JWallace Posted February 19, 2018 Share Posted February 19, 2018 I need some ideas :) My sixth grade son is getting through with all of his school work in 2-2.5 hours. That’s Bible/BSF homework, math/math drill/fraction practice, handwriting/journaling, spelling, grammar, writing, geography, and his instrument practice. We do history and Science as a family. He flew through his vocab for the year. And he’s a VORACIOUS reader. He probably reads 3-4 chapter books a week...I made a book list of quality literature for the year and he’s 2/3 of the way through that list. I’m all for being thorough!! And he’s doing quality work. But he’s bored afterwards which leads to too much tv or wanting to pull siblings away so they can play. And I also feel that this is a good time to work on building stamina since I plan on adding more to his workload next year going into 7th/middle school. I feel like he should be working 3.5 to 4 hours. What are your thoughts??? Do I need to relax? Or is there something I can add to beef up his day? It needs to be student led as my time is limited. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiara.I Posted February 19, 2018 Share Posted February 19, 2018 Well, don't punish him for being quick... But maybe start some projects that are his to own and work on. Sent from my ONEPLUS A5000 using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garga Posted February 19, 2018 Share Posted February 19, 2018 (edited) I’m assuming the science and history go beyond the 2.5 hours? You are just trying to beef up his work that is separate from the other students, right? Some ideas of things we’ve used that are ideas to consider: Use “Adventures in Fantasy†curric to have him write a book. It teaches the student step by step how to write an entire fantasy novel. (Draw a map of an imaginary place. Pick characters out of a long list: unicorns, elves, people, dwarves, etc. Decide which are bad guys vs good guys. Decide where your characters will travel on your map....etc.) Slowly, the child is able to form a plot and write the book. Your novel could be as simple as a Dr. Seuss book with just a few words on each page, all the way to a tens of thousands of word chapter book. It will depend upon the child. Note: I did this with both my boys 2 years ago and they loved it, but I helped them along. I honestly can’t remember if I needed to help them, or if I just did because I had the time and wanted to. I remember that there were lots of papers for the boys to fill out (like character sketches or plot ideas) that I would get them started on and then walk away from. The papers were fun for the most part and weren’t work-booky, but I think I spent a little bit of time going over them before handing them off to my students. It’s a bit of a jumble in my head now after 2 years. Puzzle books like Perplexors. These can be done alone. Some kids love these and some don’t, so don’t buy a bunch until you find out what your son likes. My son loves them, but I didn’t like them when I was a kid. Art—we are using Discovering Great Artists. The projects in this book are simple, but satisfying. Some art books involve too many moving parts for me and I get tired of trying to come up with all the supplies. This book has a few projects like that, but a lot of them are pretty simple. I’m happy because they’re simple, my son is happy because his art projects turn out nice. Note: If you get this book, most of the projects in the first half are painting and drawing and it’s not until you get to the second half that there are different types of things (sculpture or other things like that.). I wish I’d known that when I started so I could have mixed things up instead of doing painting after painting after painting... My son is in 7th grade and I get him started with each project and he does them on his own for the most part. I might help with a suggestion or two, but that’s about it. They’re independent projects and take up to an hour per activity. Edited February 19, 2018 by Garga 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garga Posted February 19, 2018 Share Posted February 19, 2018 (edited) Well, don't punish him for being quick... But maybe start some projects that are his to own and work on. Sent from my ONEPLUS A5000 using Tapatalk I agree with this. The suggestions I gave are for the “fun†things—writing a book, doing puzzles, art. I don’t think I’d swamp him with more math and grammar unless he’s bent that way and loves it. Is his math and grammar too easy? Maybe before you buy next year’s stuff, you should do placement tests and see if he needs more of a challenge. Edited February 19, 2018 by Garga 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted February 19, 2018 Share Posted February 19, 2018 He'll need to do another language at some point, won't he? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JWallace Posted February 19, 2018 Author Share Posted February 19, 2018 Well, don't punish him for being quick... But maybe start some projects that are his to own and work on. Sent from my ONEPLUS A5000 using Tapatalk Definitely not punishment. He’s very bright and I don’t think he’s being challenged right now. No extra math or grammar, mainly looking for some fun extras to fill in and round out his day. ;) Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucy the Valiant Posted February 19, 2018 Share Posted February 19, 2018 foreign language? Scratch / computer programming? Boy Scouts? a pet? house chores / possibly some money-making ones combined with a goal, like summer camp? making a Shutterfly photo book full of World War II battles depicted by Lego? stop-frame animation? a trampoline? fishing? (we had a similar question about a year ago, LOL) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JWallace Posted February 19, 2018 Author Share Posted February 19, 2018 I’m assuming the science and history go beyond the 2.5 hours? You are just trying to beef up his work that is separate from the other students, right? Some ideas of things we’ve used that are ideas to consider: Use “Adventures in Fantasy†curric to have him write a book. It teaches the student step by step how to write an entire fantasy novel. (Draw a map of an imaginary place. Pick characters out of a long list: unicorns, elves, people, dwarves, etc. Decide which are bad guys vs good guys. Decide where your characters will travel on your map....etc.) Slowly, the child is able to form a plot and write the book. Your novel could be as simple as a Dr. Seuss book with just a few words on each page, all the way to a tens of thousands of word chapter book. It will depend upon the child. Note: I did this with both my boys 2 years ago and they loved it, but I helped them along. I honestly can’t remember if I needed to help them, or if I just did because I had the time and wanted to. I remember that there were lots of papers for the boys to fill out (like character sketches or plot ideas) that I would get them started on and then walk away from. The papers were fun for the most part and weren’t work-booky, but I think I spent a little bit of time going over them before handing them off to my students. It’s a bit of a jumble in my head now after 2 years. Puzzle books like Perplexors. These can be done alone. Some kids love these and some don’t, so don’t buy a bunch until you find out what your son likes. My son loves them, but I didn’t like them when I was a kid. Art—we are using Discovering Great Artists. The projects in this book are simple, but satisfying. Some art books involve too many moving parts for me and I get tired of trying to come up with all the supplies. This book has a few projects like that, but a lot of them are pretty simple. I’m happy because they’re simple, my son is happy because his art projects turn out nice. Note: If you get this book, most of the projects in the first half are painting and drawing and it’s not until you get to the second half that there are different types of things (sculpture or other things like that.). I wish I’d known that when I started so I could have mixed things up instead of doing painting after painting after painting... My son is in 7th grade and I get him started with each project and he does them on his own for the most part. I might help with a suggestion or two, but that’s about it. They’re independent projects and take up to an hour per activity. We have morning time followed by history and/or science then go into seat work/independent work. That adds an hour-ish to his day. But those subjects he loves, and I try to make as hands on/activity based as possible so he doesn’t consider school to start until his seat work begins. [emoji23] LOVE the sound of Adventures in Fantasy! He loves to journal and write short stories so this will be right up his alley! The puzzles sound great, too. Thanks for the suggestions! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JWallace Posted February 19, 2018 Author Share Posted February 19, 2018 He'll need to do another language at some point, won't he? I was planning on adding in Spanish next year. Honestly, this sounds so intimidating to me which is why I’ve put it off so many years. [emoji85][emoji85][emoji85] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucy the Valiant Posted February 19, 2018 Share Posted February 19, 2018 Re: foreign language - if you're not opposed to some screen / app usage, DuoLingo is free, and quite fun for kids, and they do actually learn a bit of the language! It's seen as a treat around here, so good motivator to get the other subjects done. I also thought of chess, cooking, and a sport (that he can practice at home / on his own - like basketball or karate?). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted February 19, 2018 Share Posted February 19, 2018 Some good ideas in this recent thread on almost the identical topic, of beefing up 6th grade boy's schedule: "How to inspire a love of learning in 6th grader". 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rebbyribs Posted February 19, 2018 Share Posted February 19, 2018 If he hasn't learned to type well yet, I'd add that in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.... Posted February 19, 2018 Share Posted February 19, 2018 Art, music appreciation, learn a musical instrument, P.E., independent reading time, an elective that he's interested in, puzzle/maze books, strew games he could play on his own... My 7th grader only spends about 2-2.5 hours a day on school, also. She's pretty good at finding stuff to do afterwards, though. She spends a lot of time painting, drawing, felting, sewing, etc. She's getting ready to start violin this summer. She works one morning a week at an equestrian center... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmilyGF Posted February 19, 2018 Share Posted February 19, 2018 (edited) I was planning on adding in Spanish next year. Honestly, this sounds so intimidating to me which is why I’ve put it off so many years. [emoji85][emoji85][emoji85] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Yes, Duolingo (my girls are required to do German, but each one has 1-2 languages they do on their own for fun). Science picture book. There are hard ones that are meaty and provide good exposure. Work through a how-to-draw type book. Edited February 19, 2018 by EmilyGF Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clemsondana Posted February 20, 2018 Share Posted February 20, 2018 Are there any homeschool groups in your area with teams - Science Olympiad, Lego League, Robotics, etc? We're part of a science olympiad team and my kid spends several hours a week practicing and studying. Would he be interested in competitions - Geography Bee, Spelling Bee, math contests, history day, science fair, etc? Also, typing, computer literacy (editing video, different programs, etc), programming might be interesting. Would he be interested in an extracurricular - a sport, instrument, martial arts, gardening, scouts? Scouts has a gazillion merit badges to work through. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petrichor Posted February 22, 2018 Share Posted February 22, 2018 Only mentioning it because I don't see where anyone else has, what about teaching him to cook, or a handicrafts type endeavor? I'm thinking crochet, hand embroidery, pottery, painting, etc. or woodworking projects he could teach himself and do at home. And I also don't see logic or argument mentioned anywhere (maybe I overlooked it). If there isn't a debate/speech club that he could join, maybe he could write speeches/debates/persuasive papers. He might find that fun if he enjoys reading so much. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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