3MonkeysMama Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 How many hours do you spend on school a day? And by that I mean actual books/seat work. My son is in second grade and we can spend about 3 hours a day on school. Is that normal, too short, too long? We do MOH (I just read daily and do one activity a week. No memory cards or timelines yet), AIG Science (again read daily w/ activity once a week), SM 2B, WWE 1, FLL 2, AAS 1, and Reading. I was just curious if we are about the same as everyone else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayne J Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 My 2nd grader takes between 2 and 3 hrs per day, depending on his attitude and which day of the week it is--we generally go longer on history days than on science days, since history is his favorite. I try to enforce additional silent reading for 20-30 min per day, but truth told, it doesn't happen regularly (this is school reading--he free reads for hours a day, but frankly, Star Wars doen't cut it as educational reading for this mama...:D) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phathui5 Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 My second grader puts in an hour and a half to two hours a day. My fifth grader puts in 2-3 hours a day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jen3kids Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 3 hours/day would never have worked for my ds when he was 7. It was fine for my dd, but not ds. We used Sonlight Core 2 at that time (2 years ago) and she loved being read to and loved the writing activities. She's a really agreeable kid who will do what needs to be done for the day without complaint. Ds was a different story - very young and needed a lot of play time. Even now, at age 9, my ds probably only spends 2 hours/day on seat work/read alouds/activities. However, it does depend on the day. To break it down for my ds Math: Jump 5.1 20 minutes/day seatwork Spelling: AAS 4 one lesson/week (20 minutes) Grammar: MCT Island 30 minutes 3-4x/week (read aloud and seat work) Science: REAL Science Chem 2 lessons/week (20 min. each) Social Studies: OM6 20 minutes/day Silent Reading: 20 minutes/day Read Aloud: 20 minutes/day There are lots of other things we do on a weekly basis (writing letters, making comics, Handwriting Without Tears, Editor-In-Chief, logic puzzles like Perplexors, Logic Links, Math Detective, etc). He also has drum lessons once/week as well as a writing class once/week. If you were to ask him, he still spends too much time on school work and not enough time playing :rolleyes: In my opinion, if your ds is fine with it, then it is fine. If he is resisting, then maybe do a little less or mix things up a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Princess Peach Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 We spend about 3-4 hours per day. It works for us. We are able to get thru all subjects in that time and it's not overkill for us, either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patchfire Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 My daughter (5th grade) puts in approximately 5 1/2 to 6 hours, including literature reading. My son (K) does maybe probably 2 hours of seatwork, if you include things like history (where he's not really writing) and literature reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boscopup Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 Usually about 2.5-3 hours a day of "school". I break it up into morning and afternoon. We do math, reading, and grammar right after breakfast. We take a long break until after lunch. Then DS does his independent reading while I put littles down for naps/quiet time. Then we finish the rest of our work, alternating between written work and reading. He can't do too much writing at one time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3MonkeysMama Posted January 17, 2011 Author Share Posted January 17, 2011 My son doesn't like how much work he has to do. He doesn't like to write very much. He loses focus quickly. I try to break it up more, but once I release him for a break I have a hard time getting him to sit down again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 2-3 hours, depending on how cooperative everyone's being. DS1 can be finished in 10 minutes with his seatwork -- a couple of workbook pages for writing practice, a Bible verse, and a reading lesson with me, and he's done. DD has a Bible verse, copywork/handwriting practice, usually some math, some reading on her own, short Bible study, and maybe a couple of workbook pages about grammar, spelling, or something. It's usually about two or three things that require writing a day. She can be done in under 30 minutes if she's working and not fooling around. We also have poetry, history, science, literature, and other rotating things (picture study, music study, etc.) that we do together, plus whatever project or hands-on activity is for that day (usually related to art, history, science, or possibly handwork -- today we worked on assembling a castle). A lot depends on everyone's moods. 3 hours seems excessive to me for this age; under 2 for the almost 9yo would suit me fine, but it's also not 2-3 hours of continuous work -- she gets bored while I'm helping one of the boys, or she starts staring off into space while doing her math, or some such. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jengjohnson Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 School takes us so much longer than I ever imagined it would, LOL. We school Mon-Wed 8-3 or 4 with an hour off for lunch. On Thursdays, the time is about the same, but there's a longer lunch break that includes piano lessons. Fridays we're done by lunch time. My big kids work during most of this time either independently, with me individually, or as a group. My k'er is really done with work in less that two hours. This is becoming a problem b/c she has too much free time on her hands and she usually ends up getting in trouble. My 3rd grader does a bit of day dreaming, so I know she could work faster, but doesn't. My 5th grader works efficiently, but just has more to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolphin Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 I have a third grade boy. We change on the day. We spend about 5 hours on Monday and Thursday. Then 1-2 hours on Tuesday and Wed, with Fridays for classes, field trips etc... I find that not doing the same thing everyday works, and ds can focus better knowing it is only really 2 long days every week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3MonkeysMama Posted January 18, 2011 Author Share Posted January 18, 2011 My son is easily distracted and I have to constantly tell him to focus on what he is doing. He daydreams a lot. I think this plays a large role in the long mornings for us. I am trying to think of some ways to change things up a bit for him to keep him engaged. The next two weeks we are taking time off from Singapore (he finished 2A and we are moving into 2B) to play math games and work on strengthening his math facts. We currently do a four day week but I am exploring changing up how we do science and history. I don't feel like three hours is too much overall but maybe too much at once. And definetly too much of just sitting, writing, reading, reciting etc. I want him to love learning and right now it is a chore and a big bore to him. I get hung up on getting through the curric., and checking it off my "must do" list that I forget that he is 7 and needs to RUN!:willy_nilly: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NanceXToo Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 2-3 hours a day for my daughter, both in 4th grade last year, and this year for 5th. Sometimes a little longer if we're doing hands on projects/activities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trying my best Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 oh my! how people do everything in 1 or 1 1/2 hours! :blink: With my K-er (1st grade stuff) we do about 2-3 hours a day. And that is daily: Math Simgapore 1A All about spelling Writing Reading Russian Also he has Gymnastics on Thursday and Tilewando on Tuesdays Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coffeegal Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 My 2nd grader is doing around 1- 1 1/2 hours working through Saxon Math 3, Rod and Staff English 2 (mostly written), Pentime Penmanship 2, Calvert Spelling & Vocabulary Cd-rom 3, SOTW vol. 2, and McGraw-Hill Science 2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boscopup Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 We currently do a four day week but I am exploring changing up how we do science and history. You know, we ended up having a 4 day week last week, since DS went on a trip with his daddy Friday-Sunday, and then we started back today. My son was all over the place, focus wise. When we tried to do copywork, he was playing around, making car crash and explosive noises, and doing really sloppy work. I had to have him redo some stuff because it was just awful. I really have to wonder if it was the 3 day break vs. the normal 2 day break. Of course, this is only our 3rd week of school, but he had NO focus today, whereas the last 2 weeks had been mostly really great (occasional loss of focus, but I was able to get it back). So maybe trying a 5 or 6 day week, with shorter days, might help? I'm wondering if our next week might be better since this is a 5 day week. I hope tomorrow is better. Seriously, his handwriting was abysmal today. I kept having to tell him to slow down and focus! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Celia Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 For my 1st grader it ranges from about 1.5hrs to sometimes 3 or 4 if we get caught up playing lots of math games or doing a project. Average is between 1.5 and 2hrs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FO4UR Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 All day long!!!!:svengo: For my 2nd grader's seatwork? 2 -3 hours (2 hours if he stays on task...3 on bad days) That's pretty much math and LA. It would take less time, but he needs more intensive work in LA and most of his math has to be done orally...at least with me sitting there reading the problems for him and scribing 1/2 of the time. Science and history and other read alouds are not considered "school" and take on a life of their own...and are often started at 8am, read during breaks, after lunch, and before bed....ALL day long, I tell ya'! (we need more audio books:tongue_smilie:) dd5's seatwork (reading, writing, math) takes about 30min and is often done before the boys are dressed for the day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngelBee Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 oh my! how people do everything in 1 or 1 1/2 hours! :blink: I have no idea!!! :confused: Makes me feel like a loser. :001_huh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommee & Baba Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 (edited) We usually spend about 3.5-4 hrs doing school (as for seat work..probably 2-3hrs broken up). I've had to cut out a couple things due to the lengthy times it takes and switch to something less seat work type and more hands on type..just to break up the sitting aspect of the school work. My dd5 could spend all day doing school and never ask for a break. :p My dd7 could spend 3 minutes into our first lesson of the day and already be asking when break time was. :lol: Edited January 18, 2011 by mamaofblessings Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julievalvano Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 We usually work 6-6.5 hours a day including lunch but we do our read-aloud at that time. They get short breaks when they need it. I have 2 kids 7 yo dd and 8 yo ds. If you want to know our curriculum I'd be happy to share it - they kids do not seem overwhelmed and are comfortable with our day. Juliegirl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chelli Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 I have a dd who is in first grade, but she is a wiggle worm to the max. We spend about 2 hours a day on school. But there is NO way, I could get her to sit for that long, so here is what I do. First, I invested in a plastic kitchen timer. I put it on the table where we do school. I turn it to 30 minutes and we start with out first subject. When the timer goes off, she is able to leave the table, I set the timer for another 30 minutes and when it goes off, she comes back to the table for another 30 minutes of school. If she does not focus on her school for the entire 30 minutes (daydreaming, being lazy, etc.), I just reach over and add about five minutes onto her school time which takes 5 minutes off of her break time as well (so instead of 30 minutes, she just gets 25). On bad days, I only have to do this a couple of times and she will buckle down and do her work. On good days, I don't have to do it at all. If she doesn't come back to the table within five minutes of when the timer goes off from break time, then I start adding five minutes to her work time and take it away from her next break time. She is usually very prompt back to the table. We do this cycle about four times during the day, so she is actually "doing" school for only two hours a day. This routine has been a life saver for me!!! It pretty much got rid of all of our school battles, plus the break times are long enough that I can really got some other stuff done around the house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Celia Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 oh my! how people do everything in 1 or 1 1/2 hours! :blink:With my K-er (1st grade stuff) we do about 2-3 hours a day. And that is daily: Math Simgapore 1A All about spelling Writing Reading Russian Also he has Gymnastics on Thursday and Tilewando on Tuesdays We have 1.5hr days about 3 days a week for my grade 1 boy. But not everything gets done as seatwork here on those days! On a day that it does, here's how it looks... Handwriting without Tears - 10 mins Math - 30 mins Writing With Ease - 10 mins OPGTR - 10 mins Music theory - 10 mins Piano practice - 10 mins FLL - 5mins We don't do spelling yet... I will when we finish OPGTR in a couple months. I guess I don't count read alouds and his own reading as seat-work. Nor do I count our own Bible reading as school time. Math games sometimes get played during spare time while the toddler sleeps if I'm up to it and I don't count that in either. Nor do I count in sports. He's in skating lessons, gymnastics, soccer, and tap dance/musical theatre. And he has Bible classes 2 times a week which don't get counted as school time. Math facts and memory work get practiced in the car. (you should see the stuff I have taped to the dashboard! :lol: I make GOOD USE of red lights!) The only days that we really go beyond 2 hours, of actual seatwork, now that I really think of it, are the days he has piano lessons, as his piano teacher also teaches him science (former hs'ing mom who enjoys it!). Once we tack on history, which I plan to do next year, and start up with AAS, I'm sure we'll be closer to 2.5hrs a day. All that said, those 1.5-2hrs of work often take us from 8:30 until noon because I give him a snack break and some outside time in there! I also really don't fret if not everything gets done. We'll do school about 3 mornings a week through the summer, and only take breaks on occasion through out the rest of the year, so we have plenty of time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helena Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 My 4th and 6th grader take 4-5 hours a day Mon-Fri. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3MonkeysMama Posted January 18, 2011 Author Share Posted January 18, 2011 I love all these responses! Thank you! Boscopup - I think you are on to something with the 4 vs. 5 day week. I know when I was researching Robinson Curric. they really stress a 6 day week. I can see how that would keep the momentum/focus going. That would not work for me at this stage in life, but maybe adding back in a fifth day will help. I just stopped doing it this year because I wanted a full day to run errands (I have to grocery shop at several stores because of our food intolerances. Its an all day adventure.) But maybe I can still do some school on Friday a.m. before we leave to shop. Also pw23kids - Love the timer idea! My son has NO CONCEPT of time management. It took him (and I am kidding!) three hours to do three math pages from Singapore the other day (and it was all REVIEW!). He was day dreaming, or whining or running after his sisters. My nerves were shot by the end of it! I think if he saw on a timer that he was loosing "his" time he might be more careful on how he spent "my" time! Excellent idea! This forum has just been the best thing for me! I have been feeling in a rut but now I am ready to shake up the way we do school! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy22alyns Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 Becca takes between 2-3 hours depending on her attitude, attention span, and the day (We have co-op on Mondays, so Fridays are a little longer because we combine SL's days 4 and 5). Sylvia, maybe 1.5-2 hours. Both girls have a lot of extra free reading time at night before bed. Maybe 45 min-1 hour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GypsieFamily Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 We usually spend 3 hours ish on language arts at the moment, and doing very little else. This is in the evenings now as dh was getting irritated at school cutting in to time to do things during the day. This does mean that school gets chucked to the side if we've done a 10km walk that day, but also nice if we're parked somewhere with an ocean view. It also means dc know that school is when mum says, not a particular day. That's a condition of travelling; school is important, but you learn so much through travelling that it's important, too (and fun). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tess in the Burbs Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 time depends entirely on attitude :-) We can get all our subjects done in 3 hours or we can go all freakin' day! :001_huh: unfortunately time is run by the 9 year old whose mood is most often less than cheerful :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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