Shelly in the Country Posted August 7, 2009 Share Posted August 7, 2009 We have a school room we do school in. Our school table is a retired breakfast nook-style table. I have two kids currently doing school. My youngest had so little work last year we could get it done while his big sis was doing her independent reading for the day in another room. This appears to be no longer feasible. DS is requiring just a teensy bit more time year so I'm having to instruct him while DD is still working at the school table, too. I think this is distracting her. Those of you with multiple kids: Do you instruct youngers while the others are working in the same room? Do you send the older, independently-working kids to another room? Is it unreasonable of me to teach DS in the same room as DD, or will she get used to this after awhile and begin to tune us out? My own (dim) memories of public school include memories of having to tune others out while the teacher explained something to another student. I don't want to be unreasonably distracting to DD, but I also don't want to coddle her if this is a skill she needs to develop. Help!? :confused: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2_girls_mommy Posted August 7, 2009 Share Posted August 7, 2009 I remember separate reading groups being called to the front while I was doing something else at my desk too. But it doesn't quite work that well at home w/only two students who are used to getting one on one attention and who have the whole sibling rivalry going on at times and get a kick out of bugging each other. :) I did put a little school desk in an adjoining but separate room this year. Both kids love working at their school desk, so it has been very helpful. I send the older to it in the morning to do a few independent things like copywork, phonics workbook, and silent reading while I work w/younger. Then we all do something together, then I read w/younger at the desk while older does some more silent reading somewhere else or listens in. That way the younger gets a chance in the desk too. Then I send her off to play while I work w/older at our regular table where we can both spread out. My youngest is still only K though, so I don't know how this will pan out next year when she has more work... But I have found the desk to be a help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momto4girls Posted August 7, 2009 Share Posted August 7, 2009 I'm interested in the other responses -- we usually try to do everything in the same place, but sometimes I end up sending the oldest somewhere else (her room, the kitchen, etc.) if the littles are being too distracting. I think most of our problems with distraction come from being at the same table rather than in the same room. However, I have to say that my kids can tune each other out really well most of the time. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lotsofpumpkins Posted August 7, 2009 Share Posted August 7, 2009 We have a schoolroom/playroom. Dd (2nd grade) has a desk of her own, facing the wall. ds6 (1st grade) and ds4 (preK) sit at a long table. ds2 plays or colors. dd (the baby) is in a playpen. I go back and forth between the oldest 3 to help them where needed. Sending all of the "distractions" out of the room when I need to help one of them just isn't an option. They are all handling this arrangement fine. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudoMom Posted August 7, 2009 Share Posted August 7, 2009 I teach all five in the school room. Ds10 & ds8 are on opposite ends of our retired kitchen table. Ds7 sits on one side, and splits his time between working there and working with me at my desk (it's an L-shape, so he can sit on one side and I can sit on the other). Ds5 does a couple of things on his own at the table, but mostly he works with me at my desk. Ds3.5 does everything with me at my desk. He demands preschool and his lessons are most distracting to the older boys because they are full of singing and fun stories and such. Plus, he's considered to be very cute by the older boys and they love watching him. The whiteboard is by the school table, though, so I do do often have to teach one child at the table while the others are working on something different. I try to do as much individual instruction as I can at my desk, though, which is a bit further away from the others. My guys are pretty good at tuning out everything, though. It's kind of been a necessity, though, with 5 kids so close together. They all have a desk in their rooms, and if they're feeling distracted or bothered, they'll take their stuff up there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferdie Posted August 7, 2009 Share Posted August 7, 2009 Up until last year we schooled together around the dining room table. Each of my children made their own little cubicle by decorating a tri-fold presentation board (cut in half). The noise level was their biggest complaint. Last year I put them in separate locations - one in the den, one in the adjoining living room and my youngest with me at the dining table. That worked much better for them. They are still close enough where I can see them, and answer questions yet far enough away where the noise level isn't as distracting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rainbows Posted August 7, 2009 Share Posted August 7, 2009 my DS has sensory issues. The OT who did his eval said we could consider having him wear headphones/earphones to block out noise while he was doing his school work (this was originally suggested when we planned on sending him to public school) Since we decided to keep him home instead we haven't done that, but he does get distracted pretty easily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amsunshine Posted August 7, 2009 Share Posted August 7, 2009 I've tried to schedule some blocks of independent reading, piano practice or computer-based enrichment activities for those times when I need to work with one without distracting/distractions from the other. For example, when I'm doing a math lesson with one, the other is sent to do something like piano practice or a lesson of Music Ace on the computer in the other room. Then, the girls switch. However, there are some times when they are just in the room together, and just have to deal with me working with one while the other is working on something else. Many times, the one in the other room will finish with whatever they were doing and come back in and either listen in to the other's lesson or will get a snack/take a short break before the next lesson block. We've gotten into a pretty good rhythm -- it seems to be working well so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pretty in Pink Posted August 7, 2009 Share Posted August 7, 2009 We have two retired dining tables in our school room. My oldest child gets one to himself and my 1st grader and Pre-Ker share the other. I instruct my younger two while my older one is working at his table. The oldest does get distracted when we pull out fun manipulatives and such. I will catch him looking our way or chiming in about how much fun he used to have with a particular item. Then he gets back to work. I guess he is good at tuning us out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted August 7, 2009 Share Posted August 7, 2009 We do a bit of both. If I am just having a quick word with a child, then it takes place in the school room. If it's a longer lesson, I take the child to the sitting room - open plan but further away. Sometimes I send a child to the kitchen to work, if they are having a hard time concentrating. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LivingUnderGrace Posted August 7, 2009 Share Posted August 7, 2009 I have a designated school room, with a school table, and all five of my kids are schooled there. They seem to do just fine. They are allowed, however to take any reading materials to their rooms if they feel the need (doesn't happen too often). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 7, 2009 Share Posted August 7, 2009 We have a school room we do school in. Our school table is a retired breakfast nook-style table. I have two kids currently doing school. My youngest had so little work last year we could get it done while his big sis was doing her independent reading for the day in another room. This appears to be no longer feasible. DS is requiring just a teensy bit more time year so I'm having to instruct him while DD is still working at the school table, too. I think this is distracting her. Those of you with multiple kids: Do you instruct youngers while the others are working in the same room? Do you send the older, independently-working kids to another room? Is it unreasonable of me to teach DS in the same room as DD, or will she get used to this after awhile and begin to tune us out? My own (dim) memories of public school include memories of having to tune others out while the teacher explained something to another student. I don't want to be unreasonably distracting to DD, but I also don't want to coddle her if this is a skill she needs to develop. Help!? :confused: I teach all my kids' math and language arts separately. Our other children are expected to play quietly when I am working at the table with someone. Then we do science, history, & literature together. Our children do much better with one on one time...and if we start by 8 or 9 we are still done between 12-2. When they are older...I will probably start one working on his/her independent work and send him to work somewhere quietly while I work with the one that needs more help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hockey Mom Posted August 7, 2009 Share Posted August 7, 2009 We're doing the BJU Online learning. So my plan is to work one-on-one with one child as the other is watching his lesson online. I'll let you know how that goes in a couple of weeks. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelly in the Country Posted August 7, 2009 Author Share Posted August 7, 2009 The oldest does get distracted when we pull out fun manipulatives and such. I will catch him looking our way or chiming in about how much fun he used to have with a particular item. Then he gets back to work. I guess he is good at tuning us out. Yeah...this, I think, is most of the problem. DS gets to use Cuisenaire rods, base 10 blocks, a Judy clock, etc. for math. I'm using Start-up Science with him which involves getting out magnets, putting together circuits, cutting out and coloring little color wheels to see how colors blend together, etc. I also read aloud more to him....SOTW, James and the Giant Peach..... DD has already "been there, done that", but she thinks everything he is doing is fun....I guess more fun than what she is doing. I suppose I really can't blame her. I'd rather play with blocks than find common denominators, too. :lol: I do try to involve her in most of his science stuff even though she knows the concepts already....but if she listens in on his whole school day, she'll lose about 2 1/2 hours each day. Ugh. I have told her if she finds herself getting distracted she should take her work to the dining room or to her desk in her bedroom, but she tends to want to stay put. I guess I could MAKE her leave. I can only imagine this getting worse when my younger two kids start school. Thank you for the suggestions though. I need 4 schoolrooms...that I can monitor at all times to prevent dawdling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenniferB Posted August 7, 2009 Share Posted August 7, 2009 You have 4 kids around the same ages as mine - about a year behind mine actually. I have 10, 6, just turned 5, and soon turning 2. I do one-on-one lessons and explanations of what's expected for her independent work with my oldest first, then I send her off to another room (across the house and upstairs) to do her independent work. She comes back later with all her work and I take a look at it. We might do one more together lesson or explain corrections at this time, and then she'll go back and finish in the other room. This seems to be working well for her. It was hard for her to concentrate in our school room, because it can get pretty noisy with the other 3 younger ones. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skaterbabs Posted August 8, 2009 Share Posted August 8, 2009 Our school room has one table where students who are working together can sit, but each child has a desk of his/her own as well, and these are light enough that the desk itself can be moved when need be (these are the school style with the attached chairs and wire basket underneith.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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