Hours for school (5th)

[Aubrey]

I started working on a schedule for next year, &...it *does* include about 6hours for school, but that includes some time to play outside, lunch, etc. And things that wouldn't really be a priority for a 5th grader if he didn't have preschool age siblings--art & crafts kinds of things.

 

We should be able to get through our subjects in the time given on most days, I think, BUT...he's going to have enough more independent type work that...well, I don't think he will be able to finish in the time given, even if it's all been talked about/presented.

 

So I think he's going to have "homework" that will extend beyond our school day. 5th grade seems old enough for that to happen, but...I guess I want to hear from you all if that seems ok or not. I could be wrong & we'll get everything done, but if we don't...we don't finish until 4pm. Homework after that is a chunk of the evening, but again...that's what kids DO, right?

 

:bigear:

[LisaKinVA]

I always feel so guilty about the lack of free time my kids have. I read all of these other schedules and wonder how they "do" it all in 4 hours a day!

 

My son is doing a transition year... and he will be spending an hour a day on math, science, literature, and history. Plus we have grammar daily (we're switching to MCT, so I have no idea how long grammar, vocab, comp will take yet), and then there's Latin (online class 1.5hrs/1x a week, and homework anywhere from 45min-1hr. the rest of the week), Mandarin... 30 min/day plus 1hr. class on Fridays. Instrumental practice (45min/1hr 7x a week), Choir/Bells/Drama 3hrs one day a week, swimming 2hrs, 4x a week, Scouts... Memory Time in the car to/from swimming, and I know I've forgotten something!

 

So, in my world, your schedule sounds perfectly reasonable!

[NanceXToo]

Well, I'm one of the more relaxed homeschoolers here I think but we have been finishing 5th grade work lately in about 4 hours a day, and I like for all of us to have plenty of time to do our own thing, explore our own interests, have fun, for the kids to just "be kids" etc. I would definitely not want schoolwork going that long/late here on a regular basis, although once in a while if we have to play catchup because we had extra field trips and whatnot in a given week, I'm fine with that. But regularly finishing around 4 and doing "homework" in the evening? No, I would not want a schedule like that. (As for "that's what kids do," that's what kids do when they don't have a choice lol).

[Aubrey]

Well, I'm one of the more relaxed homeschoolers here I think but we have been finishing 5th grade work lately in about 4 hours a day, and I like for all of us to have plenty of time to do our own thing, explore our own interests, have fun, for the kids to just "be kids" etc. I would definitely not want schoolwork going that long/late here on a regular basis, although once in a while if we have to play catchup because we had extra field trips and whatnot in a given week, I'm fine with that. But regularly finishing around 4 and doing "homework" in the evening? No, I would not want a schedule like that. (As for "that's what kids do," that's what kids do when they don't have a choice lol).

 

Finishing at 4 is due to starting late--he'll have a couple of hours in the morning to do his own thing. I usually get up at 8; he gets up at 6-ish, lol, but instead of school, he really *likes* to have that time for himself. Quiet house, I guess.

 

But I'll also probably be working (from home) in the mornings & a new baby means a later start. Plus, some of that "school time" includes free time outside (I'm only "counting" it because kids are supposed to get "recess" lol) & about an hour for lunch. We might do some school over lunch, but probably not always, & nothing dreadful.

 

I agree w/ you, though: I'd feel better about schoolwork in the evening if we were finishing around 2 or 3pm. Otoh, he thinks it's funny that I expect him to have hw; they were finishing school around lunch time toward the end of this year. He thinks he's found the magic bullet. He has no idea how much is being added this coming year, though.

 

Another thing--there is also more "fun" stuff this year. More work on the computer, dvds, games. I'm *hoping* that that will balance everything out. But...I don't want to BURN us out either.

[8filltheheart]

Finishing at 4 is due to starting late--he'll have a couple of hours in the morning to do his own thing. I usually get up at 8; he gets up at 6-ish, lol, but instead of school, he really *likes* to have that time for himself. Quiet house, I guess.

 

But I'll also probably be working (from home) in the mornings & a new baby means a later start. Plus, some of that "school time" includes free time outside (I'm only "counting" it because kids are supposed to get "recess" lol) & about an hour for lunch. We might do some school over lunch, but probably not always, & nothing dreadful.

 

I agree w/ you, though: I'd feel better about schoolwork in the evening if we were finishing around 2 or 3pm. Otoh, he thinks it's funny that I expect him to have hw; they were finishing school around lunch time toward the end of this year. He thinks he's found the magic bullet. He has no idea how much is being added this coming year, though.

 

Another thing--there is also more "fun" stuff this year. More work on the computer, dvds, games. I'm *hoping* that that will balance everything out. But...I don't want to BURN us out either.

 

It would be overkill in our house. I personally can't imagine a 10 yr old doing school until well after 400, but I honestly can't grasp the schedule you are describing. Is there are reason he needs to do the arts and crafty stuff with you and the younger kids? Could he not just do the independent work while you all do that stuff?

 

5 solid hours of work in 5th grade is appropriate to me. I would focus more on instructing him and developing his ability to work on his own after that and not include him with the other kids.

[5LittleMonkeys]

I guess you need to ask yourself if you're alright with homework at night. It depends on what your priorities are for your family. If academics are your families' top priority then working on schoolwork until 4 and then having homework in the evening might be perfectly acceptable and maybe even enjoyable. If that is the case then try it out and see how you all like it that way.

 

Right now, academics are not top priority in our lives and we try really hard not to let homeschooling consume us. As a rule we don't work on schoolwork in the evenings or on the weekends because that is personal time and family time. There are soooo many other things to do, enjoy, experience, reflect on, talk about, play, listen to, watch.......all things that are invaluable to learning and growing. I know that once my dc get into highschool they can start to buckle down but I want them to have as much free time as they can possibly get while they are still young enough to really enjoy it. Soon enough their free time will be limited, their imaginations will wain and their thoughts will start to focus around responsibilities, priorities, deadlines, and commitments. My oldest is starting to move away from imaginative play and it makes me so sad...I'd much rather give her time to play with her siblings for a while longer rather than make her sit down with schoolwork. Just my .02.:D

[Aubrey]

It would be overkill in our house. I personally can't imagine a 10 yr old doing school until well after 400, but I honestly can't grasp the schedule you are describing. Is there are reason he needs to do the arts and crafty stuff with you and the younger kids? Could he not just do the independent work while you all do that stuff?

 

5 solid hours of work in 5th grade is appropriate to me. I would focus more on instructing him and developing his ability to work on his own after that and not include him with the other kids.

 

I usually give them a packet of work to work on for the week. The actual hours are less specific. So I expect we'll go from about 9 to 4, but that will include time for lunch & time outside for sure.

 

Honestly, I planned a bunch of arts & crafts for the littles this year & didn't do them, so maybe it's all moot: I really dislike presdchool stuff, arts & crafts stuff, etc. :lol:

 

Anyway, I figured the big kids would do *some* projects w/ the littles (because I wouldn't or because they'd like to), other times, they'll do their art while the littles do theirs. Some of the time probably would be independent work. I've just got years of his whining that he doesn't get to do the fun stuff echoing in my brain, but honestly, he hasn't whined about that in a couple of years at least. I'm probably being silly about that part.

 

2-4 is nap time, though, so it's our best school time. (To explain the late ending time a little more.)

[Twilight Woods]

I guess I would be asking myself if it would be necessary to have homework after putting a solid day in. Is he used to working independently? If not then I would gradually increase what he does independently that way you don't really need to do homework.

 

I/WE are anti-homework right now. :)

 

PS: remember I have NO experience with homeschooling. :001_smile: But I do have a soon to be 5th grader on my hands.

[5LittleMonkeys]

Finishing at 4 is due to starting late--he'll have a couple of hours in the morning to do his own thing. I usually get up at 8; he gets up at 6-ish, lol, but instead of school, he really *likes* to have that time for himself. Quiet house, I guess.

 

But I'll also probably be working (from home) in the mornings & a new baby means a later start. Plus, some of that "school time" includes free time outside (I'm only "counting" it because kids are supposed to get "recess" lol) & about an hour for lunch. We might do some school over lunch, but probably not always, & nothing dreadful.

 

I agree w/ you, though: I'd feel better about schoolwork in the evening if we were finishing around 2 or 3pm. Otoh, he thinks it's funny that I expect him to have hw; they were finishing school around lunch time toward the end of this year. He thinks he's found the magic bullet. He has no idea how much is being added this coming year, though.

 

Another thing--there is also more "fun" stuff this year. More work on the computer, dvds, games. I'm *hoping* that that will balance everything out. But...I don't want to BURN us out either.

 

Okay, I read this after I posted. How many hours per day of schoolwork are we talking about? I think that is a better determiner. If he is doing a couple hours in the morning then having a long break over lunch to play and then doing a couple more hours in the afternoon (finishing at 4), and then picking up another hour in the evening after he has had 2 or 3 hours of free time then I wouldn't have an issue. From your original post I thought he was working ALL day, getting done at 4 and then still having homework to do.:svengo:

 

I agree with 8FillstheHeart too about working on independent work while the littles are doing artsy\craftsy stuff. Unless he really enjoys doing it too. However, I still am against schoolwork in the evening (for our family). I know all families are different but to me that is the time of day to wind down, relax, spend time with the family, reflect on the day. One of the reasons I started homeschooling was because I hated having schoolwork invade that time of the day that was so important to our family.

Edited May 30, 2011 by 5LittleMonkeys

[Aubrey]

I guess you need to ask yourself if you're alright with homework at night. It depends on what your priorities are for your family. If academics are your families' top priority then working on schoolwork until 4 and then having homework in the evening might be perfectly acceptable and maybe even enjoyable. If that is the case then try it out and see how you all like it that way.

 

This is a good point. I'm tired in the evenings, which means that for the most part, homework wouldn't get done.

 

Otoh, I'm planning on splitting my work between mornings & evenings, & dh has some reading he'll need to be doing in the evenings, so if the bigs stayed up w/ us until, say, 9, & we spent that last hour after the littles are in bed all working quietly together, that might be ok. It might even be nice. Hmmmm...good things to think about.

 

Right now, academics are not top priority in our lives and we try really hard not to let homeschooling consume us. As a rule we don't work on schoolwork in the evenings or on the weekends because that is personal time and family time.

 

With a few exceptions, this is what we've always done. But there are some things too fun to leave dh out, so we save those for the weekend. And other times, we've gotten behind & had to catch up evenings & weekends, but that's been extremely rare.

 

There are soooo many other things to do, enjoy, experience, reflect on, talk about, play, listen to, watch.......all things that are invaluable to learning and growing. I know that once my dc get into highschool they can start to buckle down but I want them to have as much free time as they can possibly get while they are still young enough to really enjoy it.

 

Ha! Mine only do one thing w/ free time: play Stuffed Animal Land. It's their own made-up soap opera. :lol:

 

Soon enough their free time will be limited, their imaginations will wain and their thoughts will start to focus around responsibilities, priorities, deadlines, and commitments. My oldest is starting to move away from imaginative play and it makes me so sad...I'd much rather give her time to play with her siblings for a while longer rather than make her sit down with schoolwork. Just my .02.:D

 

My 8yo was just telling me this morning that she was worried about getting school work done next year because we'd be so busy changing diapers. :lol: We had our last 2 about 13 mos apart, so she doesn't realize how much easier this will be, but still--it cracks me up when they worry like adults.

[Aubrey]

Okay, I read this after I posted. How many hours per day of schoolwork are we talking about? I think that is a better determiner. If he is doing a couple hours in the morning then having a long break over lunch to play and then doing a couple more hours in the afternoon (finishing at 4), and then picking up another hour in the evening after he has had 2 or 3 hours of free time then I wouldn't have an issue. From your original post I thought he was working ALL day, getting done at 4 and then still having homework to do.:svengo:

 

We'll (almost) for sure have 2-4, during nap time. We *should* have 10-12, too. On good days, we might have some extra time from 9-10 &/or 12-2. Things tend to fall apart around lunch time, start slowly, &...the littles are starting to be able to sit at the table w/ us for stuff they're interested in--science projects & easy things, BUT they have a hard time w/ their, um, enthusiasm. So a 20 min science experiment can take 30-40. Unless something gets spilled. :lol:

 

Ds has been working so independently this past year that I've felt left out! There's a good chance that he'll be able to get more done during the time allotted than I'm imagining; otoh, the environment will be very distracting some days, & this is my kid who *can* sit & stare out the window for an hour w/out realizing time has passed.

[momto2Cs]

Well, I'm one of the more relaxed homeschoolers here I think but we have been finishing 5th grade work lately in about 4 hours a day, and I like for all of us to have plenty of time to do our own thing, explore our own interests, have fun, for the kids to just "be kids" etc. I would definitely not want schoolwork going that long/late here on a regular basis, although once in a while if we have to play catchup because we had extra field trips and whatnot in a given week, I'm fine with that. But regularly finishing around 4 and doing "homework" in the evening? No, I would not want a schedule like that. (As for "that's what kids do," that's what kids do when they don't have a choice lol).

 

:iagree: I'm looking at 3-4 hours a day for my to-be-5th-grader. I want time for my kids to be kids, to explore their own interests, to have time to read a book because they want to, not because it is assigned... I'm not trying to be harsh, but I wonder sometimes if we don't load too much on our kids at home.

 

ETA: After finishing reading the thread :blush: I understand better! If there are long breaks in there, then it isn't that he's doing school ALL day and evening, which is what I originally thought. My count above does not include breaks or anything, so it probably works out similarly.

Edited May 30, 2011 by momto2Cs

[Aubrey]

:iagree: I'm looking at 3-4 hours a day for my to-be-5th-grader. I want time for my kids to be kids, to explore their own interests, to have time to read a book because they want to, not because it is assigned... I'm not trying to be harsh, but I wonder sometimes if we don't load too much on our kids at home.

 

ETA: After finishing reading the thread :blush: I understand better! If there are long breaks in there, then it isn't that he's doing school ALL day and evening, which is what I originally thought. My count above does not include breaks or anything, so it probably works out similarly.

 

I'm basing my idea of what it might ought to be on an elem school--6hours, including recess, lunch, etc. And then they have homework. So...while I would kind-of feel bad if it were 6hrs + hw, I wonder if that's just normal?

 

I probably fall on the stricter side of philosophy--you teach them to love learning so that you can put in the time it takes. But I fall WAY on the lax side of implementation, lol, so it works out to just average, I'm guessing. :lol:

[Capt_Uhura]

Aubry, based on a question I had, someone started a "Day in the Life" thread a couple of months back. Take a look at that. I think it gives a more realistic picture of what days look like in various homeschools. When people start talking hours in the day, the thread gets derailed easily You really have to look at the individual kid and what his/her needs are. And some people include 1hr of music practice and 1hr of gymnastics as part of school so their day looks long but it is what that DC wants/needs. Others don't include read alouds and art and music and their day looks short. Hence, my question about a "Day in the Life."

 

I often feel like we are working. all. day. long. We often don't finish until 4-5pm. But we don't start until 10am. So my oldest has 2.5hrs freetime in the AM. Then, my boys want 1-1.5hrs for lunch. Then then want a 30min break between hefty subjects. During that break time I spend time w/ my 4yr old. So yep we're going until 4-5pm but the day goes in fits and starts. A few times I attempted to add up the time spent on actual, focused work and it was about 4-4.5hrs depending on if it's a writing day but it's spread out over 6-7hrs. Even given that long day, they have more time to be a kid than if they were in PS all day.

[Angel]

Well, I'm one of the more relaxed homeschoolers here I think but we have been finishing 5th grade work lately in about 4 hours a day, and I like for all of us to have plenty of time to do our own thing, explore our own interests, have fun, for the kids to just "be kids" etc. I would definitely not want schoolwork going that long/late here on a regular basis, although once in a while if we have to play catchup because we had extra field trips and whatnot in a given week, I'm fine with that. But regularly finishing around 4 and doing "homework" in the evening? No, I would not want a schedule like that. (As for "that's what kids do," that's what kids do when they don't have a choice lol).

 

:iagree:

 

My 5th grader's schedule next year will be about 4 hours. So much learning happens outside the curriculum. Not to mention, she is still a kid and I want to encourage that, too. I can't imagine doing a whole day of school and then having homework on top. I homeschool so that they *don't* have to be like what all the other kids do.

[Aubrey]

:iagree:

 

My 5th grader's schedule next year will be about 4 hours. So much learning happens outside the curriculum. Not to mention, she is still a kid and I want to encourage that, too. I can't imagine doing a whole day of school and then having homework on top. I homeschool so that they *don't* have to be like what all the other kids do.

 

Well, I homeschool mine so they will be well-educated. It never occurred to me that I might do this by doing LESS than ps.

[Angel]

Well, I homeschool mine so they will be well-educated. It never occurred to me that I might do this by doing LESS than ps.

 

Less kids to teach, more individual time with the teacher, no busy work or class interruptions, all these things IMHO lead to a homeschool day that adds up to less hours than what a public school day looks like! Obviously, YMMV, but my dd is finishing up 4th grade and needs nowhere near the time that a public school day takes to finish up her schooling, let alone homework. She seems fairly well-educated to me, excepting being behind in her math facts, but sometimes even well-educated kids struggle in different areas with their school work.

 

Maybe I'm more radical than I thought:D

[frankcassiesmom]

Well, I homeschool mine so they will be well-educated. It never occurred to me that I might do this by doing LESS than ps.

 

Less time does NOT equal less work! Think of all the hours spent just devoted to getting kids all settled, work out, dealing with multiple children behavior issue, teachers having to help children who don't understand a topic while other kids wait, getting them all lined up to go to lunch, etc. etc. There was a study I read on HSLDA once that said that the average grammar age child did about 2-3 hours of actual schoolwork in an entire day. NOW that doesn't mean that you can't still do the same amount of time but you will get WAY more done than they do! More art, language, music, writing, history, etc. etc. in the same time. But others want them to have more time for personal interests and things like that that stimulate the mind just as much as more Latin, or more history.

[lewelma]

ds(10) does 4 hours (hard work) 4 days a week on skills. 1.5 hours on math and 2.5 hours on LA (grammar, spelling, writing, vocab, summarizing, mandarin). He works from 8:30 to 1 with 30 min for a break. I expect all history, science, and lit reading to be on his "own" time. He does practice 30 min violin at night, and his father reads history to them for 45 minutes.

 

My son would be exhausted if he had to work through out the whole day, even if there were many breaks. But I am sure it would depend on the child. For example, some children might like 2 hours in the morning, 2 hours in the afternoon, 1 hour at night. My son would NOT. He would rather work hard with few breaks and get the rest of the day to himself. Have you talked to your son about his preferences?

 

Ruth in NZ

[Aubrey]

Less time does NOT equal less work! Think of all the hours spent just devoted to getting kids all settled, work out, dealing with multiple children behavior issue, teachers having to help children who don't understand a topic while other kids wait, getting them all lined up to go to lunch, etc. etc.

 

I realize. I don't mean that we need *exactly* the same number of hours as ps--I was just using that to kind-of gauge what I'm doing. Iow, if their school day is 6 hours w/ no hw, & I'm expecting 10 w/ 4hrs of hw, that's way off. My comment was mainly meant for pp who was so appalled that I'd look at *anything* the ps does *at all.*

 

I'm not trying to do 6hrs of school/day + hw *in particular,* but I certainly have different goals from someone who hs's JUST for the sake of doing things differently than the ps.

 

There was a study I read on HSLDA once that said that the average grammar age child did about 2-3 hours of actual schoolwork in an entire day.

 

Sometimes I worry that we believe these statistics too readily. Maybe they're true, but what if we cut our kids' school back to 2-3 hrs & it turns out ps kids *were* getting more ed than that? I don't want to make future success *harder* for my dc because they were hs'd.

 

NOW that doesn't mean that you can't still do the same amount of time but you will get WAY more done than they do! More art, language, music, writing, history, etc. etc. in the same time. But others want them to have more time for personal interests and things like that that stimulate the mind just as much as more Latin, or more history.

 

That's fine. This thread is not about what others want to do. I will be dealing w/ 3 children ages 4 & under next year (maybe you didn't read the whole thread?), & because of that, I'm not sure we'll get everything done while the littles are awake. We will try. The thought of hw for a hs'er seemed wrong to me, but given ds's age, I know he *should* be doing more hrs of work than he was in, say, 2nd grade. That may mean that eventually he needs "homework" (which is really nothing but independent work that he does on his own time, which could be eve or morning or lunch time).

 

I'm simply trying to find out what others do--if there's some point at which "homework" becomes part of the standard equation. If you've got a kid who's finished 5th grade, & hw hasn't been part of that--that's relevant information. If you have, I'd like to hear about that.

 

Fwiw, your description of your day sounds longer than ours. If I'm requiring a kid to do history reading, I wouldn't count that as "free time" that's "better than more history." It IS "more history."

[5LittleMonkeys]

That may mean that eventually he needs "homework" (which is really nothing but independent work that he does on his own time, which could be eve or morning or lunch time).

 

 

 

I think this is the key...finding a time for him to get this work done without it feeling like your day is going on forever and a time when you won't be to exhausted to help him if he needs it or too exhausted to make sure he does it. I've tried to implement independent reading time for each of my dc for 30 minutes before lights out (I never considered this "homework" but I suppose some would consider it to be so) but in all honesty it doesn't often get accomplished becuause by that time of the day (between 9 and 10) I'm too tired and disinterested in schoolwork to make sure that they are doing it. Usually if they are upstairs in their rooms being quiet ... well, you know, let sleeping dogs lie and all.

 

I understand what you are describing for your day and all I can say is that I know I wouldn't be persistant enough to come back to schoolwork once we had officially ended for the day. Good grief, I have a hard time getting back to it after lunch break!

 

I had a thought. Have you ever considered a loop schedule for your content subjects? If you could get the 3 R's done in the morning and then save nap time for your content subjects - looping anything that you didn't complete to the next day and then maybe save something that doesn't require a lot of your direction or attention, or things your dh could enforce for the evening (maybe just reading or workbooks?) you might solve the problem of trying to get it all accomplished. I've never used a loop schedule but have been considering one for this coming year for science and history. I don't have as many little bitty ones as you but I will be trying to teach 4 and I'm a little nervous. I hope you can find a schedule that's conducive to all you have going on this next year!

[Create Your Ritual]

Hey there Aubrey... I thought I might share with you my schedule for dd10 who will be in 5th next year.

 

8:00 - 8:30 M T W TH (Lit/Reading) F - Current Events

8:30 - 9:00 M T W TH F - Grammar

9:00 - 9:15 Break

9:15 - 10:15 M T W TH F - Writing

10:15 - 10:45 M W F - Latin T TH - Geography

10:45 - 11:00 M TH - Cursive T F - Typing W - Thinking Skills (she usually does this in free time as well)

11:00 - 11:30 M W - Spanish (Online DVDs/workbook) T TH - Spelling/Vocab F - Art Day

 

11:30 - 12:00 Lunch

12:00 - 1:00 M W F - History T TH - Science (I switch the days half way through the year)

1:00 - 2:00 M T W TH F - Math

 

2:00 - 3:30 - REST TIME (This is for the little guys nap, as well as the older dc take any remaining work to their rooms to finish by 3:30, or they can read or play quietly in there. If it's a really nice day here, then I let the older dc go outside to play during little guys nap, but ultimately this break is for ME.. so it's a regular event in the house. I know there are a lot of people partial to allowing the older dc to do more teacher intensive work during babies nap time, but I just can't make myself give up this time to anyone. Maybe I am selfish that way, but I just need it for my personal sanity. ;-)

 

Anyway.. around 3:30 ish they have chores which take about 20 minutes or so, and then piano or go to gymnastics for dd once a week, or they play until ready to leave for various team sports practice during the week. We go from soccer into a 3 week break, then basketball, another break, then baseball/softball. I pretty much count all that as their PE and as they have a lot of energy, it's a necessity.

 

As far as the little guy goes, I have loved using the Leapfrog DVDs and it has taught him all his letters and sounds, along with counting.

Edited May 31, 2011 by SaDonna

[Angel]

"My comment was mainly meant for pp who was so appalled that I'd look at *anything* the ps does *at all.*

 

I'm not trying to do 6hrs of school/day + hw *in particular,* but I certainly have different goals from someone who hs's JUST for the sake of doing things differently than the ps."

 

Just had to clarify...I don't homeschool "JUST" for the sake of doing things differently than the ps. I certainly didn't say that was my only reason for homeschooling. I homeschool for many reasons. Sorry, but that statement was just not true.

 

"So I think he's going to have "homework" that will extend beyond our school day. 5th grade seems old enough for that to happen, but...I guess I want to hear from you all if that seems ok or not. I could be wrong & we'll get everything done, but if we don't...we don't finish until 4pm. Homework after that is a chunk of the evening, but again...that's what kids DO, right?"

 

You stated the bold and one was a question. All I was doing was agreeing with a pp who said the same thing I was thinking in reference to the bolded statements in the original post. Somehow my answer rubbed you the wrong way and for that I'm sorry. I don't think you needed to respond that you wanted a well-educated child (implying mine wasn't) or that I was JUST homeschooling for the sake of doing things different than the ps (which I'm not).

 

If you and your son are pleased with your schedule, then great. It sounds like you've answered your own questions while answering these posts. Many on the boards do things radically different from me. I was just answering a question you asked, if it doesn't work for you, no biggie.

[8filltheheart]

That's fine. This thread is not about what others want to do. I will be dealing w/ 3 children ages 4 & under next year (maybe you didn't read the whole thread?), & because of that, I'm not sure we'll get everything done while the littles are awake. We will try. The thought of hw for a hs'er seemed wrong to me, but given ds's age, I know he *should* be doing more hrs of work than he was in, say, 2nd grade. That may mean that eventually he needs "homework" (which is really nothing but independent work that he does on his own time, which could be eve or morning or lunch time).

 

I'm simply trying to find out what others do--if there's some point at which "homework" becomes part of the standard equation. If you've got a kid who's finished 5th grade, & hw hasn't been part of that--that's relevant information. If you have, I'd like to hear about that.

 

Fwiw, your description of your day sounds longer than ours. If I'm requiring a kid to do history reading, I wouldn't count that as "free time" that's "better than more history." It IS "more history."

 

Aubrey,

 

I don't even give my high school age kids "homework" per se. They are given their assignments and however long it takes them to finish is how long they work.

 

Do you write up daily lesson plans? Are all your goals for him clearly laid out for him so that he knows what is expected?

 

I go through my kids' subjects and create daily lessons that take grade-level appropriate amts of time to complete. Once they hit 3rd/4th grade, their days are not finished until everything in their planner is completed. B/c I am pretty accurate in how long it should take a particular child to complete their assignments, their planners reflect pretty consistently about 1 hr/grade level of daily work 5 days/week. (until middle school, than it is 6-8 hrs/day and high school is 7-9)

 

FWIW, I do agree that we accomplish more in less time at home. However, ps is not my gauge. I don't care to resemble ps in any way. My younger kids work less time than ps kids and my older kids work longer. Overall, I know my kids are well-educated and are either on par or exceed their peers (depends on the child and their innate abilities.) However, it does NOT take equal or more amt of time from early grades on for that outcome. My advanced kids (even the ones significantly advanced) do not spend more time than any of their avg siblings did at the same age. It is simply what they complete during the time that is different.

Edited May 31, 2011 by 8FillTheHeart

[Aubrey]

Aubrey,

 

I don't even give my high school age kids "homework" per se. They are given their assignments and however long it takes them to finish is how long they work.

 

This is exactly the information I was looking for, & I know you're one of those w/ experience & a solid hs. Thank you.

 

Do you write up daily lesson plans? Are all your goals for him clearly laid out for him so that he knows what is expected?

 

More or less. Before this past year, though, I was always worried that I might be assigning too much per day. Last year, I just divided the books into 36 weeks, so I guess that's a more objective way to measure the "right" amt per day/week.

 

I go through my kids' subjects and create daily lessons that take grade-level appropriate amts of time to complete. Once they hit 3rd/4th grade, their days are not finished until everything in their planner is completed. B/c I am pretty accurate in how long it should take a particular child to complete their assignments, their planners reflect pretty consistently about 1 hr/grade level of daily work 5 days/week. (until middle school, than it is 6-8 hrs/day and high school is 7-9)

 

So 5hrs/day for 5th grade? That means my estimates really aren't over-the-top. But that means 5 *real* hours of work, not 3 hrs of work & 2 hrs of helping make lunch, helping someone go to the bathroom, sneaking off to play (he hasn't really done this in a couple of years), etc. The "real" part is what worries me. :o

 

FWIW, I do agree that we accomplish more in less time at home. However, ps is not my gauge.

 

What I meant by using it as a gauge is that if other kids are handling 6+ hrs of school/day, then I shouldn't flinch so much at the *possibility* of requiring that much of mine.

 

Plus, it's not like WE don't have distractions, too! But I figure ours are *usually* better because the wait time can be spent playing or catching up in other subjects.

 

I don't care to resemble ps in any way.

 

PS isn't my goal, but I don't want to end up realizing I've done less or done a disservice to my dc, so if I noticed, for ex, that I wasn't teaching my kids math or science or another basic subj offered there, I'd at least want a good reason for doing *less* than they are. And I'm not saying that hours have a straight translation. I just compare our hours to theirs as a starting place.

 

My younger kids work less time than ps kids and my older kids work longer. Overall, I know my kids are well-educated and are either on par or exceed their peers (depends on the child and their innate abilities.) However, it does NOT take equal or more amt of time from early grades on for that outcome. My advanced kids (even the ones significantly advanced) do not spend more time than any of their avg siblings did at the same age. It is simply what they complete during the time that is different.

 

Pp said she hs'ed "so that they *don't* have to be like what all the other kids do." Such a confusing statement & snide implication from someone who clearly had not taken time to read the thread would probably have been better ignored, but I decided to point out that the differences in our educational philosophies and goals would make the differences in our approach moot.

 

So by "aiming for well-educated kids," I only meant that she & I had different goals, as she stated, not that MY way is the only way to achieve MY goals, just that HER goals render HER way irrelevant to me.

 

Jeepers, I didn't even say what MY way IS--just wondering when, if ever, homework is added in some families. If I were saying that I expected a FULL day from my kids AND hours of homework on top of that, there wouldn't BE a question.

[Capt_Uhura]

My son is a dawdler. So if he has dragged his pencil an inordinate amount of time, he still gets to have his daily playdate from 4ish-7ish pm, but he has to finish up his work either afterwards or first thing in the AM when he'd like to be watching TV. Dh is only home from 8-10pm when the kids are awake so I keep that time free for them. Now if we just don't get everything accomplished b/c of a phone call or an impromptu nature walk or we decide to play Ticket to Ride, the work just rolls over to the next day.

 

However, I think if you like/need to take breaks during the day (I know many days I needed to nap w/ the baby), I see nothing wrong w/ having your DS do some "homework" at night, especially if you and your DH are sitting their working as well. What works for your lifestyle may not work for others but that doesn't matter, it just has to work for you.

 

A friend of mine can't believe that we often do work on the weekends. It would only be an hour or so but it works well for us, especially for science. I've been doing separate science experiments for the boys and it works out well to have DS8 do his experiment while DS10 is at soccer practice. DS8 focuses better and is more engaged. It works for us.

[littleWMN]

My daughter is going into 5th grade. My goal for her next fall is to work a solid 3-4 hours a day. If she dawdled or doesn't get it done in that time, it'll take longer - whether that means evenings, weekends, whatever. Academics are important to me but for this child MORE hours of work does not equal a smarter child but a burnt out child. She's very energetic and very creative in her freetime and usually imagines/creates things on her own time that anything I tried to force couldn't replicate. I've decided that her time outdoors building, creating, exploring is very important to her and it actually helps her focus during the time we DO have school.

 

Her younger sister learns differently and could sit for hours and hours for school, following a million different rabbit trails. That sort of thing just frustrates my oldest and she ends up shutting down.

 

I say if you think it'll work for your family and your son, that's really all that matters!

[lewelma]

8filltheheart,

 

Would you please post your 5th grader's schedule or refer me to a post where it is. I'm curious about how many hours per subject per day (for a 5 day schedule) that you expect like:

 

1 hour math

30min grammar

1hour history/1hour science alternate days

1 hour writing

etc.

 

thanks,

 

ruth in NZ

[JudoMom]

We do 5-6 hours in 5th-6th grade, but I don't assign homework, unless they are really not working hard. If they work reasonably well during the day, I figure things can get bumped to the next day.

[gingersmom]

My son could usually get all his work done in 4 hours. He is the type though who works and works till he reaches the end. As opposed to his sister who daydreams and moans and loses her pencil, etc.

 

I started giving "homework" in 5th grade usually 1-3 times/week. I just wanted my kids to get used to homework so when they hit upper grades and can't get everything done during the day they wont be in shock. Plus if they should ever go back to public school I wanted them to be prepared. And then there is college. :001_smile:

[Beach Mom]

For context, I will start by saying I am not a relaxed homeschooler. I do not want to look back and feel I did too little, and I confess I worry about it. Many friends say I make my kids do too much, but what we do works for us and I have happy, well-adjusted learners. That is my context and I am happy living there :).

 

5th grade for us is about 5 hours of working time. When my DD was in 5th she was efficient and focused and sometimes got her work done in less. My DS (who will be in 5th next year) is a very early riser. I found this year if he has his schedule for the week he will use part of his morning alone time to do vocabulary or spelling (subjects he can do on his own). It isn't technically "homework", but he does it on his own at a time when I am not involved, so maybe it really is.

 

They do get more independent, you are less involved, and it is a little sad. On the bright side it also means you have raised them to be able to do things on their own, think for themselves (sometimes!) and function without you for a little while. Isn't that our goal as mothers, as much as it pains us when it happens?

 

I also found that by adding a couple of "recess" breaks, our school day actually got shorter. It made no sense to me, but it worked. This made them more focused for the day and thus school took less time. I think you are smart to build those into your plan.

 

While I don't use public school as a gauge, I think there is a step up in amount of work that happens around 5th grade as a preparation for the harder years to come. I don't assign homework if I have seen diligence throughout the day, but if dawdling and foolishness fills the day, left over work is assigned as homework. I want my DC to learn to focus when necessary.

 

I think with as many young ones as you will have next year, your schedule will have to be by nature somewhat flexible. This may be a year where audios of read alouds or history books (depending on your curriculum) would be helpful. Listening to books during lunch which makes that down time more productive. If you can get your DS to use a bit of his morning time, use the time the littles are resting to your advantage, and capitalize on his independence, I think you should not have to have homework most days. And if you do, I don't think it is a big deal. Sounds like you have the outline of a plan and as long as you are willing to adjust it as needed each day I think it is workable.