Not sure what to do.

[Mrs.Gregg]

DD1 is plowing through her work pretty quickly and getting it 'right'. Work that I thought was going to take several hours she is getting done in 1-2 hours tops. She is reading and exploring her interests which is what we want but then she has a lot of 'down' time aswell.

 

Do I heap more work of the same level at her supplementing with workbooks (she likes them)? OR Do I just move her through the material faster?

[2smartones]

If you want to keep covering the same material, extra workbook pages aren't the answer. That'll cause burn-out. Change up what you're doing to present it in several different ways (visual, hands-on, auditory).

 

Personally, I'd pre-test everything she's doing and skip the stuff she already knows. Get to something that has some meat in it, and she'll be a lot happier.

[kiana]

Do I heap more work of the same level at her supplementing with workbooks (she likes them)? OR Do I just move her through the material faster?

 

I absolutely would not heap more work on her at the same level.

 

You could let her enjoy the free time -- you could enrich with more topics or some extra challenges at this level (like an extra history/science/music/art/sports/foreign language) -- you could let her move faster. All of these are valid options and specific advice would depend on her areas of interest.

[LisaKinVA]

Echoing what's been said... definitely not more of the same.

 

For math, we work for about an hour (that means anywhere from 45-60 min.). What gets done, gets done. If I want to extend math time, it's with card games, dice games, Equate, or Hands On Equations (or Descartes Cove, or the Lure of the Labyrinth online)

 

Reading...there is school reading (I usually pick), and my kids' reading (I have a challenge list attached to rewards, or they can read whatever they want...as long as they read for an hour OUTSIDE of school, I'm good).

 

History...you could add projects, movies, read-alouds, field trips.

 

Science...hands on (my kids really like the Apologia notebooks, but lapbooks would work too. check out Rainbow Resources, they have some lapbooks ready to go!)

 

Grammar...more isn't necessarily better, nor is writing (although, you could use something like story starters and other game-like starters, and do some things orally, too...Playpen to Podium has some easy-to-implement ideas that don't seem "schooly")

 

Art, music, foreign languages are all great ways to extend/enrich learning.

 

Best wishes...my 10yo dd is quite driven. It seems, no matter what level she has been given, she rises to the challenge and finishes her school work in a few hours (she also reads for hours). She's doing Wheelock's right now at a high-school level pacing and is not daunted by it (of course, I am!). Some kids are just going to be efficient and quick...

[AK_Mom4]

Do I heap more work of the same level at her supplementing with workbooks (she likes them)? OR Do I just move her through the material faster?

 

Neither?

 

I let DD11 have the extra time to pursue her own interests. Some days she gets done faster than others - today she finished before lunch time (very focused). Other days, the writing takes longer - just depends on her mood. We have quite a few "not school" things that she likes to do - sewing, weaving, snap circuits, legos, computer stuff, music practice. I encourage her to fill her down-time with things that she enjoys.

[dbmamaz]

OTOH, i do let kids skip through stuff faster if its too easy. My mathy kid only did 1 singapore book and some T4L, and then we've just skipped around and kinda played with math, not following any 1 curriculum. Of course, he HATES workbooks, so that was part of the reason, too.

[Woodland Mist Academy]

I think the answer depends on your goals, personalities, and priorities.

 

My first thought is she needs more challenging materials.

[Bluegoat]

DD1 is plowing through her work pretty quickly and getting it 'right'. Work that I thought was going to take several hours she is getting done in 1-2 hours tops. She is reading and exploring her interests which is what we want but then she has a lot of 'down' time aswell.

 

Do I heap more work of the same level at her supplementing with workbooks (she likes them)? OR Do I just move her through the material faster?

 

 

How long is she actually spending on the work? And I guess the other question I would ask is whether she is retaining it in a meaningful way.

 

In any case, I wouldn't just add more of the same. I'd try to figure out if you need to work at a higher level, up the pace, or need more in depth treatment of some topics.

[MissKNG]

She is reading and exploring her interests which is what we want but then she has a lot of 'down' time aswell.

 

?

 

I would find more resources and materials for her interests and let her pursue those after her regular work is completed.

[kiwik]

At school I was given more of the same. Believe me that is the best way to put them off learning.

[serendipitous journey]

DD1 is plowing through her work pretty quickly and getting it 'right'. Work that I thought was going to take several hours she is getting done in 1-2 hours tops. She is reading and exploring her interests which is what we want but then she has a lot of 'down' time aswell.

 

Do I heap more work of the same level at her supplementing with workbooks (she likes them)? OR Do I just move her through the material faster?

 

... it would help to know

1. What materials/curricula are you using?

2. What are her own interests?

3. and especially: what is her character & temperament like? Is she happy, engaged, and a cheerful member of the family with all this downtime? Is she only bored rarely, or listless much? Does she do chores &c with a good attitude (at least most of the time)?