robsiew Posted July 22, 2010 Share Posted July 22, 2010 One major change that has me very excited: Morning Homework! I have always tried to teach the math and grammar lessons the same day that they do the seat work. With 4 dc at 4 different levels, this has never gone smoothly because I never manage to get it done until afternoon. Then they are doing some of their lessons after DH gets home, which I do not like. This year, I'll teach math and grammar to each in the afternoon and do enough practice problems to be sure they understand, and then they can do the independent part in the morning while I'm working with my 6yo. So we'll start the day together with Bible reading, hymn, prayer, and taekwondo drills. Then I'll do the one-on-one stuff (going from youngest to oldest) while the others do their independent work. I should be done with the younger two before lunch, which will leave the afternoon for those big ol' logic stage discussions while the little ones play. My 10yo might need some afternoon time for reading or something. We'll all end the school day with the next day's math and grammar teaching, but they won't finish the lesson until the morning. I hope this works. On paper, it does! This is similar to what I do with my older two with grammar and math! I teach the new lesson the night before to both, make sure they understand it... then they can work independently the next morning. It makes a huge difference! Sometimes they even like to bring their work up at night and do it during their time in their rooms at night (I have late night kids). Then, they even are ahead the next day in that they have a lot of their independent work done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy loves Bud Posted July 22, 2010 Share Posted July 22, 2010 One other thing I'm changing. I have no intentions of doing any crafty or creative school things. I'm so over that. They all have art supplies at their disposal. They can have fun with them and leave me out of it. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Dulcimeramy Posted July 22, 2010 Share Posted July 22, 2010 This sounds like a stroke of genius--I might have to give it a try.:) (except for the taekwondo...) I know! It only took me 10 years of homeschooling to think of it! This is similar to what I do with my older two with grammar and math! I teach the new lesson the night before to both, make sure they understand it... then they can work independently the next morning. It makes a huge difference! Sometimes they even like to bring their work up at night and do it during their time in their rooms at night (I have late night kids). Then, they even are ahead the next day in that they have a lot of their independent work done! Thank you for sharing this! I'm so glad to hear that the system does indeed work. Any other tips? :lurk5: LOL Since you thought of this one before I did, what else works well for you, time management-wise? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolybear Posted July 22, 2010 Share Posted July 22, 2010 Filing! And no coop. Woohoo! It IS so freeing.:) Adding in Living Math and Elemental Science. Not a change, but still excited about it--Ambleside online. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AuntPol Posted July 22, 2010 Share Posted July 22, 2010 I'm most excited about my new school room. We took the playroom that held toys that were rarely used and one desk w/computer that was faught over and transformed it into a school room. We now have new paint and a new magnetic white board half wall, 3 small bookshelves and 3 large bookshelves so I actually group things by subject! We have two matching desks for each kid with a computer each! I am also excited about starting TOG. It has everything I love about Ambleside but the hand holding I needed for the dialectic years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momto2Cs Posted July 22, 2010 Share Posted July 22, 2010 (edited) Relaxing. It's the first year we're not under the guidance of a charter school. So, our one formal text will be Saxon Math. Other than that, ds will be journaling each day and writing across the curriculum, dd will be doing ETC until she's a stronger reader and then she'll be doing copywork & narration. There will be lots of reading, lots of hands-on projects/experiments, lots of arts/crafts. I'm leading a once-a-month science co-op class (through our 4H) using this book as a guide. We'll be reading through American history and story-form science (Story Book of Science, The Secret of Everyday Things, Wonder Book of Chemistry) over the next couple of years and I'll let the kids explore rabbit trails along the way... I'm NOT lesson planning. I want to go with the flow! Edited July 23, 2010 by momto2Cs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wendy in ME Posted July 22, 2010 Share Posted July 22, 2010 I quit my per diem job and will NOT work the night shift anymore. I will be better rested to devote time to the boys and feel less stressed about school. My second ds will be rejoining us this year. We will put more focus on the core subjects and allow for more independent reading time. I am very excited about Oak Meadow Civics and English 8 for my oldest son. This will be our first experience with Oak Meadow but I have been pouring over the materials and I love what I see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
my2boysteacher Posted July 22, 2010 Share Posted July 22, 2010 We will be focusing on Language Arts this year. I have been doing a lot of reading (LCC, TJed and Pudewa) and have changed my philosophy a bit. We'll be starting Latin, using MCT and IEW and reading as many good books as we can cram into our year. Thanks to an interview I recently listened to with Pudewa, I am not uptight about grammar/phonics/spelling as I was in the past. We'll take a more laid back approach to those and concentrate on good literature and good writing, as well as poetry memorization and music. How this will go over with two active boys remains to be seen. :D DH and I also want to make sure we dedicate our evenings to family dinner, reading and conversation, and cut out the distractions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PollyOR Posted July 22, 2010 Share Posted July 22, 2010 One major change that has me very excited: Morning Homework! I have always tried to teach the math and grammar lessons the same day that they do the seat work. With 4 dc at 4 different levels, this has never gone smoothly because I never manage to get it done until afternoon. Then they are doing some of their lessons after DH gets home, which I do not like. This year, I'll teach math and grammar to each in the afternoon and do enough practice problems to be sure they understand, and then they can do the independent part in the morning while I'm working with my 6yo. So we'll start the day together with Bible reading, hymn, prayer, and taekwondo drills. Then I'll do the one-on-one stuff (going from youngest to oldest) while the others do their independent work. I should be done with the younger two before lunch, which will leave the afternoon for those big ol' logic stage discussions while the little ones play. My 10yo might need some afternoon time for reading or something. We'll all end the school day with the next day's math and grammar teaching, but they won't finish the lesson until the morning. I hope this works. On paper, it does! :thumbup1: Thank you! This might be the solution to my scheduling problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JessReplanted Posted July 22, 2010 Share Posted July 22, 2010 I plan to find my inner fun mom and invite her to our lessons on a regular basis. I love this! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom31257 Posted July 22, 2010 Share Posted July 22, 2010 We are going to be including more Bible than before. We will be doing Who Is God? by Apologia, ds will be doing BJU 2nd grade Bible, dd will be doing SL Core 100 Bible, and we'll be reading through the Psalms every morning. I know it's a lot, but I was really feeling led to do so. SL is new as well, so I'm excited to try that with dd. We might have a chance for the kids to do a musical theater type group. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jengjohnson Posted July 22, 2010 Share Posted July 22, 2010 I'm excited about adding in my k'er, trying the filing system, using MOH, Latin and French. Taking at least a semester off of our co-op. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom31257 Posted July 22, 2010 Share Posted July 22, 2010 I'm excited about adding in my k'er, trying the filing system, using MOH, Latin and French. Taking at least a semester off of our co-op. Oh...I can't believe I forgot to mention the filing system! I'm not finished with it yet, but I think it's going to be great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KellyinPA Posted July 23, 2010 Share Posted July 23, 2010 After three years of Saxon, I"m excited about switching to Teaching Textbooks for, hopefully, a little more independance in the math area. We will be using Flying Creatures, Zoology 1 which I think my boys will love. And adding piano lessons to our schedule. Lots to look forward too. One of the boys told me today that he wanted school to start soon. How cool is that? ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walkermamaof4 Posted July 23, 2010 Share Posted July 23, 2010 One l Michele- Can you elaborate if you have time? Your plan sounds so fun! How do you do freewrite and how exactly do you do drive and when/how often? any details you can provide to help me catch this vision would be so appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnTheBrink Posted July 23, 2010 Share Posted July 23, 2010 As dd gets older, we're becoming more structured. I want to prepare her for college classroom models, so this year we're sticking to a schedule, and I signed her up for 1 co-op class in world geography on Friday mornings. She's excited about Latin and Greek, which makes ME excited! LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iammommy Posted July 23, 2010 Share Posted July 23, 2010 Winter Promise Science (Animal Habitats for 3-6 grade). It's a bit simple for my 6th grader but I will add things in. I'm excited about how much of it is nature/ecology. We plan on doing LOTS more nature studies this year! I'm also excited about starting SOTW 1! I have tons of hands-on stuff for ds. He's a kid who "tolerates" school, but even he is a "bit" excited about 6th grade! Nan:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5LittleMonkeys Posted July 23, 2010 Share Posted July 23, 2010 We have started Latin, which once we got past the dvd teacher stuttering at us, we have been enjoying and actually have found it much easier than we thought it was going to be. Dd11 has gotten a kick out of saying the Table Blessing in Latin at dinner. I have switched to MEP as my dd7's math program and she LOVES it, as do I. Everyone is doing Rod and Staff English. Gentle for the little one; clear, concise and to the point for the older ones. I think the thing I am most excited about is everyone's attitude. Last year it drove me crazy that my older dc don't like to read more. They especially don't like to read books that they deem as "old fashioned". I decided that the best policy was to inundate them with those books that I felt were an absolute must for a well educated person. It didn't go over well at all. This year I have resigned myself to the fact that my dc's passions lie elsewhere and that if they don't read every classic book on my list they will still be intelligent and well educated, well rounded people. Perhaps when they are adults they will appreciate the value of some of those books and read them. Their reading list this year was compiled by them and neither has a single book from my intended list but at least they are reading and are ENJOYING what they are reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catherine Posted July 23, 2010 Share Posted July 23, 2010 My rising senior is going to Germany as an AFS exchange student this year! So I'm back to the K-8 board : ) Moving our school room to basement where it is warmer and cozier in the winter, putting the cello in the old school corner with piano and that will be nice. I am also working to mimimize driving because driving to CC classes last year 'bout killed me. Found an approach to teaching writing for rising eighth grader that I'm happy with. My 9 yo has matured so much and is MUCH more ready to do academic work now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MtnTeaching Posted July 23, 2010 Share Posted July 23, 2010 Found an approach to teaching writing for rising eighth grader that I'm happy with. OOhh, I would love to find a writing approach for my 8th ds that I'm happy with. May I ask what you use? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HollyB Posted July 24, 2010 Share Posted July 24, 2010 We are switching from Apologia to Elemental Science. I can't believe I'm this excited over science! We also are switching from Saxon to Math Mammoth. Last year was our first year, and we decided to hs at the very last minute. I felt like I was giving myself a crash course on something I didn't know how to do! This year will be much more relaxed because I will not be planning *during* the school year. I most looking forward to having our schoolroom finished. Our basement flooded last fall, and is still torn apart. It will be nice to finally be able to find all my books and supplies! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catherine Posted July 24, 2010 Share Posted July 24, 2010 That will only be interspersed throughout the year, our main program is Write Shop. I haven't tried it yet, but high hopes! HTH. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jugglin'5 Posted July 24, 2010 Share Posted July 24, 2010 I am excited about some online classes that my older kids are taking: Classical Writing Herodotus for two, and Maxim for one; Great Books 1 with Oxford Tutorials for the older two; and BJU math and science online for all three. Whew! I am hoping to be able to spend more one on one time with my youngest two this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosy Posted July 25, 2010 Share Posted July 25, 2010 I'm excited to start schooling DD5--she is a fast learner and is very enthusiastic, a breath of fresh air! I'm excited to start REAL Science 4 Kids--I haven't liked anything we've done for science so far and this seems like it will be a good fit. I'm SUPER excited about my filing system! So much less time spent hunting down books! I'm always excited about my co-op classes--this semester it'll be "Running for Congress", "Under the Sea", and "Mad Libs Grammar". I'm excited for DD5 to finally get to start ballet and for DD6 to start gymnastics. I'm anticipating a lot of growth for DS--he's always been my difficult one, but his reading skills are improving and I think our curriculum choices are well suited to his abilities. Part of me can hardly wait...and part of me remembers how crazy busy everything always is that first month. :P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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