How did she go with Yellow Belt assessment? Your religious learning sounds amazing. For psychology, I have found that the kids are quite receptive to just discussing things and watching Ted Talks, etc. Because I'm studying psychology, I naturally share things I'm learning with the rest of the family, and they are surprisingly interested, so I figured we might as well keep on doing it that way rather than risk putting them off with a structured course of study! I really hope you can continue with home ed. It must be a horrible prospect that you could theoretically be forced to put him in school. Crossing my fingers it doesn't come to that. Please let me know if you find the holy grail for getting kids to work independently. My kids sometimes will, but as often as not they will get distracted and side tracked if I'm not keeping an eye on them! Yay for being done and having a well-deserved break. I have realised that we have more recorders than people in the house at the moment (tenor, 2 altos, 4 descants and sopranino) but we are not doing a lot with them right now as Ms. 11 is taking a break from recorder while she gets her clarinet fingerings solidly learnt (and Ms. 8 will soon be taking a break while she starts on oboe). You sound very organised. And how good is that, you are actually being encouraged to home educate. Yes! I am trying to fight the temptation to plan too many things, because that if I do that, it just won't happen. Could you share what you are doing for German? And why it's dysfunctional? I'm trying to figure out the least painful way I can start some languages with my girls, and one is interested in German. I used to speak a bit of German but it would be extremely rusty by now... That is sort of cool and sort of hilarious!

Thanks, I will check out whether those are available near us. I'm not going to spend huge amounts of time and money trying to make my kids sporty, because honestly I think there's nothing wrong with being a musical kid rather than a sporty kid as long as they get enough exercise (which they do, with biking, walking and swimming). But our kids are so clueless that they need more sport for cultural literacy, eg one of them didn't know the difference between volleyball and hockey! Although they did learn a bit with watching the Olympics, so maybe seeing more sport will help as well. I have been educating three kids for a while and I still sometimes find it daunting! I am in awe of those home educators with large families... But one thing that is cool about several kids learning at home is that they will start helping each other learn things. In our families, everybody helps other people with certain things (and it's not always the older people helping the younger people) and I really enjoy the family culture of valuing learning and supporting each other.

I purchase my dishcloths because I am all-crafts-impaired. Never tried microwaving them though, we usually just toss in the laundry and get out a clean one each day. Well done to your dd. I always enjoy seeing the kids show off what they have learned. We are looking forward to our kids' drama productions next weekend. I hope you are feeling better Jean. Ms. 8 did well in her orchestra audition and has been 'promoted' to the next ensemble up from the one in which she played this year. She is thrilled because they are going to be doing the 1812 Overture. I am fuming because we live in a town full of eedjits. For the last three days, there have been people hooning on motorised pushbikes, speeding, behaving dangerously and intimidating others on the road. Ms. 11 came home with bruises because they raced past too close to her while she was walking, and sprayed pebbles up onto her. Then today Mr. 13 came home from a bike ride saying he saw them veering out in front of cars on the main road. I have reported it to the police, but who knows whether they will take any action... I don't like to think I'm a snob, but I really wish we could afford to live in a 'nicer' area.

That is great that you have discovered what works and don't need to tweak anything.

That's fantastic that he is ready to do some independent work at age 7. It sounds like you have done really well keeping up the basics even with such a difficult year. ETA: Yes! Do recorder! Recorder is wonderful! (Not that I'm biased or anything ;) )

Anybody else at the finishing up / planning stage of their year?

We have still got a fair bit of stuff to finish off this month, even though our local school finishes at the end of next week. However, the kids will be on summer break from music lessons, Guides, Youth Orchestra, Drama, and gymnastics, so that means we will have extra time to get things done at home. January we will be doing something different each week, including some workshop type days focusing on one thing for the day, and some summer activities such as camping and kayaking. Also, Ms. 8 and I will be off to String Camp for a week while the elders manage the house and get some lessons with their dad. February will see the start of our Term 1 routine as the kids are officially promoted to 8th, 6th and 4th grades. This is what I have so far... Daily Subjects: *Language & Writing - Alternating between IEW (all kids doing SWI-B) one week and Fitzroy Language Skills + spelling the alternate week *Math - ICE-EM8 for Mr. 13, MM5 for the girls, and Kahn if they finish their week's work early *Music - Theory, practice (Mr. 13 trombone+composition, Ms. 11 clarinet+piano, Ms. 8 alternating with one day violin+oboe and one violin+piano [she has a big violin exam and has to increase practice on that]) *Memory Work (literature and other odd bits and pieces) Non Daily Subjects: *History - Continue loosely following SOTW, supplementing and extending as required. We did a unit on Ancient Australia this year, so next year I am thinking of either Family or Local History (or both) as our extra unit before we get to colonial Australia in 2018 *Geography, Science, Art - Probably keep following our own program of various resources I have pulled together, together with a lot of interest led learning Extra curriculars will most likely be the same as this year. I would really like to cut down a little, but everything they're doing seems important for one reason or another. Also, our state regulations require us to prove that the kids are getting adequate socialising time, so we need those outside activities on our report. Things I'm still considering: *Sports - I really would like them to try more sporting activities, but it's difficult with the time and money required, and also because dh and I aren't sporty. We might do some more 'taster' sessions as well as trying to get ds involved in something regular if possible. *LOTE - I feel bad that we haven't really done this seriously. I would love for us all to learn Latin together, but there is zero enthusiasm from anybody else, including dh. Ms. 11 is keen on learning Spanish, Ms. 8 is thinking about German, and Mr. 13 is uninterested (he considers it a serious affront that I ask him to read and write in English, let alone any other language). *Literature - I am not really satisfied with the reading choices my kids make, so I'm thinking about giving them each assigned reading, but I'm a bit overwhelmed with possibilities for what to put on their lists. *Research - I would love to do some structured teaching around finding and evaluating information online. Not yet sure how to do this. If anybody would like to offer any suggestions or feedback, I would be eternally grateful!

We used to spend hours designing, printing, and preparing Xmas cards, until one year we decided not to do it any more. We went from sending out at least 60 cards to sending out none. By the following year, the cards we received were down to about four (not counting cards from businesses we'd used). So that means that the vast majority of people who had been sending us cards were only doing so because we sent them cards. Make of that what you will...

And a very good effort it was! I am planning our next school year (cause our official school year ends next week) and I was just hit by the realisation that I am probably the only educator who does the "3 Rs" separately, one each year or two! We did a big push on reading first. Then when the kids stopped going to school after our relatively short and not-very-successful trial, we went crazy with math until they all got better at that. And now we are hitting writing big-time, because I have decided that even if I'm satisfied that they are learning because we do lots of practical activities and discussions, they still have to learn to produce written output of an acceptable standard, just in case they end up going to university.

We have the opposite problem, as in my 8yo is very good at things for her age, but because she is so tall, people assume that she's 10 or 12, and aren't impressed! I'd love to have a tiny child so that people would be in awe LOL

We have a weekly briefing on Sunday to run through what's planned for the week, and then put the printout from Outlook up on the wall. Usually we do our meal cards at the same time. The kids do tend to read the schedule instead of asking me, at least some of the time. We have a whiteboard too, but since the out-of-home stuff is on the schedule, I use the whiteboard to list learning activities and chores for each kiddo. I couldn't be an efficient BuJo because my journaling would look something like: 1. Spend two weeks viewing BuJo inspiration porn. 2. Have several mini mental breakdowns as I begin to comprehend the sheer amount of artistic / creative ability possessed by People Who Are Not Me. 3. Read some encouraging articles about how it's customisable and doesn't have to be a work of art. 4. Three days comparing notebooks, watching notebooks on eBay and finally deciding which notebook to buy. 5. Two weeks waiting with breathless anticipation for my notebook to arrive, then another two (because I forgot to check the seller's location and the notebook I ordered happens to be located in Molvania). 6. Two days gazing at, and stroking, my gorgeous new notebook, too terrified to write in it lest mess it up. 7. A day of working myself up to making the first page. 8. Sudden panic as I realise that Very Special Writing Implements are needed, and in any case a number of decisions about font and layout must be made. 9. Repeat steps 4 through 7 with pens. 10. Stress over symbols, conduct Nobel Prizeworthy research project on the merits of lightbulb vs smileyface to represent inspiration. 11. Finally, after two and half months of worry, start journaling. 12. Put entire life on hold for several days while I set up the index, headings, months, lists, and so on. 13. Keep journal for about 3 days. 14. Spend rest of year feeling guilty that I couldn't be bothered to do bullet journaling every day.

That. Or, "she is [age], but she sure knows a lot about [relevant special interest] and has friends of all ages who are into that."

Some posts really need a LOVE button, cause LIKE just ain't enough.

Oh no! Another Bujo convert! They are taking over the world with their Dot Points!

Our regular out-of-home activities: Monday - ds music lesson (alternate weeks), dd both playdate Tuesday - library, younger dd music lesson, elder dd swimming Wednesday - both girls Guides Thursday - all kids drama class, ds flying (once a month) Friday - younger dd gymnastics, elder dd swimming Saturday - dd orchestra rehearsal Obviously we have lots of other ad hoc activities, either occasional / one off activities or things with other people. But we try to keep Sundays free, or at least flexible, because I can't cope with having something scheduled for every single day.

G'day :001_smile: I hope MRI results are all OK. My kids are all having various (but not major) checkups. Mr. 13 finally got his ears checked, turns out they are fine, who knew kids could have tinnitus :confused: but apparently they sometimes just do, for no known reason. Ms. 8 has got something behind one of her tympanic membranes, doctor doesn't think it is anything serious, but we have to wait until APRIL to see the ENT so naturally I am worrying about the serious things it could be, however unlikely. Ms. 11's ears are non problematic (which is surprising, since she is the one who is always in the swimming pool and aren't swimmers meant to have ear issues) but she has been complaining of blurry vision so we are off to have her eyes checked and sort of hoping she needs glasses, because then it won't be some sinister neurological issue. Not sure about the December Hibernation idea. I quite like some things about this time of year, such as the fact that most of the kids' activities finish up for long summer break, which gives us the chance to do more schooly stuff (the anti-holiday!). And warm weather, and not having to bring in firewood and light the fire. Also fruit. We always gorge on raspberries in December. OTOH I get a bit over Xmas. I don't mind it, in fact I like having Xmas on the 24th and 25th - I just don't like it going for all of November and December! Regarding breaks, I think it makes a difference whether whatever you do is intentional in some way, or not. If we are making an effort to build a home environment and family lifestyle with facilitation of learning in mind, then the unschooling is going to happen (whether in an unschooling family, or, more loosely defined, on the odd day or week when formal education isn't happening for a school-at-home family). But if I plan to do some teaching of the kids, then I don't feel like it this week, or next week, or next month, and there are no backup activities or resources available, then their education is eventually going to be compromised. (Except for Ms. 8 who is such an amazing learner that I don't think anything could stop her learning. Probably if I locked her in a dark, quiet cellar for a year, she would invent philosophy.)

Maybe just drop one or two activities from the schedule, or see if there are any weekly things you can change to fortnightly, etc. Obviously you are feeling overstretched right now, but the only way to find the right level of activities for your family is probably to tweak it finely until you hit on something that works. (For now.)

Question: how can bucketfuls of dust, dog hair, assorted trash and occasional treasures get under the book cases, when their bases are actually in contact with the floor? Are there Mess Elves who come in the dead of night, lift everything up and deposit mess under it? It is almost lunch time, we haven't even started doing school, but we have a cleaner than normal living area. Wait, isn't that Domestic Science or something? Life Skills?

I am a great fan of Alfie Kohn, and I do try to avoid rewards and punishments as far as possible. However that is in an ideal world, but in the real world there are some times when I just have to do what will work right now, instead of stopping everything and being a perfect parent. So yes, we do use bribery (and even threats) on occasion, but it's not our go-to strategy and I will always plan to phase it out once we're over the rough patch. Also, we try to avoid using 'bad' things (eg junk food) as a reward. (Incidentally, we totally use bribery all. the. time. when it comes to our dog. But there is a big difference - we are fully expecting the dog to be dependent on us for his entire life, whereas we are hoping that the children will become more independent and self-motivated over time.)

Where I live, snow is so exciting that the whole place stops. Kids stay home from school, adults stay home from work, and the news is all about the fact that it snowed. My best ever Xmas memory is the year dh and I were in Germany and got to have a White Christmas. I guess the grass is always greener :lol:

Good morning / evening. I hope everyone who is sick or stressed has some health and happiness heading your way (or at least some calm...). Lizard in our backyard had lots of ticks, including one of the grape-sized (engorged) ones that love to live in the axilla and hamper leg movement. I got to hold the lizard still while hubby did the tweezers twist, got about a dozen ticks off, but as you'd imagine, it didn't appreciate our efforts . Re schedule charts, I just DIY as I haven't found any particular one I love. It beats me why there doesn't seem to be a comprehensive timetabling app available. Something where it prompts you to check every task you regularly do (work, school, housework, personal, etc), and then gets you to select time-fixed or 'whenever', what days and for how many hours a week you need to do the thing, and so on. And then it would spit out a suggested schedule to match all your conditions. Is sick hamster in palliative care, or likely to recover? Either way, I hope it doesn't need nursing for too long. We have unwell guinea pigs at the moment, but they are recovering. (The got mange. We're not sure how, but it might have been from the feral rabbits that like to hop up and say hello.) I have a kid who will ask me for help, then rudely interrupt me while I'm trying to explain whatever it is, then interrupt again while I am reprimanding him for interrupting, and end up being upset when I walk away. :banghead: I always thought the reindeer's favorite game was Monopoly.

Goodness, that is expensive. And I have been whinging because we have to pay $10 each to see our kids' drama performances ($40 all up because girls and boy are in separate sessions). Commiserations on your not fun day :(

@Renai, sending the positive thoughts your way :grouphug: We had this thing to deal with today. But otherwise an uneventful Monday. I am struggling with making a new weekly schedule. Because all of the Stuff won't fit into all of the Hours in a week. Not even when I create a super pretty chart! :huh:

I can relate to the cringe-concealing. This skill is especially crucial when there are beginner violinists involved. You just have to sit on your hands (so they don't involuntarily come up to cover your ears), set your face in an "oh, how sweet" smile, and hope it doesn't look too much like a death rictus.

Never had a rabbit bite but I have been (accidentally) bitten by a guinea pig, and his teeth were super sharp and ouchy!