The Elusive Subjects

[specialmama]

Home-Ec., Phys.Ed., Typing, Health, Music, Art... these are the things that I just can't squeeze in regularly. Never enough time or desire. I tried doing a circular or loop schedule, and it worked for a period of time, then they just fizzle into the background.

 

Does anyone do anything to ensure that you actually get to these things regularly? Any ideas on how we can squeeze an extra hour into a day? 24 is just not enough!

[Annabel Lee]

Depending on what you're doing for music, you can get music history/appreciation done during a meal or in the car if you have it on CD. I read from Themes to Remember and/or Bach, Beethoven & The Boys then let the kids listen to the related Themes to Remember or Vox CD. If we don't have time, then the CD gets listened to in the car.

I can't help you with the rest as I'm in the same boat with you. Combining stuff would seem like the most logical (and the only realisitic) way to accomplish those things. Type up something that would normally be written - make the kid keep his hands on the "home keys" and practice not looking at fingers. Art - illustrate narration pages for content subjects. Home-Ec. - do history projects that use home ec. skills, or bake and use that for math too, or do kitchen chemistry, etc. Health & human anatomy/biology tie together nicely. As for phys. ed., isn't that when I boot them outside? :D

[plain jane]

Home-Ec., Phys.Ed., Typing, Health, Music, Art... these are the things that I just can't squeeze in regularly. Never enough time or desire. I tried doing a circular or loop schedule, and it worked for a period of time, then they just fizzle into the background.

 

Does anyone do anything to ensure that you actually get to these things regularly? Any ideas on how we can squeeze an extra hour into a day? 24 is just not enough!

 

I'll give it a shot as to how our family handles these subjects. Obviously this won't work for everyone, but here's what we do:

 

Home-Ec: Not much in way of formal home ec now since my kiddos are still quite little, but I do involve them as much as I can when I'm cooking and doing my meal planning. We bake together and they help me mix/chop/gather ingredients for meals. I try to cover the "whys" of it as much as I can when they come up- why do we use baking powder in a recipe, why do we sautee the onions before adding the other ingredients in.

 

Phys. Ed: To make sure that this subject gets done on a regular basis (since I am big on the idea of physical activity for all ages) dh and I sign up our kids for outside classes, so I am "forced" to take them each week. ;) They'll do anything from a semester of swimming, or gymnastics, or joining soccer in the spring

 

Health: Since mine are young still, I incorporate this into our daily lives. When the kids participate in an activity- swimming for example- we discuss the importance of staying active and the health benefits, at meals and during preparations I talk to them about healthy food choices- why we add garlic to our meals ;) and avoid sugar. They take vitamins regularly and we discuss what the vitamins are that they are taking, why their bodies need them & what they do. I've also used R&S health workbooks in the past. They're quick, easy, and painless. I also incorporate character education as part of health. We read stories from The Moral Compass or The Book of Virtues and discuss character traits and relationships with others. This falls in nicely with naptime reading. :)

 

Typing: This one's a little trickier. So far, I've just put dd on the computer to work with her program at times when I'm too busy to teach a subject- such as nap time for baby- and there is no other independent work that she can complete. I use Mavis Beacon, but I know there are other good ones out there.

 

Art: Since the kids swim on Saturdays, I simply take the 2 hours before their lesson (they don't start until closer to noon) and we do our weekly are lesson then. More often than not, I prep the lesson and dh teaches it so I have the free time to work on my lesson planning for the coming week. I try to use programs like AP and DGA that incorporate art appreciation so I can cover that in the 2 hours each week.

 

Music: The kids who are old enough each play an instrument- they have one lesson each week with the teacher and they must practice for 1/2hr each day. For music appreciation, I use our time in the car a LOT. We're constantly listening to Themes to Remember and even the 3yo has most of the song names and composers memorized. I add to this by listening to CDs like Classical Kids and the Music Masters series which have biographies/stories mingled in with the music. I would love to do something more formal like Beautiful Feet's History of Classical Music but for now I'm just happy that music appreciation is getting done, even if it's at it's most basic level.

 

As for adding more hours into a day, well, when you figure out that little secret, please fill the rest of us in on it. :tongue_smilie::D

 

HTH a bit.

Edited November 15, 2009 by plain jane

[MamaT]

Health and Home-Ec have come from helping me with chores/cooking around the house and lots of conversation. I don't think you need a formal "lesson time" for these subjects.

 

Phys Ed in a way also comes from daily life. Our family is very active and getting exercise and taking care of our bodies are a spin-off of the health conversations. My high schooler is on a weight program. My 12yo is a dancer who dances for 9-12 hours a week. My 11yo son plays baseball in the spring and spends lots of active time outside. My 10yo daughter is a competitive gymnast and is at gym about 18 hours a week.

 

Typing is something all my kids have learned on their own for "fun." I haven't had to schedule time to teach them.

 

Music and art get done on Fridays around here. We also listen to Vox or Music Masters CDs in the car. My oldest is a drummer, my girls teach themselves on the keyboard, and my 11yo son is taking classical guitar lessons.

[AuntPol]

Home-Ec: Chores. My kids have about 30 minutes of chores each day. We do this while listening and chanting along with our memory cd's (IEW poetry, LFC Latin). I alternate having the kids help me in the kitchen (one helps cook and set table and the other does the dishes after dinner). Whichever kid is wanting to talk to me non-stop or needs a talking to getst the joy of helping fold laundry while we talk.

 

Phys.Ed: We take an hour break for recess/lunch. Kids play Wii fit or other Wii games, jump on trampoline, ride bikes, etc. Each child is enrolled in a sport and practices the skills at home. Right now, one child is working on Athlete scout badge.

 

Typing: You have to do typing or other website that I deem you need before you are allowed free computer time.

 

Health: We ad hoc this mostly. We do a lot of our health while doing scout badges. We did sun care unit while doing space and weather units. We discuss healthy eating and exercise (and do it too lol). We've watched some Magic School Bus episodes that healthy habits. We go to health fairs, etc.

 

Music: My son takes guitar lessons and practices at home. My daughter takes voice lessons and practices. We have Themes to Remember and listen to it and a Classical Kids CD or whatever else is around, focusing on one composer per term. I then rent movies (if any kid-appropriate ones are available) to see if kids notice song. You can do this by searching IMDB by composer. We also listen to hymns and folk songs ala Ambleside. Music is usually played during breakfast and while looking over scripture memory jar.

 

Art: We do I Can Do All Things. The kids do 1 drawing and 1 painting lesson per week. They do these during our read alouds to keep hands busy. The other two days (we have 4 day week), they work on handicraft or timeline book while I read. We also draw in nature journal and do occasional crafts for history. I put a different picture from our focus artist as background on my computer each week and have them narrate it.

[bbsweetpea]

I have signed my kids up for lessons or an enrichment one day a week program in order for them to get these covered.

 

Home EC- Helping me clean, cook, plan groceries, cut coupons etc

 

Art, PE/Health, Music, Spanish, Public Speaking, Character Building- One day a week School and each class is about 30-45 minutes

 

Music/Art/Theater/Memorization/Dance- All of these get covered in their weekly Theater class. They make sets, memorize songs and lines, learn classic Broadway songs (from Annie, Sound of Music etc), and learn dance moves.

 

Typing- My kids really are still too young right now for this

 

I also have various tapes/CD's in the car for when we are driving too and from anywhere. We do Spanish lessons in the car, History lessons, and listen to classical music.

[lulubelle]

Outside classes here. We have a great recreation center and other classes in the community. I realize not everyone has this or can afford this.

[Stacy in NJ]

Health and Home-Ec have come from helping me with chores/cooking around the house and lots of conversation. I don't think you need a formal "lesson time" for these subjects.

 

Phys Ed in a way also comes from daily life. Our family is very active and getting exercise and taking care of our bodies are a spin-off of the health conversations. My high schooler is on a weight program. My 12yo is a dancer who dances for 9-12 hours a week. My 11yo son plays baseball in the spring and spends lots of active time outside. My 10yo daughter is a competitive gymnast and is at gym about 18 hours a week.

 

Typing is something all my kids have learned on their own for "fun." I haven't had to schedule time to teach them.

 

Music and art get done on Fridays around here. We also listen to Vox or Music Masters CDs in the car. My oldest is a drummer, my girls teach themselves on the keyboard, and my 11yo son is taking classical guitar lessons.

 

:iagree:

You really don't need a formal curriculum for any of these things. Just do them in your life. You are already doing them if you think about it.

 

You probably cook, clean, manage your home and a budget; get your kiddos involved. P.E. is any sport or physical activity your dc just do, any team sports, YMCA or group classes. Health is just knowledge of the human body, how it functions and how to keep it healthly. Music is the stuff you listen to in your home, car, ipod, and instrument lessons or choir. Art can also be something you just do with paper, pencils, paint, clay, etc....

 

My approach to these "subjects" is rather unschoolly, but, for the most part, a formal curriculum is just not necessary, imo.

 

Now, as my kids get older I may add in a formal art or music appreciation class, but is that really necessary every year? Nahh.