfast needs to be eaten, the kitchen tidied, the clothes put out on the line, teeth and hair brushed. Getting out your maths book is just 'pegged' onto that - no need to discuss or negotiate - and it makes no difference if we're larks that day or no.

'Pegging' works beautifully with subjects you'd love to get around to but never seem to find the time for. When I was in my very Charlotte Masonish phase I wanted to do regular music study but every day it seemed to be nudged down the list and swamped by the multitude of other things - both work and play - that filled our days. So I 'pegged' it to breakfast, choosing and setting up a music CD the night before. In the morning, all I had to do was press
'play ', a side benefit being that my porridge - eating kidlets were something of a captive audience! We listened to, and enjoyed, a lot of music that way.

It's rubbed off on the kids too. I've noticed over the last few months that Lucy and Arwen have 'pegged' giving their room a tidy to Saturday morning before ballet. And if it's working for the kids, it's certainly working for me...

4 comments:

  1. Hi Melissa,

    Thanks for dropping by my blog. I love the idea of pegging as well - it really works for me!

    Kerrie (Kez)

    ReplyDelete
  2. I like this idea. I'm going to try to peg some important things this week, like exercise!
    It's lovely to learn new things from my very accomplished daughter too, thank you. x

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks Mum :) Maybe I should be pegging my exercise to sitting at a computer blogging!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Melissa, Kylie from secular homeschool. I've never heard the term pegging, but it is certainly something we do. :-)

    ReplyDelete