[Fitting it all in....]

Hey there,

 

I never come to this corner of the forums because I've long since graduated my kiddos and retired from homeschooling, but this topic was the on the home page and it drew me in. I just wanted to give some encouragement and offer a glimpse at what worked for us. Of course I only homeschooled 2, though one of them was so much work it felt like more!

 

I think the key to following the WTM, to giving a solid, unique and challenging education to your kids, is to break it all down into 2 categories: skills and content. Skills are the math, the reading and writing. The WTM gives great advice on how to teach writing from copywork, to dictation, to narration which eventually leads to essays. It worked for my kids -- never used a single writing program from k thru 12. I did my best to work on those skills daily, though in reality 4 days a week sounds about right!  Grammar was less frequent, and mixed up with games and workbooks and when they were older, learning through editing their writing. Spelling again was a combo of games, workbooks and editing, and generally not daily. 

 

The content is the fun part. Kids glean so much from what we read aloud, what they listen to on audio or read independently. There are also many wonderful documentaries and PBS shows like NOVA or Nature. My kids did science kits, built stuff with legos and cardboard following their imagination or projects found in library books. We went to the zoo, to the museums, to plays and movies, and no matter what we did, we talked about it all. I like to think they learned how to make persuasive arguments through these discussions so that writing essays was simply transforming those arguments into nicely written paragraphs. I'd guide some of the content through picking out what to read aloud or what we would watch or where we'd go, but so much of my kid's education, even in high school, was interest led.

 

You will never, ever fit it all in. It is simply impossible. Just do the best you can to give your kids the tools they need to further their education, and nurture their curiosity by exposing them to the wide world. Worry is part of it, and you'll be reinventing how you do things a couple of times a year! I don't think I stopped worrying until they graduated college! But, the best part is that my 2 kids are really interesting young men who appreciate their unique homeschool experience. 

 

I love this!!! Thank you.....

 

[Fitting it all in....]

Somehow there is a disconnect there--they don't put together that mom set up the schedule.  :lol:

 

 

Funny!!

This makes me think of our cat feeder...... the cats don't even tell me when it is empty, they just meow at it like it fills itself.

[Fitting it all in....]

Great advice!!!!! You all are spurring me on to see that my dream is possible. I already planned the 4 day week, put together their checklist, after reading this last night put together a checklist for myself so I can check off my time with each kiddo. I also plan on fitting in some extras like Latin or Spanish, a spelling workbook and some extra science during the summer when we are in between the bulk if the language arts. I just need to make a box full of goodies for the little one..... enchanted learning here I come!

[Fitting it all in....]

thanks Peterpan....I put together the checklist this morning and it includes plenty of independent work 😊 I will up my vitamin d.

[Fitting it all in....]

Here is my story....I have 4 kiddos, ages 8, 7, 6 and 4. I have always homeschooled them. I found the well trained mind a couple of years ago and it was a game changer for us....the kids actually liked being challenged! We stopped doing it because it was so time consuming for me. We ended up switching to Build your Library. This year when I added the kindergartener I was reading for 3rd, 2nd and 1st grade while the 4 year old was off getting into trouble. This took more time than ever and left out a kid!!! We quit it all and I had the kids doing time 4 learning while I kept up reading history, poetry and literature (just one book of each though, instead of three). Last week it became clear that the 8 year old is not learning enough from the computer (I can't believe this was a light bulb moment!) and I am now realizing we should circle back to classical. My plan is to do the one room schoolhouse for anything we read together, workbooks for the oldest and reading and grammar done by me for the middle two.

 

I really love the plan in the well trained mind and would like to closely follow what Susan did with her kids. Am I going to bite off more than I can chew again? I know that this education is hands down the best I can give them and far exceeds anything they would get by being sent off to school somewhere. I just also know that they want a mother with her head on straight and that this is a top priority.

 

Thoughts? Advice. Anyone else with stairstepped kiddos doing it all?

[WTM recommendations for reading]

Thanks everyone!

 

[WTM recommendations for reading]

I am thinking of following the recommended reading list for 3rd year grammar stage. The first literature books are Robinson Crusoe and Gulliver's Travels..... am I supposed to read unabridged to them? Seems like a stretch for comprehension at 2nd and 3rd grade. Should I look for an abridged version for them to read independently? Any recommendations?

[Western WA Friends?]

Only trying to make friends with kiddos who aren't exposed to so much screen time that they are crazed!  We like Minecraft too, just don't let the kids play...they love to watch Daddy. I don't want to police what others do in their own homes LOL. I am just wanting others of like mind.....

 

Anyone want to make a park meet?  We have been enjoying afternoons out with a little planning. I have 4 children...ages 7, 6, 4 and 3.  Haha Hypatia....we are done too.

 

We are big on treating others well (although children are still just children), using manners, respecting others and animals.  Some issues we have run into and the reason I posted here is finding others who homeschool whose kids use strong language, are a bit too loud and rowdy (mine like to play but since we have the screens off our noise level is minimal most of the time and their energy is well under control since brains and bodies are in use all day), and lastly, our last playdate the child was being unkind to his baby goat and my kids had a really hard time handling that, plus his mother was a bit too passive in parenting to handle it.

 

If anyone wants to meet I would like that. 

[Western WA Friends?]

After going round and round to different groups only to find that others think I am cuckoo for HSing in this fashion maybe we can meet some friends here?  Our important requirements for friendship are: minimal screen time, parental involvement in discipline, no use of bad language (I can't believe I have to say this one!), and acceptance of all religious beliefs.

 

 

Any ideas or others experiencing some of the same issues?