mamapjama Posted August 9, 2010 Share Posted August 9, 2010 So the bulldozers and cement mixers and construction men will all be landing on my doorstep approximately the same day that we start back to school :glare: I want to embrace this opportunity to learn, really I do :) But I also want to cover the intended material for this year. For those of you who have managed to survive this little endeavour. Any tips? Any specific materials that were helpful in learning about big machinery or other ways to bring this experience into our classroom? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted August 9, 2010 Share Posted August 9, 2010 honestly - I'd be looking at the library or coffee shops or other places where you can go to get away from it. Alternately, rearrange schedules & expect to be doing school between 6-10 pm for ex. I've found that we get very little work done when reno's are in full swing here (& they have been on & off since we moved here 4yrs ago) I find the noise frazzles me, everyone is tense when I'm tense & it just all goes very badly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynds2 Posted August 9, 2010 Share Posted August 9, 2010 I agree with hornblower. Do you have a church or community center you could go to at least for crucial subjects that require alot of concentration? My dd's would be very engrossed in what ever the workmen would be doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ma23peas Posted August 9, 2010 Share Posted August 9, 2010 I have been the general contractor on two large projects at our home (finishing 1200 sq ft, complete gutting of kitchen and tiling/flooring the whole house...4000 sq ft!..and putting a pool in this year)....what worked for me was to have them bring things they could do in the car, and give them a book selection 200 books deep, as long as they were reading, I didn't sweat it...we also got them involved in the remodel so they helped paint/stain/lay tile, grout, seal grout...fix broken pipes, to me they got a load of education! :) Tara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyof4ks Posted August 9, 2010 Share Posted August 9, 2010 Our house is in a constant state of renovation lol. We have the kids do as much as they can, and then we often school later in the day when the work is done. Car rides or libraries are good too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 FAcing some similar issues...we are remodeling as well. My plan is to retreat to the barest of basics during that time, condense what I can, and let him learn about the construction process. Sigh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 We are nearing completion of a kitchen remodel. We did not do well in regards to schoolwork. I could have gone somewhere, but it seemed there were always questions that arose that the contractor had to get answers from me ASAP. (We have a 1920s house, so *something unexpected* came up on a daily basis.) A good number of questions were of the have-to-be-there-to-see-it variety. We did basics when we could, and because we are in a co-op we did all the work that was required for it. I wish you the best in your endeavor. You will probably be much more successful than I. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 Talk to the builders. Explain that you work in the mornings, that school is your work, and that they should come to you with problems (except in emergency) in the afternoons only. Also ask if the noisiest jobs can be reserved for the afternoons. Then switch off the phone and get as much done in the morning as you can. There's plenty of time in the afternoon to make the building work a learning experience. We had our attic opened up and made into two rooms whilst I was home educating the boys. The workmen were in the entry hall, where I used to have my HE table and materials. We put the essentials into crates in the kitchen and worked on the kitchen table. There was dust everywhere (100 years worth); I didn't try to keep the house perfect, just vaguely liveable. Best wishes Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Punks in Ontario Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 Ha,ha. I mostly just give up. They get some work done when there's men/equipment around, but far less than usual. For the youngers, I figure they're learning more about the world. The olders know they need to get a certain amount of material covered anyway. We have videos of multiple sizes of cranes, bulldozers, and dump trucks as well as tiling machines, skid steers and various other items. Actually the guys working in the kitchen during the kitchen reno was less disruptive than many other projects around here. LOL. This too will pass. In the big picture if they lose a few days, oh, well. Hope the reno turns out well for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 Ha,ha. I mostly just give up. They get some work done when there's men/equipment around, but far less than usual. Our 'six week' project took at least three months (don't they all?) which would have been a lot of time to lose. It would have made me really antsy and I would have ended up working through the summer. Which would have been fine, I suppose, but the summers here are so welcome and beautiful it would have been a shame to miss it. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teachin'Mine Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 Katie, I hope your remodeling and homeschooling both go well. :) Hopefully Mamapajama will see this and let you know what worked, or didn't work, for her family last year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenaj Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 A year ago we added approximately 900 sq. ft. onto our very small (then) house. This addition went onto the back of the house and work started at the end of March. We had french doors that looked out onto the construction site, the the day they came to remove the trees I realized I had a losing battle on my hands. My kids (especially the crew that were under the age of 10) were fascinated and had ring-side seats as they lined up safely behind the glass of the French doors and were able to watch the whole process. Next, came the bulldozers, cement mixers, carpenters, for a full month those doors were my little guys window on the whole process and little to no school was done. They loved it and learned a lot though no books were opened officially during that time. We went to the library and they would bring a crate of books home everytime about all the machinery they had been seeing. Eventually that door with the windows had to come out and they lost their window and we went back to work as usual with frequent breaks to walk around the outside of the house. We had a wonderful contractor who actually allowed my 13yods to shadow and assist. He was basically their "gofer" and he didn't get his official bookwork done that spring, but he learned much about hard work, consistency, and construction. In fact, now, if we have a question about that part of the house, he is our expert. I did make him continue with his math work through the work period and he would usually get up early so he would be done when the crew arrived at 7:30. The construction workers caught onto the fact that math was not his favorite subject at that time and would casually have him calculating things for them. It was a wonderful experience for him and all of the contractors from the construction, to the electricians and plumbers involved him in the work. I'm not sure what age your kids are, but I wouldn't worry if you need to suspend schoolwork for a while. Let them be interested and observe as much as they can. I have several kids now who are convinced that they want to learn a trade because of our experience. Even our littles remember and talk about all the processes the house went through and they now understand basic construction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colleen in NS Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 Katie' date=' I hope your remodeling and homeschooling both go well. :) Hopefully Mamapajama will see this and let you know what worked, or didn't work, for her family last year.[/quote'] Just so Katie doesn't get embarrassed - she did not resurrect this thread - a spammer did this morning, and that post has since been removed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teachin'Mine Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 Just so Katie doesn't get embarrassed - she did not resurrect this thread - a spammer did this morning, and that post has since been removed. :blink: Jan that sounds like it was an amazing learning experience for them!!! :) Katie, if Mamapjama doesn't see this thread, you may want to send her a PM to ask how it went. Jan had an ideal situation where the remodeling was somewhat separate from the rest of the house, but when it's right in the living space, just normal living is difficult let alone homeschooling. I like the suggestion of getting out a bit during the day as the noise can be stressful, and/or doing school in the evenings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.