Advice for hands off (for mom) curriculum???

[MommyInTraining]

I am really struggling right now and need something for school that is almost completely hands off for me. I had My Father's World ECC for this year and I am totally stressing out over getting it done. I need something that I can give the children that they can complete mostly on their own with preferably no mess, prep work, or extra materials. I thought of Switched-On Schoolhouse, but I am not wanting to go that route right now. I don't know about Time4Learning. I was thinking maybe workbooks from Rod and Staff or CLP??? What about Veritas Press? They already have their math for the next few months covered. I need something that is NO STRESS for mom right now. Nothing that I have to sit down and read to them. Like I said, I am really struggling right now and I need something that will help me to still be able to educate my children. Thank you for any advice you can give!

 

Terri

[NicoleJ]

My advice: Go with Heart of Dakota! I don't know what age you are looking for, but I would choose HOD as their programs from Preparing upwards have the program marked with (I) Independent (for the kids to do by themselves), (S) Semi-Independent and then (T) Teacher-Directed. That way you could structure your day so that your child can do all the I boxes when you need a break and schedule the T boxes when you have free time. HTH!

[Sara in WA]

Well, workbooks can be hands off for you, but looking at the ages of your kiddos, it looks like your children are still in the stage of needing teaching and not totally independent learners (like perhaps a high schooler). My one idea for homeschooling is Abeka videos.

 

Would you ever consider a break in homeschooling and sending them to school for the rest of the year? Maybe you need to give yourself an opportunity to take a break from homeschooling and regroup, recharge, etc. And then perhaps jumping back in next fall? I'm doing this this year with my two oldest. They are attending a classical Christian school for this year.

 

OK, this piece of advice may not be popular here, but I think we can all admit that we mommies can't always do it all! And that's ok. There is grace!

[Kates]

First off - what do you find stressful about it? I'm not asking that in a snarky way - it's an honest question. Is it the projects? Do the kids not work well together? (Not all do.) Is it that you feel you have to do every single thing? (You don't. They're simply ideas there for you to pick from.) Do they need the structure of a workbook, or are you dealing with family stressors (like a new baby) that are making it difficult for everyone to focus right now?

 

Knowing what the problem is will help you figure out the answer. If getting the projects together (or the book baskets, or whatever) is too much stress, cut some of them out. I promise, no one will suffer too terribly. ;) You can simply have the older one(s) lead a project with the younger ones to give you a break. Audio books and DVDs are wonderful for when Mom is ready to chew off a limb if she has to read one.more.story.

 

If one or more of the kids just isn't working well with the format (or the group), yes. You may need something independent for that child. What that might be will depend on the temperament and learning style of that child. There are a lot of helpful people here who can aid you in figuring out what that might be - take advantage of their experiences.

 

Are you just trying to do too much? Except for your 11yo, none of your kids actually needs more than an hour or two of school per day. For the rest, you can put some art supplies out on the table, go for a nature walk (depending on the winter weather where you live), find some DVDs that either go along with your studies or will hold their attention, or just let them work on their own stuff. Playing with Legos and dolls can go a long way.

 

Not all children work well in a unit study approach. I personally think your kids are too young (for the most part) to get much out of independent workbook study, but some kids that age absolutely thrive on it. (Mine's not one of them, but they do exist.) If so, you'll very likely want something that will teach directly to them, like a DVD program. I haven't tried Time4Learning, but you can probably get a free trial to see what they think.

 

If it's the stress of adding a new baby to the family...heck, take the rest of the semester off. 6 weeks off is not going to kill anyone - and you might find that by January (or even February), you have a renewed sense of purpose and are ready and raring to go again. That's part of the beauty of homeschooling - you're not tied to a schedule. Your kids are young enough that you can make it up sometime during the spring or summer, and no one will be worse for wear.

 

Hope this gives some ideas? Sometimes just nailing down the issue (rather than the symptoms) can give you insight into the solution.

 

:grouphug: I know it's difficult - I've been there. Completely different reasons (I only have one child, but we've had our own issues)...but I've been there.

[momee]

You didn't ask for personal advice, but curriculum advice so I'll try not to say - It's a stage :) too much. I had the same need when my little one came.

 

Be encouraged - you will get your feet under you and be supermom once again. Till then - snuggle and rest.

OK -

so about curricula.

 

Looks like your guys are close enough in age you can pick a SL core that looks good to you and just concentrate on math.

Really - they'll learn so much.

Winter is coming. The fire will draw you all in to rest and read and eat snacks and feed the baby and you can do it.

 

SL has been a complete change for all of us here. Mainly in my not having to plan anymore:)

I can, but I don't have to do a thing but open the guide, read the bible, read aloud and sometimes some history that they can't.

 

You can slowly add things like FLL or WWE in when you're ready - but if you don't get to it, there's always next year.

 

I have been there. It really will all work out.:grouphug:

[PeterPan]

Terri, I remember feeling the same way when my little one was born, so I think it's the stage you're at with your new baby, not an indicator to run out and buy new curriculum. It seems to me you do this quite regularly, about every 2 years when you have a new baby. ;) Do you remember what you did last time when you had a newborn? Did you take all summer off, or did you school up till now, knowing the baby was coming? In a few months these struggles will improve. The baby will integrate, you'll recover, the holidays will pass, and it will get a fuzz easier. Starting anything new right now, right before the holidays, doesn't even make sense. So if you've been schooling all summer, have put time in, I'd just totally take off. Go down to the exact bare minimum (math and something LA, as in *1* thing LA) each day, that's it. Put on some audio books for them to listen to. Throw some science kits at them. Done.

 

If you have done no school for months, well then you and your dh have something bigger to talk about. Like the others said, it's not realistic to expect any of the kids with the ages you have to learn totally independently. If they're like mine, anything they do in that way will go in one eyeball and out the other. Ie. reading books all day would result in more retention.

 

Don't overburden yourself. You can put aside PART of MFW (all the stressful part) and just trim it down to math and LA. You said you have a math plan, so all that leaves is LA. And I say get *1* thing done for LA for each kid each day. I'm pretty sure you can do that. If you get those two things done and send them to the library for books, it's enough. These newborn days are fleeting. Come January you'll feel more ready to tackle regular school stuff. Don't buy new curriculum. *I* would put that money into having somebody come clean your house each week for a while. Don't put it in curriculum.

[PeterPan]

Ok, I'm going to contradict myself here for just a second. If you want to change out that MFW ECC for something independent, get Around the World in 180 Days. My dd is doing it, and it is totally independent. She adores it, and it might be just the thing for your oldest. And your oldest could probably get your ds9 to tag along. Then play the geography songs and have them do continent puzzles with the 6 yo. Done. Totally done. That would be a good substitute, not be expensive, and it would be independent. AW180 is perfect for 11 yo's. :)

 

I still say he should get you house help for a while. Does your 11 yo cook? It's time to teach her, sister! Mine can bake chicken and make a salad, meaning dinner is done. Make it your goal to put your feet up for a while and get the littles to do things. Everyone will be happier. They'll love growing up and you'll enjoy the rest.

[TracyP]

This is just a general agreement with what has already been said. You have math covered; all you need is LA. At the age of your kids none of them will suffer even if you cover nothing else until January of even next fall. Maybe you could make a trip to the library every week to stock up on some science/history reading. Maybe your dh could watch the kids while you go and you could have a little "quiet time" at the same time.

 

:grouphug:

[Guest Cindie2dds]

When my work schedule gets busy, we just do the 3Rs until things settle down. Dh also reads to the girls for about an hour at night, so they get most of their read alouds done then if needed.

 

Drop what is stressful and give yourself some grace. :)

[Lisa in the UP of MI]

If I'm remembering correctly your "new" ds is the same age as mine, almost 10 months old. We've been struggling to do school this year, too. It seems like every time we get into a good groove for a week or two something happens to throw us off. We get sick or the baby is teething or his nap times change. It's hard to keep up with all of the change. Plus, I'm sure your ds is getting into everything. I've just been concentrating on the basics and we do the extras when we manage to have everything else under control. I have noticed that I'm able to get more done during the day when I have a written plan that I write each night during the week.

 

I'm not sure what your kids' learning styles are but I know that mine would learn little to nothing with hands-off schooling. Unless you think the oldest one or two kids would do okay with independent workbooks for a few subjects I would just focus on the basics (math and language arts) and give the oldest kids books to read for the other subjects (I think MFW has suggestions for books to read). I would think they'd probably do best just keeping on with what you are currently doing. More big changes won't make things any easier (for you or for them).

 

Remember, it's also a hard time of year for everyone. The school year isn't new and quite so exciting anymore. We've been perking up our days lately by adding in some of the subjects that I had planned (like foreign languages!) but hadn't had time to add in before. Miraculously, we've been able to continue the basics and add in the fun stuff. It's been giving us the boost we needed to keep going. Is there anything simple and fun that you could add to your days, maybe something fun that even the littles would enjoy?

 

Good luck! I'll be praying for the strength you need to keep going.

[love2read]

When I had a new little one the kids would use workbooks from Seton (I'm sure there are solid ones from other companies) for language arts. I had them memorize the definitions in their workbook (e.g., A Preposition is a...). Those were also the years we did a geography workbook, Lamb's book of Art and watched science and history videos. It was painless and they didn't fall behind. This time is short and will pass, so allow yourself to do what's easiest at this point. :grouphug:

[Melissa in CA]

I'm going to agree with everyone that it's most likely a stage...and that it will pass. But, I do remember going through a similar situation years ago. Not so much due to having a baby, but we were going through some major life changes and I was very overwhelmed all. the. time! What literally saved me was getting school on video. At the time I opted for Abeka because it was the only video school I was aware of at the time, but BJU is soooooo much better.

 

So, I guess I want to throw BJU out there as an option for you. ;)

 

Also, you might want to look at CLE. It's inexpensive and very independent. You would still have to work one on one with your youngers, but it might help to get you through. :001_smile:

[coffeegal]

When my work schedule gets busy, we just do the 3Rs until things settle down. Drop what is stressful and give yourself some grace. :)

 

:iagree: We've dropped down to reading, writing, and arithmetic several times. Once we dropped down to arithmetic, Latin, and reading only. I couldn't believe the progress we made with just those subjects. My method is to require all reading children to have a chapter book they read for 1-2 hours every day. Writing is either a formal writing program, grammar & writing, copywork/penmanship, or free style writing. Arithmetic is simply 1 math lesson a day. When times are smoother I like to think that we 'make hay while the sun shines', and pull back up to full speed.

 

:grouphug:

[Woodland_Mom]

Sweet mama. Hugs to you. :grouphug: I only have two children and can only imagine how busy you must feel and how many directions you are sometimes pulled.

 

I would not recommend Veritas Press as an indepent program.

 

Perhaps you could move to covering the basics with your olders. Some workbooks that could provide solutions:

 

Spelling - Spelling Workout

Handwriting - Handrwiting without Tears or A Reason for Writing

Grammar - Easy Grammar

History - Listen to Story of the World on CD.

Science - Get library books that are recommend in the MFW lesson plans. Have your older children read books about the topics a couple of times each week.

Literature - Pick books to listen on CD to that are part of your MFW recommendations.

 

We're getting close to the holiday season, so maybe you could just focus on the absolute basics until after Christmas. Take a breather during this rough time and just simplify! Once you're feeling like the basics are going well, pick a new subject to add.

 

Blessings

[Tidbits of Learning]

I am really struggling right now and need something for school that is almost completely hands off for me. I had My Father's World ECC for this year and I am totally stressing out over getting it done. I need something that I can give the children that they can complete mostly on their own with preferably no mess, prep work, or extra materials. I thought of Switched-On Schoolhouse, but I am not wanting to go that route right now. I don't know about Time4Learning. I was thinking maybe workbooks from Rod and Staff or CLP??? What about Veritas Press? They already have their math for the next few months covered. I need something that is NO STRESS for mom right now. Nothing that I have to sit down and read to them. Like I said, I am really struggling right now and I need something that will help me to still be able to educate my children. Thank you for any advice you can give!

 

Terri

 

CLP can be good for your older 2. I did CLP with my 1st, 3rd, and 4th grader last year. You have to schedule everything and there are no scripted lesson plans. It wasn't hard though. I just took number of pages/number of school days and scheduled it out. It is cheap and it uses a variety of different publishers. Once I had everything scheduled in the Class Lesson Planner, my 3rd and 4th grader pretty much worked on their own. I would go over their language arts for a few minutes and then they had a worksheet to complete.

My 1st grader required a bit more from me, but it still didn't take long to complete and seemed easier once my big kids really only needed me for a quick once over with lessons and then they went to work. I read his lessons in history and science to him, but it is nothing compared to the reading in the lit. based programs.

They must have retained it as well b/c they tested well. We did the CAT test at the end of the year.

You really only have to take a weekend after receiving the books to schedule it all out. Then it is pretty easy going. I would take out their class lesson planners and they would stack up their books needed and just work away.

The only thing I will say though is you have to grade a lot more in this style learning than in MFW or unit study approach. You do not want to get behind on the grading. The good thing about grading though is that you can do it while watching a movie while the kids are in bed or such.

We are using HOD this year and some times I do long for the days where the girls just grabbed their lesson planner and books and after a brief overview from me they went to work. CLP worked for a season of our lives. It may work for this season of yours.

[momofabcd]

Joanne Calderwood is the guru of self teaching mothers. She has this website http://urthemom.com/ There is also a yahoo group called raisingSL4life based on her ideas. Joanne also has a document in the files section that shows what she believes is good self-learning curricula. The 9 and 11 year-olds can definitely go this route. I bet you can make ECC more independent if you want.

IMO, our 11 year-old would fit nicely in HOD CTC (I know you've tried HOD before) without it being overwhelming to you. My dd is doing that this year. I handed her a planner from the above website and gave her ownership of her studies. I spend, maybe an hour each day with her because I do the T boxes with her. It would be easy to take those together boxes and make them independent, though. It's a wonderful, rich, Christ-Centered program, and she's learning a ton on her own.

Here is a list of what my dd is doing independently. Quiet time via HOD, HOD history, HOD science, HOD poetry, systematic math, English from the Roots up, Megawords, and she was doing BJU English, but I dropped that for Phonics Road which we are doing together.

Well, there's an idea for at least one of your dc. CLP (Christian Light Pubilcations) is a bit hard to jump into for oder dc. But, that might be a great option for the 7 year old.

I hope you can find peace in your choices and your homeschool :001_smile:

Edited November 9, 2010 by momofabcd

[PentecostalMom]

Drop what is stressful and give yourself some grace. :)

 

:iagree:with this.

 

:grouphug: Since you did not say what is making your life stressful, I will only tell you what worked for us. While my dh was deployed to Iraq when we lived in Germany, I was preggo with my older dd and puking sick. I had my ds do ACE. It is very self-directed and independent, as each PACE is divided into sections already, you don't even have to figure out what they do each day. Just choose subjects/grade levels and tell them to work one section in each book every day, or more if they desire. Also, if this is a stage in your life, it is a small financial investment and easily begun and ended. It has instructions for the kids to check themselves and go back and redo what they did incorrectly. It helped me get through a few months of pregnancy and was also helpful when dd was born and I needed a break again to recover.

 

Blessings on your journey!

[Amy in KS]

If you can swing the price of the VP self-paced course, it's completely independent and they learn a ton! I would just do one course with all of them. It took a huge teaching load off of my plate this year.

[Lovedtodeath]

:grouphug:

 

curriculumservices.com

 

It is all worktexts (teaching and work in one manual) like math mammoth for every subject.

[birchbark]

Go down to the exact bare minimum (math and something LA, as in *1* thing LA) each day, that's it. Put on some audio books for them to listen to. Throw some science kits at them. Done.

 

Don't buy new curriculum. *I* would put that money into having somebody come clean your house each week for a while. Don't put it in curriculum.

:iagree:

[leann_in_tx]

I think Spectrum workbooks are often used independently. You can find them at Rainbow Resource, and I think I've seen them at bookstores.

 

I worked in a Christian school for a time that used ACE, or school of Tomorrow, which is workbook based and intended to be completed independently by the student. You can choose to only do the subjects you want, and each book only lasts a month or so, so you might be able to try it without committing all year to it.

 

There's also the complete book of.. series that covers some things like US History and Geography that I think could be done independently for a light treatment of a subject.

 

I think the idea of focusing on Math and LA and reading library books sounds way more fun, but sit seems like some kids really do like workbooks, so if that's what they need, it's always an option.

[hsbaby]

Okay, i'll try to restrain from any unsolicited advice and stick to curriculum:tongue_smilie: I would take a look at CLE...at least for the basics. I have only used their math and language programs, but thought they were very thorough and mostly independent. As a bonus, the workbooks are inexpensive.

[siloam]

I am really struggling right now and need something for school that is almost completely hands off for me. I had My Father's World ECC for this year and I am totally stressing out over getting it done. I need something that I can give the children that they can complete mostly on their own with preferably no mess, prep work, or extra materials. I thought of Switched-On Schoolhouse, but I am not wanting to go that route right now. I don't know about Time4Learning. I was thinking maybe workbooks from Rod and Staff or CLP??? What about Veritas Press? They already have their math for the next few months covered. I need something that is NO STRESS for mom right now. Nothing that I have to sit down and read to them. Like I said, I am really struggling right now and I need something that will help me to still be able to educate my children. Thank you for any advice you can give!

 

Terri

 

Terri,

 

Honestly I would just focus on the basics (reading, handwriting, math). Throw in a few audio books, maybe SOTW on audio or not. :D The rest you can play catch up on later. My 2nd dd didn't start WWE till 4th grade, and is now finishing up level 4 skills as a 5th grader.

 

BTW when DS was born I took a whole year off of hs and used paper plates for the kids becuase it was impossible to keep up on the dishes. It was either two loads a day or paper plates, and paper plates won. It is a season, it will pass.

 

Heather