What Worked For You this Year for Homeschooling?

[Sebastian (a lady)]

What did you do this year in your homeschooling that really worked out for you? Scheduling? More spontanaity? Adding subjects? Fewer subjects? A particular curriculum or book that you really took to?

 

One of our big hits was a recitation period. We would stand around the table and recite all of the bits of memory work from Bible, grammar, Latin and poetry. It died off about a month ago, but it was really having a good effect, so it will be coming back after the new year.

 

I also found that a well laid out schedule made a big difference. The weeks when we had a schedule for the week done on Sunday night went smoothly and usually resulted in being done ahead of time. Weeks when I put it off, even until Monday morning went less well and made me feel like we were stumbling through the week.

 

I also found that there was a direct connection to the amount of time I am on the computer and how poorly our day goes. Not just because I have frittered time away, but also because I end up in a more annoyed mood at the end of the computer session. Facebook, especially Farmville, was not my friend and I found when I deleted my farm for other reasons that I had a lot more time for school.

[GaHadley]

scheduling is a big help around here too. My dd THRIVES on a schedule!

 

Also, at the end of last year I was doing workboxes, but then when I got pregnant and was in bed for a month, when we started back up I stuck to the minimums, and after a while, I asked dd and she actually enjoyed the workboxes, so we are back to those.

 

My goal for the new year is to have the school week planned on Sunday night. Hopefully I can do it on Saturday afternoons, but Sunday at the latest.

 

I also have certain things I work on while dd is doing work - I try to do things that I can be right there to help her as needed. So, on Mondays, I plan my grocery lists and menus and get coupons ready for our shopping trip on Tuesday. On Tuesday we usually don't do schoool, and that's our errand day (doctor appointments, groceries, etc. all get done that day with older dd in tow - while little dd is at church play school). Wednesdays I might do some school planning and research. . .

 

I also learned that I need most of my curriculum to be open up and go - I can't be relied on to plan my own stuff for all areas (like I tried to do at the beginning). So, math and phonics are already planned out, I just add stuff in as we go for reinforcement and for Bible, character, science, etc.

[Peela]

I can sure relate to the computer time thing. Its always best when I am present for my kids but they are so independent, its easy to get sucked into the computer and feel like i am using my time efficiently doing important things...that in retrospect werent so important as marking ds's work as soon as he finished.

Thats one of the big things that always works better...when I mark work straight away.

Our memory work time faded out this year but we still got a couple of good poems memorised and thats better than nothing.

For us, getting as much work done in the first 6 months of the year (calendar year for us, in the southern hemisphere) makes all the difference. The last part of the year always has more interruptions. Its good to look back and remember all the things we got accomplished before we got sidetracked.

What also worked was changing some of our subjects over to Connect the Thoughts. The different approach just jelled with us.

As usual, our hour a day of together time was very productive and we got through a lot of books in the year, and that felt like good bonding time as well as productive.

Going to science classes, and letting go of trying to do science at home in addition to classes, was a good thing. It also doubled as social time.

Its been a good year.

[teachermom2834]

Early wake up times are working for us. I get up between 5:30- 6:00 and the kids have an alarm that goes off at 6:30. They eat, get dressed, and are ready to go by about 7:15- 7:30. I am in a better mood if I have that hour to myself before they wake up. That also seems to facilitate a nice hot breakfast for everyone because I am up with the time to cook. I get my coffee, my computer time, and my dishwasher unloaded before I have to start with the dc.

 

I don't know why but that early start makes a huge difference. If we start at 7:30 we are finishing up by 12:30-1:00 and it has been a great day. If we start at 8:30 we never seem to be finished.

 

I can't explain it but it's the truth. Next year I am going to work them up to a 6:00 am alarm to start 6:45- 7:00.

 

Some mornings it hurts but I never regret it once we get going.

[Mommyfaithe]

CLE has worked beautifully for us...and I am really....really surprised!!!! This program is so thorough and d0-able...easy to implement.....etc.

 

I am ready to add some fun in there now...and I really need to implement a schedule.

 

I am also depending on the girl I hired to work in my office to take the burden of working during our homeschool hours to help get things better on track.

 

Faithe

[abbeyej]

This year really has been our best yet -- perhaps for a variety of reasons. We have been schooling two-days a week with a like-minded family with similarly-able kids, and that has been great. The mom and I spent a fair amount of time last spring discussing curricular and organizational choices, and this summer planning out the entire year (at least for the two 6th graders). The two oldest kids have their own pre-printed planners for the *year* (with space for additional homework notes, etc), and this has really helped them to take some responsibility for all of their work. On Tuesdays and Thursdays we get together and do memory time (the recitation you mentioned -- and each kid keeps a notebook of his or her recitation work), then I do Latin Prep 3 /Lingua Latina with the big ones while my friend does a fun literature discussion/activity with the younger ones based on various chapter books they're reading at home. Then we switch and I do beginning Latin (mostly Minimus) with the little ones while my friend does Critical Thinking Book 1 with the bigs. Then the littles have study hall while the big ones do Elementary Greek with me (we're set to finish book 2 in a couple of weeks). Lunchtime. Then art appreciation and a project or science lab... Sometimes there's time to play afterwards, and the big ones might play as well or work on homework together (algebra or Famous Men of the Middle Ages or discussing how much they hate their current writing assignments for history). :)

 

The working together has been great for all of us. The little ones (grades 1, 2/3 and 3) love the socialization (and they're learning too, certainly), the big ones have really done well with the slight element of friendly competition (and they're very well-matched for it -- both strong students and hard-working, but with slightly different strengths) and they each feel less oppressed knowing the other has the same work to do (rather than simply complaining that their younger sisters have escaped schoolwork long before they have). And my friend and I lighten our loads and get a chance to visit and be buoyed up by each other a couple of times a week.

 

Having everything pre-schedule for the year -- even just for my oldest -- has meant I simply don't scramble to prepare as much (even when I had a few weeks planned at a time, I would reach some point in the year where I had gotten ahead of our plans and we were floundering), and I'm also not tempted to blow off days of work for trivial things. (I can still work around something worthwhile! But I can't blow off the day to run fairly inconsequential errands -- which I've certainly done in the past.)

 

Stepping up the expectations for both of my kids has been great this year. There's always an element of that from year to year, but with ds (oldest) especially, this year was a big one. He has had basically a book a week to read (between history and literature), and he has really stepped up to get it done. I think even he has been surprised at how much he could do compared to what he had done in the past. The writing in History Odyssey has also been a big step -- we're doing some other writing as well, but the *daily* outlining and summarizing and brief essays to write has been a big step for ds. I'm so proud of him for getting it done.

 

I definitely hear you on the computer stuff as well. Sigh. If I'm on the computer before or during our school day, things simply don't go as well.

 

We've had good curricular choices this year as well. But I don't really think it comes down to *what* we're using so much as my level of planning and engagement and consistency.

[Chris in VA]

Rod and Staff Grammar--Doing it every day. Having such a great program take only a few minutes (mostly orally, some written) is reinforcing my little mantra about small things leading to great gains.

[MIch elle]

CLE math, reading & LA; along with LFBC science is a HUGE hit! The material is academically challenging and has clear defined lessons that my ds can open and do by himself. I still do 10-15 min of review with him almost daily in each subject but the schoolwork/daily lesson plan is not dependent on me. Looking ahead and eliminating some math lessons as needed to finish a CLE lightunit prior to Thanksgiving and Christmas has worked.

 

We've also simplified history this year. NO more trying to cram in too many books, resources, and other materials. We've tossed Latin and replaced it with Spanish. Trying to keep to the core subjects and focus on the key areas instead of trying to make school "fun." Rotating subjects when needed and not being tied to doing one lesson/wk. Assigning books that my ds will enjoy instead of historical fiction and/or classics.

 

Not caring about what we're suppose to do or being tied to a homeschool philosophy or way but doing what works for us.

 

:auto:

[ProudGrandma]

This fall I started with workboxes and they were working great. But over the course of the fall months, I discovered that I was not liking all of the time I spent filling the boxes, looking for things to fill the boxes, buying things to fill the boxes, filling boxes just to fill the boxes...so I ended up feeling like I was doing one of the very things I was taking my kids away from in PS...(ridiculous busy work). So then I ended up doing what I call the binder system...where all of the kid's paper work (spellling, math, handwriting, phonics) goes in a binder and they do that. I filled each binder on the weekend, divided it by days and then it was all together, very neat and organized. Then we would play games, or do History or Science when all 3 kids were done. But I still feel like I am running around like a chicken with no head...so then I revised it yet again...now I work with one kid at a time, and the other two have various assignments...sometimes its a game to play together, or one reads to the other, or they do a project together. Life seems calmer...I can give each child undivided attention (mostly...more than before)...we get through our binder work faster, leaving more time for other stuff. I think I am finally content (at least for the moment).

[Rhonda in TX]

Scheduling through Homeschool Tracker has made a huge difference. For the first time ever, we are actually on track to finish by my original end date. Woo-hoo!!

 

Workboxes are working fantastically well for my Aspie DS. DD uses them as well, but she could probably get by fine without them.

 

For planning purposes, I'm making all copies needed at the beginning of the 9-week period and then sorting them into files by week and child. It's made a huge difference in being ready for the week.

[JoyfulMama]

I have a manilla file folder for each week. What I want to accomplish that week (realistically) goes in each folder. (I love sticky notes, as the little papers don't get lost.) After a number of years, I think I am comfortable with, and confident with, what we can do in book work each week, and how much time that leaves us to further explore.

 

We have a daily routine which is working for us - waking up to a quiet house is lovely, and allows me to be ready for everyone else. A nice cup of tea first thing sets me up for a wonderful day!

 

I've figured out that I can get some computer and paper work done while the kids have wonderful art time - and we listen to varied music at the same time.

 

I've learned how to best navigate two library websites to maximize my reserve requests. And my wheeled crate is wonderful for drop-offs and pickups.

 

Errands are streamlined in order to mimimize their disruptiveness.

 

Quiet time for all is around 2 or 3pm - for one hour. This time is spent in napping, reading, writing, sewing, knitting, or quiet play. I think we all need some down time every day.

[Melissa in St Louis]

Great responses so far! :D

 

CLE has been wonderful for us, also! I love it!

[Cricket]

Giving letter grades. Who knew my oldest would be so motivated by grades?! I've always corrected his math papers but he wants to know a letter grade and what percentage he got right.

 

ETA: Schedules are big here too. Every weekend I fill out a weekly assignment sheet for each child. They do so much better when they know exactly what schoolwork they have to do that day. Our schoolroom is also my office and we get interrupted several times throughout the day. They can no longer use the excuse that they didn't know what to do next because Mom wasn't here!

 

Also, we started a study of each state and then making a lapbook for each region. The kids have had fun with that and seem to remember the information as well. We also started notebooking this year.

Edited December 30, 2009 by Cricket

[Sebastian (a lady)]

What great ideas. I was intrigued by the workboxes idea, but I think that it would add greatly to my workload and I have two in upper elementary/middle school that I need to prepare for being more self motivated in working from a syllabus. I think that what I may do is make a specific basket of post school activity stuff to encourage them to get done with what they need to do.

 

I also liked the comment about marking work more promptly. I found that I didn't even get tests graded as promptly as I should have. One of the efforts to make this year is to grade work promptly and record scores somewhere rather public so that the kids are more encouraged to improve.

 

This was the first year that we have used Sonlight and I loved it for the older kids. It was great to be able to have them read the schedule for history and science and just go do it. In fact they enjoyed the science books so much that they finished most of the work weeks ahead of time just because they read the books all the way to the end.

[KRG]

Enjoying the 'home' part of homeschooling. Last year I was still working part-time and ds was involved in some activities. We had to be somewhere everyday! This year we have one thing on Monday afternoons and one thing on Friday afternoons. It is nice to be relaxed and finish without rushing off somewhere. As far as curriculum, ds is really enjoying LoF and we aren't so tied down to a text book in other subjects. We did a whole unit on Poetry using Jack Pretlutsky's poetry book. We had so much fun with it!

[Paintedlady]

Getting up on time and getting started with our school day by 9 and workboxes. Both of those are key to keeping us all on schedule.

[JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst]

I have to agree that marking/correcting/reviewing work promptly is a huge time saver in the end. So is filing all work that will be kept-even if it is just putting it in a three ring binder.

 

My homemade TOG student notebooks are a huge timesaver. No more racing to copy worksheets or having the kids wait in line to use something. I may try to apply this to other subjects in the new year.

 

My next goal is to menu plan. No more scrambling for dinner, eating whatever is in the house or rushing out to pick up last minute ingredients or take out.

 

Oh-I learned quickly to stay off facebook. I get on to keep in touch-sort of like group email. I don't do the games or trading stuff, etc. That has saved hours.

Edited January 3, 2010 by JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst

[jujsky]

Our curriculum has really been working out for us, but I think a big part of what specifically has been working is this curriculum has a fairly set schedule. Another thing that worked well during the few weeks of school before winter break was getting 5 days of work done in 4 days. We would double-up on one subject/day. If anything was left over on Friday they'd have a short school day, otherwise they'd get the whole day off. They want to continue with that.

[MamaBearTeacher]

1. doing a lot of reading first thing. We can accomplish a lot between 8 and 10 am.

2. We focused on science during the summer months (June-early October) We studied animals,plants, and earth sciences and read a lot of nature-based novels. We spent a lot of time outdoors which gave us a chance to observe what we read about. I have not done any science since October. I find it hard to organize and do all the subjects all the time and do it well. This worked well last summerand I will see what I will do next summer.

3. SOTW1 We started teaching history using SOTW1 this year and so far I like this and my children are learning a lot.

[Deb in NZ]

*marking work promptly---Life got busy mid-year & I didn't mark ds#2's maths for ~3 weeks. We had to backtrack about 5 lessons to correct mistakes. Not fun for any of us!

*planning & printing out a number of week's assignments at once. Term 1 (Feb-April) is usually quite crazy around our house due to sailing & seascout regattas, so in 2009 I printed out & bound a term's worth of weekly assignments for my boys. For dd I made a page of term long goals for her home studies as she was away 2 days a week taking a course at polytech. We accomplished way more than we ever had that term. I had planned to do this each term holiday, but term 2 & 3's books never got finished & we didn't get as much done. So term 4 I again printed out the full 10 week's assignments at once. Ds#2 was given a week's worth of daily assignments / page. Ds#1's page covered the whole term, dividing up the work into weeks. This allowed ds#1 to focus on a few subjects for longer each day. For 2010 I've printed & bound the whole year's work for ds#2. For ds#1 I've printed out a sheet of term assignments for each term, but most likely he'll move onto tertiary studies in April, when he turns 16. I feel excited & relaxed knowing that the year is planned & if ds#2 completes the assignments I've planned, he'll be right where we want him to be. His planned work should be able to be completed in 4 hours, leaving plenty of time for exploring his areas of interest.

*making up homemade mixes & dinner headstarts---I have a few recipes that I have adapted to be able to make-ahead homemade just-add-water mixes. Having a dozen or so of these mixes help a lot when I need to send in snacks for scouts, etc. I, also, brown up about 10 pounds of ground beef when it is on sale & freeze it in 3 cup lots (~ 1 pound of meat). When I want to make tacos, shepherd's pie, etc. all I need to do is microwave one of the bags of frozen meat for 5 minutes & it is ready to use, no mess ;)

 

This year I aim to make up weekly menus to help us to take back control of our grocery bill. And I aim to declutter quite ruthlessly out surplus gear.

 

Blessings,

[lionfamily1999]

We dropped a put together math program and started seeking out good resources. The difference is tremendous :D Also, I slacked off on making all reading history related. We do read, a lot, but not having it all relate to history means that we read more and there's not the frustration of trying to make our limited resources in that arena "work."

[kalanamak]

GWG, pushing ahead in math and just going back and reviewing the sticking points, moving the desk into a cosier room with less distractions, a little reading every day rather than in big lessons.

[FloridaLisa]

We're having a great year as well! We've had some unexpected twists and turns, but the first semester has been wonderful.

 

What's worked:

*a fantastic routine. Four of my older kids take turns with the younger two in different stations. So my 3- and 5-year-old are getting in lots of academics and fun. They have math circle time, outside fun and snack, reading time and hands-on activity time. They're busy, I can stay busy; it's great.

 

*Rod and Staff Grammar: been on my sites for so long but we finally implemented it this year. I've done Shurley Grammar for years (and am continuing with that in the younger grades). Shurley has laid a fantastic foundation for R&S.

 

*Life of Fred Math: It's been so fun to do math this year. We've done Saxon all the way up and I continue to like it. BUT, Life of Fred is a refreshing change.

 

*Oldest's dual enrollment: What a joy to watch as my oldest has transitioned to dual-enrolling at our local university. Lots of prodding when he was 14 and s l o w l y maturing each year in responsibility, he has a vision and is working hard. It's so encouraging to see some fruit, especially with another 14-yr-old boy in the house!

 

Those are our top praises for the year so far. I'm as excited about homeschooling after 10 years as ever.

 

Lisa

[jenL]

Workboxes are working remarkably well for us! I hardly hear the complaints this year that I was hearing last year. Plus, they are doing a great job keeping me on track because I am forced to look at ds's work daily and keep myself planned (which is something I should be doing right now! :lol:).

[Amira]

We've all loved Oxford University Press The World in Ancient Times set. We've also found a good routine that works for all of us through the day and my decision to not let anything interfere with morning school time (not doctor's appointments, extra-curricular stuff, church commitments, taking care of someone's kids who had an emergency, nothing) has made getting our work done much easier.

[mcconnellboys]

I don't think I could hs at all without scheduling ahead of time for the year. I'm just not with it enough at any given moment on a daily basis to keep up, LOL! I purposefully over schedule and don't stress out about not being able to get everything done I list because at least I know we've done enough.

 

On a regular, daily basis, I generally do not get on the computer until sometime in the afternoon, after school is out. I generally have a couple of hours between end of school day and beginning of evening activities or dinner prep when I can take care of online business.

 

I'm not really using anything new and different this year, except Dolciani for algebra, and we have a tutor for that, so it is going well.