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Don't children have enough work from school?


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too so now I'm only afterschooling my dd5 who is in K. She only brings home work to do 1day per week so on the other days we do 2 lessons per day (about 15 minutes). I'll decide next year whether or not I'll afterschool her next year.

 

My older dd occasionally asks for extra work so I do give her stuff to do on those days after she finishes her regular homework but most of the time I don't give her anything.

 

Of course, if things change at home and homeschooling becomes an option again, I'll go in that direction.

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Mine is currently in 9th grade. I guide his pleasure reading, mostly in the history and literature areas. When his is looking for something to read in the evenings when he has no or completed homework, or on trips or on the weekends, I give him a couple choices. He is interested in these areas and loves to learn more about them so he willingly does it. I don't assign a specific amount to be read. I have been doing this for years. The teach them when they aren't looking method.

 

Not sure if this answers your question. :)

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It does get more challenging as the homework increases. WE've had huge homework issues this year in 2nd grade. Homework that should take him 20min to do, takes him 1-2hrs b/c of dawdling so it has drastically decreased our ASing time.

 

For me, ASing began with my son's need for more challenging math. He was crying, literally crying about math in K. He then began the "I hate math. Math is boring." So I began ASing math the summer after K. He again loved math and very rapidly did RS B. Our PS uses Everyday Math which I'm unsure of so that is also a reason for doing math at home.

 

My son loves science so we read alot of NF books. In the Fall/Spring we do a nature study - going out each week to our fav area to meet our nature group. In the summer we did chemistry and physics.

 

My son has asked to start doing history again and to work on our timeline. We had started SOTW. This will take over our read-to time so I'll rotate this w/ reading a chapter book to them.

 

I think it really depends on the kid and what his/her interests are. If those interests aren't being met at school (science/history/math) for us, then you follow where your child takes you!

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My DS6.5 is in public school Montessori, so he doesn't have homework and won't have homework at all until middle school. We "fill in the gaps" at home. He's gifted in math, so we do EPGY - which is a 20 minute lesson about 4 or 5 times a week. They also don't do formal spelling lists, so we do spelling workout B for about 5 minutes a day. Other than that, he is soooooo interested in science, art and history that I'm just scrambling to keep up with his interests most of the time. We read "living books" together for read-alouds and this is probably our favorite part of the day together. I don't feel at all that I am requiring too much of him - just integrating a good education into a lifestyle. DS6.5 and I really look forward to long weekends and school vacations so that we can tackle the bigger projects on our "to do" list :)

 

He is also lucky that he gets "down time" in his Montessori class. There is not a 90 minute period of language followed by a 90 minute period of math like in the other classrooms that are held to the district curriculum. Instead, he completes his work in the amount of time that he needs, and then is able to choose a "relaxing work" for a bit before moving onto the next "challenging work." Isn't this how we all should enjoy learning? If we did not have the Montessori option, I would definately homeschool if I could. Right now we have the best of both worlds with a wonderful teacher and a terrific multi-age social environment for him to grow and learn in.

 

Melisa

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My kids go to schools that do not believe in busy work.:) They don't believe that a kid needs to do a bunch of long division problems for homework. Their teachers have the philosophy of, "We have them here for 6 and a half hours. We will do with them what we can. You are in charge of the rest. If you need help, we can provide materials."

 

We do a lot of taking what they learn in school to a deeper level. Since my husband and I both have Ph.D's from Georgia Tech, we tend to do a lot of science/math/technology things at home. Our kids do computer programming, science experiments, data analysis, and things of that sort. I have learned a lot because my kids are interested in biology, which I haven't studied since 9th grade.

 

We also take any school projects a step above and beyond. (In education-ese that is called differentiation. Since my children tend towards the gifted side, more is expected out of them.) My first grader had to study a symbol of our country, make a replica of it, and fill out a graphic organizer about it. Most kids did the Liberty Bell or the flag. My child did the "Don't Tread on Me" flag, also know as the Gadsden Flag. He made a flag using fabric and fusible web. (I did all of the ironing, but he did the designing, drawing, and cutting.) On the graphic organizer he discussed its original use with the Marines, its revival after 9/11 with Customs and harbor patrol boats, and the Nike advertising campaign with the US National Soccer Team. Was all of that necessary? No. But we did it because we take education a step further than public school.

 

My first grader also did a project analyzing people's favorite color. His teachers thought it was such a fun project that they sent him to all of the other first grade classes to take data. And when he was done, they let him present it in class.

 

I don't think education ends when they step out of the school. I think it goes on forever and always. We are continuously schooling. If I were a homeschooler, and there are days when I wish I was, we would be totally unschoolers. And that is what we are in many ways after school. My kids pursue their interests with reckless abandon. And I have learned so much with them. We take every opportunity to school our kids. They have been to inaugurations, PTA Day at the Capitol, campaign events, the 1996 Olympic Games, aquariums and museums all over the country, etc.

 

I would like to do more history, just because I feel ignorant in that area. I think I am going to read SWB's latest book. I also want to do more writing with them because I have heard that our public schools are weak in that area.

 

I am a fan of public schools. Are they for everyone? No. But they are working great for my kids.

 

Wow, that is a lot longer than I planned for it to be. I didn't realize how passionate I was about this stuff. I am very passionate about educating my kids.

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Caroline,

 

Thank you so much for your post! WOW! I am sooo envious. We are quite similar actually...my husband and I both hold Ph.D.s in science so we do quite a bit of science w/ the kids. I've learned alot about physics and technology from my boys passion in that area - read, building w/ LEGOs. We have LEGO educations motorized simple machines kit and Science and TEch kit. I've fully immersed myself in torque, gear ratios, pulleys, axles, etc. Now we're forging ahead into LEGO MINDSTORMs robotics and into programming.

 

Can I send my kids to your school??? I slowly see my 2nd grader's thirst for learning dwindling....I might be homeschooling soon....

 

sigh.....

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I think we do have special schools. We moved a couple of years ago so we could be in this school district. The emphesis is on critical thinking and application as opposed to computation. I also teach in the same county, so I get a lot of inside information. I think that helps us understand the curriculum better, and allows me to better serve my kids.

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I like what was said by this - I think this encompasses our philosophy. Also, I've sort of made it my hobby and personal mission to slowly build our library of books (kids and adults) to reflect quality quality quality. I'm constantly going through the books, weeding out things that are out of date or not what I expected when I bought them, and trading them into used book stores for others. I have the children's books very organized, so I know where the gaps are and what we have too much of (I figured that we didn't need 18 spider books when we didn't have one book about the Civil War, so we did some trading, haha)

 

I think the important thing is that we do these educational things together as a family, so it's more like "family time" than "afterschooling." Instead of watching Saturday morning cartoons, we go to a nearby river to enjoy a favorite book, draw pictures, or collect pond samples for the microscope. This is what I would imagine I would do if I were full-time homeschooling - it's just that we do it in addition to his full day Montessori class.

 

I do run into people who are under the impression that I am "forcing" my son into enrichment or something - really, I'm just trying to keep up/stay one step ahead. He also has plenty of free play time, of course - it's not like every minute is scheduled. But he tends toward imaginative dramatic reinactments of "Oregon Trail" or playing "Revolutionary War" instead of Power Rangers and such that the neighborhood kids like to play. I like to think this is a good thing, lol!

 

Melisa

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Our afterschooling activities are very informal at the moment. Things we have done recently:

  • On our last library trip, required the kids to check out one fiction book outside their usual reading and one nonfiction book
  • Requested magazine subscriptions as Xmas gifts from grandparents. The kids are currently getting Discover, Ranger Rick, and American Girl (ok, so that last one isn't very educational)
  • Older son is taking a math enrichment class taught by two friends' parents. This was completely his choice and he loves it
  • Reading SOTW with my 2nd grade twins (older son sometimes listens in)
  • Older son and daughter frequently read the Kingfisher history encyclopedia just for fun
  • Playing MindBender games on the computer
  • Reading an animal encyclopedia together
  • Drilling math facts with my 2nd graders
  • Assigning older son some articles on credit and interest rate to read online and discuss with us
  • Watching election coverage together and discussing

 

My kids still have plenty of time for free reading, GameBoy, playing outside and just hanging out.

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Because there was minimal homework, I was easily able to supplement the school. I tried to do about 20 minutes of "seat" work with my ds in the morning when he was fresh.

 

But a lot of schooling went on when he wasn't looking :D Trips to and from school were accompanied from books on tape, Classical Kids tapes or story telling tapes by Jim Wise and Odds Bodkin. I'd look for educational games, like Rummy Roots for play at night and history books for read alouds. Weekends were often spent in museums or at historical sites. And of course, nature studies occured while walking the dog and watching the birds and squirrels at our feeders and bath.

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For my 3rd grader anyway. And my kids are in a charter school that's excellent compared to standard public schools around here.

 

My policy is, if the homework is bogus we do something else that takes about the same time. (3rd grader only- 8th grader does what she's supposed to.) I figure I don't really care if she gets an F on a silly homework assignment in elementary school.

 

Fortunately, I have had great teachers so far that fully support what I'm doing. I don't think I've had a problem with any homework so far this year. Also, dd is very quick with work so she really doesn't get much homework. If I get a teacher who's on a power trip, I'll probably send dd to a private school where they don't give senseless homework.

 

As far as adding in "extra stuff," we do extra math and family projects (read-alouds, languages.) When we keep the TV turned off we have time for all kinds of things!

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He was exhausted after a full day in school. It was all I could do to make sure he got his regular homework done.

 

 

 

That has been our situation as well! :(

 

I will say that I believe my ds is still learning (*truly* learning) on his own, because he reads a lot.

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My 3rd grader comes home with under 20 minutes of homework plus math fact homework and 20 min of required reading. We use many of the games from Right Start along with Saxon 3 to solidify her math in place of the 10 minutes of straight flashcards. DD learns math much better with the 1 on 1 instruction. ASing math in this way only adds about 10 min to her homework. We also guide her reading choice for the 20 minutes of reading. The rest of our ASing takes the form of book discussion from read-alouds and educational fieldtrips that expand the subjects taught in ps social studies, science, etc. Is this ASing or just good, involved parenting? It doesn't really matter what it is called if it gets the job done. ;)

 

My Ker is very advanced in math and advanced in reading, gets no homework and a lot of playtime in ps K. He begs for more math. While we are working with the schools on fulfilling this (*sigh*) we are proceeding through RS C at home. He also plays math based games and chooses to do things like graph Pokemon cards by weight. I merely supply the graph paper at his request. We also read aloud and have fieldtrips as stated above. When he wants to do a science experiment or learn about something, we follow his interests. We do reinforce handwriting with HWT - the same program that he uses in school - because ds is frustrated that his handwriting "isn't good" in school.

 

ASing is different than HSing. I do think that full-on hsing would be too much after a full day of school. Then again, some kids might thrive on it. As with everything else, so much depends on the child and a parents ability to be flexible.

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I think it depends on the personality of the kid, the personality of the parent, the homework load, the school situation, philosophy, etc. An unschooling parent could ask a similar question of a classical homeschooling parent and the answer is the same...it depends.

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I'm not an official afterschooler, but I do consider what I do as afterschooling. I have lots of resources ( I hs'd my oldest) available, so I keep an eye on what ds is doing in school and if it looks like he's not quite grasping a concept we afterschool that concept. His homework is minimal right now (5th grade) so we have some time to spend reinforcing concepts that he might have trouble with. We've found that the being able to come home and get my perspective using my style with my resources sometimes helps it "click" better than it did in school.

 

We have a pretty good rapport as well and if he asks questions about something he learns in school I like being able to take it a step further for him.

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Every situation is so different, isn't it?

 

I'm finding that my 5th grader can do 20 - 30 minutes after school. He rarely gets homework. If he does, I back off. The work I give includes a tiny bit of Latin, one page of a math workbook, and history reading.

 

My 7th grader really balked at additional work and in the end I decided to just concentrate on history with him. He reads the spine on his own. I read out loud the literature parts to him and his big brother while they clean up after dinner.

 

My youngest dd is growing up knowing that she'll be expected to do two four-year history sequences and several years of Latin, too.

 

The key is persistence on the part of the grown-up, and frequent reminders of WHY we're doing this.

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My kids are in 4th, 2nd and 1st grades, with one who will start K this fall. They all have spelling words they need to study every day, and a few minor homework assignments here and there, but like someone else said, if they are just busywork, we just don't do them. We're pretty structured, in that we start homework at 4:00 sharp, and everyone is usually done by 5:30 at the latest. Everyone does a Saxon math lesson, and the younger 3 have a set of phonics books they are working through by reading aloud to me. My oldest son reads for about 45 min to an hour every day, books that have a purpose, whether history-related, or classical literature. We afterschool from the first of November to the end of March, then homeschool-lite in the summer (June, July, and August), taking the other months off due to busy schedules with soccer in the fall and baseball in the spring.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I am just starting this journey, and it's because my oldest (4th) does not have enough to do from school. She is bored to tears, literally. This year she has been reading free range fiction, with no guidance from her teacher, who is just pleased that she likes to read for pleasure. So for her, school is many hours of reading whatever amuses her, interspersed with social interaction, gym, chours, art, and music. There's an awful lot more that she's interested in, and I don't like that since she isn't ever challenged, she is not learning to learn. Her natural curiosity is seeping away, and she's getting into some thought patterns that I don't think are healthy.

 

I'm looking to supplement what they are doing in class (in order to make it more interesting for her), as well as explore that multitudes of things she is never exposed to in the classroom.

 

Tracy

mom to three girls (9, 6, 3)

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We are trying to implement some supports in the classroom for disorganized behavior, anxiety and social skills. We are in the process of IQ testing, although I don't have a lot of confidence in this since when dd says "I'm bored" they interpret it as the material at this level is too hard. I know this is just her favorite phrase.

 

Our district owns Compass Learning software, which makes differential programming simple. I've asked the teacher to make more units available, but so far haven't seen it. She'll be ten soon, and I'm afraid of her falling into a trap of "I get good grades without effort, so why exert any effort?". So I'm really hoping to spark her with out of school stuff.

 

Tracy

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...you have established a culture of learning in the home that says that learning doesn't "stop" when they get out of "public school", but is a way of life that expands to everything we do, all the time, 24-7.

 

When you have the mindset that learning takes place all the time, and not within someone else's definition of a schedule, it is very easy to find the time to "afterschool."

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...you have established a culture of learning in the home that says that learning doesn't "stop" when they get out of "public school", but is a way of life that expands to everything we do, all the time, 24-7.

 

When you have the mindset that learning takes place all the time, and not within someone else's definition of a schedule, it is very easy to find the time to "afterschool."

 

I agree.

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I guess it has a lot to do with:

**the kids (mine are sponges and WANT more),

 

** what they teach in school (my kids school has a lot of fun things and enrichment but no accelaration and is slack on basics -math facts, scientific method, phonics, spelling rules)

 

** and the child's progress in school (My 2nd grader maxed out of reading test FOR LIFE in the first week of first grade!! -he gets no individualized reading, no reading groups, no assessments, just does the group part/homework of the 2nd grade Hougton Mifflin reading curriclum).

 

** the parent's style -I tend to be fun and interesting

 

** what reason you are afterschooling (is enrichment, accelaration, supplementation, or tutoring in a weak area)

 

** and how you afterschool -(we listen to SOTW and other books on audio on our commute to and from school, read great books at bedtime and they narrate back to me whatever we read the day before so I can find my place in the book ;), play grammar games at breakfast, play math games after school w/ one extra worksheet for homework, we study art appreciation by picking a new picture from the artist we are studying to be our new background for the computers each week, we do map work on the map placemats at dinner time, snacks that double as science projects, everyone in the house having a commonplace book and a journal, and weekends with nature walks, museum trips, or just lying in the yard with a pile of books and a big bowl of popcorn.

 

**and what would they be doing if not afterschooling (watching tv, playing computer games, fighting with each other)

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Well said, AuntPol!

 

We afterschool mainly because ds has Auditory Processing Disorder and he needs a little more time to retain information. He has been able to maintain all A's so I'm pretty confident that the time we spend afterschooling is worth it. In addition to reviewing concepts he learns at school, we're reading classic literature, which both ds and dd love! Also, I'm slowly introducing Latin to both children. As they get older we will study it more in-depth.

 

Afterschooling may not be for everyone, but it sure has worked wonderfully for my family!

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  • 4 weeks later...

My K and 1st graders hardly have any homework, at least it's not too much for them to handle. I work homework time in like one of my subjects. We do it on Tuesday and Thursday for about 15-30 minutes and that's it. It sounds like I'm fortunate I don't have two more like my oldest who would take FOREVER to do what seemed like the simplest assignments, even with help.

 

We'll deal with increases in homework as they come.

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  • 3 weeks later...

My children see learning as fun, not work. So, no, they don't get "too much." We have always looked at learning as an adventure. My 9 yo is a voracious reader and loves learning about languages, culture, and history (especially through sports and art!). He doesn't care so much for "regimented" and inflexible curricula, but we don't do that at home. Normally, we choose wonderful reading material and talk about it, act it out, seek out web sources, and write our own fiction about it.

 

My 6 yo has T21 and loves (thankfully!) to read and count, and ohhh, she can listen to stories endlessly.

 

My 5 yo is more motor driven, so he loves action stories -- and Indiana Jones is his favorite. So, we dive in from Beowulf and The Odyssey. He is entranced....

 

We always have 1 sport and 1 art per child. No more --- our lives will not revolve around 20 activities, kwim?

 

They do read some junk and mind candy, and play outside a lot, but they only play video games on weekends and tv is restricted to 30 mins. a night or so. On weekends, we are too busy as a family to do much anyway.

 

Anyway, I guess that's my long-winded way of saying we follow their leads :-) and feed their need for learning. It is never work they dread! And trust me, if DD6 or DS 9 didn't like it, they'd let us know, LOL :lol:

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My oldest has enough homework from school, no question. She probably has ADD and borderline Aspergers (undiagnosed) and it's hard for her to pay attention after school to do her homework. I wish I had more time with her to work on things one-on-one, but the school environment is also good for her. If her charter school was close enough to make dual enrollment convenient, I'd do that.

 

My middle child is very bright, and he thinks it's fun to do more stuff. He starts school late so it's mostly "before schooling." We recently started dual enrollment so he could get out of the useless reading instruction at school so we could have time to do stuff like grammar and harder spelling. I like the Spanish and social time he gets at school.

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