If you do use textbooks, do you ever combine dc or keep each to his/her own grade?

[Omma]

My dc are 20 months apart in age, with my dd (who loves workbooks) being the youngest. I am trying to decide if I am doing my 9 ds (the older child) a disservice by combining him and his sister in many subjects. I have just decided to go with BJU this year in Reading, English, some science, handwriting, and Math... while using TOG and SOTW for history. So you can see, I have a lot on my plate. I am considering using BJU Reading Grade 3, since my ds really is not proficient at syllable division and I thought I could have a little reading group with the two of them. Would this work, or am I kidding myself?

 

I think I will keep them separate in English, as my ds is able to write more independently than my dd at this point. In spelling I am going to use IEW's Phonetic Zoo, so they will each progress at their own level. In writing, I was going to use IEW's Ancient History-based theme to go with TOG Y1. I have a book ready for my dd (who will be 8 in Nov.), but I have serious concerns if she will be ready. She can do a KWO and add -ly words, but she dictates her paragraph to me and I write it down, and then I point out the verbs to her so that she can come up with -ly words. I suppose I could keep doing this in the fall and maybe she will be ready by the winter to do it on her own.

 

In math, my ds gets some of the higher math concepts, but he does not have his multiplication facts down cold yet. He takes a long time and makes errors still (even in addition/subtraction). However, my dd almost has her multiplication facts down solid... she is a good little memorizer and loves patterns. I have started using BJU Math 3 with both of them. My dd takes 45 minutes to understand the concepts, while my ds only takes 5 minutes, and then my dd usually gets a higher score on the actual assignment. I have used Horizons Math up to now (my ds just finished 3A) so I could have him do BJU Math 3 and just supplement him with Horizons, or should I try to get him on his own math level with BJU 4 when it comes out in October?

 

Thanks for all your ideas and help!

 

Brenda

 

ds 9.5 (born in March)... he will be starting 4th grade this fall... he is my deep thinker who is nearly a walking encyclopedia of science/history info.

 

dd 7.5 with late Nov. b-day... technically going into 2nd grade, but is ready for 3rd grade work in most everything (and can do 4th grade handwriting, as she has beautiful cursive)

[Sasharowan]

My 2 middles are 20mos. apart also. Dd will be 10 in Sep. and ds was 8 in May. They combine for history and science and are separate for everything else. They are doing 3rd and 4th grades, but ds is 1/2 yr behind in math. We are doing IEW also, but working from the TWSS right now. My main focus is to get ds13 up to speed in writing, so the other two are kind of tagging along. I figure dd will do about the same # of assignments as ds13, but with less dressups and smaller paragraphs and ds8 will be doing most of his focus on KWO and writing the paragraph. He can write a page of words on his own, but his writing is sloppy or he can copy something I wrote with neat writing. I am thinking that a neat paper is better, so I will take dictation from him and then he can copy it. So he will do the KWO, tell me the paragraph,I write it, he copies it.

 

I know what you mean about the math facts. Ds13 is struggling with them in 8th grade while dd knows them all before 4th. But ds13 is an avid reader while dd has to be pushed. So it all evens out in the end or something like that.

[Tutor]

My girls are 18 months apart and my third is 2 yrs younger than my second. I have always combined their history and just added extra for the girls. (Although this year the girls are sharing a text and I am using a separate, correlated text for ds8.) The girls are also together for science, Latin, writing/ grammar, and literature. They were together in math until my oldest hit 3rd grade. The text we were using no longer worked for her, so I placed them in separate texts. I try to double-up whenever possible (easier for me and more fun for them), but I won't hesitate to separate them when their needs call for it.

[Hsmomto4]

My last 2 are 15 months a part and we will keep them separate. Each child moves at a different pace and I don't want to rush or hold anyone back.

[coffeegal]

My oldest sons are 12 months 3 weeks apart, and my 10 yo dd is 18 months younger than ds 11. I keep all 3 in their own textbooks at grade/skill level. Separate textbooks keep the competition to a dull roar, allows me to accomodate individual skills, and reduces the complaining and fighting. Also, group subjects are difficult for me to do. The children are well-behaved but once I've rounded everyone together, settled them down, worked through the material, told my oldest not to answer every question and my dd not to look to her older brother to answer the questions for her... I have a headache. :D I prefer to tutor my children individually rather than teach them as a group.

[Omma]

My oldest sons are 12 months 3 weeks apart, and my 10 yo dd is 18 months younger than ds 11. I keep all 3 in their own textbooks at grade/skill level. Separate textbooks keep the competition to a dull roar, allows me to accomodate individual skills, and reduces the complaining and fighting. Also, group subjects are difficult for me to do. The children are well-behaved but once I've rounded everyone together, settled them down, worked through the material, told my oldest not to answer every question and my dd not to look to her older brother to answer the questions for her... I have a headache. :D I prefer to tutor my children individually rather than teach them as a group.

 

 

Wow! You sound like quite the trooper... with lots of experience, too! You've made some good points. With what you and everyone else says, it seems that I should make the time to teach individually for the most part. I do like the idea that each can still learn from the other (either with reinforcement or just an introduction of new material, as they overhear the lesson I am doing with their sibling).

 

Thanks, everyone!

 

Brenda

[Ester Maria]

Mine are 11 months and a week apart (crazy, I know).

They have always been studying separately, except for Math. The older one told me, not once, when I tried to introduce even a minimal pair work, that if "you don't think I'm special enough to have my own grade, and would like me to study with my sister for your comfort, please do me a favor and send me to a boarding school". She has a point, in my opinion (though she is oversensitive about those things). They interact enough and learn from each other in other areas of life and then again, one's knowledge is, in my opinion, a private possessing to be shared if wanted, but not upon request.

 

So that means more work for me, but they work better independently anyway and don't distract each other. They even study in separate rooms most of the time. They "want to be sisters, not classmates". :D