Overwhelmed...in need of advice (very long...!)

[sahm99]

Since last September school has been "intense" for us...too intense...:eek:

 

To help you understand the situation a little better, here the "essential infos":

 

Our 4th child was born 9/2, six weeks premature, after a very tough pregnancy... I was actually so sick, that I spent months in the hospital (weeks in the ICU) in a critical condition.

Thanks God, both, our little boy and I recovered completely!

 

During my pregnancy I was was barely functioning, and we had to stop school in the beginning of May. The older kids then spent over two months at my parents', abroad. During this period, neither me nor dh, could be with them.

 

They were very well surrounded and had a great summer, but obviously, in spite of everybodies best efforts, they were somewhat aware that things did not look good for me and the baby...

Particularly our younger dd seems more "fragile"...insecure...today...

 

We started homeschooling three years ago - the first year in French, ever since exclusively in English. Our children's first language is French, their second language is German. They were first introduced to English only through homeschooling.

They were incredibly brave and soon were able to do grade-level-work without much trouble.

Today they are doing fine in all their subjects, even though there are still those mistakes that a native-English-speaker would not do...

 

Winter holidays passed by in a breath. For the first time my whole family came over. It was so nice to have them...but, gosh, I am certainly wiped out from all the cooking, cleaning, organizing...!

 

Our oldes ds has some "serious concentration issues" (probably adhs...). We manage, and I feel he is making progress, but schooling him is as time-consuming, as all the others together...

 

The lady who comes once a year to control the kids' progress was, once more again, very impressed during her last visit in December. I am not sure, however,about how much importance I should give to her enthusiastic evaluation, as I am not very impressed with the school-system she is comparing the kids to...;)

 

After having missed so much school in the first part of 2009 (more than four months of summer vacation...!) and given that older ds is now in fourth grade, I really felt the need to start school back full-force asap in the beginning of September.

There is so much I believe he still needs to do, before being ready to tackle the even more challenging work in fifth grade/logic stage.

 

Our days during these last months have been long...and we literally arrived at Christmas out of breath...:tongue_smilie:

The kids have been good. They complain very little...but we really have lost all joy in homeschooling... We are all somewhat resigned to school taking over every part of our lifes...

 

Me, personally, I am saddened about having so little time to enjoy my baby...actually about enjoying any of the kids:sad:...

I am teaching, correcting, encouraging, scolding, teaching some more, etc, etc...

Most days we don't even have the time to read-aloud or play a board game or anything...!!!

 

I am burning out.

I just don't know how to stop it, and still feel confident I am giving our children a valuable, rigorous education. On the other hand, I know, I will end up deeply regretting, having let those years of my children's childhood slip so unaware...

 

I need your advice, about what to do. Your experience...your thoughts...

 

Should I just take an additional two weeks of break, hoping these "real holidays" will re-energize us enough to pull through until the summer?

 

Should I slow down and change to year-round schooling?

 

Should I ditch all I can and just switch to doing the bare minimum until the summer?

 

...or should I just pull it through...looking forward to this long summer and the incredible feeling of satisfaction of having done a "good job"...

 

I really don't know what to do! I am so scared to "damage" my kids in being less demanding...on the other hand I am so tempted to just close the curriculums, cuddle on the sofa and read, read, read to them...and then play some...and then cook some...and then read some more...

 

Thank you so much for making it that far! ...I am so desperate for advice...!

[nono]

First of all, congratulations to you and the baby for pulling through!!!! That's GREAT! Maybe you just need a little time to delight in everyone again? I have no personal experience, but vote for the 2 weeks break as a first step.

 

Get a family meeting together. Decide what you want to do for those 2 weeks. Throw all sorts of ideas out. Make a list. Make sure on the final list everyone has one special thing that they thought of on that list. I'd be sure to document your two week break as a special "family retreat" and take lots of pictures. Make a scrapbook together to document it. Laugh. Have fun. Rejoice in you all being together!

 

It is time to recharge your batteries. If you finish school a couple weeks late, will the world end?

[at the beach]

:grouphug: Get the Moore's book--The Successful Homeschool Family Handbook. I think it will relieve you and give you permission to relax.

 

Finally, don't be afraid to just put the texts away for awhile. Your kids are so young, all of them.

 

If you feel too nervous to toss the texts for now, how about getting one of those comprehensive test prep book at the bookstore, having them work on that for an hour in the morning and then just have fun... You could also take a look at amblesideonline.org. There is an emergency plan on their site that has ideas for things to do when you aren't really able to do a formal school plan.

 

You have all been through a lot. Please don't feel guilty for relaxing on academics and just enjoying each other.

[ubermomto5]

my experiences can only relate to being a mom of 5. it is very important to feel that you are doing well at your big job of homeschooling. it is important to have the future in mind. but your doubts are important too. i struggle with the more/less line too. for me the answer is usually to step back from the 'shoulds' and consider my authentic impressions as a parent. if i were feeling the way you do (and i have) i would drastically lower my expectations. if you minimize your daily school and spend more fun time, your oldest may be a little behind. but emotionally, all of your children will benefit.

i am a firm believer in the idea that my kids can always learn algebra. if i didn't teach it at all, a semester or two in college would take care of it. now that's not really how i want it to be but i'd rather be certain they felt good about life, homeschooling, our family, and were happy as children. whatever they don't 'get' as children, they can always learn later. in fact, that is why i am homeschooling - i want them to know how to learn and to be lifelong learners no matter where life takes them.

you will have to consider what alternative solution will fit your family best. what are your ultimate goals? are you more concerned with having rigorously educated children, or is there a lesser goal you would be satisfied with? i often feel tempted to push harder and to a certain point it works but it eventually backfires. it is just that life with many children, especially little ones, is never going to be smooth and follow a schedule. there will be time for that when they are older.

[gr8tcook]

Imagine for a moment that your dc were in a school and not at home. They would have had to "learn" through all of your difficulty. Schooling would have been hard for them. You homeschool for flexibility and relationship right? your oversight is impressed right? then stop and prioritize. What is most important right now? is it taking an additional 2 weeks to holiday, or hurrying through school. Remember what your reasons for homeschooling are and then determine what to do. We had a fire in our home and lost all of our school materials and I spent the first 3 weeks overwhelmed. I determined to take a longer holiday now and go to a year round schedule starting when all of our materials were replaced. The emotional aspects of schooling are just as important as the academic ones. Enjoy your baby too...that time goes very quickly and you worked awfully hard to get him here. be encouraged you are doing a good job.

[Mynyel]

First...big hugs :grouphug:

 

Wow! It is awesome that you and baby are doing so well! (At least physically :001_smile:)

If it was me I would take time off, fall back and regroup. One beauty of homschooling, out of many, is being able to do just that!

 

I school year round, I like it better and isn't as stressful to me. You have "more" days when it is year round. We still get our 180 days in but we rotate 3,4 and 5 days.

 

For instance in the spring/summer we do 3-4 days a week and fall/winter we do 4-5 days a week. If we need time off for vacation or something we just add an extra day to each week after. So if it was a 3 day week we took off we would add those days to the next three weeks.

All I do is write 3, 4 or 5 on each week on my wall calendar and go.

I don't know if that helps you, trying to type it I confused myself a bit! You can PM me if you want me to try again :D

 

I had nowhere near your experience with your pregnancy but I was tired and feeling generally blah so when I was pregnant with my last that school was on the back burner for about 2 months.

 

Your kids aren't really that different in age from mine and mine have picked up so much more than I thought!

 

Please take heart, you don't have to be super-mom. Enjoy your baby, enjoy your kids first, the rest will fall into place.

[AudreyTN]

First...big hugs :grouphug:

 

Wow! It is awesome that you and baby are doing so well! (At least physically :001_smile:)

If it was me I would take time off, fall back and regroup. One beauty of homschooling, out of many, is being able to do just that!

 

Please take heart, you don't have to be super-mom. Enjoy your baby, enjoy your kids first, the rest will fall into place.

 

:iagree::iagree::iagree:

 

We don't have any set days off. As long as I get 180 days in within a 365 day period we're good. :) I didn't have any complications with this last pregnancy, but I took off a month before and a month after. THEN we started back with school gradually.

 

I would take as much time as you need. Maybe you could start back with just some read alouds. Stuff that's family bonding time, but can be counted as school... just so you can feel as if you're accomplishing something.

[hillfarm]

Two weeks? Are you kidding? After what you all have been through I would take 2 months! There is absolutely no reason why you can't shift your schooling to go later into the summer months, take a month or so off, and then get back to the regular schedule this coming fall. That's one of the beauties of homeschooling!

 

One of the big things I have learned is that kids are remarkably resilient. They can recover from things that would have made me crazy. So give yourself and your dc a break. Call it your Interim Semester and do several fun field trips if you must do something constructive. But otherwise just give everyone a chance to regroup. Much wiser to spend the time pleasantly now and then get back to schooling with renewed enthusiasm and have lessons go more quickly and better than to drag through those same lessons, fighting all the difficulties, which would most likely take just as long.

[LanaTron]

for me the answer is usually to step back from the 'shoulds' and consider my authentic impressions as a parent.

 

i'd rather be certain they felt good about life, homeschooling, our family, and were happy as children.

 

i often feel tempted to push harder and to a certain point it works but it eventually backfires. it is just that life with many children, especially little ones, is never going to be smooth and follow a schedule. there will be time for that when they are older.

 

:iagree:

 

I am slowly but surely doing this myself, and (I hope) listening to my what my dc are telling me, both directly and indirectly, through their behavior.

[JennW in SoCal]

 

I really don't know what to do! I am so scared to "damage" my kids in being less demanding...on the other hand I am so tempted to just close the curriculums, cuddle on the sofa and read, read, read to them...and then play some...and then cook some...and then read some more...

 

Thank you so much for making it that far! ...I am so desperate for advice...!

 

:grouphug: You will NOT damage your children by taking time off and just cuddling and reading aloud and playing together. I had a horrible spell when my kids were in 8th and 5th grades and pretty much that was all we did for at least a semester, and it didn't put them behind at all -- not even the 8th grader.

 

I'm with the others. Take 2 months and just recover physically and emotionally, and reconnect as a family. Then ease into school -- just the 3Rs for the rest of the year. They will be fine.

[christine in al]

I am so tempted to just close the curriculums, cuddle on the sofa and read, read, read to them...and then play some...and then cook some...and then read some more...

 

 

That might just be your intuition. Intuition is often dismissed and be littled.. That is a mistake. What you wrote soudns to me like it might be your " mother wisdom" trying to speak. Be still and listen.

 

I tend toward wanting them to get lots rather than unschooling. So, If it were me, In order to really relax, I'd hyper-enrich the environment . Don't schedule, Just make available

Library books rather than computer games and videos.

An art shelf

Educational movies available, but not schedulued ( we use NetFlix)

 

And relax and breathe.

 

Congratuatlions on the baby and your health.

Christine in AL

[Terabith]

You guys have gone through a MASSIVE trauma. You have been severely ill for an extended period of time; your baby's health has been in danger, and your older children have been separated from you (which is traumatic, even if they are having a wonderful experience with loving relatives), while simultaneously being aware that Mommy was very sick. Then you have a new baby, which is a recipe for chaos and throwing schedules out of whack, plus a major distraction, and your kids are coping with a new sibling, which is a major life event all on its own.

 

You've got a ton of stressors. Your kids have a ton of stressors. You have a new baby who needs to be held, cuddled, sung to, and loved on. Honestly, health (physical and mental), in my book needs to take a back seat to academics. I'm a big fan of a rigorous education, but come on! Give yourself, and your kids, a break! The summer "vacation" was anything but a vacation for any of you!

 

Take two weeks or a month and relax. Play board games. Read aloud. Go on day outings. Snuggle. Watch movies. Learn to enjoy each other again. Knit yourselves into a family of six rather than a family of five. THIS is what life and family is about. These are the memories they need. You guys NEED this. Seriously.

 

Eat well. Make sure your kids get lots of exercise and outside time. You have an ADD kid and two little ones. They need around two to three hours a day of exercise and outside time. (Have you looked into organized athletic stuff for your 10 yr old? Martial arts? Swimming?) Do yoga as a family. (And find the adorable Itsy Bitsy Yoga babies book. It is soooo sweet, and awesome for kids.) Cuddle. Play games. Read. Enjoy each other.

 

Then, after a break, ease back into school. I think Horizons AND Saxon AND a math facts drill program is too much. Pick one, at least for right now. Those are both fairly drill and computation oriented programs. That's a lot.

 

Don't try to do WWE 4 and Writing Tales with your 4th grader, nor WWE and CW Primer with your second grader. For now, one math and one writing program, especially if you are also doing FLL and SWO. Make sure your kids are reading and that you are reading to them a lot (incorporate science, history, and geography that way too). Let them watch some educational tv shows/ dvds. Do stuff that's fun. (Baking? Crafts? Art projects? Chess? Puzzles?)

 

It will be okay. They really are still little. Give yourself time to breathe. You are allowed, and you need it; your baby needs it; and your older kids need it.

 

:grouphug: You guys have been through h*ll. I'm glad you and the baby are healthy, but that doesn't mean there wasn't a lot of trauma. Give your five year old lots of hugs too. She must have been so scared, and on top of that she's coping with not being the baby any more.

[KristenS]

Take a couple weeks' break, then ditch everything but the bare essentials and one fun thing.

 

Even my therapist would tell you that. I've just saved you $$. :D

 

You can't teach them everything in a year, and you can't ruin them in a year, either. (Maybe the PS could, but not you as a loving mother.) So go ahead and give everyone (yourself included!) time to recover. It was trauma. You need rest and healing.

 

And make sure that the esssentials really are essentials, and not just guilt trips you put on yourself. :)

[lisamarie]

To me it sounds like there's a bit of PPD going on with you--I only mention that because I got it after all 3 of my kids. Especially bad after #2. I felt so overwhelmed by the littlest things. I felt like I was cheating my 1st born because I was busy with the baby. The relentless worrying that I was somehow screwing up my kids with my actions. Thankfully it only lasted 6 months post-partum. I could barely remember to feed the baby, can't even imagine trying to school during that time.

 

I think it's a good idea to either take a break or try a more relaxed schedule--only school a few days a week and take 1-2 days off to just have fun with your kids. I always knew to expect less of myself the first 6 months after the birth of a baby because it took that long for my emotions to get back inline. My house was always messier than normal, dinners were less homemade, I just did the minimum because that's all I was emotionally able to handle.

 

I will note that I was on bedrest with my 1st due to preeclampsia for 3 months and then he ended up being 6 weeks early and spent 2 weeks in the NICU on oxygen because his lungs were underdeveloped. It was pretty traumatic for me. Going through a high risk pregnancy and then seeing your baby struggle for life really does a number on you. You have to give yourself time to emotionally recover from that. Even now 6 1/2 years later, whenever I hear about a friend's baby in the NICU, it still shakes me up a bit. The fear I went through is not that far from the surface.

[PeterPan]

Your kids are too young to be very far behind, and your evaluator said you're FINE. Do you have any snow? I think you need a snow week. Not just a day, but a whole week off. Sit in your chair and nurse and rock while the dc play in the snow, and really think about things. Start with a blank piece of paper and put down just the barebones of what needs to be done to make you feel good. I look back on the first year with my new boy, and I'm not sure we got anything intelligent done, lol. You know what? It didn't matter one bit. Pick just a few basic things (math, write something, read something), and put those on a list to get done daily. Put some more things in a basket that you could do if you wanted to do them. Put some more things in a closet they can access to do for themselves, things like science kits. Get some new science kits, science videos, etc. That way you're not doing much but they're still doing something. My dd LOVED the Snap Circuits I got her last year. They're educational and tons of fun. Get stuff like that and just let them play! They're so young. It won't matter a fig if you slow down on this stuff. Just do a little bit of academics each day to keep moving forward in the important stuff, knowing it will be easier later, as the baby gets bigger and you heal.

[Julie in Monterey]

I know you are asking for advice but it does seem that you already know what to do and somehow need permission to do that....cuddle, read, read, cuddle, play games, cook, take walks. I get the pressure that you are putting on yourself. I understand it. I feel it myself at times...even when I know it is best to drop the pen and paper stuff and get back to WHY we homeschool. We do it for many reasons but one of them is to treasure our family time. We get to be together and enjoy one another's company. So.. I say, trust yourself and give your family some breathing room. One poster had a great idea about enriching the environment and having educational items/tasks available. Stage a reading corner and stock it with a stack of new books each morning, set up some board games, cook with your kids. Pull out sketch or art books and have them out and available for the kids. You are sure to find the joy again. To me, it is the most important. Enjoy those kiddos and give yourself a HUGE break! Perhaps do a "soft start" in a couple of weeks with just the basics..math, language and slooooooooowly work in more as all of you can handle.

 

Hugs to you and your family!

 

Julie in Monterey

[prim*rose]

I can relate to how you're feeling. While I didn't go through nearly all the things you have, I can understand that feeling to "stay on schedule" and not let the kids "fall behind". I have a hard time not staying on a schedule (I guess I'm rigid or inflexible), and I think it's that traditional "school" mentality. I really have to consciously make an effort to break away from it if we seem to "fall behind" (in my mind), but it's so hard to do.

 

I don't have any advice, but you're not alone in your feelings.

[deeinfl]

It's so wonderful to have a new baby, isn't it, especially with all you've been through.

 

Let me let you in on a little secret. One year, we made a huge life decision to move from NJ, to FL. Guess what, one of my daughters had much difficulty with the changes and I was so busy and overwhelmed myself, I barely noticed.

 

At the end of the year when it came time to look at her completed work, I realized that she had barely touched her school work all year. Guess what? We took our summer break anyway and I didn't fret about it. All she had done all year was take out and read library books.

 

The following school year I purchased curriculum in the grade level that she would be passing on to and she did just fine. It hadn't hurt her in the slightest to take that year off. She was able to continue her next grade level work with absolutely no problem.

 

A few months will not kill 'em. If all you did was read on the sofa, it might actually help them and boost up their reading and listening skills.

 

You have full permission to take 2 months off to regroup. I promise you each and every one of the kids will bounce back, and they might actually do better as the one poster posted, they also need to heal from this scary ordeal of possibly losing their momma.

 

Enjoy your time reading wonderful books, baking delicious confections, and loving on that precious gift of God!!! Be blessed! Remember, the baby is the lesson. http://www.schoolofabraham.com/babylesson.htm

 

Dee :)

[DianeJM]

I will add my hearty agreement to all the advice given you so far!

Yes, do take a break, take as much as you need.

When you jump back in to school, do it gradually, do what you can handle and no more. Then, add things in as you are able. If all you can handle is the 3 R's, then so be it.

 

Find ways during your break to build YOURSELF up, too, strengthen yourself, get lots of rest and eat well.

 

Schooling year round works for some but not all. I live in a neighborhood where there are lots of kids, and when there's no school for them it's REALLY hard for my ds to be in the house doing school. We can hear them and see them, and they keep ringing our bell, etc. I have wanted to just inform them that we are doing school, and have done that, but the temptation is too great for ds, and he can't focus very well. I will need to figure out how to fix that problem, because I took a lot of time off this fall getting an IEP for my daughter, which turned out to be a full-time job, so lots of school days were missed altogether. We will be going into the summer this year to finish, so I will have to be adamant on our school time. But I've always thought schooling year-round is a great idea.

 

I liked the ideas of educational play for your kids, that sounds just right -- they will be learning, so I think you can even count those as school days, really.

Lots of read-alouds on the couch, oh yeah, that sounds awesome.

 

You are in good hands on this board; these ladies are AMAZING!!

Blessings to you all as you recover!

[tdeveson]

Can I just say that after everything you have been through to have your kids at grade level is nothing less than heroic. Your kids are little -- if you take off two weeks or even an additional month to just spend time with them with no pressure -- it would do nothing but good. The time they didn't spend doing grammar they might spend cuddled up with you reading a book. Seriously, this stuff is equally as important as multiplication tables. Particularly your little dd who is feeling fragile after having been without you so long. (I have a friend who is in and out of the hospital periodically, and I know what you mean about kids getting "fragile" because of it.)

 

Take the two weeks off -- take a month if you think you and your children will benefit -- and just enjoy each other. Don't ever lose sight of WHY you're homeschooling. In your place I'd take the time off and give ourselves some breathing room to just get comfortable with each other.

 

You've done a phenomenal job. Don't underestimate the teacher's review. The school she's comparing your kids to may be inferior, but she's still a teacher and she knows what kids need to know independently of the local school system. Pat yourself on the back, take some time off with your kids, and do it without a drop of guilt. There is absolutely no reason for any.

 

Congratulations on your new baby.

[StephanieZ]

4th grade & under. . . new baby. . . fragile health. . . need for recharge. . .

 

I would focus on only math and reading. Make a schedule for your oldest child(ren) for those two subjects, sketching out a week by week progress for the rest of the school year that is acceptable to you (but, please, don't be terribly ambitious!)

 

Math and reading should take under 90 min even for a 4th grader. Much less for your younger children. They will progress *just fine* in these basic subjects with that amount of time.

 

Each week, I'd focus on that schedule. Check off your boxes and it will make you feel like you are accomplishing things. Try to have a set schedule to get these tasks done in the morning, so you all start off the day feeling good about things.

 

Once those basics are done for the day (and are "on track" for the week), then spend some extra time on other subjects. Hopefully, some of the other programs you have for your olders (spelling, handwriting, etc.) might be pretty easy for your child(ren) to do independently.

 

Try to set your school day no longer than 4 hours a day, start to finish. That way you can relax for most of the day.

 

During your relaxed times, try to read aloud some, do some fun science or history reading, other enriching activities. . . when you all *feel* like it.

 

Limit TV, computer, etc access so your dc choose from healthy, educational, activities for their free time.

 

Hire some help around the house if you can.

 

Be kind to yourself.

 

Don't plan to school into the summer (unless you *like* to school year round). Make sure to keep your "off times" truly free, for the benefit of everyone.

 

:grouphug:

[johnandtinagilbert]

This work crazy school teacher.....agrees with the rest. *I* would use 3 weeks. One of "do whatever you want in our house, just do your best to clean up after yourself" One of "lets take a trip to do something special, like a single day field trip" and one to breath into your school with teacher prep and one subject a day only (say math for all, or history read aloud and narration for all).

 

My other suggestion would be to look at your materials. I have done my best to enjoy gamelike education, read more, and do less paperwork with my 1st and 2nd grader this year and we are enjoying it greatly. Anytime I can play a game to accomplish the same thing, I do. SIMPLE GAMES! If I can't make it up in 10-15 time (all supplies, etc.) it's not happening...we're excelling and enjoying each other! Take a break from workbooks, textsbooks and simply read aloud for science and history. Three books a day and they'll retain, retain, retain.

 

I have had an intense semester too and my 3 week Holiday vaca was like what I described above. It. was. brilliant.

 

:grouphug: we all have our ebbs and flows. it seems like you're moving along very nicely...give yourself a break and try not to overachieve (a joke for we home schoolers, I know, I know)

cheers,

Edited January 7, 2010 by johnandtinagilbert

[sahm99]

Thank you so much for your efforts to read my novel...and mostly for all the warm advice!

The only advice any IRL-friend would have given me would have been to put the kids in school:tongue_smilie:...

 

As some of you stated, I know myself what the "right thing" to do is (well, at least somehow...) but hearing it from you relieves some of my overwhelming feeling of guilt, about slowing down!

 

I have another question, though: What do you think I should do about the curriculums that might not be finished by the beginning of the summer (SWO, FLL4, WWE, WT...math will be less of an issue).

Would you go on, until they are done (which would pretty much be by the time we start our new school-year...)? Would you carry these over into the next year (somewhat unsettling for my type-A-personality...I know I need a perspective about being "on schedule" again...)?

 

Thank you again so much for your help!

[DianeJM]

What do you think I should do about the curriculums that might not be finished by the beginning of the summer (SWO, FLL4, WWE, WT...math will be less of an issue).

Would you go on, until they are done (which would pretty much be by the time we start our new school-year...)? Would you carry these over into the next year (somewhat unsettling for my type-A-personality...I know I need a perspective about being "on schedule" again...)?

 

There has never been a homeschooling year that I have finished a book! I've come close sometimes, and other times I may have gotten only about halfway through. I almost always have started fresh the next year with the following grade's curriculum; the exceptions were when I felt a particular child needed to stay in the same grade the next year. For instance, with my oldest it took us 3 years instead of 2 to do 2nd and 3rd grades, and with my youngest, for his 2nd grade year we only got halfway through, so the following year we finished 2nd. I felt he needed to stay at that level and get that foundation. One daughter progressed every year to the next grade and did well even though we didn't finish the books, and the other daughter needed to do a grade again from the beginning. The only downside is that it's created a laziness in how we do school; never has there been a problem with not being up to par to start the next grade, because I would plan the next year according to the kids' needs. And as I said in an earlier post, this year my youngest will be going into the summer to (almost) finish some of his books so we can start fresh next fall.

 

But you will have to take a look at your materials and assess whether you absolutely have to finish or almost finish to be able to go on to the next level. I was using spiral approach textbooks, and there may be a difference there.

 

My two cents! HTH!

Blessings,

[Sahamamama]

What do you think I should do about the curriculums that might not be finished by the beginning of the summer (SWO, FLL4, WWE, WT...math will be less of an issue)?

 

Maybe after you have a break, you could begin again, but focus only on one English subject each week. Some of the stress of homeschooling (for me, anyway) is switching from subject to subject to subject. Could you try using a "block" of time for each Seat Work subject? for each Read Aloud subject? This might help you conserve energy for teaching, instead of managing the switches/changes!

 

Seat Work:

Week 1 -- Math + Latin (drill only) + Spelling

Week 2 -- Math + Latin (drill only) + Grammar

Week 3 -- Math + Latin (drill only) + Writing

Week 4 -- Math + Latin (drill only) + Memory Work/Other English Work

Read Alouds:

Week 1 -- Science

Week 2 -- Literature & Poetry

Week 3 -- History & Geography

Week 4 -- Bible or whatever you choose

 

So, every day in Week 1 would be the same: Math, Latin drill, Spelling & Science Read Alouds. Every day in Week 2 would be the same: Math, Latin drill, Grammar & Lit/Po Read Alouds. And so on. HTH!

[Aurelia]

 

I have another question, though: What do you think I should do about the curriculums that might not be finished by the beginning of the summer (SWO, FLL4, WWE, WT...math will be less of an issue).

Would you go on, until they are done (which would pretty much be by the time we start our new school-year...)? Would you carry these over into the next year (somewhat unsettling for my type-A-personality...I know I need a perspective about being "on schedule" again...)?

 

 

I would just keep doing them until they are done, but that's just me. We HS year-round, though, so it's not like we start with all new stuff in August or September. I like it this way because I don't burn out with the same old stuff because we might start a new level of history in November, and in February move on to the next level in science or grammar.

[jld]

Just put all curricula away on a shelf, and bring it back in as you feel inspired. You'll know when it's time.

 

Enjoy your long, lovely break!