Starting to panic a little. . .

[Forget-Me-Not]

I've decided to start school officially on the 16th which is a week and half away and I'm starting to freak out a little bit. I'm worried the kids won't cooperate with me, or that we'll lose steam halfway through and not finish, or that we'll bored out of our minds, or that my 22 mo half-monkey half-acrobat DD will make it impossible to get anything done, or that I'll feel tied down and isolated. This decision was made with a lot of thought and prayer and I feel like it is the right one for our family, but now that it's time to actually execute that decision the 'what if's' are overwhelming me.

 

To top it all off, the aforementioned 22 mo has decided that she just doesn't need to nap anymore, which makes for really long days with no real break because she's one of those that I have to watch every. single. minute. I don't know how this is going to work when I have to help the older two. They're 5 and 7, so it's not a matter of having them work independently much.

 

I just need some BTDT advice I guess.

[AuntieM]

I recommend you have a good plan for the use of your time, and ease into it slowly the first week or so. I mean, make a schedule for your morning - exactly what each of you will be doing each 1/2 hour block of time (or with really young ones, every 15 minutes!) - and start to follow it a couple of hours at first, and add a half hour every other day until you are getting all your subjects in.

 

FWIW, your 22mo *will* be a challenge. So you should fully expect it. Set up a toy rotation of favorite things so you can say, "It's math time for Sam, and hooray, that means it's (some favorite toy) time for Sally!" Stick to your guns about these items only being accessible for certain periods of time.

 

As for nap time, I recommend you don't give up on it, but require that be quiet time. Set up a safe place with books and perhaps soft instrumental music and train your toddler to be there for a certain time each day. We all could use this type of daily break!

 

Don't panic, you are going to do just fine! I can't remember who says this, but there's another poster says something like, "It won't be perfect, but it will be good." This time next year you will feel like an old pro.

 

ETA: With 5 & 7 yos, your school day really will be very short. Keep those academic lesson times to about 10-15 minutes per subject at the beginning unless the children are begging for more. Just my opinion of course, but as old farmers say, "keep a puppy hungry" and excited for the next meal.

Edited August 4, 2010 by AuntieM

[myfunnybunch]

:grouphug:

 

What you're feeling right now is totally normal. It's like that moment before you jump off the high dive.

 

Take a deep breath. Eat chocolate. ;)

 

You will do great. If you run into problems (and who doesn't?) you will figure out how to deal with them. Remind yourself that you can't possibly have every single problem you anticipate, and the ones that do crop up will happen one or two at a time. (Usually! LOL) This board is a great source of information and ideas, so ask for help here and from homeschooling moms you know and respect in real life.

 

You can make a busy box for the little with fun toys that she only gets to play with while you're teaching.

 

I sit between my two youngest boys at the table to keep them on task, or alternate teaching one then the other.

 

We do a lot of reading on the couch together--not just literature, but science and history and art.

 

You and your children are going to have a wonderful time. :)

 

Cat

Edited August 4, 2010 by myfunnybunch

[Desert Rat]

It's always scary starting something new. What I did with my 2yo when we started may help. I made boxes of special toys and activities. I stored them high in a closet and it dang near drove him nuts that he couldn't see what was in them. LOL They were only for school time. It worked okay for me. It may help if you give her "school" too. Print out a special coloring page or copy one of your actual math pages and let her color on it. She'll feel like a big girl and included. It may help. Expect challenges. Expect days that you want to quit. And keep moving forward.

Good luck!

[4besitos]

That is the same day we are supposed to start, it will be our 3rd year on this schedule. I start in August so we can have the month of December off. I make the children a German Schultute cone for the first day of school. I put in small school supplies, some treats (always some packs of little donughts which they get to eat). If there is something that a child specially requested (last year my oldest wanted a Latin dictionary), I will put that next to the cone. One year they all got matching Star Wars t-shirts.

 

I also don't start full-in. The first week is more getting back into the schedule and 4 subjects. The second week is full-in.

 

This year....I just don't even feel like we had a summer and I am dreading the date. :tongue_smilie:

 

I make my Schultute cones with poster board from the Dollar Store and put stickers, streamers, etc. on the outside. Here is a Crayola link if you need a visual.

http://www.crayola.com/crafts/detail/starting-school-treat-cone-craft/

[Forget-Me-Not]

Thanks all for your words! I'm feeling a little better about it today.

[5LittleMonkeys]

Hi LemonPie! First of all, relax. I have 5 dc and a 19 month old so, yeah, BTDT.

 

I write best by giving examples so I'll start by telling you that this school year I had spent about a month writing out our first 6 weeks of school only to have my hubby decide to stay home on the day we were supposed to start back (July 6th) and issued it an extended 4th of July holiday.  Okay, so my schedule was already off by a day and we hadn't even started.

 

Last year my youngest was completely content to sit close by and entertain herself. This year she has decided she won't be happy unless she climbs up on top of the dining room table and eats everyone's papers.  Okay, so I rewrite the daily schedule yet again to allow for my two oldest to each take an hour turn playing with her so I can work one on one with my dd7.

 

We are on what should have been week 5 right now but we ended up agreeing to have a friend of my dd's stay over for a few days.  Okay, so now I switched week 5 to week 6, week 6 to week 7 (our break week) and week 7 to week 5.

 

Why am I so happy? FLEXIBILITY. I do not stress over things I can't control. In fact I don't stress over things I can control...I just fix them one at a time, as they come up.

 

 

Some things I wish someone had told me when I started:

1. Don't try to do everything the first year. Focus on the 3 Rs.

2. Don't write your schedule in ink...it will need to be changed...often.

3. Try to do something fun everyday, hopefully at the end of the day, so as to end on a high note.

4. If you have little ones, take lots of breaks.

5. Cuddle on the couch at least once a day with a book. (cuddle with your children not the book )

6. When you have a day when you feel you are going stir crazy put away the lessons and get out of the house. With or without the children...whichever will best suit you at the time.

7. Patience and flexibility are your best friends.

 

I have no idea what curriculum you are doing or how many hours a day you are planning on schooling but with the ages of your dc I wouldn't recommend anything over 3 hours 4 at the tops. Have one play with baby while you work one on one with the other and then switch. Let the older two stay up 30 minutes later than baby and do your scheduled reading as a bedtime story. Put the baby down for a nap (hopefully in a crib or playpen) and get another 30 min. to an hour of lessons done. My 19 month old has had days where she doesn't want to nap but she still stays in her crib with a few cuddlies and board books. Ask hubby to watch baby for an hour on the weekend and do a history or science project. Your day doesn't have to start at 8 and end at 3.

 

You can do this! Start with a really good attitude but start with the understanding that things are going to go wrong. You will have bad days, you will have days that exhaust you. Learn from them. Isolate what went wrong and fix it. You are going to have great days too. Days that fly by because everything is clicking; days when you get to actually see the light bulb go on. Pay attention to the dynamics that were in place on these days and try to implement them everyday.

 

Oh gosh, I am long winded. I just wrote everything that I wish I had heard when I first started. It can be overwhelming but you can do it! Just dive in and wallow in the joy of having your sweet babies with you .

Edited August 4, 2010 by 5LittleMonkeys

[Night Elf]

ETA: With 5 & 7 yos, your school day really will be very short. Keep those academic lesson times to about 10-15 minutes per subject at the beginning unless the children are begging for more. Just my opinion of course, but as old farmers say, "keep a puppy hungry" and excited for the next meal.

 

:iagree: New homeschoolers tend to try to do too much too quickly as if to prove they made the right decision. There is nothing so pressing that it's worth burning out in the first year over. And one biggie I learned from my early years of homeschooling about schooling my children: just because they CAN doesn't always mean they SHOULD.

[SailorMom]

I don't think I've ever met someone who homeschools who didn't feel that way the first year!

5LittleMonkeys said it better than I ever could - but know that you are not alone, it is ok to have bad days, it is ok to take days off, and sometimes the best learning experiences come from things that we dd not plan - and seemed to be a "mistake" when they were happening.

There is no one "right way" to do anything- PS, HomeS, different curriculums, different methods, learning styles and timelines - you do not have to tie yourself down, or worry that you are choosing the "right one".

Most of all - try to have fun.

[....]

I have an 8 yro, 7 yro, 5 yro and 2 yro. I totally feel your pain. :D:D:D

 

You can do it! School probably takes up more of our day than it does other people...we can't be as efficient. :tongue_smilie:

 

You're kids will get used to "school". Mine look forward to it and I've had the 5 yro come up to me at 7pm asking to "do school". ;)

[Forget-Me-Not]

Thanks all! I probably DO have too much planned for this year. Most of it is geared toward my 7 yo and I'm going to let my 5 yo tag along and call it Kindergarten (I'll work on math, reading and writing individually with her though). It helps so much to know that others have BTDT and survived to tell the tale!

 

 

5. Cuddle on the couch at least once a day with a book. (cuddle with your children not the book )

 

But I can cuddle with just the book once in a while too, right? :D (says the bookworm) Seriously though, thanks SO much for your helpful post!

[Guest janainaz]

Yes, starting hs'ing is scary - it's the unknown....

 

When I started with ds1, I had a very strict schedule (down to the minute) and I needed that initially. After I got the feel for things and gained some confidence, I relaxed and let ds switch up the schedule and have a little bit of control. My ds2 is five years younger than ds1, and so I fully understand having a younger one that needs your time also. Your kids are young and it's the perfect time to allow yourself to find your own way of doing things and settle in to a homeschooling routine that suits your family. Just don't stress too much and make sure to enjoy your youngest one along the way.

 

We're in our fifth year and some days are great and some days aren't pretty. We always manage to get school done, but there are interuptions and frustrations along the way. I try to remind myself to just enjoy my kids (and don't compare with other hs moms!! Be your OWN person and do your OWN thing.) :001_smile:

[Sasharowan]

Schedule so that the 22mo gets to play with 5yo (15-30min) while you work with 7yo, then switch and work with 5yo while 7yo occupies 22 mo. Then you play with 22 mo. for a bit while the other two do something independent. Keep the day rotating like that and remember that the 3R's are all that needs to be done, the rest is gravy and read aloud's with 22mo cuddled in your lap are the easiest way to get history in.

[Forget-Me-Not]

Yeah, the 22 month old doesn't cuddle :D. At least not for long. I'm hoping she'll hit the point soon where she'll sit and listen to a book, at least for a short time. Currently, if she's awake, she's in motion, and it usually involves finding creative ways to get into things she's not supposed to. I can't even leave an empty laundry basket out, or she'll flip it over and use it as a step stool to get into something or undo the deadbolt on the door.

 

I like the idea to have the older kids take turns occupying her and rotating throughout the day. I think that might work well for us.