speedmom4 Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 Repost from General Board. Hoping to get some help. Hello Hive, I really need some advice. I am in the planning stages for next fall. My concern is that I am putting so much on my plate that I'm setting myself up for failure. I typically feel this way each spring/summer when I'm planning for the next year. I'm going to list each child's curriculum choices. My concern is not that THEY can do the work, but if I will have so much to do working with each child. Please let me know what you think! Oldest daughter will be 11th grade Omnibus V Physics Apologia Teaching Textbooks Pre-Calc Government and Economics (outside class with paid instructor) Spanish 2 Rosetta Stone Vocab from Classical Roots SAT prep Youngest daughter will be 8th grade Bob Jones American Heritage History Lightning Literature Grade 8 CLE 8th English Teaching Textbooks 8th grade Physical Science Apologia AAS Write at Home 8th grade composition course full year Wordly Wise Bob Jones Bible 8th grade Oldest son will be 5th grade CLE 5th grade English Teaching Textbooks 6 AAS Youngest son will be 4th grade CLE 4th grade English Teaching Textbooks 5 AAS I am planning on using HOD Preparing for my two youngest children. I will also use Drawn into the Heart of Reading for them. I'm just so worried about staying involved with my oldest two. The boys will need me quite a bit so I'm not concerned about keeping up with them. My girls are a different story. I know they still need me to stay involved with their history and literature. Also, my oldest two play musical instruments. Oldest competes in several events for piano and also has 3 students she is currently teaching piano. She also volunteers at a therapeutic horseback riding facility 3 hours a week. My oldest son has Cerebral Palsy and epilepsy. My youngest will begin competing in level 4 gymnastics this fall. BTW, my husband travels approximately 36 weeks a year for his job so he is basically MIA. Thank you so much if you read all of my ramblings. I'm just a bit stressed about how will I ever get it all done!!! God Bless, Elise in NC __________________ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 Have you come up with an actual schedule? I can see that there's a lot, but I will say that most of what your oldest is doing seems independent. TT, Rosetta, SAT Prep (except for check in every week and giving her a test from time to time), vocab and physics are all independent. The Omnibus stuff can be done on her own until it comes to discussion--When I used Omni, I met with ds 3 times a week or so. I had him write out his discussion questions so he'd be prepared. That helped the time be more organized. (Of course, discussion with him was still challenging, but it was better when he prepared...LOL). So, you can probably set aside either an hour every day or about 2 hours every other day, and be fine for her. Just keep an eye on what she's actually accomplishing, even if you aren't discussing. With your second dd, you have some independent work, too--Wordly Wise, TT math, Apologia--all of it can be done on her own, with just a little check in. You might want to set up a lab every week for her, so she can just go do it like a learning center. The boys will need more from you, but there's some independence in that work, too. The trick, I think, it to make the kids feel you are interested in their work and that they can come to you for help, and at the same time, feel confident enough to tackle some things on their own. A spread sheet or hourly schedule would probably be the way to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie in MN Posted April 21, 2011 Share Posted April 21, 2011 I'm not sure what Omnibus will include, but from my perspective the oldest seems light on writing/English and the 2nd oldest seems really heavy on English. English seems like one thing that requires a lot of feedback in order to understand the vocab and improve the writing. So of course you might have to decide who needs your help the most. Julie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaT Posted April 21, 2011 Share Posted April 21, 2011 I'm not sure what Omnibus will include, but from my perspective the oldest seems light on writing/English and the 2nd oldest seems really heavy on English. English seems like one thing that requires a lot of feedback in order to understand the vocab and improve the writing. So of course you might have to decide who needs your help the most. Julie I agree with Julie about the English. I have kids in 11th, 8th, 6th, and 5th this year, so pretty close to your kids ages. It is just hard. I have had to make a pretty strict schedule (which I normally would not do) just to make sure that everyone gets time with me when they need it. I also had to change it once school started because I felt like my 11th grader was being shortchanged. We tweaked how we do it and managed to get everything done, but sometimes I feel like I don't have 5 seconds to breathe during school time. It should be a little easier next year - my oldest will be taking his math and science at the CC, and my other three will be going to co-op for science and foreign language. After 15 years, I have learned that some years are just harder than others - but it can be done. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedmom4 Posted April 21, 2011 Author Share Posted April 21, 2011 Thank you so much for the input! I really really appreciate it. Omnibus will include writing. Also her government and econ class will be quite heavy on writing. My oldest is very very strong in writing so I am not concerned with that area. The three younger kids need more work with writing. It is so good to hear others who are homeschooling several children with kids in high school. I know lots of homeschoolers in real life but none of them seem to stick with it through high school. It is so nice to hear back from others who have been there done that. Thanks so much! God Bless, Elise in NC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedmom4 Posted April 21, 2011 Author Share Posted April 21, 2011 Forgot to mention that my oldest daughter has done Rod and Staff since 3rd grade. She is done with grammar and writing instruction. She is in the Duke TIP program and scored really high in English on the ACT when she was 12. So, that is a better explanation for why I am not scheduling an "English" course for her. Omnibus will include History, Theology, and Literature. Thanks so much!! God Bless, Elise in NC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
love2read Posted April 21, 2011 Share Posted April 21, 2011 If your kids are independent, and I imagine the older ones are by now, it looks like the bulk of your time will be spent on discussion questions and not teaching. I have each child grade the next child's down math and science test which saves time and gives them immediate feedback too. I think your plan is very doable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedmom4 Posted April 21, 2011 Author Share Posted April 21, 2011 Oh Cordelia those were the words I longed to hear! Thank you so much. My two oldest are quite independent. They can do so much on their own with my help when needed. The wonderful thing about homeschooling is being able to customize everything to meet each child's need. But...that makes it very hard for momma, as you well know. Thank you so much for the encouragement!! God Bless, Elise in NC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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