My 11yo is getting done with school too fast

[TKDmom]

I know that sounds silly, but I just realized this morning that his schedule is too easy for him. He woke up today at 7, got right to work, and finished all his work by 9am. Because he wants to be free to play video games all day. He's never been particularly academic, but it's past time to engage him in more. I'm thinking at the very least I will start giving time limits like "Work on math for 30 min" instead of "Do one exercise in the workbook"

 

So here's what he's doing: (I've been pretty relaxed the last year or two, so I hesitate to share--this looks like a 4th grade schedule to me)

 

Singapore Math 5A

W&R Narrative 1

Grammar Island/Practice Island edit: Practice Town (3x/week)

Spelling Wisdom (2x/week)

Cursive Practice

Latina Christiana (planning to move to FFL 1 in January)

American History (mostly reading through books by The Maestros and Foster)

Astronomy (Various living books that I chose)

 

I think I have all the subjects covered, but he can rush through and get done pretty quick, when he's not whining that "it's too hard". I worry about how easily he gives up, so I know I need to provide more consistent challenge without overwhelming him.

 

Today I had him read for a half hour when he was "done" and then assigned some chores, and then sent him outside to play basketball with his brother for an hour. But he still got on the computer to play by 11am.

 

Do you see any glaring holes? How would you beef up this schedule?

Edited November 20, 2016 by TKDmom

[wapiti]

Since he is so fast, the first thing I might add is a little more math, such as something from one of the extra workbooks (CWP or IP).  I'd be looking for around 45 min total, minimum, though it could be broken up into parts if that works better (e.g. 30 min now, 15 min later).

 

How about something like coding - have you introduced him to Scratch?

 

Can he type yet?

 

Does he read fiction (whether for pleasure or assigned)?

Edited October 12, 2016 by wapiti

[Arcadia]

Is your 11 year old a 6th or 7th grader? I would ramp up SM5 by assigning more work but not setting the time. My kids would have just daydream the time away but would finish more work fast. We drop grammar, spelling and handwriting and did literature only.

 

Also what are his interests? My kids like programming so we add that. They are also doing two modern languages so their days are longer.

[mathnerd]

Is he finishing the SM 5 fast and accurately? If so, then the work is too easy for him and he might have mastered the material already. In that case, you need to increase the challenge level - you can either do this by adding in IP and CWP or you could just compact 5A, finish it earlier and move on to higher level math.

Since he loves to be on the computer so much, I would divert part of that time to schooling - I would assign non-fiction reading for 30 minutes on the computer (there are curated sites that have articles on current events, science etc), start him on programming (Scratch, Python, Terrapin Logo etc) by assigning him programming challenges and get him started on robotics.

[freesia]

 I don't see any literature. I'd add about 30 minutes of good literature that you discuss with him.  He could also do responses/summaries of the science and American history work.  You could add read alouds of good literature (or audiobooks)  Art, music, exercise.

 

My 11 year old's school schedule:

8:00 watch CNN news, 15 minutes Bible, go on a walk/ run 20 minutes

Breakfast then read lit book and/or history

9:30 meet with me to correct/ mini lessons in spelling, grammar, math,latin,  make sure he's on track in lit and writing (writing in our History group Thurs afternoons) and science

10:00 independent work: grammar, spelling, handwriting, math, lit, some history, writing, science reading and questions,

10:30  snack and outside time

11:00 group--memory, I read aloud some history, watch history videos or do mystery science once a week

If there is any time before lunch he does more of his independent work

12 lunch

1-2 or 2::30 finishes his independent work

 

Oh, he also has to practice his TKD and guitar at some point in the day and sometimes has critical thinking work.

 

So, if your son is correctly finishing his work to a high level and is completing a "full lesson" each day, I wouldn't give him more academics (other than literature) I would fill in with art and music.

 

I, also, think the video issue is separate.  I wouldn't let him do them until after 2:00. It would be good for him to figure out other ways to fill his time.

[Lori D.]

...I, also, think the video issue is separate.  I wouldn't let him do them until after 2:00. It would be good for him to figure out other ways to fill his time.

 

This was totally my thought, too. ;)

 

 

In looking at your line-up, you've got all the basics covered. However 2 hours for 5th grade is pretty minimal, esp. if the free time is not being used to explore some educational interests, or if not needing a light school day due to medical issues or special needs therapies. (For example, at a 5th grade level, we were schooling about 4.5 hours a day, for 4 days/week, with a 5th day for homeschool group, field trips, or for catch-up and big projects -- art or history project, science experiments, etc.)

 

Ideas:

- limit computer gaming to just 1 hour/day, and can't happen until after 4pm

- schedule more work -- 30 min/day per core subject (reading, writing, math, history, science, latin)

(that equals 3 hours/day, and then add 1 hour/day for the rotating subjects and for supplements)

- or, if DS is understanding the material and needs increased challenge, bump up a grade level in some subjects

- add supplements to come at the topics from different angles and spend more time per day on academics (educational videos, Beast Academy 5, Comicstrip Grammar or Fix-It or other)

- add some rotating subjects to the schedule:

   * learning to type

   * critical thinking/logic puzzle pages

   * vocabulary

   * art

   * musical instrument lessons and practice

   * elective of interest: electronics, robotics, computer programming, hand craft skills, wood working...

[freelylearned]

In addition to the two hours of curriculum work here are some other ideas of increasing school time without adding workbooky type activities:

 

Increasing the free reading time to an hour is reasonable for an 11 year old, as long as you have a variety of books on hand for him to read. You  can divide the time between fiction and nonfiction or approved books and free choice reading, that could also include magazines and comics.

 

An hour of basketball or other is also reasonable.

 

You can add on an "elective hour" where he spends time working on a skill, such as art, model building, playing chess, cooking, physics labs, computer coding, foreign language, etc...

 

That would bring your son's educational time up to 5 hours. As far as the computer time, we have designated "screen time" at our house where the kids can play their video games or watch TV. Outside of that time (4:30-6:00) everyone knows not to ask. (We started this rule when our then 10 year old was waking up way early to play video games before breakfast. It was a bit of a struggle to find a time that works and implement the policy but having the kids' screen time coincide with my dinner/chore time was really helpful to me, too) Also, screen time cannot begin until the clutter of the day has been put away, so around 4:00 everyone starts running around cleaning the floor and the table tops.

 

 

[TKDmom]

Since he is so fast, the first thing I might add is a little more math, such as something from one of the extra workbooks (CWP or IP).  I'd be looking for around 45 min total, minimum, though it could be broken up into parts if that works better (e.g. 30 min now, 15 min later).

 

How about something like coding - have you introduced him to Scratch?

 

Can he type yet?

 

Does he read fiction (whether for pleasure or assigned)?

 

Coding! Yes, he's done some Scratch and he loved it. He was designing simple video games ;)

Does anyone have any resources I could use? I need something that spells out' "Make this or that" and maybe has some instruction. I was pointed to a website once for Scratch and I couldn't figure out what you're supposed to do. He took a coding class a couple years ago, and they introduced them to Scratch and gave them specific tasks. I don't know enough about any of it to suggest tasks.

 

And typing...he hasn't done much. Again any suggestions?

He may be open to FLVS. It's free for us, with outside accountability.  DS12 did their keyboarding class last year and hated it, but ds11 is much more easygoing.

 

He does read some fiction. He was on a Harry Potter kick last month and read a book a week, but he took a break after vol 6 and hasn't gone back to it yet. He's currently reading Indian in the Cupboard, but he only picks it up when I tell him to read.

[TKDmom]

Is your 11 year old a 6th or 7th grader? I would ramp up SM5 by assigning more work but not setting the time. My kids would have just daydream the time away but would finish more work fast. We drop grammar, spelling and handwriting and did literature only.

 

Also what are his interests? My kids like programming so we add that. They are also doing two modern languages so their days are longer.

 

He'd be a young 6th grader, or possibly an older 5th grader. Late summer birthday.

 

His interests are Zelda, Mario, Minecraft... 

[Wheres Toto]

Sounds like you have gotten some good suggestions.  I can tell you what I do for my 11 year old and how we handle the constant desire to be on screens as soon as possible.

 

My kids aren't allowed on computers until 4pm and get off at 7pm, regardless of anything else.

 

In addition, they have to finish all school without complaint, read an assigned book for an hour a day, do at least an hour of exercise a day (most of this is scheduled extra-curriculars that actually happen after 4pm which cuts down the time they are on), and have an hour of quiet/screen-free time (preferably outside).

 

School for my 11 year old/6th grader:

 

Each day:

 

Mosdos Press Pearl - reading a story and 1 or 2 pages from the workbook or discussion depending on the day

Math Mammoth - 2 pages

Beast Academy - 1 or 2 pages depending on what's on the page.  

Jousting Armadillos -OR- Zaccaro Challenge - reading a lesson and 1 or 2 problems depending on the lesson

Vocabulary from Classical Roots -OR- Spectrum Writing - one page or one exercise

Journal Writing - one paragraph from a prompt

Logic Puzzles and Cursive are done about once a week

 

Together with his sister, we do some Spanish each day.  We're using Getting Started with Spanish and do 1-2 lessons each day and they spend some time playing on Duolingo.

 

We are still building up to all our content subjects but we'll do at least one or two of each of these a day: History, Art, Science, Music, Health, Internet Safety.

 

This usually gets us pretty close to the point where it's time to leave, or at least get dressed and ready, for extra-curriculars.  We have something every day except Friday right now.  On days where we don't have something outside the house and school ended up not taking long, they are allowed to play Wii U or watch videos until computer time.

 

[Arcadia]

His interests are Zelda, Mario, Minecraft...

Minecraft mod design

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/553789-please-recommend-a-minecraft-class-and-a-coding-class-for-ds12/

 

My boys like super mario which is why we let them play at Target and Best Buy instead of buying.

[TKDmom]

My first question is....he is finishing fast, but is he getting them RIGHT?   Do you feel like he knows the work and that's why he's getting it done so fast, or is he just rushing through and getting done the very very basics.

 

The second question is, is he meeting your goals?  If he's doing the work, demonstrating his knowledge, etc...then perhaps what needs to be changed, then maybe the goals need to be changed.  Or not.  If he's meeting your goals, and you are comfortable with what your goals are for his education....then who cares if he gets it done so fast.  School, homeschool, EDUCATION....isn't about occupying our kids time, it's about giving them an education.  If he's getting the education you want him to have, it doesn't really matter if that happens in 2 hrs or in 6 hrs.

 

NOW, if you are concerned in particular about the amount of time he spends on video games or about idle hands in general, I think that's a separate issue.  I don't think it's a good idea to add educational busywork just to keep a kid from playing video games.  Chores, time outside, some random extra curricular etc, or even an education activity that you enjoy (like, if you like art projects, or enjoy nature walks, etc) but not adding extra school stuff just for the sake of filling time. 

 

Good points. I don't want to add busy work at all, but I think his work in general is too easy and he has too much free time, with no real goals except to play video games.

 

He usually gets all his math problems right. Maybe he misses one, or a group of related questions. On the days he struggles to understand (or requires any teaching at all really), he gets incredibly frustrated. This is a huge concern for me. I don't want him to get used to breezing through everything, so that he gives up at the slightest hint of adversity. When he got old enough for BA, I gave him the choice to continue SM, or move to BA. It just occurred to me that maybe he didn't want to do BA because it's harder (ds12 used BA through 4C), but maybe he just wanted to stick with what was familiar. I will look at telescoping his work. It will make him happy to think he gets to skip things.  :001_rolleyes:

 

I do need to add fun stuff for him. Poor middle kid. DD15 has always gotten my biggest focus for academics (oldest child) and dd7 is incredibly intense and demanding. He's so easy-going that he's always gotten lost in the shuffle.  :(

 

ETA: IOW, he's meeting the goals I've set for him up to this point, but I don't think he's working at the level he's capable of, and I want to start stretching him.

Edited October 12, 2016 by TKDmom

[2_girls_mommy]

My 12 yr old who is an late summer bday, so is a young 7th grader does:

6th grade R&S math 8-9

Easy Peasy spanish 9-9:15

journal 9:15-10:00 (various writing and drawing exercises mostly)

Second Form Latin 10:00-11:00

Dyslexia Games Spelling practice (somedays workbooks, somedays practice writing, somedays spelling with tiles, etc.) 11:00-11:30

5th Grade R&S English 11:30-12:00

lunch

She does not spend an hour on math, mostly because she has trouble being ready by 8, lol. So she does have to go back to it and finish later. I don't know how she could get any of this done more quickly. The hour on Latin, does have some time wasting, but in general, we review and it takes her the majority of the hour to get a page or two done. The rest of the subjects take their full time.

 

Afternoons vary:

Two days have 3 hours of dance classes, so we just do some science and some reading before she goes. I require science written work like definitions, narrations, and lab reports for experiments. She does 1-3 experiments a week.

Two days have an hour of us reading aloud together (me to them) and then an hour or so on history work. That requires reading, outlining, adding dates to timelines, and mapwork.

 

I require reading in bed everynight or listening to an audio book, and Art happens at co-op and during journal time and during read aloud times and on school breaks and in free time. Mine each have a craft or medium they like to work in.

 

I don't allow any screens at all until after dinner. But we keep pretty busy until then. I have never had a problem with kids who worked too fast.

 

[TKDmom]

Minecraft mod design

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/553789-please-recommend-a-minecraft-class-and-a-coding-class-for-ds12/

 

My boys like super mario which is why we let them play at Target and Best Buy instead of buying.

 

I'm so glad I'm not the only parent who does that!!  :lol:

Our family is living out-of-state for several months. I didn't bring the Wii, and I took away his Nintendo DS as soon as the long car trip was over.

So last week we were at Target getting some winter clothes...after we picked out some for him, I let him run off to play in Electronics while I picked out some boots for me. I felt like a totally irresponsible parent, but he's old enough to be in a store without me hovering, right?

Edited October 13, 2016 by TKDmom

[Arcadia]

It just occurred to me that maybe he didn't want to do BA because it's harder (ds12 used BA through 4C), but maybe he just wanted to stick with what was familiar..

  

 

There could be many reasons why. My kids enjoyed SM as a get it done and then do other math stuff they choose for fun. It took them about 10mins per workbook page at most. They enjoyed reading the BA books but did not reread. They have no interest on the practice books at all and prefer aops wordy style. My DS11 also love to stick with what is familiar so he use SM all the way to SM6B as spine then did AoPS prealgebra to precalculus. My DS10 switch to AoPS after SM5B as he was bored with SM. They reread The Number Devil a few times though.

 

I let him run off to play in Electronics while I picked out some boots for him. I felt like a totally irresponsible parent, but he's old enough to be in a store without mew hovering, right?

The Target electronic and books dept know my kids well enough :lol: They often have the newest release for books. My boys read all the Minecraft books available at Target.

[tmstranger]

I've struggled with my ds (12yo) finishing early.  Honestly, he used to be in ps and always finished early there, too.  I was a substitute teacher and the teacher literally left me extra work for him b/c he was always the first one done...huge reason we're homeschooling now!

 

But, I could see that at home, he'd finish early and run off to play video games.  And that is NOT why we were homeschooling, so we did play trial and error on some of rules and I think I've found something that works for us...and doesn't have him done at 11am and his brother still working at 4pm!

 

I set a fixed schedule:

8:30-9:15 morning time (devotional, memory work, read aloud)

9:15-10:15 handwriting and math

10:15-10:45 is designated GO OUTSIDE time.  They get a quick snack and then go shoot baskets or go for a walk.

10:45-11:30 Spanish and language arts

11:30-12:15 Latin

12:15-1:00 Lunch and GO OUTSIDE time again. 

1:00-2:00 specials rotation and history/science rotation

2:00-2:30 quiet time, in your room reading, so mommy doesn't loose her mind

2:30-3:00 afternoon rotation (we rotate through "extras" like Shakespeare, poetry, etc.)

 

After 3:00, they can take a one hour tech break, but after that, nothing.  They need to be bored to find stuff to entertain themselves.  After 6 weeks of this schedule, the 12yo has finally found a hobby...modifying nerf guns...not my first choice, but he's not on the video games!

 

Anyway, what worked for us was setting a time schedule and telling him that *if* he finishes any of those things early, he can entertain himself quietly until the next "class" begins.  I also write in for him to practice flashcards in Latin or Spanish if he finishes those early.  This keeps me from losing track of what he's done and hasn't done each day, while still be able to give attention to my younger kiddo as needed.  I also think that I've finally found a threshold where he is pretty well-challenged--more writing, outlining, etc. across subjects. 

 

Now...if I can just get them to stop fighting, I'd be golden. :)

 

[Julie Smith]

You can add in an online class. Virtual impact offers a free 7 week online class that he might like. It's called Digital Learning. You learn how to make a website and similar things.

[2_girls_mommy]

 The timed schedule is what works for us too. If work is done early, then my 12 yr old can go jump on the trampoline or draw or play toys with the two year old or something for a few minutes until her next "class" begins too.

[Julie Smith]

 

 

Singapore Math 5A

W&R Narrative 1

Grammar Island/Practice Island (3x/week)

Spelling Wisdom (2x/week)

Cursive Practice

Latina Christiana (planning to move to FFL 1 in January)

American History (mostly reading through books by The Maestros and Foster)

Astronomy (Various living books that I chose)

 

 

My boys are similar in age to your son. Next month Eldest turns 12 1/2 and Youngest turns 11. 

 

Youngest has the schedule of:

- Spend 10 to 30 minutes listening to something history related. 

- Spend 10 to 20 minutes practicing piano. 

- Spend 20 minutes or so working on math (Flash cards everday to review something. Then work Singapore with me) I stop the math when his brain power runs out.

- Spend 20 minutes or so on writing. He is doing IEW SWI B. The reason I chose level B and not A was because we got level B for free. 

- Spend 5 to 15 minutes writing. Sequential Spelling, one list of 25 words. Also practice writing his name in cursive. He often needs to take a break in the middle of the list since spelling annoys him. 

- Spend at least 2 minutes on Stack the Countries. (An app teaching place names on a map)

- Spend at least 2 minutes on Memrise learning French. He doesn't have to spent much time doing it, but he has to do it to earn computer time. Because of that he often chooses to do memrise when he doesn't have to, and for longer than he has to.

- Spend at least 2 minutes on Typing. Right now he is using the game, "Epistory" which is very fancy so he often picks to do extra. 

 

Other "Educational" things he does:

- Watches his older brother take the class http://www.impactvirtual.com/digital-learning-prerequisite.html

- Watches a few movies every month in French with English subtitles

- Watches tv shows in Japanese so he has to read the subtitles in English

- Goes to running club twice a week 

- Helps manage a small snack store, so counts money and restocks the fridge once a week. 

- We don't have a 'bed' time, but a 'brush, book, and bed' time. Since he doesn't like going to bed he stays up late reading. 

 

I find with Youngest he can get through his school work in 2 hours or even less if he picks not to do extra stuff and his brain isn't working well. We do school year round 4 days a week. On the one day of the week we don't have school he has a 30 minute piano lesson, and a 90 minute program at the library. 

 

I know we aren't doing "science" but I find I can't squeeze anything more into his brain. His library class does touch on science.  I do want to add in cursive writing - which he has done before, and fix-it grammar. 

Edited October 13, 2016 by Julie Smith

[Tiramisu]

My DD is ten and similar, and she has more work assigned. She gets through it quickly anyway and not always very conscientiously, I admit.

 

In addition to 5A, she also has a math review book she works on daily and we are using the Intensive Practice book for the first time this year. But she doesn't use the IP on the same day she does the workbook. I think this is a good math set up even though I wish all the pieces could be streamlined into one book.

 

DD is not allowed in electronics during the school day except reading on her Kindle.

 

She is slow to get up and usually doesn't feel well in the morning, so after she gets up and eats she will usually just read for a couple of hours before starting her work.

 

After finishing her work she will often write a letter to a friend or play with the dog or work on some project she's come up with.. She also rides her bike or walks a dog, but I usually have her wait until the afternoon just because I don't want too much attention from neighbors. She has coop once a week and some kind of simple field trip to the aquarium or something, so those things take up time, too.

 

I will tell you. I've had two slow workers and two who needed me glued to their side all day long, and having a fast worker is a lot easier problem to deal with.

 

And if he is happy and learning, I don't think I would make any big changes. But considering your schedule, I think you could add another bite of math with some kind of daily review if he has any retention issues or IP or CWP if he needs challenge.

 

Also, some kind of mini daily review of grammar and mechanics could be useful unless he's really mastered those things.

 

I also think you could add journal writing or a writing prompt activity even if it's 10 minutes.

 

A science experiment? My DD doesn't like doing those with me and I don't like setting them up, so I leave that for coop.

 

These are things I think a kid with his line up could possibly benefit from. In any case, I don't think I'd add much more heavy book work, just little supplemental bites and more time spent reading.

 

And don't make too many changes at once. Please be careful of that. You don't want him to be overloaded or shut down and every person is different in terms of when they got that point. If I tried to tell my DD to work for thirty or forty five minutes on each subject I would ruin everything for her, everything, and our school life would crash and burn. I'd much rather she have a healthy balance, one that is unique to her.

 

I personally would reserve school hours for learning and fun stuff other than video games. But because he is motivated by them, I would make any changes with that gradually and thoughtfully. It's okay to retain that has a motivating factor used judiciously. Perhaps giving him outside activities to do or going out somewhere won't make him feel like he's losing something that's important to him.

Edited October 19, 2016 by Tiramisu

[Julie of KY]

Things you can add (some are repeats):

More math - go through SM 5 faster and add something else - Challenging word problems, Zaccarro, etc.

Literature - assigned to read or listen to

Free reading - 30 min per day

Teaching company vidoes

Youtube educational videos

Books on cd from the library

Family read-aloud

Science experiments

Logic puzzles

Coding - scratch and minecraft mods are both good

[RenaInTexas]

How about assigning him an independent, interest-led project? The project should produce a model, exhibit, poster, presentation, paper , or something that could be presented to you. 

 

Ex: Since he likes video games. Perhaps he study the history of video games; how they have evolved; how the costs have changed; the game content. Who were the leaders, where did the ideas come from. Compare and Contrast the most popular games today with the most popular 30 years ago. What are some new uses of video games? Perhaps even create some vintage video games in a free coding software and create your own and present your creations, comparing and contrasting the vintage relicas he created, to what he plays (minecraft), to his own creation.

 

Then when he finishes that, move on to the next interest-led project. Also require at least one science project or engineering project a year.

[TKDmom]

How about assigning him an independent, interest-led project? The project should produce a model, exhibit, poster, presentation, paper , or something that could be presented to you.

 

Ex: Since he likes video games. Perhaps he study the history of video games; how they have evolved; how the costs have changed; the game content. Who were the leaders, where did the ideas come from. Compare and Contrast the most popular games today with the most popular 30 years ago. What are some new uses of video games? Perhaps even create some vintage video games in a free coding software and create your own and present your creations, comparing and contrasting the vintage relicas he created, to what he plays (minecraft), to his own creation.

 

Then when he finishes that, move on to the next interest-led project. Also require at least one science project or engineering project a year.

That is an awesome idea. He loves researching video games. He always knows the next thing that's coming out, and he's had fun playing vintage games (like from when I was his age. :lol: )

[TKDmom]

Thanks for the ideas everyone!

 

Small changes we've made so far:

Setting a timer for math. He's old enough to sit through more than 5 min of math. I'm amazed at how much he can get through in a 30 min session. He's only slightly challenged, so I'm encouraging him to move through multiple lessons in one day. When we get to something he doesn't understand instantaneously, I slow him down and go over it with him. I think I will add the IP books at some point. I'm reluctant to add too much at once, but I suppose it wouldn't hurt to buy one and have it on hand...

 

I made up a literature list for him this weekend. It has a few classics and several modern books that I loved. I had lists for the other kids already. I don't know why he didn't. I guess my idea was that we could just pick new, interesting books when he finished the series he was on. Flying by the seat of my pants doesn't work well, though. I need something in writing to tell me what to do next.

 

I bought Youth Digital's Mod Design course yesterday. They had another 40% off sale this weekend. DS pulled me out of bed to do his schoolwork so he could get started sooner. He has spent the last 90 min on that course. I'm impressed at how easily he's picking it up. My older kids were totally lost when they did this course a couple years ago.

[Julie of KY]

One of the things I do for math is have multiple books. I say we have to do a least a page (or x pages) from this book. Then the student gets to pick which to do next. We don't have to do all.

I usually have a main book that we have to keep plugging along through and  then something supplemental that might be more fun and/or challenging.

[Melissa in Australia]

I had 2 children who raced through their work, but for them the motivation was so they could go explore the bush, national park,and coast that is right by our house. I gave them a set amount of work they had to get done each day before they could leave. They would start their schoolwork at 7 am and be off before 9am. They had to be back by 1 pm to start afternoon schoolwork - history and science.

 

The knowledge they gained in their bush ramblings is immense. They both completed a tertiary Deploma of Conservation and Land Management before they tuned 18, and have been employed ever since in remote area forest protection type work.

 

My dd completed that visual learning course mentioned upthread. She absolutely loved it and it led to her doing other online study courses. Including Japanese through a language studies correspondence school and year12 biology.she also absolutely loves doing online math,language and science competitions.

 

 

So wish that ds13had a motivator to get his schoolwork completed quickly :-(

[Rosie_0801]

Maybe you should assign him something to teach/work on with your youngest. That'd give him appreciation for hardworking students.  :laugh:

 

I'm sure your 7yo needs to play a lot of board games to get her maths facts up to scratch, and he's the guy for the job. 

(I prefer to outsource board game playing whenever possible. :leaving: )

[Roadrunner]

My first thought is why are you giving him below grade level work? That could be one reason why he finishes too quickly. I would do more math to bring him up to grade level, and I'd you want to stay with CAP, at least work on Chreia. Sentence Island is grade 3, so it's OK to start there, but it won't take you much to get though it.

I would add writing across curriculum and require some output in history.

Foreign language? It's a great time to start one.

[Zebra]

My 8th grader has always been quick and accurate with her schoolwork.   I struggled for a time with thinking "everyone else" was taking much longer "doing school" and we must be doing something wrong.  Eventually I accepted the fact that she is simply an efficient student.

 

Some kids dawdle and daydream.  Other kids struggle with their work.  And some kids are just quick thinkers and able to stay completely on task all the time.   I believe you need to be careful not to "punish" your student by giving him extra work just because he's able to finish it quickly.  Come up with enrichment activities to fill in the time, or limit screen time, but I wouldn't add extra work.   Assuming you feel like he is at the level he should be at, and doing a good job with his work.

 

[TheAttachedMama]

I wouldn't fill his schedule with extra work either.    If anything, I would suggest that he should be reading for at least an hour per day.   (And that time should be divided between assigned reading and free reading.)   

 

BUT---I think it is actually good for a kid his age to have lots and lots of free time.   It allows them to explore, develop interests, and self-teach.    BUT, if he is just spending all of his free time on video games----that isn't such a great use of time.   A kid who is dong that is not going to thrive.    I'm not saying video games or TV are evil....I'm just saying that they are highly addictive and more importantly passive activities.   

 

In our house, you aren't allowed to even ask for screens until after 5:30PM.   (If you ask before then, you lose screens for the day.)    This solves the problem of whining for screens all day, and it forces them to find something else to fill up the day with.    My kids are 1000 times happier since I have implemented this rule.   (You would think it would be the opposite, but they are SOOOOO much happier.)   

 

 

 

[TKDmom]

   My kids are 1000 times happier since I have implemented this rule.   (You would think it would be the opposite, but they are SOOOOO much happier.)   

 

I have had the exact same experience with lots of other things. Fighting over toys? Take away all but a few toys. Whining for more snacks during church? Stop bringing snacks to church... In every case, they are happier with less. It's so weird. I need to remember that for everything.

[TKDmom]

My first thought is why are you giving him below grade level work? That could be one reason why he finishes too quickly. I would do more math to bring him up to grade level, and I'd you want to stay with CAP, at least work on Chreia. Sentence Island is grade 3, so it's OK to start there, but it won't take you much to get though it.

I would add writing across curriculum and require some output in history.

Foreign language? It's a great time to start one.

 

We've gotten behind over the years with things that were grade appropriate when started. I had a long battle with depression that I managed to emerge from this summer, and I'm finally tackling some of the fallout from that. Plus, this is my easy-going, non-squeaky wheel kid. He's fallen through the cracks a little. :(

 

Honestly, he has a late summer birthday, so he could easily be a 5th grader. I've kind of vacillated on what level he is. All my kids have birthdays between July and October, so it would make so much more sense to start new grade levels in January. Alas, I just can't seem to live in that kind of bubble, so grade levels change in August with the rest of the community.

 

SM is now getting accelerated, which seems to be working well, as long as I'm right there with him, pushing him to work more than 10 min.

 

W&R--He just finished Narrative I. Would you skip Narrative II altogether and move on to Cheria?

 

Grammar--I listed the wrong level. We just finished Grammar Town, and he's started Practice Town. I think it's appropriate as an intro to grammar for 6th grade.

 

Foreign Language--he has been doing Latin. We started LC when I felt FFL would be too hard, but it's time to move on. This week, I have been contemplating moving him to a modern language. So I'll talk to him, and either move him up to FFL or start a modern language. 

 

Spelling--I've started thinking he needs something more. He gets some dictation already in W&R, and it seems redundant. I don't know if I should find a new spelling program or move him up a level in SW. Hmm.

 

For history, I just discovered that BF has an Intermediate Early American history using the books I'm already using. It's such a relief to have something that gives him a pace and writing assignments. They expect quite a bit more than I was. Writing is my weakest subject, and I have never managed to just write across the curriculum. Both my older kids now do writing classes through someone else. Hopefully the BF guide will give me some more structure to increase his output.

 

Thanks ladies, for helping me think out loud and proving some input. :D

 

Oh, and btw, Youth Digital Mod Design has been going really well. A month in, and he's more than halfway through the course. DS13 never even got this far before when he did this course a couple years ago. His year was up by the time he got halfway through. I think I've found a passion to nurture.  :hurray:  

Edited November 20, 2016 by TKDmom

[Mommy to monkeys]

I've had the same issue this past year with my dd (then 11 now 12). No matter what I have on her list of things to do, she will finish it in 2 hours. And she does a decent job. Math is above grade level even though she doesn't like it and writing well is easier for her than her older brother. She can take notes, write narrations and whatever I ask....but she's really really fast. If I add project based hands on things to her work, she sees it as "pointless busywork".  And the times that I've said we should try to work based on time instead, she's very frustrated.  Her mindset is that doing it in that way is punishing her for being efficient...and she has a point. 

 

Now we do other things that she doesn't think of as school like family reading time (ie morning time but in the afternoon), an hour of reading time in the afternoon, and an afternoon activity (art, poetry tea etc). But I'm letting go of trying to make her work for a certain amount of time. The other side of the spectrum is that I have a teen who takes ALL DAY to accomplish the same amount of work my daughter does in 2 hours.  :huh:

[AggieMama]

I would definitely add literature and maybe some creative writing. It sounds like he needs a challenge in math so I would add BA, even if it's a level or two behind. What about adding Prodigy game? What about adding electives like art or music history/theory? Could he come up with a research project likes genius hour type project? I like the coding idea stated earlier.