How can I manage two dc with teacher-intensive curricula?

[HappyGrace]

Both kids need me one-on-one right now for most subjects. I have my 10yo dd who has Lyme disease, so she went from being really independent to needing me teaching all subjects to due to cognitive issues.

 

Then I have a first grade BOY who needs me with him, since you know how teacher-intensive first grade is! He needs me to TEACH all his subjects-Singapore (and Miquon/MEP) math, WWE, FLL, ETC, etc.

 

I have been combining on a few readalouds. But they're too far apart in age for their other subjects.

 

I actually really love teaching them like this, but I am lost on how to schedule! Before dd got sick, I could teach ds while she was working on her more independent work. Now neither of them have anything independent they can do while I work with the other. And I can't do one in the morning and one in the afternoon, because they're both too tired to be any good later in the day (ds because he is young and dd because she is sick).

 

If you can offer any suggestions, I would love it! I am tearing my hair out trying to go back and forth, and it isn't working. Thank you!

[SonshineLearner]

I'd like to know if you have really good info about the lyme disease thing ..... My cousin had~has it... and his mom had to go to war with everyone to get him treated...

 

:-(

[HappyGrace]

I will PM you about the Lyme.

[ElizabethB]

Read, Write, Type and Wordy Querty is good independent phonics and spelling work for your 1st grader. Get the free demos first to make sure they will work for you before spending the $.

 

He could also watch my phonics movies, they're meant for an older child and are very boring for a young student, but he could watch 1/2 lesson at a time for the longer lessons and a full lesson for those less than 15 minutes.

 

You could also have them do math for a while through Khan Academy, working through his problem sets and watching some of his videos.

 

:grouphug:

 

I hope she gets better soon, I'll add her to my prayers.

[MamaofTwo]

I'm not sure if this will be helpful or not. I have a 1st and 3rd grader and try to split my time between both. Here is my schedule:

 

8 - 8:15 Devotional together

8:15-8:30 Spelling Lesson with Mom /

Copywork & read through stuff she is trying to memorize

8:30 - 8:45 Copywork & Memory Work / Spelling Lesson w/ Mom

8:45 - 9:15 Math Lesson with Mom / Math Facts (Flashmaster or flash cards)

9:15 - 9:45 Math Facts (Flashmaster or flash cards) / Math Lesson with Mom

9:45 - 10 SNACK TIME (they make sure we don't miss this) :)

10 - 10:30 Shurley Grammar and Reading with Mom / Reading on her own

10:30 - 11 Break / Shurley & Writing Lesson with Mom

11 - 11:30 Reading with Mom / Work on writing Assignment

11:30 - 12:30 History or Science - together

12:30 - 1 LUNCH

1 - 1:30 Art/Music together

1:30 - 2 Latin DVD

 

Like I said, I'm not sure if this is helpful to you or not. I like the schedule because it keeps on task. Of course I'll fudge the schedule if either of them need some extra help, but this is what I shoot for.

[Homeschooling6]

Read, Write, Type and Wordy Querty is good independent phonics and spelling work for your 1st grader. Get the free demos first to make sure they will work for you before spending the $.

 

He could also watch my phonics movies, they're meant for an older child and are very boring for a young student, but he could watch 1/2 lesson at a time for the longer lessons and a full lesson for those less than 15 minutes.

 

You could also have them do math for a while through Khan Academy, working through his problem sets and watching some of his videos.

 

:grouphug:

 

I hope she gets better soon, I'll add her to my prayers.

 

:iagree:With your 1st grader, can you let go of FLL, WWe and ETC. Concentrate more with math and phonics? Listen to audio books. Audio books are what I use for my 1st-3rd graders for history & science. It frees me up a bit.

[Tree House Academy]

Man, that is tough. My kids are the same ages as yours and they often end up both needing me at the same time. My older son does not have any cognitive issues, though and can do most work on his own...so that helps. I still can't imagine if they both needed me so intensively!

 

Is there any way to do school with the younger one at a different time of day? If I was in your situation, I would have to do school with one and then the other, I think. My 1st grader only takes about 2.5 hours a day. Is there something your older could do by herself during that short time? If not, maybe have older child do one subject, then break and let younger child do one subject...and on and on?

[HappyGrace]

I'd like to keep them doing the same curric, if possible, because they are both happy and thriving with what they are doing.

 

I can't totally do one dc and then the other, because the dc that goes last is too tired by then. The idea of doing one, then give that one a break while I work with the other, and then alternate, might work. But I HATE having to rein them back in every time! You know how it is once you "lose" them to their own agenda of playing or whatever-hard to get them back into school mode!

 

Thanks, MamaofTwo, for sharing your schedule-there are a few ideas I can use on there!

 

And yes, the audiobooks are what are keeping me sane right now!

[msjones]

You sound just like me. We all enjoy the 'teacher intensive' curriculum. It's the best stuff, in my opinion. I have no wish to switch to mostly independent work for my boys. That being said, it does take some schedule tweaking.

 

One of them is with me while the other does independent work. Our main independent activities include:

Flashmaster

Copywork

eSpindle (online spelling/vocab program -- we're very happy with it)

Silent Reading followed by Reading Response journal

Piano practice

handwriting

Math review packets

science videos

[HappyGrace]

Off to check out eSpindle!! :auto: And I like the idea of the reading response journal for dd. Thanks!

[MariannNOVA]

You could also have them do math for a while through Khan Academy, working through his problem sets and watching some of his videos.

 

:grouphug:

 

I hope she gets better soon, I'll add her to my prayers.

 

I LOVE Khan Academy. My twins ~ and one would think :glare:, wouldn't they?~ that mom could teach the twins together while dd 5th grade is doing her independent work (she works amazingly well independently -- the twins :boxing_smiley: .....not so much!).

 

Anyway, Khan Academy has made it possible for me to teach the twins separately - which makes me able to do it more quickly - and keeps the other one engaged in something worthwhile and not pestering me with questions just because.

 

I may try some of the other suggestions here as well -- you know you are all in our prayers!:grouphug:

[Kim in SouthGa]

When mine were in first, I could probably have finished everything up with them in a couple of hours. If I was in your situation, I would probably sit down with the first grader first thing in the morning and knock his work out. Then you could let him do independent things like flashcards, math fact pages, mazes, pattern blocks, Starfall or other phonics computer games, geography games on the computer, puzzles, etc.- you get the picture, I'm sure-while you worked with your oldest.

[HappyGrace]

Kim, that is a good idea, I think. Get started a little earlier to knock his "teacher-dependent" stuff out and then have "independent" things he can do after that. I could even come back to him later in the day for a little more "teacher" stuff, if I need to, but at least it wouldn't be pushing it ALL to the end of the day when he's tired. Thanks!

 

(Note-I love Kahn Academy too! Thanks!)

[katilac]

Loop schedule. One hour per day with ds, two hours with dd, get through what you can and pick up where you left off the next day.

 

A loop schedule simply lists all your subjects (math, reading, composition, grammar, art . . . ); if you want math to be on the loop more often than art, simply list it more than once (math, reading, grammar, art, math, reading, science, math, reading, history, grammar).

 

When you're done, you're done. Don't stop mid-science experiment, of course, but also don't start a new subject if there's five minutes left in your hour.

 

Some people choose to have a set list of activities for the "off" child to choose from: legos, how to draw books, book basket, etc.

[kesmom]

Similar to what the last poster said, I was going to suggest a workbox type set-up of "light" activities when they are not working directly with you.

[prairiegirl]

I have three children, all using teacher-intensive curriculum. All 3 have learning challenges that make it difficult to do much independent work. I love our curriculum and do not want to change but at times I am totally overwhelmed.

 

We have tried the workboxes and they worked amazingly well. Then I got sick (cancer) and I didn't have the energy to fill those blasted boxes every day. So they fell by the wayside. Then we just did breaks for the ones that weren't working with me. This worked out okay but it makes our learning time very long.

 

I have tried something new just this week. I don't know if this will work long term or not but it's working for right now. I have been having the two oldest do their work at the same time with me sitting in the middle. We do the same subjects. I do RS with my ds, so I get him started with a timed test, then I get dd started on her lesson (MUS.) Once, ds is finished test, then I do the lesson with him and am there to help dd with any help she might need. We were able to do this for grammar and writing as well.

 

I feel like a ping pong ball at times, but it is cutting back on our time and this is what I am striving for.

[woolybear]

First of all, :grouphug: on the Lyme disease issues. I have had two kids who had it (one of them more than once). I understand all too well the cognitive issues associated with it and the difficulties for dc doing school work independently. You can pm me if you want to chat specifically about Lyme.

 

As to the other part, workboxes may help as others have said. Perhaps one program on the computer--math, phonics, or art. It may be helpful to find a program where they can be together for some of the work--like Winterpromise or TOG.

 

I'm not too helpful on this as I really am just :bigear: to see what others have to say. I need help myself in this department. I have tried several ways to solve this and am never entirely satisfied. Though it may work well to start earlier with the younger.

 

Woolybear

[Osaubi]

I have three children, all using teacher-intensive curriculum. All 3 have learning challenges that make it difficult to do much independent work. I love our curriculum and do not want to change but at times I am totally overwhelmed.

 

We have tried the workboxes and they worked amazingly well. Then I got sick (cancer) and I didn't have the energy to fill those blasted boxes every day. So they fell by the wayside. Then we just did breaks for the ones that weren't working with me. This worked out okay but it makes our learning time very long.

 

I have tried something new just this week. I don't know if this will work long term or not but it's working for right now. I have been having the two oldest do their work at the same time with me sitting in the middle. We do the same subjects. I do RS with my ds, so I get him started with a timed test, then I get dd started on her lesson (MUS.) Once, ds is finished test, then I do the lesson with him and am there to help dd with any help she might need. We were able to do this for grammar and writing as well.

 

I feel like a ping pong ball at times, but it is cutting back on our time and this is what I am striving for.

 

 

I only have 2 kids and one shouldn't even be doing school yet :glare:. Some things we do together as much as possible like science, history, and unit study things. For everything else I have one sit on each side and I am in the middle and we trade off. For example I get my dd started on singapore earlybird, and I start my ds on handwriting. I watch him out of the corner of my eye while reading the directions to her. Then she moves on to ETC and HWOT and I work with him on math.

 

Honestly some days it works and some it doesn't. On the days it doesn't I still end up with more time than if I had set them down and worked with them one at a time.

 

HTH