How do you rotate through dc?

[2squared]

A poll of sorts, but mostly such information gathering. Do you start with the youngest and go up, start with the oldest and go down, or some other alternative? How has it changed through the years?

 

I am currently starting with the littlest and working my way up. We school while my 1yo is napping. I first read books to my 3yo. Then I do math, phonics, and handwriting with my Ker. Last is my 2nd grader. If we are doing well with time, I do our FIAR lessons between the Ker and 2nd grader. When my 1yo wakes up, we wrap up for the day.

[MeAndTheBoys]

My 2nd grader has an independent assignment sheet that takes him about an hour to complete--while he's doing that, I work with the K-er on phonics and math. He has some mostly-independent stuff that he can work on if I need to get with the older for a while--handwriting, explode the code, etc.

 

After K is done, I work with 2nd on the more interactive things--new math material, writing, PLL and Elem Spelling.

 

And Baby is popping in at all times :)

 

But the main thing is to make sure that I take advantage of independent-type work for one child by doing highly interactive with the other at the same time--

 

Betsy

[FloridaLisa]

A poll of sorts, but mostly such information gathering. Do you start with the youngest and go up, start with the oldest and go down, or some other alternative? How has it changed through the years?

 

I am currently starting with the littlest and working my way up. We school while my 1yo is napping. I first read books to my 3yo. Then I do math, phonics, and handwriting with my Ker. Last is my 2nd grader. If we are doing well with time, I do our FIAR lessons between the Ker and 2nd grader. When my 1yo wakes up, we wrap up for the day.

 

It's looked different for our family every year, depending on kids' ages, babies, outside activities, curricula, etc. Generally, however, yes, I teach on-on-one from youngest to oldest. Some years, though, I stared with an older child that was up earlier and could get started.

 

HTH,

Lisa

[2squared]

My 2nd grader has an independent assignment sheet that takes him about an hour to complete

 

May I ask what your 2nd grader does independently for an hour? My 2nd grader does her silent reading while I work with my Ker. Other than that, she doesn't have any independent work. I don't want to give her busy work, but maybe I'm missing something? The only thing I can think of that most others would have is math worksheets, but we use RightStart so I teach the entire lesson every day. Her math worksheets are few and far between.

[plain jane]

I always start with my oldest (grade 3) and work my way down. I teach the lesson I need to in math, get the independent stuff going, then teach math to the younger. Once math is done we move on to language arts. Again, I teach what I need to for writing, then when the independent work is being done, I do reading and phonics with the younger. Older reads SOTW alone while I read CHOW aloud to younger and then each do their respective assignments. Science is a bit more tricky as they do science independent of each other. I squeak in science with younger when I can (usually when older is doing grammar or something similar that is independent) and older has a separate afternoon time for science lessons. I tend to do read alouds together and there is a separate time each day that all the kids read aloud to me. Sometimes I can't get that in so the ones who didn't read to me will read to daddy when he gets home.

 

Oh, we also do memory work together; each one has their turn to listen to the pieces they are memorizing and then recite them back to me.

Edited January 9, 2010 by plain jane

[JoyfulMama]

May I ask what your 2nd grader does independently for an hour? My 2nd grader does her silent reading while I work with my Ker. Other than that, she doesn't have any independent work. I don't want to give her busy work, but maybe I'm missing something? The only thing I can think of that most others would have is math worksheets, but we use RightStart so I teach the entire lesson every day. Her math worksheets are few and far between.

 

When my eldest was in 2nd, she had a couple things that were independent: 1)daily devotion book, 2)penmanship, and 3)learning wrap-ups for math facts. This was in addition to reading. So between them all it could easily be an hour. There are also other more fun things that she enjoyed, which she could do on her own - drawing books, mazes, word puzzles. Some might consider them busy work, but she sought out these books to work in, and they worked nicely for something for her to work on by herself, whether it was me or her that initiated the time.

[Mandy in TN]

I start with my middle, because he is up first. Then, I move to the little guy.

My oldest doesn’t need me for anything other than discussion and that usually happens in the car or at mealtime!

Mandy

[Mandy in TN]

May I ask what your 2nd grader does independently for an hour? My 2nd grader does her silent reading while I work with my Ker. Other than that, she doesn't have any independent work. I don't want to give her busy work, but maybe I'm missing something? The only thing I can think of that most others would have is math worksheets, but we use RightStart so I teach the entire lesson every day. Her math worksheets are few and far between.

My first grader has work that he finishes independently.

Wordly Wise

Handwriting

RS Farsi

Copywork

Plaid Phonics C

Easy Grammar 3

Key to Fractions

CM Music

Spanish videos

These are for the most part independent. If he needs help, I’m available, but he doesn’t need for me to handhold him.

 

Poetry, art, science, Saxon, his geography puzzle, and history require mommy time. Readers and read-alouds, of course, are undivided mommy time.

 

HTH-

Mandy

[christine in al]

2nd and 4th.

 

This past week , we've been starting the day with a science video from Discovery Education Streaming. After that we've been doing a 15 minute yoga program and then 3 minutes of meditation. Being quiet and just breathing is working wonders for both ds and me. Then we look at a short thing we should all be memorizing, ( preamble to the constitution a' la School House Rock we have done and it's teh planet order for now) I read a little of a read-aloud ( this is new and working well) relating to Medieval history. We do Latin together. Then split.

 

I make sure 2nd grader is set up to listen to SOTW, and have whatever activity sheet or Kingifsher page to look at while she listens on head phones, then she'll do stuff on her list: memory work, cursive,typing, piano practice, literture reading. and make us a snack.

( While that's happening, I'm doing Maths, Grammar, Spelling and Compostion with 4th grader)

 

We have snack.

Switch: I do Maths, Grammar Spelling and Comp with 2nd grader, while 4th grader does the above plus a computer Spanish program. And makes us lunch.

 

The kids making snack and lunch was the most wonderful thing we have done.

 

afternoons are a mix of Piano lesson, chess club, Pottery lesson , ( all on Thursdays) TaeKwonDo, ( Mon Wed.) I try to have a STAY AT HOME DAY on Tuesdays.

 

 

~christine in al

[Samiam]

I start with oldest...we do the things we need to do together, generally Latin and Comp, then the rest of the time, he is mostly on his own...working his workboxes. I work with him first so he has no delay in his day because of me. Never a case of him waiting on me.

 

Once I am done with him, usually 30-60 minutes, I work with DS6.

[IsabelC]

I just do whatever looks like it might work on the day. since neither the 6yo nor the 4yo can really do anything independently, I generally work with one and encourage the other to play with the 1yo. It's a challenge, though, and I find it much easier on days when my husband is around to do some of the teaching.

[LanaTron]

At one point, it seems not too long ago, but I really couldn't tell you how long, I started from the youngest, and went to the oldest. It worked great, and I think that was one of our best home school seasons. While I was working with one, my other kids would either work on independent work, read, or engage each other in creative play, depending on which kids I was not working with and exactly what their assignments were.

 

These days, I am getting my elder two dc up earlier and we get Bible and math done or mostly done before the other two wake up. Once all four are up and hitting the books, it's just chaos. :willy_nilly: While I'm doing a lesson with one, the others all seem to have questions or need help with their work. At some point, I will figure out what to do so that the rest of the day goes as smoothly as the early morning, but that early morning with just the two dc is nice.

[Julie Herbster]

I've always found it best to start teaching the youngest (K-er) while her older sibs do morning independent work (spelling, handwriting, Latin drill, reading, and (for the two oldest) math and English). Then, while K-er does seatwork from our lessons, I move to teaching the 2nd grader, who by that time has usually almost run out of things she can do on her own. (The older two are still doing independent work.) I flip-flop back and forth between the k-er and the 2-grader, and end up meeting with the older two afterward.

 

Works for us...

[prairiegirl]

I start with the oldest and then work my way down. If I get the oldest going on her work then she can work independently while I work with the other two.

[mycalling]

They work through their scheduled subjects and come to me for help. I make time for my 7yo's reading and math concepts and my 8yo's reading comprehension. The older two get help with their Perplexors and the 7yo help with Plaid Phonics nearly every day and I help interpret written directions or give writing ideas. TT5 has really lessened my load for the older two (8 and 12). I also add in group grammar lessons, history reads, or other unit studies.

[Narrow Gate Academy]

I work basically from oldest to youngest. My older two really do best at math when it comes first which requires me to work with them first thing. You can see at schedule of how I do it at my blog.