I'm going to be sick... I think I need to put my kids in school

[dakarimom5]

I homeschool four children. I have found what works best for us is to rotate hourly. Everyone gets a solid hour with mom and then they rotate to something else, whether thats outside time or computer, whatever. But then after lunch is quiet time where I can see what is left and then I put on an educational movie and finish with anyone who needs help.

 

Also, when I first started I only did the most important subjects. Then after a bit, I added other stuff.

[elfgivas]

on the other hand....

 

this week could be march break.

during march break you could work on getting the life framework in place.

ie. meals would happen at the times and in the ways you intend to have them happen during school.

 

add in outdoor time, all of you together (if you are going to try the charlotte mason nature walks). add in coffee break time. the rest of the time they play. tweak it each day until you get it the way you want it.

 

add in chores. teach these to each child as necessary. if elders will have littles during room chores for example, on the first day you just show the elders what they will be doing, on the second day, they show you while you stand there. on the third day, they do it and come to you and tell you they are finished and ask you to check it. on the fourth day, they do it with one of the littles in their room "helping" while you watch and give suggestions. on the fifth day they take the little to their room, do their room chores with the littles and ask you to come and check them.

 

same thing with school supplies. we've tried boxes, we've tried desks, what works for us is for each child to have a shelf. during march break, your kids could each be given a shelf, gather all their books, think about what else they'll need, (eg. ruler, pencil, eraser, etc). have them get it all ready. then explain that before each lesson, they will go to the shelf, get their books and pencils, and bring them to the table. and at the end, they will take everything back to the shelf and put it away and get the next thing. then let them set it up however they would like.

 

meanwhile, try scheduling one hour at a time on the computer or on paper. decide who is responsible for whom and what they might be doing.

 

then next week, try it and see how it goes.

 

good luck!

ann

[Thia]

I have not read all the replies here, so if I am repeating, forgive me. My kids are 1.5, 3, 5, 7. We start the morning with calendar stuff. I even gave my three year old a binder w/ the sheets in it. She scribbles and does whatever, but she's happy. The baby will sit at the table and scribble in a coloring book or blank paper. When she was younger, she was in the sling/backpack for all school time, she even napped there. Then we move onto Bible. They all get coloring sheets while I read and we discuss. The baby might go play for a bit. The baby goes into the back pack. I hand the 5 year old his writing work. The three year old gets some too because she wants it. When they are done with their writing, they go play.

 

During this time I do math and reading/phonics with my 7yr. We then go over what seatwork she needs to do for those topics. She gets to work. The 5 and 3 year old come over for their phonics/math. The three year old participates in counting, alphabet recitation and the like. Otherwise, I hand her worksheets I have accumulated through the last few years (confessions of a homeschooler is a biggie). I also have a few workbooks from wal mart. Everything goes into plastic page protectors and they use the markers/crayons, so she can reuse the same stuff. Then I give my 5 yr old his seatwork. I help my 7yr old on anything she needs help with.

We start between 9 and 10 and finish by lunch. Baby gets down, we have lunch.

 

After lunch we have science or history. I have them on a loop schedule. Every 5th day we do art/music from What Your 2nd Grader should know instead. The baby may go play or may go back to backpack. The 3 year old sits and colors. I try to do read a loud after we finish, but it doesn't always happen if the lesson took longer than an hour. By 2:00 we're done (usually) and I'm into housework etc.

 

I honestly have some reservations about next year b/c everyone will have an increase in work, but I think we'll figure it out.

[Jen500]

I would put your kids in school (or at least the younger ones) for a year and then re-evaluate how you feel. I am not commenting on just this one post. Public school is not the end of the world. I deliberated over sending my youngest to school too, so I understand some of your feelings. In the end we need to do what's best for our children, ourselves, our families. Now, I am just some person on the internet, I don't know you in real life, so I'm just basing my opinion on what you've posted. :grouphug:

[buddhabelly]

I have only one child and I haven't read all the replies but....

 

I just wanted to add another voice to the idea of putting the baby in the sling or backpack (sling is easier to transition to feeding him/her). Then you don't really have to think about whether the baby is sleeping or not. He just sleeps, wakes, feeds and is soothed by your movements as you go about your day. Do try to get up and move around from time to time -- they get restless when the rocking motion of you walking stops. Of course, they do have to come out of the sling for diaper changes (and perhaps some floor time for wiggling if school goes long).

 

I'm not sure how familiar you are with Kindergarten at school, but there is VERY little sitting time. Even when they are writing or reading, kids are encouraged to be flopped on the floor or crouching on the floor with the paper on a chair -- all different positions. Very hard to find traditional desks in a classroom these days. I encourage you to break up the day more with exercise breaks and music or dance, that kind of thing.

 

Just some ideas that worked for friends with large families....best of luck! My son's kindergarten at a regular school was pretty much just damage control -- keep everyone from getting injured, and that's all that really happened, LOL. There were simply too many children in the classroom.

 

Best wishes,

Julie

[Stacy in NJ]

Really, really. :001_smile:

 

I promise you, if you do all subjects only 3 or 4 times per week on a rotating basis, you won't ruin your kids.

[JenniferB]

A few years ago my kids were the same ages, and I had a day care boy, so I had 5 kids, all very similar in age to your kids. I was super stressed out too, and always wondering if I was doing enough. Instead of brick & mortar public school, which I was considering almost every day, I decided to sign up for a virtual academy and do K12, online school. I just wanted the peace of mind that I was doing "enough." It was an OK decision. I'm not sorry I did it. But, if I could do it over again, or advise you on what to do, here is exactly how I would "do it again." First of all I would not worry about if I'm doing enough or giving enough to my kids. I would just accept the fact that I'm doing the best I can, and I would do just that, take each day and do the best I can, and be at peace about that. Second, I would do school the following way:

 

9AM - Noon: Together Time

1:00 - 3 or 4: Independent & One-on-One Mom Time

 

Here's exactly what that would look like:

 

Create a space for "Together Time"

 

I would gather the following supplies and put them in a very warm, snuggly, quiet place in the home (for us it's my bedroom):

 

• a basket with my read aloud books (Bible, history, and any other read aloud)
  a 3 ring binder with our memory work typed out or copied and put behind a tab
  a medium sized chalk board (I use the double sided easel from Ikea)
  a spiral notebook or a 3 ring binder with lined paper for the 5th and 2nd graders
  a bunch of sharpened pencils
  coloring supplies (for the Ker)
  a bin of small toys (for the 3yo)
  a play pen with baby toys & finger snacks (for the baby)
  

 

 

Here is a play by play of how I would do Together Time: With baby in the play pen with toys & snacks on standby, and all the other kids and you and your basket on the bed or the couch, start out with a prayer or a morning song or saying or something to gather everyone together to get ready for school. Remind everyone that for this short time that you have together everyone is to be quiet and respectful, etc. Now, Bible reading, at these ages I would simply read and not explain, maybe ask pondering questions like, "I wonder what it was like for so and so," and let the reflections come naturally. Next, do memory drills. (We do one line a week and build week by week by adding an additional line until the full passage is learned.) Next is notebook time. What we do is take notes about our history and this covers our writing practice and reinforces the history reading. Before I begin reading, I have the kids recall what we read last time, to refresh the memory. If they can't remember I prompt with hints or questions until they say, "Oh Yah!" and start spilling out all that they remember. Then, I write down a few sentences about what we learned on the board and I have them copy those in their notebooks (At the end of the year they have a whole notebook full of sentences about what we learned. They can always reflect back on what they learned by reading these sentences.) Once you have a few of those written down, you can use them for review and read the last few entries before you begin the next entry. Once they are done writing (you can help the 2nd grader, depending on your dc's ability.) While they are writing you can change the baby's diaper or give the baby a snack, or give the 3yo some attention, and you can direct your Ker to the coloring supplies and tell him/her that you want him/her to color while you read the next story. Once everyone is settled again, do your read alouds. If they have a hard time keeping quiet (as mine sometimes do, especially on Monday) offer them a reward if they are quiet during reading time, like a cookie or something like that when you are done.

 

You can rotate in 6 week units with history & science, or like me skip science all together. I confess, I am terrible with science. If I was good at science, I would do 6 weeks of history and then 6 weeks of science, and I would do it in the AM, when everyone is most fresh.

 

Break for lunch. After lunch baby takes a nap, and 3yo takes a quiet time.

 

At the space for afternoon school (sit down work) you should have all your books and pencils and paper right there so you don't have to go hunting down for everything once you get going. Afternoon school would look like this:

 

Work with Ker first, while 5th grader works independently. 2nd grader can play. Do phonics drill, printing practice, and hands on math. I would only do half an hour of sit down one-on-one with my Ker.

 

Next work with 2nd grader, while 5th grader still works independently. Do Spelling, R&S (1 lesson, without doing everything, pair it down), Math, Reading practice. (1 hr. max.)

 

Last work with 5th grader, look over the independent work done, discuss and correct any mistakes, then work on R&S (1 lesson, paired down to fit in 1 sitting.) Then WWS help/coaching. (1 hr. max.)

 

Ker & 2nd grader can play while you are working with your 5th grader. Our family uses Duplos and Legos for non-school but during school hours activity.

 

I always reward my kids with TV TIME!!! after a hard day of school. That usually happens at 4:00 in our house.

 

DONE!!! Take a break! Go up to your room, take some time w/ baby and/or 3yo, take a nap, whatever you can manage before dinner time.

Edited March 26, 2012 by JenniferB

[ktgrok]

Ok, my thoughts are:

 

Move reading to the kids to bedtime. Have dh help if possible. Read one book to all school aged children, together. No need to do separate reading to each one.

 

Break up the kindy's work. Do 15 minutes or 30 minutes with her, then let her play or color or hang out with the 3 year old playing blocks while you get the 2nd grader doing her work, then do 15 minutes or so with the 5th grader, then go back and work with the kindy, etc.

 

That way you get the 5th grader started on stuff so she can continue her math lesson or whatever while you do more work with the kindy.

 

Or, try working with the 5th grader FIRST, then alternate with the 2nd and kindy.

 

With the baby all I can say is let the other kids play with her.....we didn't get much done at that age.

 

Oh...and do history OR science in the afternoon, not both. They don't need both every afternoon.

[CalicoKat]

Really, really. :001_smile:

 

I promise you, if you do all subjects only 3 or 4 times per week on a rotating basis, you won't ruin your kids.

 

:iagree:

My 1st grader does his math & handwriting while I'm reading history & science for the older kids. Then while he's still sitting there I teach him reading. It helps him to be quiet & busy so I can focus on the other kids for a bit. I admit my pre-Ker is the wild card. She has workbooks to do at this time and she'll start out with us and then move onto her toy corner.

 

It's figuring out what your family can multi-task.

[ktgrok]

Ok, you need to be more realistic about what your kids need versus what would be nice. And you need to realize that if they were in public school none of the stuff you are saying they are missing now would be done there either.

 

The big kids don't need to read aloud to you. Maybe it would be nice, and maybe you can have them read to you on the weekends. But my son has never read aloud to me since he learned how to really read, and he gets near perfect scores on reading comprehension tests. He actually is at a college reading level now in 6th grade. So I think you can drop that. And honestly, do you think they would be doing that in public school with any regularity?

 

Make science/history documentaries and historical fiction for the rest of the year , that you put on in the afternoon. Netflix and the library have tons. Nothing you need to do there, so you can watch the baby and the 3 year old and play. Heck, you could work with the kindy then too.

[wy_kid_wrangler04]

I haven't read any replies (sorry, there are 6 pages :lol:) so I am not certain if this has been said or not. BUT-- have you ever done a loop schedule? Maybe cut down a bit on your k'er (If I told you what we do in K, you would faint and fire me as a hs mom! Read my siggy for my current k'er, now divide that all up! We do 1 or 2 of those things a day for maybe 15 broken up minutes. 5 mins here, 5 mins there)

 

 

Seriously, don't throw your dreams of homeschooling away. Just take a break, re-evaluate. I assume in 6 pages of replies you have gotten some great advice. Take time to see what will work for you and make a schedule to implement that! Oh, did I mention Loop Schedule ;)

 

:grouphug: Its a season, this too shall pass. Hang in there!! :grouphug:

 

 

 

 

ETA: I started page 7 :lol: :lol:

[tuzor]

I did not read all the pages but can you put your youngest two in daycare or get someone else to watch them several days a week? That way you can get more accomplished with the older two and they can join in when they are a bit older.

[ktgrok]

First, throw out the timer. Don't measure it. This season is so short.

 

Have you discovered bible story DVDs like Story Keepers?

 

I highly recommend Teaching Textbooks.

 

What about reading with the older kids at bedtime, when your spouse can keep the littles or they are in bed.

 

See if you can borrow super baby yard gates. Put two together to keep the baby in a safe but sizable place to explore.

 

Listen to Story of the World in the car even if you are just driving around the block. The littles ones will be belted in. Just so you know, my 2nd grader does very little history or science in PS.

 

Starfall.com and xtramath.com

 

How much time will your baby sleep and then go to a high chair?

 

Yes to ALL of this. Stop trying to homeschool as if you don't have a baby in the house. Redo everything KNOWING you have a baby in the house. We will have a newborn in the fall, withing weeks of starting the school year, and a 2 1/5 year old tornado. I am planning next year knowing that I can't get the things done that I have done in the past. That means that instead of some amazing wonderful spanish program I piece together we will be using Switched On Schoohouse, which he can do almost entirely independently. We will be using an online math class, etc. Everything for next year is going to be preplanned, school in box type stuff for the most part. Is that my favorite idea? No, but it is a WHOLE lot more than he would get in public school. They don't do ANY world history until highschool!

 

So maybe start looking for less teacher intensive stuff? At least for a year or two? CLE is a GREAT suggestion. It is just as or more rigorous than public school but designed for the child to do most of it themselves. Again, remember, your child wouldn't be gettting ANY grammar in public school. Trust me, I know...we didn't pull mine out until 5th grade and he hadn't had any before I pulled him.

 

Also, even if you LOVE WWS, it can be done later. Heck, the author is using it with a 9th grader! Do something less intensive on your part this year and next, then do WWS for 7th. CLE LA would cover the writing and grammar and be almost all hands off for you.

 

Also another thought...could you school year round? That way you could alternate subjects more. Or do science and history over the summer, that would be totally do able and easy enough on everyone. Just do the 3 R's in the regular school year and science experiments and dvds and fun history stuff over the summer. That would leave afternoons for craft time with the little ones.

[dirty ethel rackham]

One book I found helpful was "Help for the Harried Homeschooler" by Christine Field. Her chapter on homeschooling with little ones was a God-send for that season of my life.

 

A few tips that helped me:

 

• Rotate who is with the baby during school. If I needed face time with one child, another school-aged child was doing things with the youngest. I put a set of index cards on a ring. On the index cards, I put short activities that a child could do with the little one, such as build a tower with blocks and let her knock it down or play "name the body parts". We called them "Meggie do" cards. Since one of my kids was not reading at the time, I also drew pictures as cues.
  
• I also had baby play boxes of toys that only came out when we did school. I actually had one for each day of the week so the little one didn't get bored. Sometimes they gave me 15 minutes with the baby at my feet while I did some things with both kids.
  
• Sometimes we did school on a small table near where I sat on the floor with the baby. I was close enough to check their work and could still mind the little one.
  
• I gated off areas that I didn't want a little one out of sight. It wasn't as efficient, but, the baby was part of the lesson.
  

We didn't get school done in 3 hours... it took a bigger chunk of the day, but more things got done.

[StaceyinLA]

that one thing to keep in mind about school is they won't necessarily learn more in a day than they do at home. There will be a lot more kids for the teacher to deal with and a lot less one on one.

 

Another thing to keep in mind is homework. They will be taught things at school that will require reinforcement at home, so you might just find that in the afternoons/evenings, when it's time to get supper, baths, etc., that you are having to help multiple children with homework.

 

Just something to think about when considering school.

[besroma]

I haven't read any replies (sorry, there are 6 pages :lol:) so I am not certain if this has been said or not. BUT-- have you ever done a loop schedule? Maybe cut down a bit on your k'er (If I told you what we do in K, you would faint and fire me as a hs mom! Read my siggy for my current k'er, now divide that all up! We do 1 or 2 of those things a day for maybe 15 broken up minutes. 5 mins here, 5 mins there)

 

 

Seriously, don't throw your dreams of homeschooling away. Just take a break, re-evaluate. I assume in 6 pages of replies you have gotten some great advice. Take time to see what will work for you and make a schedule to implement that! Oh, did I mention Loop Schedule ;)

 

:grouphug: Its a season, this too shall pass. Hang in there!!

 

:iagree: One thing that helps me is to have the basic requirements that in my mind have to get done for that day. We do those first. I stay very flexible with the rest of my time so that I can allow the children to pursue their interests that day.

 

For example, we do math every day. Sometimes, at the end of our math time, I tell the children to put their books up. When they ask if they can keep working on it, I usually say, "Sure," and readjust my schedule somewhere else. When I had a strict schedule with times for everything and followed it, we got less done, and I think everyone felt like they weren't accomplishing what they needed to.

 

The loop schedule gives us just the right amount of structure and flexibility to homeschool ages 10, 8, 6, 4, and get the one-year old out of the bag of flour.;)

[HeidiKC]

You don't suck! You would suck if you didn't care or try. A few thoughts:

 

- what about doing a little bit of school during the summer - maybe just 2 hours/day? So that you could ease up on the load throughout the year.

 

- Could you save the fun science experiments for Saturdays or evenings when your husband is home to watch the little ones?

 

- Latin - I say no big deal if your kids don't start that for a couple of years. For now your 5th grader could do a roots workbook on her own - or not. Or if you want to try to continue Latin, what if you did "Latin lite", and by that I mean use one of the DVDs meant to go with a textbook (we use Latin for Children and love it!). Just have her watch it on her own without doing any deskwork (that you'd have to help with and then correct). Latin for Children also comes with a CD, and she could listen to that each day for 15 minutes as well (while you're with the other kids).

 

- Read-alouds: highly recommend audiobooks! I know it's not the same as reading with you, but the professional readers are wonderful. The younger ones could listen to one each day while you worked with the older two and vice versa. I think books for 3 and K, and then 2 and 5 would work well. Then you could still read aloud to everyone together - but nothing near an hour. Even if you read to them all for 20 minutes each day that would be fine since they'll be listening to an audiobook as well. Maybe do your 20 minutes of reading at bedtime?

 

- Having the older two read aloud to you to check for pronunciation and fluency: I don't think you need to spend too much time on this, especially with the older one. I'd say a 10 minute check once weekly would be fine. I know when I was in 5th grade no one ever listened to me read aloud - and I became a very good reader. I think listening to read-alouds is helpful for developing these skills.

 

- I agree with a pp about using SOTW audio for history. My 2nd grader listens to that almost every night when he goes to bed and it's amazing what he knows!

 

- I'd cut out the coloring for the K'er. I think 15 minutes of penmanship is plenty for developing control, etc. And it sounds like he's also coloring during the Bible lesson. I think that is plenty. How about give him and the 3 year old some play-doh? That develops hand muscles and doesn't require your help. Would keep 3 yo busy as well. Maybe put baby in high chair and give him a pile as well if old enough?

 

- Do you know a homeschooled teenager who could come over for a couple of hours one or two mornings each week to play with the two little ones? Is your house set up that she could keep them out of the way? Take them outside in nice weather. I'd at least try it to see how it goes!

 

- Finally, maybe consider putting the 3yo in preschool two mornings/week instead of the kids in school? I don't know if you've ever done preschool, but my kids LOVED it and I have wonderful memories of it. They learned so much (not necessarily "academic", but about plants and what floats and mixing colors, etc.). They did a lot of messy projects I wasn't willing to do at home and they felt proud of themselves. They got to play kitchen or office or dress-up with other kids, played on a playground, had a PE class with a wonderful woman who had them catching balloons, etc. I don't even know how to explain it, but it seemed to give them a sense of security that this was their little school and they understood it, belonged and knew what to expect each day, even down to the little playground. I highly recommend it!

 

Hope something works out, and even if you put them back into school it doesn't have to be forever. Or it might just be two of your kids, etc. Good luck!

[joyfulhomeschooler]

Have you tried making a schedule that didn't rely so much on the time things take, but simply the order? I find that our days go better when I plan that way. Plus, the kids will learn that after spelling is math (or whatever). That way if you do have to stop for a diaper change, they can at least be ready with the correct book for the next subject. My oldest knew in K what to get out for school when I told her it was ds' naptime. Routine can be a sanity-saver!

 

:iagree: This is what saved our days.

[Amber in AUS]

:grouphug:

 

I would stop timing and simply do 1 page of x or 2 pages of y or whatever you work out is best. I find we get through our day much faster that way and surprisingly the kids get through more work that way too.

[Denisemomof4]

Can you have your second and fifth grader rotate watching the younger kids hile you spend one-on-one time with each?

 

My boys were three years apart. Science and history was always shared.

[Marylou]

As you make your decision about ps, give yourself a refresher on how much homework is given now. Homework will change your afternoon/evening dynamics in the home. Decide if you want that.

[happypamama]

Baby gates/locks on cabinets/whatever to keep the little ones out of the flour? My 3yo occasionally gets into things while I'm doing schoolwork with the older ones; it's a pain, and I am a little worried that him plus a 1yo next year is going to do me in. I'm not a big fan of baby gates, but if that's what I need to do, that's what I'll do to keep them from destroying the entire house every day.

 

I don't do a lot of structured time with my under 6's, and even with my 6-7yo this year, it's been pretty short. Mostly I just let under 6's come along for the ride. I put activities for them (early learning activities, stickers, scissors, tape, paper, crayons) in a box of their own, and I read to them as I have time between the older kids, and they participate in other readings and crafts if they want to. This helps, somewhat, though I know I feel badly that they don't get the same mom-intense time that my oldest got at that age, where I had time to read endless books to her. But they get older siblings, and that's a different sort of benefit, one not to be overlooked. :)

 

And some days, I'm with you -- there isn't enough of me to go around. There just isn't. But there's always enough of God, and He only gives me what He can help me to handle.

 

:grouphug:

[Karenciavo]

Jane, I think most of us have had that moment where we say, "I can't do this! I suck! My children will be ruined for life and live in my basement!" I know over the years I fantasized about my house being clean, laundry caught up, reading on the deck in the sunshine, everyone happy and content.

 

Then I remember what it was like when my children were in school before homeschooling; always rushing and screaming did you brush your teeth? What do you mean you have to bring a display board in today! Did you do your homework? Rushing to after school activities. Rushing home to make dinner. Homework at night. And the worst part: the age segregation. Our family was begining not to know each other, I know my ds18 and my ds9 wouldn't be as close as they are today if we continued with school.

 

It wasn't my plan to convince you either way. I'm sure there are people who can share stories of success and happy, harmonious families outside of homeschooling. Just a hug :grouphug: and a btdt.

[Parrothead]

I don't know if anyone mentioned it as I only read to post 30 or so. Do you have the means to hire a mother's helper a couple days a week? I'd go with a helper rather than daycare/mother's morning out type thing. And I'd go with daycare before a sent the older kids to school.

 

It is almost time for spring break, if you haven't taken it already. Maybe a week off to sort things out and rework the schedule is called for.

 

Now, I only have one kiddo to contend with so I may be way off base with my suggestions. Would it work to to Latin and Bible as "circle time?" Put everyone in the same room and sit on the floor and chant declensions/conjugations then flash cards for vocabulary. Make it fun for the littles but at the same time educational for the eldest. Then the same with Bible. Read from a Picture Bible, chant memory verses and do Q&A during the circle.

 

You'll have to make sure everyone has gone potty and that you have a diaper and wipes handy just in case. You can change a diaper and keep right on chanting without too much trouble. And let the baby and toddler play with cars or dolls or sort buttons during all this. They will take it in and eventually start chanting too.

 

After Latin and Bible, have everyone work on penmenship and everyone work on math. That should get you to lunch. Do read alouds during lunch for reading, everyone taking a turn. By now your K'er should be done with school and your littles ready for nap. Put everyone to bed for quite time a la SWB style.

 

During quiet time you get to recharge and your eldest gets to do her independent work in peace. After quiet time, scoot everyone out to the back yard. The littles can run and burn off some energy, the eldest can have a few minutes for questions and further instruction without too much interruption.

 

Or you can do further instruction and questions just after the youngest are in their room(s) so everyone gets outside together.

 

I would then try to do another circle time/quiet reading between dinner and baths for history and science. Maybe alternating evenings with the big science project for the Friday evening entertainment.

Edited March 27, 2012 by Parrothead

[radiobrain]

I don't have time to read through all of these, I know you have gotten some really good advice.... here are my piddly two cents.

 

First of all, :grouphug:. We all feel this way sometimes, if not all the time.

 

The thing I think you need to think about it is the big picture. Pull back from the 15 min. increments and which child gets which bit of your time....this is where the idea of unschooling/relaxed schooling makes some sense. You need a break. It is ok to take a break.

 

You have from grades K-8 to get XXXXX completed, right? You are HSing which means that in theory, all that time that they spend in a school wasting time and endlessly repeating things, should be cut down a bit. You also get to choose what, when and how they are taught whatever subjects you choose. If you think Latin is more important than science, that's fine. It is ok to make those types of decisions. You can always get to things later.

 

You need to work on you for a bit. I think you all need a vacation, where you say... let's not worry aboutthis for a bit.... you must read, play, and maybe watch some interesting videos. Maybe you ned to farm out some subjects ...

 

Try to be creative. IF you send them to school, you will have a different set of issues, but you will always have those. You are a parent. You will always question your ability to do anything right. You are also human, you cannot be perfect. ;)

 

CHill out, you'll be ok. And whatver choice you make is right for oyu.:grouphug:

[fairfarmhand]

one thing that helps my kids keep their focus while I work with the others are online learning games like http://www.spellingcity.com and http://www.fun4thebrain.com . This helps us avoid losing momentum while I am distracted, but gives me a minute to help someone else.

 

Do you think that the stop-start, losing focus is what is giving you a hard time?

[misidawnrn]

I don't have any advice for you and those that have posted before me have great ideas. I just wanted to give you a hug and tell you that you are my hero for even trying to homeschool at home. I only have my 2 at home ages 3 and 8 and I get busy! I took 4 of my sister's 5 kids and my 2 to the movies last week and I almost lost my 3yo in the crowd. Kudos to you!

[Tammyla]

:grouphug:Jane...I hope you find peace in your decision either way. Neither choice will be perfect; both will have + & - .

 

Reading your original post, it sounds like you are running 3 separate schools in your home. If keeping them home is your choice, try working towards a multi age model and mindset. Working with little ones in the home is always a challenge.:grouphug:

[elfgivas]

:grouphug:

 

this morning, i woke up thinking about you. i hope today seems a better day.

 

when i'm cooking, i cook the recipe the way it is written the first time. if we don't like it at all, i don't make it again. BUT if it has good stuff in it that we want, i start tweaking it. i add something, take away something....

 

i do what you are doing and read what other people have done with it. then maybe i try cooking it differently (eg. on the stove top instead of the oven, etc). and i keep at it until we like it better than the alternatives.

 

there is a big difference between "this isn't working this way" and "i suck". if you can embrace the first way of looking at it, then it frees you up to try new things. and step away from the second thing: your oldest sounds as if they have developed great skills under your tutilage, so all is not lost.

 

:grouphug:

ann

[LittleIzumi]

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug: I didn't read all of the advice, but it seems like you want to be DONE with one student before you start to help the other students? That the other students need you before you are finished with the first. If I did my students one at a time until they were done, we would be at it all day. We go by subject and go back and forth. I give my oldest her spelling white board and her first words. Then while she's writing, I get the younger's phonics book. I show her the first part, and by then the older is done with her words, so I go teach her the next set. I go back and forth until the first one is done, and then they can play or color until the second child is done. The only thing I really do one at a time, completely, is the math lesson. Science is combined, reading/reading aloud is combined. I do have a toddler interrupting constantly. :lol: When one child needs you, can you set up your current child on whatever subject they're doing for a minute and step over to help the next child, and then move back and forth a bit until one is finished? Also, remember that while YOU are running for longer than a PS day, each child individually is working for much less time than that. :grouphug:

[honeymommy4]

Bumping this because it has been such a helpful thread for me. Just had #5 and we are going to start up school again soon. I want to be ready so have cut and pasted a lot of this advice and making lists, etc.

 

just wanted to bump for any other moms out there! :grouphug:

[Birkenkathy]

I know this has been said here, but it seems that you are being really hard on yourself. I tend to do the same thing. We perfectionistic moms easily pay attention to what we aren't getting to rather than patting ourselves on the back for the wonderful things we are doing.

 

I am probably putting my kids in school next year too. I am in my 8th year of homeshooling (they've never been to school) and my 3rd year as a single mom. I'm finally realizing that homechooling my kids and supporting my family is too much for me. I share this with you to let you know that you are not alone. I know it is going to be fine to put my kids in school. And if you decide that it is best for your kids to put them in school it will be fine too. There is no perfect scenario. There are advantages and disadvantages both to homeschooling and public school.

 

Another idea that might be something to consider - I have a friend with 5 kids who homeschools, but she only homeschools 1 or 2 kids at a time. She rotates them in and out of public school each year and it has worked fine for their family. This way they can take a relaxed approach to schooling and her kids get her full attention in turn.

 

But whatever you decide, it will be fine.