BBG580 Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 Every single time an early elementary planning thread gets going I see the same type of posts - ones that wish they had been more relaxed and those that wish they had pushed a little harder to have avoided issues in basic phonics and maths that are still being ironed out in the later years. Largely though, the impression I get from a lot of people is, "You crazy mothers are over-working your kids! Let them play in the mud and work in a lesson or two when you can but RELAX!". As a newbie, well, I can't just "relax". I think my kids need some basics under their belts by age 7, I'm not talking hours of work per day but I think some definite defined "school-time" is reasonable. I think I am fairly middle of the road, sticking with some basic, solid programs with "fun" activities for history, geography and science added in yet I have to admit I've felt chastised by some people for even including history, geography and science and foreign language at this age even if it is done in a fun, light and age-appropriate way. What do you do? Why do you choose to school in that way in the early years? Do you have regrets looking back about doing too much or too little? Why? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudoMom Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 School becomes non-optional once my boys turn 5. I've never regretted this. My big regret isn't what we did (or what I planned to do), but how I stressed over getting it done (or it not getting done). I'm sick, so I'm probably making less sense than usual. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kchara Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 I personally wish I had pushed the basics harder (phonics, grammar, math especially) and relaxed on some other stuff (history, science, health... why did I even bother with health???). I do wish I had started foreign language earlier. But, oh well. I wish I had had them listen to more of the educational, fun drill CDs that we have, learning skip counting, grammar, geography, math facts by music, instead of trying rote drill at a young age. They're really picking it up to music, not so much with just drill. Hopefully, my littles will pick it up by listening to it along with my biggers, and I can avoid some of the problems I had with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginevra Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 Well, I'm one who tightened up over time. I originally came from a very relaxed way of thinking. Math was the only thing I really did in a systematic fashion with my oldest for the first couple years. I gradually added more. Kindergarten with my now-six-year-old is a lot different from when my now-13yo was K. I think it is better this way. There were undesirable outcomes with my oldest - nothing serious, but had she not been so naturally studious, it could have had a further-reaching impact than I originally thought. I also think it is good for kids to learn the discipline of chipping away at their school work each day. That is a value I wish for my kids to have and they aren't going to develop that if I communicate that they never need to finish the book, complete the page, memorize something boring or practice something difficult. Obviously, Kindergarten has a lot of leeway, while 8th grade may not, but I think it's good to lay that groundwork in Kindergarten if you can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kristin0713 Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 Mine are 3 and 5. I know that there is not a lot that we HAVE to do, but honestly, they would be really bored if we didn't do "school" stuff often--especially when the weather is awful. We read everyday, for at least an hour, sometimes more. We've been working through RightStart math this year and they LOVE it. We usually do a few RS lessons a week. We do a lot of phonemic awareness activities and fine motor skills activities--writing/drawing in salt, cutting, play doh, coloring, etc. We do calendar and weather a few times a week. DD practices her glockenspiel most days although that is about 5-10 minutes a day. I don't feel like I am making myself crazy or putting pressure on them. The reality for us is that they seem to enjoy our days more when we are more structured, and, as a result, they get along better and that keeps me sane. I don't interrupt them for "schoolwork" when they are engaging in creative play or just enjoying playing and relaxing. And when the weather is good, I bring them outside to play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TXMary2 Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 I think I have a happy medium. When my day is tight on time, we do math, reading and phonics. On normal days I throw in science and history and a project now and then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Upstatemamma Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 My son is only in first grade so I have not had time to regret stuff and feel like I should have done more or less. However, I am happy with what we do and we do a little of everything. I take the attitude with history and science that I'm not so heavy on how much he remembers permanently. I use it to get him to do more reading -he reads four of the suggested reading books from SOTW and two science books that i have added to our science curriculum. Then we do some narration pages and some drawing a picture out of the books. The grammar, math, writing and reading are what I want him to really get down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmeraldGirl Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 For my littles who are still learning English (youngest 4), we push hard on all the Language Arts (Reading, Spelling, Writing) and Math just about everyday, but I make it enjoyable. All the other subjects have a plan mapped out, but we don't do each one every single day b/c we might do history for 2-3 hours (read aloud, project, maps, etc), or science (same idea), geography/cultures, composers, artists. My 10 yr old is learning to type too. We do a lot of notebooking, some lapbooking, so that helps to cover the information in a way they can relate to and eagerly anticipate. Plus we are always reading, always. My siggy shows what we cover overall. Foreign language....they already had one that we dropped back a bit so they could learn English, but my husband speaks to them all the time so they speak a bit with him and hopefully they will be able to write it later. Now once they get older, say middle school, they will gradually have a much heavier schedule, but hopefully we will have instilled the love of learning and researching. My oldest 3 were straight textbook all the way through. They did it b/c they had to, but I was a single mom and working 2 jobs at that point. Not sure they enjoyed learning and reading much. My 21 yr old (now a daddy) just recently told me he is now starting to like reading. Oy! :lol: All that to say, I feel more relaxed this time around, but I know this group is getting way more instruction and enjoying it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 I'm all for solidly and consistently hitting the three Rs from a young age -- but I also think a lot of parents really over-think the content subjects for very young ones. My advice would be to begin brief, regular lessons in the three Rs as soon as the child shows readiness. This doesn't have to be "hours a day", but I think that most kids are ready for 10-15 minutes of each subject each day from about age 5 (with a range of about 2 years either way depending on the individual child). Other than reading, writing, and basic work with patterns and arithmetic, I think it's good to be very flexible with young ones (I'm thinking k-2 range). Lots of read-alouds from various genres, fairy tales and legends from around the world, picture book biographies and stories of famous historical incidents, books about "how things work" and the natural world, chapter books and children's classics... Field trips, building stuff, visiting museums, doing puzzles, playing games, climbing, and yes, digging in the dirt... ;) I don't think most parents do any *harm* when they over-analyze the science and history of the early years. Some of them burn out, but maybe that's coincidental anyway. ... But I think the great freedom to do what delights you and your children in the early years and to have lots of TIME -- time when kids can explore their world in an unstructured way -- is some of the great value of home schooling. I do think it's nice to hit some of the highlights of world history between K and 4, but *how* one approaches that matters a lot less than it does in 5-8, when the chronology of events really sinks in. A child who adores history and science in the early years will be better prepared than a child who has gone systemically (according to anybody's system!) through the subjects but without a lot of joy and time to explore... Having kids with really strong fundamental skills by the end of 2nd grade though? That's a HUGE advantage going into the next years... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 My kids are still young, but I aim to overplan (or plan as much as I feel I can - overplan is probably an overstatement about me) but then not be uptight if it doesn't go the way I want or if we don't get to things. It's working for me, anyway. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lionfamily1999 Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 I have goals for my youngest, they're bare minimums. I keep it that way so that I don't get too stressed out. Usually when I tell a parent to relax, it's because ... well ... if you fall behind in elementary school, or a subject stalls, or your dc is not moving ahead at the same speed as they had been (oh the plateaus), it's really not worth tearing out hair or getting an ulcer. Do the subjects, but don't feel like life depends on hitting every single one every day, or even week. Schedule, but don't let a hiccup make you feel like a failure, and know that (ime) learning can come in spurts. One week you're flying, the next you're doing the same thing over.and.over.and.over and somehow the dc just will not understand it. School becomes non-optional once my boys turn 5. I've never regretted this. My big regret isn't what we did (or what I planned to do), but how I stressed over getting it done (or it not getting done). I'm sick, so I'm probably making less sense than usual. :iagree: Granted, I started hsing with older ds in 2nd, but! younger ds has a "full load" for pre-k. I think the relaxing needs to be the teacher, not the student :lol: These :chillpill: are meant for adults. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elise1mds Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 I tend to overPLAN, but I don't think I overDO things, if that makes any sense at all. For instance, I had PLANNED that we would get through all of Minimus this year. In reality, there's no way it's going to happen. We're just getting done with lesson 4. I had planned to use WWE but threw it out months ago because we both hated it. This week math consists of lots of multiplication practice and absolutely no worksheets, which technically puts us "behind" where I had planned to be, but it's what we need to do, so I gotta roll with it! My son loves structure, so I'm not afraid to try to cover and incorporate a lot, but I make sure he enjoys it. We have a lot of talks about how things are working for him. He's definitely getting a solid grounding in every subject, and I suspect that if anything, I'll loosen up over time, but I don't think I'm going to look back and think that I pushed him too hard, because if that was the case, he'd want to go back to school with his sister! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 I'm all for solidly and consistently hitting the three Rs from a young age -- but I also think a lot of parents really over-think the content subjects for very young ones. My advice would be to begin brief, regular lessons in the three Rs as soon as the child shows readiness. This doesn't have to be "hours a day", but I think that most kids are ready for 10-15 minutes of each subject each day from about age 5 (with a range of about 2 years either way depending on the individual child). Other than reading, writing, and basic work with patterns and arithmetic, I think it's good to be very flexible with young ones (I'm thinking k-2 range). Lots of read-alouds from various genres, fairy tales and legends from around the world, picture book biographies and stories of famous historical incidents, books about "how things work" and the natural world, chapter books and children's classics... Field trips, building stuff, visiting museums, doing puzzles, playing games, climbing, and yes, digging in the dirt... ;) I don't think most parents do any *harm* when they over-analyze the science and history of the early years. Some of them burn out, but maybe that's coincidental anyway. ... But I think the great freedom to do what delights you and your children in the early years and to have lots of TIME -- time when kids can explore their world in an unstructured way -- is some of the great value of home schooling. I do think it's nice to hit some of the highlights of world history between K and 4, but *how* one approaches that matters a lot less than it does in 5-8, when the chronology of events really sinks in. A child who adores history and science in the early years will be better prepared than a child who has gone systemically (according to anybody's system!) through the subjects but without a lot of joy and time to explore... Having kids with really strong fundamental skills by the end of 2nd grade though? That's a HUGE advantage going into the next years... This is my approach almost exactly. K-2 is reading/writing/arithmetic. Bedtime stories are when we read great lit or maybe a science book, etc in K-2 b/c I just dont have enough hrs in the day. We add history and science daily starting in 3rd, but k-2.......dirt is calling and far more educational. ;) No regrets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 ... A child who adores history and science in the early years will be better prepared than a child who has gone systemically (according to anybody's system!) through the subjects but without a lot of joy and time to explore... Wanted to edit to say that I do *not* believe that systematic study automatically kills joy. Sometimes it works great. And sometimes it's just most convenient to have a younger child follow along with the same topics an older one is studying. But what I think is most important in the early years isn't systematic study of content subjects, but joy and exposure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Embassy Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 My kids are still young. I get the "you are doing too much" statements quite a bit. It is the "too much" that makes school into something enjoyable. If we did the minimum we would miss out on the best parts of school. Here are a couple blog posts I wrote on the topic: It's too much! School should be fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Surfside Academy Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 I'm all for solidly and consistently hitting the three Rs from a young age -- but I also think a lot of parents really over-think the content subjects for very young ones. My advice would be to begin brief, regular lessons in the three Rs as soon as the child shows readiness. This doesn't have to be "hours a day", but I think that most kids are ready for 10-15 minutes of each subject each day from about age 5 (with a range of about 2 years either way depending on the individual child). :iagree: That's my focus for my kindergartner this year. I try to have him sit in on our history & science readings but I don't force it. It's still amazing what he picks up just by sitting in... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallory Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 I have lightened up and we weren't heavy to begin with ;) When my first were 4 and 5 we started some things, then when they were 5 and 6 we tried to do it all- history, science, reading, math (okay, I've never done a formal math program at that age), latin/spanish, and so on. Not much of it ever got done, I should have spent time and money on fun things, not school things. Because there is sure less chance to do that with my little ones now. I'll admit that I probably spent way to much time trying to get the extras done when they were younger. But my oldest has slid right into pretty much all the logic stage suggestions even though we didn't ever do grammar, or spelling, or math, or much writing. I also think it depends on what your kids do otherwise. My boys have never been interested in sitting and doing the things I think of as academic or educational. Even if they are things I would have really thought of as fun (like Highlight Which Way magazines, or following specific craft directions). But they do spend thier days playing hard. They have always been interested in weapons. They make thier own arrows and bows, including flint knapping and making traps. They can start fires with sparks. They can usually tell you what direction is north and are great at reading maps. They also spend lots of time making things from thier own free style crafts to things like benches and chicken coops. They work in our garden, fish in our pond, and take care of the animals. Miles knows all the spots our chickens hide thier eggs and can even tell most of them apart, Tracker (4yo :001_huh:) has an amazing knowledge of all the things that live on our land, from the frogs to the roadrunners to the deer, and Lincoln can find arrowheads in the creek like nobody else. They also like to cook (or at least they like to eat;))and have their own specialties that they make for dinner or lunch. These activites don't really really strike me as educational, but because they have had so much time to really dig into some of these interests, some educational things do happen. The big boys will devour survival books and novels. The 4 yo goes to sleep most nights with one of his many field guides and will spend hours pouring over the pages and can tell you what and where he saw the animal. When they built the chicken coop they had to use lots of math both in measuring, and we also gave them a budget for supplies and chickens. They decided to scrounge most of the supplies so they would have extra for thier chick order. Quite frankly when I read TWTM when my oldest boys were just toddlers, I loved it. I would have loved it for my own education. I have never thought unschooling was a great idea. But my boys seem to think otherwise. For one I was not ready for the sheer amount of physical activity or work my boys not only are capable of but need. They split logs and haul wood and saw boards (I do let them use a power drill, but everything else is by hand) and turn soil and mow and clear brush and still run off to physical play when they are done. Next I discovered it really is easier to teach a 7 or 8 year old to read then a 2 or 3 year old. I know. I taught for several years at a private school where we started phonics at 2 1/2. My oldest started then and was reading by 4. My next didn't read until 8. My current 4yo can pick out the first letter of his name from our magnet letters, and knows a couple other sounds, but I am not worried about it. I mean there is learning going on here all the time. We have maps and posters and letters up all over. We talk about math problems or science facts at dinner because we enjoy it. We love getting a new magzine in the mail and everyone shares thier favorite stories or pictures all the time. For whatever reason school time isn't like that here. Whether I buy a great involved, bells and whistles curriculum or wheather we use a "git-er-don" workbook-- My boys don't enjoy school. They'd rather get it over with and get back to what they were working on before. That was probably more then you wanted to know :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 My kids are still young. I get the "you are doing too much" statements quite a bit. It is the "too much" that makes school into something enjoyable. If we did the minimum we would miss out on the best parts of school. Here are a couple blog posts I wrote on the topic: It's too much! School should be fun. :iagree: I enjoyed these posts you wrote. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nov05mama Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 I'm all for solidly and consistently hitting the three Rs from a young age -- but I also think a lot of parents really over-think the content subjects for very young ones. My advice would be to begin brief, regular lessons in the three Rs as soon as the child shows readiness. This doesn't have to be "hours a day", but I think that most kids are ready for 10-15 minutes of each subject each day from about age 5 (with a range of about 2 years either way depending on the individual child). Other than reading, writing, and basic work with patterns and arithmetic, I think it's good to be very flexible with young ones (I'm thinking k-2 range). Lots of read-alouds from various genres, fairy tales and legends from around the world, picture book biographies and stories of famous historical incidents, books about "how things work" and the natural world, chapter books and children's classics... Field trips, building stuff, visiting museums, doing puzzles, playing games, climbing, and yes, digging in the dirt... ;) I don't think most parents do any *harm* when they over-analyze the science and history of the early years. Some of them burn out, but maybe that's coincidental anyway. ... But I think the great freedom to do what delights you and your children in the early years and to have lots of TIME -- time when kids can explore their world in an unstructured way -- is some of the great value of home schooling. I do think it's nice to hit some of the highlights of world history between K and 4, but *how* one approaches that matters a lot less than it does in 5-8, when the chronology of events really sinks in. A child who adores history and science in the early years will be better prepared than a child who has gone systemically (according to anybody's system!) through the subjects but without a lot of joy and time to explore... Having kids with really strong fundamental skills by the end of 2nd grade though? That's a HUGE advantage going into the next years... Beautifully said :) I am definitely one in the camp of "child-led"...some kids aren't ready for 'academics' at age 4/5, some kids (like my DS) are beyond ready for 'academics' by age 5. The magic of homeschooling is knowing your child and doing what is best for YOUR child. There is not, and never will be, a one-size-fits-all homeschool. For me, my goal is to instill a love of learning and I do that by whatever means I can and make available what I can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallory Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 I've been thinking about this some more. I do feel strongly that the purpose of education until the age of 18 or so is NOT vocational. There is a certain level of acheivement that I will require from my kids whether they plan to be chemists or lawyers or finish concrete. Their educations with me will all be very similar. But I also truly feel that you don't have to do much at 5 or 6 or even 7 to have a strong, college prep education. I really haven't had any problem fitting my current 11yo into almost everything in TWTM for logic stage and, believe me, we did not do all the things listed in the grammar stage. I do know that there are more people more knowledgeable than myself about this (history not being my strong suit ;)), but I bet few of the "classical educations" throughout history started at 5 or 6 or 7. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 I did more with my oldest in K simply because she was more mature and ready for the work. DS simply doesn't have the attention span or fine motor skills that his big sister had at the same age. And that's fine- he's a good reader and everything else will presumably come in time :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 What do you do? Why do you choose to school in that way in the early years? Do you have regrets looking back about doing too much or too little? Why? I was not around littles when I was growing up, and never babysat, and had never changed a diaper when kiddo was born, so, to say the least, I felt I needed to go into this with flexibility in mind. I KNEW I didn't KNOW, IYKWIM. So, I read WTM, I made plans on curriculum, I made a commitment to a certain amount of time in each topic, but I didn't have a set of hurdles by such and such a date. My kid, and I suspect most others, learn in fits and spurts, and self-motivation is crucial. Right now, e.g. he is on a kick of studying art. So, reading class is him reading an art book to me, cuddle time is me reading an art book to him, field trips are to art things, you get the picture. There is just no way to schedule the fits and starts of a little mind! That said, math gets done nearly every day, and we have our ups and down with that, but we do carry on through the downs. If I had more kids, I think I would be planning more, and I suspect I will be doing so when he is more in the logic stage, but right now, "with the world so new and all", there are a nearly endless list of things that could be productive. On a restless day, we just walk around the house and learn the names of tools, or furniture parts, or synonyms of blue ("the cerulean sky"). One can relax with playing in the dirt, but one can also have Papa throw together a little wood frame from scraps, fill it with dirt and stamp it down, learning how the Great Wall was made in an area with not enough rocks. So, to sum up what I did/am doing in the grammar stage: pick good curriculum, stock up on extras, plan on the amount of time for each year, parcel it up into months, review the curriculum and educate self so as to be able to be a nimble teacher during teachable moments, get a routine for the 3 Rs, don't over book your day but try to get running,sweating, panting exercise for kiddo daily, place appealing "extras" in front of your child (e.g. Atelier art really makes my child launch into art projects with enthusiasm), set a good example in reading every day, using good grammar, and showing a vivid curiosity about the world, and be sure to record time spent, so that at the end of the month you can say "okay, 12 hours on math, 4 hours on grammar, 5 on writing, 4 on spelling, 5 on reading and 10 with free reading....great, lets go to a museum!" (And I apologize to those who grind their teeth over such posts by mother's of one. :)) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StartingOver Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 I am a rigorous mom. Nothing is required before age 5, everything is done as my children ask for it. After age 5, we have a set amount to accomplish each day, we work in 15 minute time slots, then play for a bit. We school year round, so we have plenty of time to cover the ground I want to, and go off on rabbit trails. We also have time to do the hands on things my children choose. I have no regrets at all. I have been following TWTM since 1999, and adding Sonlight for more literature. I have three graduates, all in college, two serving their country. I don't carry a whip, but I make it known very early that work must be done to get that play time, building on that more and more as they get older, stretching out work times longer and longer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rlugbill Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 Here is some of my thinking on this. I don't think about it as a continuum of more vs. less. Or harder vs. easier. It's not a continuum. I tend to emphasize skills over content knowledge. By that, I mean 3Rs, not the tedious skills on worksheets that some people do. Read to your child and use a reading program at first. We use a math curriculum and a language arts curriculum. We only use 2 curriculums pretty much all the way- math and language arts. I believe free play time is very important as is time with caring adults. Play is very important. So, it may sound to you that we fall on the middle of the spectrum or even the laid-back side. But, I think there is another thing that needs to be taught. It's a value really. The value is quality work. I want my child to understand what quality work is. How to achieve it and what it feels like. We did this by taking music lessons from a young age. At age 13, she is very accomplished violinist- first chair in youth orchestra. Plays very complex music. Also plays cello, flute and piano. So, now she feels that she is competent. She knows that she can accomplish something and she knows how to accomplish something. She practices every day for years on end. And she has weekly lessons with a knowledgeable teacher. That's what it takes to succeed in almost anything. No matter what she goes into, she will know that 1. she can do it. and 2. how to get good at it. Practice every day for years on end and get a good teacher and take lessons. Many children never learn that they are capable of doing great things. They don't believe they are capable, so they don't try. Or if they try, they don't know how to succeed. This doesn't have to be done through music. It could be sports or drama or dance or something. But a benefit of music is that the friends and teachers tend to be quality people, so they are a good influence on our dd. It has worked well for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheAutumnOak Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 If you have been on these boards for the past couple of months or have read any of my desperate posts, you know what camp I am in...We were way too relaxed when my oldest was younger, and we are paying for that now... I think that you have to know what your tendencies are before you decide to "relax" or "be vigorous"...Some people by nature tend to do too much and some people tend to be lazier or to not do enough...Since I tend to be lazier and not do enough, I no longer take to heart all of the "do less" talk...I need to hear "do more" because that is what I need to even get the minimum done...I know some who would push their kids at 5 until they are crying and can't stand them, they are the ones who can stand to hear "relax"...You have to know where you naturally stand I think... That being said, what I wish is that my oldest was use to doing hard work and doing it consistently...I don't need for my boys to work on grade levels above where they are, just to get use to hard, consistent work...I guess what I am trying to say is that teaching kids to be disciplined is very important...The basics also NEED to be done...I really like the layout in WTM and wished we followed it... I just want to be consistent, have age appropriate goals that we reach yearly, and see my boys learning and growing...You can't relax to the point where that is not happening...I now feel that learning to read well is my first goal...Staying caught up with math is also very important... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cindyz Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 Largely though, the impression I get from a lot of people is, "You crazy mothers are over-working your kids! Let them play in the mud and work in a lesson or two when you can but RELAX!". Whenever I see someone say something like this, I think, why can't we do both? We do lessons AND he plays for HOURS each day, AND we snuggle for hours reading each day, AND he has lots of fun social activities throughout the week. Even after finishing lessons, he's begging me for something more to do after an hour or so of playing. We do have more than 2 or 3 hours in our day. :D:D Just do what's right for your child and your family and you'll be ok. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted February 19, 2011 Share Posted February 19, 2011 I I think that you have to know what your tendencies are before you decide to "relax" or "be vigorous"...Some people by nature tend to do too much and some people tend to be lazier or to not do enough. :iagree:For me, as someone who likes to do do do one thing (study one topic in depth) it has been a rewarding struggle to grasp that 15 little minutes several times a week works much better with a little brain than 5 hours all at once. (However, hands on science can take all day :D.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginevra Posted February 19, 2011 Share Posted February 19, 2011 I think that you have to know what your tendencies are before you decide to "relax" or "be vigorous"...Some people by nature tend to do too much and some people tend to be lazier or to not do enough... That is a spot-on bit of advice. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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