1st Grader, 2nd Grader, 6th Grader, Oh My!

[JenniferB]

Dearest WTM Folks,

 

This is getting harder and harder, not easier and easer, as the kids get older. My 11yo just advanced from 5th grade math to Pre-Algebra, her grammar is getting fairly intense, writing assignments are more advanced, and basically every subject is rigorous and daunting. Then there's my 1st grader who is just learning to read, write, add, subtract, and everything else in which she needs my one-on-one. I am grateful that my 2nd grader learns pretty easily, but he still needs me one-on-one for most subjects.

 

What's a mommy to do? I set aside 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM for school, and there's not enough time to give everyone the one-on-one instruction that they need, or I should say, that I want to give them. Every day I dream about what I could be doing with them one-on-one if only I had enough time, but the reality is that we squeak by with much less instruction time than I would like to give them.

 

I know I just need to be as efficient as possible, redeem the time that I can squeeze in here and there, and be grateful for the time that I do have with them, which I would not have if they were schooled outside the home. I guess I just need an attitude adjustment. I also wanted to share my plight with you, who I know will understand, because you are living it as well.

[mothergooseof4]

I feel your pain. Mine are 1st 2nd,and 5th. Most of my friends are switching their kids to Switched on Schoolhouse, but that is not the approach that I want to take.

[Guest]

Not chiming in with experience, just a :grouphug:.

 

One of my best friends has 4 kiddos, aged 2nd - 9th grade. I watch how crazy their days are. She often tells me how they have been homeschooling into the evening hours. She outsources some for her high school student, but I marvel at how she holds it all together, and how well she does it.

 

I am sure you are doing a great job! We are often our toughest critic.

[lulubelle]

:grouphug: just a hug! I have a hard time getting through with my 2 boys! Another year and #3 gets in the mix!!! I have lots of fear.

[TKDmom]

I'm not quite there yet, but I feel your pain. Have you listed to the SWB lecture on getting kids to work more independently? Here it is. I thought she had a lot of good tips.

 

I've got workboxes and I'm figuring out a filing system right now to streamline my day.

[Renaissance Mom]

Mine are 1st, 2nd, & 7th this year. My direct involvement with 1-on-1 teaching time is primarily 8 am to noon. Afternoons I will correct papers, do planning, etc. Once in a while I'll have a few odds and ends to do with the oldest after lunch, but not more than a half hour or so.

 

My oldest works independently most of the time. We spend time together when I introduce her math lesson (not really necessary but she likes it when I do that), we do her LOF chapter together (and giggle a lot), I'll introduce her weekly writing assignment (she schedules it out and emails her drafts to me for feedback), we do grammar together, and then we have weekly discussions on history, church history, and literature. She has a full schedule of independent work and typically works from 8 am to 3 or 4 pm. But my time 1-on-1 with her averages only about an hour a day on non-discussion days (discussions take about an hour each). She's been following this type of schedule since about 4th grade.

 

My younger two need 1-on-1 time for their reading/phonics, math, and grammar. I combine them for science, history, geography, projects, etc. Except for special projects, they are always finished by noon -- easily. I sometimes sit between them while they both work on their own stuff. That way I can answer the 2nd graders questions when he's doing his independent work and still monitor and instruct the 1st grader.

 

I really think the trick is to begin training each child from the very beginning to be able to do some work independently. It's hard with the little ones -- but even a little bit helps. I have a folder for each one with two pockets in it. I've made an index card for each type of assignment (phonics, math, reading, maps, notebook page, grammar, etc.). I put the cards for that day's assignment in the top pocket. As they complete each assignment, they move the card to the lower pocket. When they are waiting for me for something, they can go to their folder and see if there is anything they can do on their own (handwriting practice page, color a map, practice a poem, whatever).

 

I do think the other important key is to NOT have every subject be a teacher-intensive curriculum. I've carefully picked the programs and materials that require a lot of my time and then said that it's OK to have the other subjects be less demanding of my time. Sure, in my dream world I'd be able to keep up with designing and implementing the perfect schedule of assignments in everything -- but I can't. So I'll use a theme-based IEW book for writing one year (all assignments are planned out for me), or use a computer-based math program for one child, or (gasp!) use a workbook for grammar (better yet, just do the grammar exercises orally and get on with the rest of the day), or use books on CD.

 

You'll find the balance that works for you eventually. Best of luck!

[wy_kid_wrangler04]

I am there to. I have a 7th grader, a 3rd grader and a kindergartner. This year is getting hard enough but next year I will have an 8th grader, 4th grader, 1st grader and kindergartner :willy_nilly: :eek: :blink: I am fairly certain I can get enough with my 4th grader and 8th grader because they are fairly independant with a few lessons needed by me (and questions ofcourse). I am looking into MFW and combining my k'er and 1st grader as much as possible (which at this point I am thinking just history and science) and going from there. How does that sound for a "plan" :001_unsure:

 

Then I think of the public school, who has between 20-30 kids per classroom and of which gets little to no one on one time and that helps- a little.

[JudoMom]

Dearest WTM Folks,

 

This is getting harder and harder, not easier and easer, as the kids get older. My 11yo just advanced from 5th grade math to Pre-Algebra, her grammar is getting fairly intense, writing assignments are more advanced, and basically every subject is rigorous and daunting. Then there's my 1st grader who is just learning to read, write, add, subtract, and everything else in which she needs my one-on-one. I am grateful that my 2nd grader learns pretty easily, but he still needs me one-on-one for most subjects.

 

What's a mommy to do? I set aside 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM for school, and there's not enough time to give everyone the one-on-one instruction that they need, or I should say, that I want to give them. Every day I dream about what I could be doing with them one-on-one if only I had enough time, but the reality is that we squeak by with much less instruction time than I would like to give them.

 

I know I just need to be as efficient as possible, redeem the time that I can squeeze in here and there, and be grateful for the time that I do have with them, which I would not have if they were schooled outside the home. I guess I just need an attitude adjustment. I also wanted to share my plight with you, who I know will understand, because you are living it as well.

 

:grouphug: 6th, 5th, 3rd, 1st, & K (he turns 5 on Monday, which means that his K isn't optional anymore). I feel like a chicken with my head off. :grouphug:

[8filltheheart]

Yep.

 

I am always perplexed by folks who claim that their time dedicated to direct homeschooling diminishes as the kids get older. :confused: Definitely not my reality. This is my 8th consecutive yr of having high schoolers. These yrs have been far more work/stressful/demanding than anything I have ever experienced with my younger kids. It is just plain exhausting at times.

[JenniferB]

Mine are 1st, 2nd, & 7th this year. My direct involvement with 1-on-1 teaching time is primarily 8 am to noon. Afternoons I will correct papers, do planning, etc. Once in a while I'll have a few odds and ends to do with the oldest after lunch, but not more than a half hour or so.

 

Monica,

 

I would L-O-V-E, love my day to go like this. It must be possible for me, if you can do it! Would you mind sharing what that looks like hour by hour, or 1/2 hour by 1/2 hour?

 

8:00 - 8:30 ___________

8:30 - 9:00 ___________

 

Something like that, or, however it works in your home. If you would share, I would appreciate it so much!

 

We use K12 for everything, which can be tweeked with some effort. So, maybe I can figure out how to make this work in our school.

 

I have today off for Veteran's Day, so if I can do some work today to make things better/more efficient, today would be a good day to work on that.

 

Thank you for your post - I have some hope now, at least for the next 2 years, when I have to add yet another child to the mix. :confused:

[JenniferB]

:grouphug: 6th, 5th, 3rd, 1st, & K (he turns 5 on Monday, which means that his K isn't optional anymore). I feel like a chicken with my head off. :grouphug:

 

5 to teach, :grouphug: to you!!!! :svengo:

[JenniferB]

Yep.

 

I am always perplexed by folks who claim that their time dedicated to direct homeschooling diminishes as the kids get older. :confused: Definitely not my reality. This is my 8th consecutive yr of having high schoolers. These yrs have been far more work/stressful/demanding than anything I have ever experienced with my younger kids. It is just plain exhausting at times.

 

:svengo: You must have something really special in that tea pot in your avatar.

[5LittleMonkeys]

PreK, 2nd, 6th and 7th here. I know what you mean about not having enough time for all of the one on one you'd like to do. Right now my PreK only gets 30 minutes of one on one. It has been very helpful this year to have my two older dds take control of their grammar and Latin. I was really afraid that they wouldn't retain but I still sneak in about 5 minutes of oral drill and they have been scoring 100 on their tests. It also helps that they do those subjects together so they can glean from each other and they have fun drilling Latin flashcards with each other. Everyone works together at the table for the most part too, so even if I am working one on one with dd7 the others can still ask a question or two. It can get distracting at times but its the best we can do right now.

 

At the beginning of the year I set my schedule up with everyone\every subject plugged into each 30 minute block. When I was working one on one with one person another person was working on something independent or watching the 2yo. Everyone got their one on one but it was very easy for the schedule to get de-railed. Mon., Wed. and Thur. are our heavy days with Tue. morning and Fri. afternoon more relaxed.

 

We are on a 6 week on 1 week off yearly schedule so each 6 weeks I look at daily schedule and adjust if we need to . Right now we are WAY off of our schedule. I think in the last couple of weeks we've managed about 5 total days of school. :tongue_smilie: We decided to drop formal history and science to try an interest led method for awhile, and while the dc have taken off with the new method we seem to have lost our momentum in getting our core subjects done - partly (actually mostly) my fault because I have been pouring over the internet and books looking for information on project based learning. We are also less than a week away from our 6 week winter break so everyone is feeling lazy. Anyway, non of those last few sentences are helping you at all so, I'll get on with the helping part.;)

 

This (attachment below) is the schedule as it stands now with the afternoons blocked off for project work. Before we had science and history in that time frame. While I was working with the younger on sci. or hist. the olders would be reading for sci or hist. then when the younger was finished with hers she would be done for the day and then I would work with the olders.

 

On Tue. morning the older two do those subjects that they can normally do on their own while I take the youngest 3 to the museum for story time. In the afternoon we spend 30 minutes going over anything they needed help with while my 2nd grader works on a math review page and copywork then everyone moves onto working on their projects.

 

On Fri. the schedule is the same as MWTh for the mornings but we stop at noon for chores and outside activities.

 

I don't schedule any other outside activities for during the day, don't answer the phone, and try to stay away from the computer (I really have to work on this one:D). Extra activities, field trips, doctors appointments, etc. are scheduled for our 1 week off each 6 weeks.

 

A is dd12, E is dd11, K is dd7. L stands for lunch and T stands for watching the 2yo. If a subject has a small x in its box that means that it can be done independently or nearly so. Edited to add: I don't think A's and E's grammar block has an x in it but they do that independently. (Excuse the messiness of the attachment; its been erased and re-written about 50 times.)

 

I hope something in all of this helps. You are right about it getting harder instead of easier. Especially when you have to keep folding in new students and the older students start learning about things that you have to learn first in order to help them. I guess we will all just keep plugging along together and offering support where we can! :grouphug:

Edited November 11, 2010 by 5LittleMonkeys

[rafiki]

.

[Renaissance Mom]

For what it is worth, here's a sample day. We do not strictly adhere to a fixed schedule but this is the general idea.

 

8-8:30 - Bible Study and devotions with everyone

8:30-9 - LOF and intro math lesson with 7th grader; she then does her lesson, checks her work, & re-works anything she got wrong; when finished with math, she either works on her writing assignment or reads and takes notes for her science, lit, history, or church history readings. In any event, she works independently until I am finished with 1st/2nd graders

9-9:30 - Phonics and grammar with 1st grader; 2nd grader is doing his handwriting practice and his reading worksheet on his own during this time.

9:30-10:00 - Intro math lesson with 2nd grader and then he does lesson on his own; I am working with 1st grader on her math

10-10:30 - Listen to 2nd grader read aloud to me, do grammar and composition with him

10:30-11:00 - Touch base with 7th grader, answer questions, intro writing assignment on 1st day of week, maybe do spelling or grammar, etc.

11:00 - 12:00 - read aloud to 1st & 2nd graders together (history, science, lit, whatever we have for read alouds that day); when finished, they work on notebook pages for whatever we read.

Lunch

After lunch -- catch up on whatever is needed with 7th grader (varies wildly depending on the day); or, on weekly discussion days, we have either a 1-on-1 discussion about that week's work or we meet with another family who also uses TOG and have joint discussions with them.

 

Having said all that, I am able to do this because I have an eclectic mix of resources and curriculum. I do pick and choose what we do and don't do. We don't do everything. There are days when I am just happy to have the younger ones do their math and their reading or phonics and that's it. There are other days where all 3 of them work on some sort of project all afternoon long.

 

I don't know if you are combining your 1st & 2nd graders in any of the subjects. I would strongly recommend that you do so where you can if you aren't already. I also know that my 2nd grader is capable of far more independent work than my 1st grader. The 2nd grader really needs only a brief introduction for many of his subjects and then he goes off and does his work. (Not at all true for writing, though!) I have to sit with my 1st grader every step of everything she does except notebook pages.

 

I don't know if this helps or not. I've found that every family is different and that no single schedule really works for anyone else.

 

Blessings,

[robsiew]

:grouphug::grouphug:

 

It can seem overwhelming at times, can't it! When I get overwhelmed I usually take a step back and ask for input from my hubby... his role in homeschooling is not a "hands on" one, rather a "consultant" type. It works well for us. I have complete control over everything school related, but he helps me when I get stuck. Sometimes he just has a simple idea that fixes what I need fixed! If not, he can at least be a sounding board and sometimes I'll come up with a solution just by talking to him.

 

This is our third year of homeschooling, but finally I feel like we have a workable schedule. I'm sure it will morph as the kids get older, but for now I feel like I've finally found a routine and we're all happy with it. It takes time and trying a few different things to see what works and what doesn't. Like others have said, not every family can abide by the same schedule. (I experimented with a few different things this past summer that flopped big time! For instance... I cannot do the "everyone around the table working on math at the same time" thing! It just doesn't work for us.)

 

I think a huge key (which others have already pointed out) is getting the kids independent. This is the single most helpful thing in our house. I have a form of workboxes for everyone. My k'er only has 3 boxes, but he is independent with those three boxes. Everyone else has about 6 boxes. Everyone knows WHAT they should be doing and WHEN they should be doing it. There are consequences for NOT!

 

Through some special needs of my 6 y/o (first grader) I learned that independent work suits him better so I was able to drop 2 teacher intensive curriculum with him. That has eased things up considerably. I think it's okay for some subjects to not have the "one on one" that others deserve. It took me a little while to get there! :001_smile:

 

Here's our basic schedule... I have 4 kiddos (4th grade, 3rd grade, 1st grade and K)

 

8:00 Breakfast (I use this time to go over the younger kids' independent work making sure they know what they need to do, I'm starting to train my 3rd and 4th grader to be more independent in figuring out what to do)

 

8:30 Work one on one with K'er (Reading/Phonics, teach math concept, read aloud), others start independent work and chores

 

9:15 Bible and History with all kids (next year my 5th grader will do these independently)

 

10:15 Work with 1st grader (reading, go over any problems with work from day before, writing, AWANA), others work independently

 

10:45 Work with 3rd grader (AWANA, read aloud to me 10 min., writing, spelling (AAS), Latin 2 days/week, go over any mistakes in previous day's work) Younger boys are usually done with school by now and are working on chores. 4th grader still working independently or switches to working on chores.

 

11:45 Work with 4th grader (AWANA, writing, spelling, Latin 2 days/wk, go over any mistakes in previous day's work) 3rd grader is finishing independent work and moves onto chores.

 

12:30/12:45 Lunch

 

1:00 Science with all (4th grader does his own reading during this time, joining us for experiments when we do them)

 

We are usually done with school by 2:00. Sometimes 1:30.

 

I do use a filing system, that keeps us on track and everything accessible. I make sure all history and science items are ready to go the night before. I have cubbies that store each child's books that sits by the table where I work with them so everything is right there. I make sure the independent work is in the workboxes the night before. I correct all their papers the night they complete them so we can go over mistakes the next day. If I get behind on this it's a mess! :001_huh:

 

I also learned for me to optimize my time with them we need to be home. We don't do any co-ops or activities during school time. We school hard for 4 days and take a lighter day on Fridays. We also do 6 weeks on/1 week off. This has been a great schedule for us.

 

When it comes down to it, you need to experiment and find what works for you. Sometimes I get sad when I realize my K'er is not getting the education I **wish** I could give him. But, he's a 4th child and something does need to give. If it were my first child and I only had 2 children things would be different. The good thing is he doesn't have any idea there are K'ers out there who have lots more fun than him! :lol: On the flip side, even my 4th grader is impressed with what his little brother knows and my K'er has tons of time during the day to play! :D

 

You'll find your stride! Try to not feel guilty for what you're not doing and celebrate that your kids are getting much more than if they were in PS even on your worst day! :D

[justamouse]

I know your pain. Yup.

 

Mine was made a little bit easier when I scooted my 2nd grader into third with his sisters, but it's still 3rd, 6/7th (I scooted him up, too (to 7th), to make things easier) and 10th (whom I scooted down to 7th because we just started AO and the history of 7th lines up with where we were with TWTM in 6th and 10th) The 7th grade AO books are no easy peasy list so I had no trouble. But, apart from the literature/history and such of AO, they still do separate maths and 10ths schedule is more packed.

Edited November 12, 2010 by justamouse

[thowell]

:grouphug::grouphug:

 

It can seem overwhelming at times, can't it! When I get overwhelmed I usually take a step back and ask for input from my hubby... his role in homeschooling is not a "hands on" one, rather a "consultant" type. It works well for us. I have complete control over everything school related, but he helps me when I get stuck. Sometimes he just has a simple idea that fixes what I need fixed! If not, he can at least be a sounding board and sometimes I'll come up with a solution just by talking to him.

 

This is our third year of homeschooling, but finally I feel like we have a workable schedule. I'm sure it will morph as the kids get older, but for now I feel like I've finally found a routine and we're all happy with it. It takes time and trying a few different things to see what works and what doesn't. Like others have said, not every family can abide by the same schedule. (I experimented with a few different things this past summer that flopped big time! For instance... I cannot do the "everyone around the table working on math at the same time" thing! It just doesn't work for us.)

 

I think a huge key (which others have already pointed out) is getting the kids independent. This is the single most helpful thing in our house. I have a form of workboxes for everyone. My k'er only has 3 boxes, but he is independent with those three boxes. Everyone else has about 6 boxes. Everyone knows WHAT they should be doing and WHEN they should be doing it. There are consequences for NOT!

 

Through some special needs of my 6 y/o (first grader) I learned that independent work suits him better so I was able to drop 2 teacher intensive curriculum with him. That has eased things up considerably. I think it's okay for some subjects to not have the "one on one" that others deserve. It took me a little while to get there! :001_smile:

 

Here's our basic schedule... I have 4 kiddos (4th grade, 3rd grade, 1st grade and K)

 

8:00 Breakfast (I use this time to go over the younger kids' independent work making sure they know what they need to do, I'm starting to train my 3rd and 4th grader to be more independent in figuring out what to do)

 

8:30 Work one on one with K'er (Reading/Phonics, teach math concept, read aloud), others start independent work and chores

 

9:15 Bible and History with all kids (next year my 5th grader will do these independently)

 

10:15 Work with 1st grader (reading, go over any problems with work from day before, writing, AWANA), others work independently

 

10:45 Work with 3rd grader (AWANA, read aloud to me 10 min., writing, spelling (AAS), Latin 2 days/week, go over any mistakes in previous day's work) Younger boys are usually done with school by now and are working on chores. 4th grader still working independently or switches to working on chores.

 

11:45 Work with 4th grader (AWANA, writing, spelling, Latin 2 days/wk, go over any mistakes in previous day's work) 3rd grader is finishing independent work and moves onto chores.

 

12:30/12:45 Lunch

 

1:00 Science with all (4th grader does his own reading during this time, joining us for experiments when we do them)

 

We are usually done with school by 2:00. Sometimes 1:30.

 

I do use a filing system, that keeps us on track and everything accessible. I make sure all history and science items are ready to go the night before. I have cubbies that store each child's books that sits by the table where I work with them so everything is right there. I make sure the independent work is in the workboxes the night before. I correct all their papers the night they complete them so we can go over mistakes the next day. If I get behind on this it's a mess! :001_huh:

 

We do something pretty similar. I spend 1 hour 1-1 with each child. During this time the others are doing independent work. We also use workboxes so all they have to do is move to the next subject if I am busy with someone else. The rest of the time is spent on things we do together. This works most days but some days are still crazy. Such is the life of a home school mom!!

[abbeyej]

Yep.

 

I am always perplexed by folks who claim that their time dedicated to direct homeschooling diminishes as the kids get older. :confused: Definitely not my reality. This is my 8th consecutive yr of having high schoolers. These yrs have been far more work/stressful/demanding than anything I have ever experienced with my younger kids. It is just plain exhausting at times.

 

Oh, I agree. But I do think maybe there's a lull in there. Between the time when they're mastering the most *basic* of skills (phonics, printing, basic arithmetic operations) and, say, middle school. Maybe it lures people into a false sense of security. ;) Dd (8.5) is soooo easy right now. She's beyond the constant hand-holding of the early years, but she's not to the heavy load that her older brother has. Maybe if I didn't also have the older one making my brain tired, I'd think it *did* get easier as they got older. ;)

[JenniferB]

UPDATE: Last night I went up to bed early and brought a pen and a paper and I wrote down a list of each child and each lesson, and how much time I would need to do everything, including discussions with my oldest in literature, science, and history. It came out to 3 1/2 hours in the AM, an hour break for lunch, and 3 hours in the afternoon. Then I did like someone suggested and I talked it out with my husband. While bouncing ideas off of him, I realized that my 2nd grader is an early riser, and works well in the morning. So, I decided that if I started at 8:30 with my early riser and got all of his lessons done first, then I could get an extra 1/2 hour out of the day. That would be just the amount of time I needed to get everything done. So, I woke up earlier today, and I was ready by 8:00 AM. I got the school space prepped, the lessons ready to go, and we started at 8:30. I worked with him until 11:00, while my 6th grader did her independent subjects (literature, science, history, and art), and my 1st grader played. Once I was done with my 2nd grader, I made some food for my 1st grader and we sat at the kitchen table, eating and doing her lessons through lunch. At 1:00 I started work with my oldest: math, grammar, and then we discussed her lit, science, and history. IT WENT BEAUTIFUL!!!! It was a lot of work, but I got everything that I wanted and needed to get done with lots of one-on-one, including discussion, which was one of those things that was getting pushed off to the wayside. It was a good day. Now, to enter everything into the computer and close down for the weekend. Ahhhh, I can rest easy this weekend.

[silliness7]

1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 8th here. Yes it is hard and crazy and if my day gets thrown off we do go into the evening.

 

On a perfect day I spend the first hour with my 1st grader doing math/language arts. The second hour with my 3rd grader doing math/language arts. The 3rd hour and a half with my 5th grader doing math/language arts. That's 3.5 hrs. before lunch.

My 7th and 8th graders work independently all morning and my other students do have some things to do while they are waiting for their turn...except the 1st grader. :001_smile:

 

After lunch I spend 2 hours doing history/science/read-aloud/Latin with my elementary kids.

 

I meet with my 7th grader every day but Thursdays at 3:00 p.m. for 1.5 - 2 hours to go over his work and explain/assign the next day's work. He's not as independent as I'd like yet so I find that I do have to check in with him daily or he's not getting it done.

 

I meet with my 8th grader on Thursdays at 3:00. He's quite independent and works hard. He's the only one I trust to check his own math as he goes along (except for his tests) and that is working well. It's important to me that we spend time discussing science/history/literature and giving him feedback/instruction on his writing. We can spend an average of 30 min. for each of those topics in a two hour session. It's good that he's not having any trouble with math or Latin at the moment. I'm sure it will come and then I guess I'll end up with "evening" homework.

 

My junior high boys use Writing Strands, First Form Latin, Lightning Literature, Apologia Science, Saxon Math, Westminster Shorter Catechism Study Guide, George Washington's World, Bluedorn's logic books, and we are in the process of switching from Saxon Grammar to Rod & Staff.

 

My elementary students are using Writing with Ease, Latina Christiana, Apologia Science, Story of the World, Saxon Math (5th grader) BJU math (1st &3rd graders) Rod and Staff English/Spelling, IEW's poetry memory, Primary Phonics (1st grader)...I think that's everything...they read real books for literature.

 

ETA: Bible got moved to when dad is home. It wasn't fitting in the school day and works very well as a whole family subject.

[5LittleMonkeys]

UPDATE: Last night I went up to bed early and brought a pen and a paper and I wrote down a list of each child and each lesson, and how much time I would need to do everything, including discussions with my oldest in literature, science, and history. It came out to 3 1/2 hours in the AM, an hour break for lunch, and 3 hours in the afternoon. Then I did like someone suggested and I talked it out with my husband. While bouncing ideas off of him, I realized that my 2nd grader is an early riser, and works well in the morning. So, I decided that if I started at 8:30 with my early riser and got all of his lessons done first, then I could get an extra 1/2 hour out of the day. That would be just the amount of time I needed to get everything done. So, I woke up earlier today, and I was ready by 8:00 AM. I got the school space prepped, the lessons ready to go, and we started at 8:30. I worked with him until 11:00, while my 6th grader did her independent subjects (literature, science, history, and art), and my 1st grader played. Once I was done with my 2nd grader, I made some food for my 1st grader and we sat at the kitchen table, eating and doing her lessons through lunch. At 1:00 I started work with my oldest: math, grammar, and then we discussed her lit, science, and history. IT WENT BEAUTIFUL!!!! It was a lot of work, but I got everything that I wanted and needed to get done with lots of one-on-one, including discussion, which was one of those things that was getting pushed off to the wayside. It was a good day. Now, to enter everything into the computer and close down for the weekend. Ahhhh, I can rest easy this weekend.

 

Yah! I'm so glad you were able to work it out! And you didn't have to give anything up...kuddos to you!