Hello... and a few HSing questions.

[Munchkins_mama]

Hello! I'm coming out of lurking to ask a few completely random questions.

 

This is our first year doing homeschool with my 4th grader, Kindergartner and preschooler. After years in Public School, I'm having a terrible time with the freedom to do it my way! Weird, right? I tend to think that we need to all sit at the table and do our worksheets or they aren't going to learn. I KNOW this is totally wrong, but it's still in my head.

 

How do YOU get your schoolwork done? I realize that is a huge, open question. Maybe what I'm asking is, What does your day look like? I can't seem to keep the little two at the table for more than 30 minutes and the 4th grader dislikes paperwork.

 

Another question. I'm worried about keeping them at 'grade level' is case they have to go back to school. Do you make sure your 4th graders are learning American History so they are on the same path as their peers? She really wants to be learning about Ancient Egypt, or the Romans. What if she has to go back to school next year and she didn't learn this stuff?

 

It is so overwhelming!!! Thanks for reading!

[KristinaBreece]

Huge kudos to you if you're managing to keep a K'er and a PK'er anywhere for 30 minutes, especially if you're dealing with an older at the same time!

 

My K'er & I do school in 15 minute bursts. He's usually standing, except for handwriting time, and he's always bouncing a little bit. He's a young K'er. We do 15 minutes of school time, 15 minutes of play, 15 minutes of FlyLady, 15 minutes of play, 15 minutes of school work..... You get the idea. My 2-y-o is a little girl, and I think that makes a difference. She'll sit still for almost an hour, coloring or playing mommy with a doll, or playing with the same pile of blocks. So different from my sensory-seeking little guy!

[Munchkins_mama]

Thanks for responding. :)

 

I think I chose a curriculum that is way under my K'ers level cause she can blow through the whole days worth in 30 minutes. I usually do that while my 4th graders stares at the wall instead of doing her math. Then the little two go play and I work with the oldest on the rest of her stuff. This isn't how I pictured it going at all. There's no love of learning being fostered. It's just all 'Get the work done!'. We have only been at it for three weeks though, so we are still learning the ins and outs.

[fhjmom]

I am still trying to figure out how to keep my 5th and 2nd graders on task and a pre-K-er busy so not much help there.

 

To answer the part about keeping them on "grade level" - I do worry about keeping them somewhat on level for math and English/grammar, but other subjects I don't worry about it much at all. I am extremely under-impressed with history and science scope-and-sequence at the elementary level and I am confident my kids are getting a much better exposure to those subjects than what they would in school so I am not worried that we are not covering the same topics. In science and history (social studies) they seem to jump around randomly and just scratch the surface of anything that is covered in a typical school curriculum - they certainly do not build on previous concepts like math would so I do not think it is a big deal. JMHO!

[Aubrey]

Hello! I'm coming out of lurking to ask a few completely random questions.

 

Welcome!

 

This is our first year doing homeschool with my 4th grader, Kindergartner and preschooler. After years in Public School, I'm having a terrible time with the freedom to do it my way! Weird, right? I tend to think that we need to all sit at the table and do our worksheets or they aren't going to learn. I KNOW this is totally wrong, but it's still in my head.

 

I imagine it takes some time to get past that. Good curriculum can help, too! :)

 

How do YOU get your schoolwork done? I realize that is a huge, open question. Maybe what I'm asking is, What does your day look like? I can't seem to keep the little two at the table for more than 30 minutes and the 4th grader dislikes paperwork.

 

I've got 5th, 3rd, 4yo, & 3yo w/ another one due at the end of the mo. And we just moved. All that's to say--my day doesn't look very good at the moment, lol.

 

First, your littles don't need to sit at the table for more than 30 min. That might even be too long, depending on the kid. Maybe have them sit w/ you for 10 min at a time several different times. Or if they're good for 30 min, that's fine, too, but esp for the preschooler, I wouldn't worry about doing more. Plus, you can sneak more in through play.

 

I like to look at my day in chunks. If we eat, clean up the kitchen, & start dinner, that might take until 9 or 10. (Based on a schedule I made 2 years ago!)

 

Then I work w/ the bigs while I drink coffee & the littles play. Before they were big enough to play on their own, we'd turn on a "school movie" for them--Letter Factory or something like that. I should probably expect them to interrupt every 30 min or so, but they've been really good during this time lately. I'd say this is a 2 hr chunk where I might try to cover math, language arts, history. Or something like that.

 

Then lunch. There's just no way to bring the bigs back to school quickly after lunch, so I went ahead & gave them 1-2 hrs to eat, play outside, whatever. When the littles are ready for nap, we start the next chunk.

 

Two more hours--if possible, it's nice for this to be independent work, so I can work on writing or quiet, by-myself stuff. Reading is good.

 

Then a couple of hours before dinner to clean up, play, whatever.

 

I just made a new schedule for us today, but I'd still say this is our basic skeleton. (

 

Another question. I'm worried about keeping them at 'grade level' is case they have to go back to school. Do you make sure your 4th graders are learning American History so they are on the same path as their peers? She really wants to be learning about Ancient Egypt, or the Romans. What if she has to go back to school next year and she didn't learn this stuff?

 

It is so overwhelming!!! Thanks for reading!

 

I wouldn't want mine falling below grade level w/out good reason, but I'm not going to be bound by grade level other than that--otherwise, what is the benefit (academically) of hs'ing? You can't match what a ps is doing, anyway, unless you're sure you'll never move, because the scope & sequence varies from one school district to another.

 

I moved an average of once a year as a kid, so I *never* learned what the other kids were learning from one year to the next. It didn't matter (other than the holes it left in what I knew, but that might have happened anyway). As far as history goes, teachers don't assume prior knowledge for the most part. And it's easy to pick up, too.

 

ENJOY the journey! Learn to follow passions & to LOVE learning. It's messy. It doesn't look like a workbook & a textbook & an orderly desk sitting neatly in a classroom. Neither does anything else worth loving or doing! :D

[Ellie]

Another question. I'm worried about keeping them at 'grade level' is case they have to go back to school. Do you make sure your 4th graders are learning American History so they are on the same path as their peers? She really wants to be learning about Ancient Egypt, or the Romans. What if she has to go back to school next year and she didn't learn this stuff?

It won't matter next year if she did American history or Ancient Egypt this year. The only skills that might affect her academic success are reading, writing, and arithmetic. :-)

 

FTR, in many states, fourth grade is the year that the state history is studied, not American history in general.

[Kirch]

Thanks for responding. :)

 

I think I chose a curriculum that is way under my K'ers level cause she can blow through the whole days worth in 30 minutes. I usually do that while my 4th graders stares at the wall instead of doing her math. Then the little two go play and I work with the oldest on the rest of her stuff. This isn't how I pictured it going at all. There's no love of learning being fostered. It's just all 'Get the work done!'. We have only been at it for three weeks though, so we are still learning the ins and outs.

 

The easiest way to begin fostering a love of learning is by fostering the learning of what they love. If she's interested in learning about ancient Egypt and Rome, go with it! American history isn't going anywhere. Once she gets a taste of the idea that learning is enjoyable, branching out and trying new areas will be easier.

 

Chances are that some work will always be "git-er-done." Unless you have a kid who just loves math or grammar, they're not likely to be super excited about those things, even if lessons here and there are fun. With those things, I aim for steady progress that's as painless as possible, working in fun activities or games when possible. I know for my kids (and I'm guessing probably for most kids), the enjoyable, love-of-learning type of things tend to happen more with history and science--exploring the world around them, being fascinated by stories, etc. You can help foster that sense of wonder by exploring areas that interest them (either alongside their "official" studies or instead of what you had originally planned), reading lots of good books about those subjects, doing projects or hands-on activities related to those subjects, discussing them at the dinner table or in the car, etc. Make learning a part of your life, not just something that you do according to schedule while sitting at the table.

 

Three weeks in is barely enough time to get your toes wet--don't be discouraged! It's going to take some time to figure out how this works best for your family. A couple of suggestions:

 

Read, read, read. Wear out your library card! Read excellent quality books--cuddle up on the couch and read together a couple of times a day, even with your 4th grader. Begin reading chapter books out loud if you haven't already. It's a great way to expose them to great books AND to connect as a family.

 

Like I said before, follow up on some interests. Help your kids see that learning IS fun.

 

Focus on steady progress in the skills areas--math, reading/phonics (for your youngers), spelling, writing, grammar. As long as you're moving forward steadily in those areas, you're probably fine.

 

Have you read The Well-Trained Mind? I'd suggest it if you haven't--it'll help you begin to see outside of the public school box, even if you don't ultimately go for a classical education.

 

I'm not sure how long you've been lurking, but lots of members here have blogs where we post things that we do in our school days/weeks. It might help you to check some out--I know it's a lot easier for me to be creative when I have something to start with. One idea sparks another and another . . . It also helps to "see" homeschooling in action.

[Munchkins_mama]

Thank you for your suggestions! This is such a life change for us, I know it will take time to figure it all out. I just hope I don't ruin them before I get it right! :tongue_smilie: