Guest FreeRangeMom Posted October 24, 2014 Share Posted October 24, 2014 We are on our 4th year of homeschooling and my oldest is in 2nd grade (he turned 7 in July). I feel like in the past year we have really lost our way. He just hates doing any school work for me. It's a near daily fight. I actually took him to tour Waldorf inspired charter school yesterday because I feel like I am failing him. It was a beautiful school with a nice staff and I was impressed. But I really do NOT want to put him in school. It's a last resort. He is reading well above grade level without much help from me. His math skills are probably a bit behind (he was halfway through Singapore 1B when he refused to do it anymore last summer) but I have him interested in Khan Academy, which is something. We are using Queens LL for English, supplementing where needed and I keep meaning to start A Living a History of Our World but I am afraid to add something to his schedule. We are at a point where he has no electronics until school is done and an effort is made but he still rushes through. He hates writing so he tried to rip up his copywork book. I have not tackled spelling this year and his spelling is atrocious. And I am broke. I have not a dime for any more curriculum for at least a month. I know this is my fault and I feel lost as to how to fix it. Maybe putting him in school IS the answer. Any advice would be really appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted October 24, 2014 Share Posted October 24, 2014 It's really ok. He's 7. Reading above grade level? Great! That right there is a wonderful gift because it will help him with core subjects in the future. Play math games with him. Read history aloud to him. Go out to do some nature study. Do some fun science experiments. Don't worry about writing right now. I wouldn't worry so much about English either at his age esp. since he's reading well. Get some Mad Libs and have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted October 24, 2014 Share Posted October 24, 2014 Agree with Jean. And :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: How much independent work is he having to do? Are you working together on several things? Some kids really need to be with others while they work. DS is like that. Does he have friends to play with? Are you listening to audio books as a family and having in-depth discussions? Maybe doing an art project together while you listen? Even if he really doesn't need more time with others, perhaps he doesn't see any point to school. Is there a certain subject he has some interest in? Like bugs or something? Could you study that subject together? Get him some great books from the library and help him get started on a bug collection? Check out soror's relaxed math thread for some interesting ideas for math. Some may be too expensive right now, but maybe others would help: http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/499692-looking-to-do-some-relaxed-math-here-want-to-share-ideas/ And look on the All About Chemistry site for some interesting science projects: http://chemistry.about.com/od/halloweenchemistry/a/glow-in-the-dark-pumpkin.htm?nl=1 Is there a homeschooling group you could turn to for some support? Huge hugs. And good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fraidycat Posted October 24, 2014 Share Posted October 24, 2014 Here's my story. For the past year and a half, we probably accomplished maybe 1/2 a year's schooling or less.. Or so I thought. We basically unschooled ... I REALLY struggled with any sort of routine, my DD's attitude, hopping math currics for DD, etc. We barely ever "did school". Seriously, I can not remember the last time we had the school books out and actually worked on them. Fast forward to now. My kids are currently in a brick and mortar school. Grades 3 and 7. Both are ahead in math, DS (3rd grade) is 1-2 grade levels ahead in reading - I'm not entirely sure where DD is graded in reading or IF they even do in 7th grade anymore. They are learning stuff in social class that we've already covered or have at least introduced so they're aware, etc. What it all boils down to is: I didn't do nearly as bad as I THOUGHT I was doing. They really are learning all the time, even if they don't always put pencil to paper to "prove it" to us. Those discussions we had, youtube videos, "co-op" classes (barely controlled chaos as far as I could tell), etc. Parts of all of that stuff stuck. Nobody is more surprised than I am at just how well they are doing. I expected a little extra homework, honestly. So, you're probably not doing as bad as you think you are. Maybe you just need to try for more input and less output for awhile. Just talk about capital letters and where they belong. "I'm putting a capital letter here because it's the name of a place.", oral math questions - get him to help figure out food portions for the family, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Space station Posted October 24, 2014 Share Posted October 24, 2014 The Waldorf schools that I know of would not do very much in the way of traditional academic work at that age. So if that is the school you are considering, maybe consider just switching to that style of homeschooling for this year. Lots of time outside (PE), nature study (science), cooking (science & math), making up stories (LA), finger knitting (helps develop fine motor skills for writing, so this is LA!), no reading except what he chooses, building forts. You could still have him home and this way of homeschooling is easier to include your younger kids in as well. (I think you mentioned that he is your oldest, so I assume you have some preschoolers running around, too.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted October 24, 2014 Share Posted October 24, 2014 Not only is 7 young, but most kids turn 7 in first grade--summer birthday kids are VERY young for their grade. I don't mean to emphasize grade level so much--homeschooling doesn't have to go by grades, just by ability. So I guess I'm saying just go by what he CAN do, not by grade, since he's young for his grade even according to public school. (Sign. Am I even making sense? Need more coffee!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haiku Posted October 24, 2014 Share Posted October 24, 2014 If he's only 7 and in second grade, and this is your fourth year, that means you started homeschooling when he was very young. I'd say back off for a few months. Less school, more play. Try again after the holidays. He's too young to force it on him and risk him learning to hate learning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamaraby Posted October 24, 2014 Share Posted October 24, 2014 What Tara said. I struggled around the end of 1st with my oldest and he went to public school for second. He went in above grade level at everything and by the end of the year was basically right where he was when he went in. We brought him home for third and are still homeschooling now. My hindsight is that I wish I had just taken time off. A month or two or even six. He would have been fine. Your dc will be fine. Take a break. It will be ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brehon Posted October 25, 2014 Share Posted October 25, 2014 Agreeing with the others! Back way off on school work for right now and incorporate lots of play, read alouds, play, art, crafts (I'm the anti-craft mom, so this would be hard for me :lol: ), etc. Have a weekly library trip and check out various offerings in your area (museums, pioneer farms, zoos, etc). Check out RightStart's card games for math. I'm on my 4th second grader and he has 2 hours of seat work per day tops (and most days less than that). If you started when your son was 3-4, it really is not surprising he's burned out. :grouphug: It can be hard when we homeschooling parents try to strike a good balance between what our kids can do academically v. developmentally/emotionally. I promise he'll be fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted October 25, 2014 Share Posted October 25, 2014 The 7 yo who's in his fourth year of homeschooling was the first thing that jumped out at me as well. I'm confused by the OP's desire for the Waldorf school, which seems at odds with her apparent academic push with this child. OP, I second all this great advice to back down. I'm not sure what your goal was for the year, but his academics are completely fine, so think of your goal for the next year as just fostering a love of learning. And if his math and reading don't advance a single bit, then that's okay. You say you're afraid to add history, but history can be fun - fun in a way that copywork and math drills simply are not. Not only would I look at that great relaxed math thread, but think about some relaxed history, some relaxed science. Would he enjoy doing nature studies? Science kits? Art projects? Poetry teas? Going to more museums and to the zoo? Doing cooking for math? Playing logic games? Doing writing that's more silly and fun for this age like maybe Games for Writing by Peggy Kaye or Brave Writer's Jot It Down. Doing math that's through something like the Right Start games, as mentioned above? Really, school for this age group should feel rich and full and not like drudgery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purduemeche Posted October 26, 2014 Share Posted October 26, 2014 He sounds like a perfectly normal 7 year old boy. Spend all kinds of time reading aloud to him - stories of great men and their great deeds. All exciting stuff. No girly stories. Start to ease into the other stuff again after Christmas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haiku Posted October 26, 2014 Share Posted October 26, 2014 No girly stories. :confused1: My son's favorite books at that age were Thornton Burgess animal books and Anne of Green Gables. Why pigeonhole kids with stereotypes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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