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mamamindy

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Everything posted by mamamindy

  1. THANK YOU all so much for the suggestions and encouragement! I live in TX and the home school laws are very relaxed here. I appreciate the suggestions on different curriculum. I haven't heard of anything that wasn't already mentioned in WTM. I have a difficult time choosing! I'm sure I'm not alone here! We'll just keep reading and choose a different math. I look forward to listening to the SOTW audio with them. I had forgot to mention that my daughter loves the Spelling Workout. It's the only thing she does independently. She likes things to be on her terms. ;) I'm getting more excited about beginning our school year. Thank you all again!! :)
  2. I've seen several of these posts... I hope that it's okay for me to also jump in for advice. Not a whole lot of homeschoolers around here, and the ones I do know have much older/younger/fewer children. We had a super-relaxed kindergarten, that didn't even begin until Jan since I was still baby-mooning with #4... I have a 6yo DD who was beginning first grade work before we quit for summer. I also have a 5yo DD - tomorrow! - who learned to read and dabbled a bit in math. I have a nearly 3yo DS, and 11mo DD who hang out and keep us all entertained! I feel like we overloaded a bit, or perhaps I was a bit ambitious... so I want some feedback on what we have started previously/plan to do this year: Reading: complete OPGTR with both girls Writing: HWT with both; WWE with 1st grader. We like it so far. Wondering if both is overkill? Grammar: FLL I like the short lessons. Math: we have done a bit of Saxon, but so far it's been the most difficult thing for us. It's not that DD (6yo) hates it.... It takes FOREVER for us to complete (the meeting, the lesson, the fact sheet, the worksheet). It seems tedious. I'm just not loving it and have seriously considered changing this up since we've only just begun. (Maybe 1/4 of the way thru.) DD seems to get math pretty easily (and DD2 is definitely mathy), but she seems bored. Plus, it's unnatural for me to read the script, I feel pressure to have everything prepared, it's hard to stay focused with inevitable interruptions... Perhaps this is the norm for homeschooling...? This is my first. We have considered switching to Singapore. History: We have tried reading SOTW and doing the coloring pages and mapwork... It's been difficult for me to do an activity or project each week. I was hoping my girls would LOVE SOTW (I love it!) but they don't seem to like it as "school work". They love listening to audiobooks and I have considered getting the audio version and having them listen to the audio and they won't even realize they're learning! :) Thoughts here? Would it be wrong to have them only listen to it this year, and move on to doing narration and activities later? They resist "doing school" sometimes. I really want them to enjoy it! Or perhaps we should do something entirely different? I DID NOT enjoy History in PS, and I was looking forward to learning History with them. Science: I really have no further plans here. We live in the country and have some farm animals that they occasionally help out with, in addition to a garden, so I figure they're getting some "science". I've encouraged the keeping of a notebook to record what they observe. I sometimes think I would feel better if we were checking off something in science... However, I'm not sure how we'd fit it... Bible: we read the Bible all together and just talk about what we learned in church, etc. I have purchased TGS, but we have been very inconsistent in using it yet. If you've read all of this - amazing! I am mostly insecure with myself as a homeschooling mom.... I don't want my kids to get behind, and I often don't feel like we do enough school work. At the same time, I want them to get to be kids and play as long as possible! It's difficult having a family member with a daughter the same age HSing that seems to do so much, and my MIL a k'er teacher who acts like we don't do a thing all day! thank you for reading, Mindy
  3. I'm going to listen in for suggestions. We kinda jumped the gun at first... and it's made me anxious to start back up. I don't want my DD to be behind... but I just can't handle much with my four kids under 6yrs...:confused:
  4. This is a fear of mine! I really want my children to enjoy learning! Thank you for your suggestions! When we quit for the year, with DD1, we were working on the OPGTR, which she was doing so well with I'm not sure we should finish it.... ? (She's currently sitting on the couch reading to her little brother - she can read well.) I guess we'll continue it until she's finished it. Her little sister (5 on Tues) also is using OPGTR and BOB books/easy readers. We were using Saxon 1 (and SaxonK with the almost 5yo) but it seemed to take FOREVER...the meeting, lessons, review. I am thankful for another Math suggestion and have considered switching to Singapore since a friend had luck with it early on... We read SOTW and colored the pages out of the activity guide but did little of the projects. We live in the country with a few farm animals so we let those things count as our "science" for our first year. We were just starting the FLL and WWE and the Spelling Workout about a month before we went on vacation and school fizzled. She says Spelling Workout workbook is her favorite "school" thing to do. That's the only thing she does that is self-directed, so that may be some clue to me of her learning "style"... Problem is, most of the curriculum I've chosen is parent-directed... Would continuing with FLL, WWE, and Spelling Workout be overload? I want to be mindful that they're young, and that I get stressed when I feel like we have so much to check off. It's not always her lack of motivation, oftentimes it's just life that interrupts our lessons. Maybe we should add those things when I feel like we have the time... Talking this out helps! Thanks!
  5. I'm thankful to see that there seem to be many moms like me in this forum. I feel like we had only just begun homeschooling (Jan 2012) before calling it quits for the summer (Mem day weekend). We'll be starting up again soon but I'm so anxious! I have 4 children: 11 mnths, nearly 3, 5yrs & 6 yrs. Some days are pretty challenging. I know I need to keep things simple. I'm also anxious because my oldest just didn't seem to like "school", so starting back up isn't really something she's looking forward to. She's very bright, reads and does really well at everything we've worked at so far... She just complains and would rather play with her siblings. I go back and forth thinking that she's so young and all she should have to do is play, to thinking that she doesn't get enough formal teaching. I need a balance! It's also so difficult for us to maintain a schedule with the little ones interrupting A LOT. I know there isn't a magic formula....but how should we start back up? I seem to get overzealous at most everything (not necessarily school things) and then realize I've put too much on my plate and just burn out. Thank you for any advice or support!
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