Guest beckydjd Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 hello, I'm very new, and I don't know exactly what I need, so I am hoping someone with more experience will give me a kick in the bum. I have a son who is 6, and a little girl who is 4. So, we are doing the horizon's math program, (for my son) and it can take us one hour, to two and a half. My son is a champ, but, really who wants to do math for 2.5 hours a day. Then we do the Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading, and read for several hours a day. My son is almost done with the First Language Lessons, Book One. And I have no idea if we should move on, or do it again. Also, science, history, handwriting....Our days are packed. And now my attitude... I can be such a jerk! Just, by the end of the day, I want it to be over, and my temper is shot. And my kids, who I am sure are going to be saints, just calmly explain, that "mommy, I just don't know this". I am overwhelmed. I think I need to put a time limit on everything, I know is we need a time limit. But when I have tried to enforce the times in the "Well Trained Mind" I have felt like I am just not getting enough done. So, please help. This is our second year, but I feel like I am driving everyone crazy. To enclude myself. Tonight was the dagger to the heart, when my son said he did not like school. I want them to love school. I just don't know where to go from here. Thank you so any advice, or kicks in the bum. Beckydjd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 My 6 and 7 yr old boys would not be able to do so much "required" seatwork. Math would take us less than an hour, Language arts would take another hour, handwriting is 10mins. Science is done in the kitchen and we did map reading for history with lots of reading of historical non-fiction. We do an hour of reading of their own choice. We are done by noon so after lunch is free play. We do for fun Boggle Scrabble Monopoly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladydusk Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 I don't know anything about Horizons, but an hour of math is more than sufficient for a 6 year old. Let him sleep on it. If he understands FLL1 move on to FLL2. The schedules in WTM are not supposed to be norms, don't tie yourself to them! You are probably getting plenty done if you think they're too little! They're small children, they need plenty of time to play and breathe and think. That being said, the 2 hour afternoon quiet time is a lifesaver to me, or I would completely lose my mind. Pop over to the K-8 board and we'll be glad to help! Seeing what your schedule is every day would help :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blakereese Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 :grouphug: First of all, take a deep breath. And take a day off if you need it. Math should not take 2 hours at age 6. Or even 1 hour. He may not be ready for the level you are using or maybe you just need to take it slow. You do not have to finish the book on a certain day and you don't have to use the level that corresponds with his grade level. Find out where he is stumped and stop right there. If it is skip counting, spend a week on this with manipulatives. Or whatever it is, take the time for him to master the idea before pushing on. And if he is having a hard time and it has been 20 minutes, stop it for the day. Start again the next day, maybe from a different angle. Focus on the 3 Rs for now, and keep science and history basic. Maybe 20 minutes or so on math, 10 or 15 on FLL, and the same on handwriting and OPGTR. Give him lots of free time at this age to look at books, play, be a kid. Read to him in the afternoon/evenings. He is still very young and probably not developmentally ready for such a long day of "seatwork". It will help with your sanity and attitude to be finished with school work before lunch. :) Believe me, I understand this. No kick in the bum necessary. Just take a breath and slow down is my advice. :grouphug: You know your kids so don't worry about the recommendations in TWTM or what other moms are doing. Follow your son's lead and guide him gently. It will get easier. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan of Croton Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 Hi, I've beeing HSing for 10 years now. When my ds was 6 and dd 4, we did about an hour and a half total of "school", meaning a math program (singapore K for the six year old and) counting cheerios for the 4 yo. THen we took a break and ran around, or painted a bunch of paintings. Maybe I put on some wiggle music for them to enjoy. We would grab books in a pile and climb on the bed and read until the wiggles hit again (40-60min). This was a combo of them practicing their reading skills from (How to Teach your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons) or my reading stuff of interest to them. No texts in science. Myths, poems, age-appropriate biographies for history. No foreign language. We spent a few minutes on penmanship, and stopped when that became unproductive. For the rest of the day, there was the flow of life together all around us, including laundry, shopping, cooking, yard work, etc., and of course, all of that involves a language-rich environment. I would trust that you are doing enough at this age if you're doing 1-1/2 to 2 hours per day. If it is too slow or dull for them, they'll let you know! No Burn Out! This must be avoided At All Costs. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sleeplessnights Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 What is slowing your son down in math? Is it too hard, does he get distracted, or does he just not like writing? If it's too hard, I'd cut the lessons in half. If he's distracted, maybe several 5-minute lessons spread throughout the day. If he doesn't like writing, write it for him! I like Charlotte Mason's concept of short, focused lessons. My K'er does about 15 minutes of math, my 1st grader about 20 minutes, and my 3rd grader about 25-30 minutes. Your day shouldn't be taking so long. For the "extra" subjects, if the kids are not engaged and enjoying them, just drop them and hit the playground. They are meant to be the fun part. Maybe one extra subject a day. My 1st grader's required subjects are math (20 min), copywork (10 min), grammar (10 min), spelling (15 min), and reading (30 min). I do these in three different periods. Of course I read aloud a lot, but this is all the "school work" that he has to sit down and do each day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gisel_le Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 I have no advice beyond what everyone else has already said, just wanted to give :grouphug:s. One thing that helped me was writing out our goals/vision and posting them on the wall. Why are you homeschooling? What do you hope to accomplish? etc. I have a whole lot less frustration and our days are more enjoyable. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jpoy85 Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 We use Horizons Phonics and it doesnt take us an hour or anywhere near that. Are you doing page or 2 a day? OR are you doing a lessons a day? I wouldnt recommend a lesson a day. We will be using Horizons Math for my K'r this coming year but its the same similar set up to Phonics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 :grouphug: Girlfriend, do NOT spend that much time on math with a little person who is only 6. Half an hour, 40 minutes tops, maybe 15 minutes of you teaching, then 15 or 20 minutes of his doing seatwork, no more. It doesn't matter if you aren't moving along as fast as you think you should. Half an hour of focused OPGTR, tops. Then do some history, then some science, and lots of goof-off time (and age-appropriate household responsiblities). You have littles. They need lots of time to figure out things on their own, not lots of time with their faces (and yours) in structured academic study. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DianeW88 Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 :grouphug: Girlfriend, do NOT spend that much time on math with a little person who is only 6. Half an hour, 40 minutes tops, maybe 15 minutes of you teaching, then 15 or 20 minutes of his doing seatwork, no more. It doesn't matter if you aren't moving along as fast as you think you should. Half an hour of focused OPGTR, tops. Then do some history, then some science, and lots of goof-off time (and age-appropriate household responsiblities). You have littles. They need lots of time to figure out things on their own, not lots of time with their faces (and yours) in structured academic study. :iagree: You are spending waaaay too much time doing schoolwork. For a six year old, your entire schoolday should be no longer than 2-3 hours...tops! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elfgivas Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 hello, I'm very new, and I don't know exactly what I need, so I am hoping someone with more experience will give me a kick in the bum. I have a son who is 6, and a little girl who is 4. So, we are doing the horizon's math program, (for my son) and it can take us one hour, to two and a half. My son is a champ, but, really who wants to do math for 2.5 hours a day. Then we do the Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading, and read for several hours a day. My son is almost done with the First Language Lessons, Book One. And I have no idea if we should move on, or do it again. Also, science, history, handwriting....Our days are packed. And now my attitude... I can be such a jerk! Just, by the end of the day, I want it to be over, and my temper is shot. And my kids, who I am sure are going to be saints, just calmly explain, that "mommy, I just don't know this". I am overwhelmed. I think I need to put a time limit on everything, I know is we need a time limit. But when I have tried to enforce the times in the "Well Trained Mind" I have felt like I am just not getting enough done. So, please help. This is our second year, but I feel like I am driving everyone crazy. To enclude myself. Tonight was the dagger to the heart, when my son said he did not like school. I want them to love school. I just don't know where to go from here. Thank you so any advice, or kicks in the bum. Beckydjd re horizons math: how are you deciding how much to do each day? i did horizons math for a few weeks in grade 1. it took dd about 45 minutes. we switched to singapore earlybird math, which took us 15 minutes if we did it all very slowly. she loved it. i loved it. she learned a ton. so i would figure out how to get horizons math done faster, or ditch it. one option might be to do it for twenty minutes, do something else, and then come back to it. at the ages your dc are, we used Five in a Row + math + teach your children to read well + a book of weekly themed activities. we took hour long nature walks every morning, and even then we were done before noon every day. it was the nicest years of our homeschooling. so i really would look at alternatives to what you're trying to do. it is supposed to be fun. really. ;) :grouphug: ann Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest beckydjd Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 I don't even have words. Thank you guys SO much. Today, we just hung out at the park all day, and relaxed. The truth is I have known it was to much. I just am so scared of letting him down, and failing him. But, at the same time I don't want him to grow up never having had a childhood. Thank you. So, so much. Becky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest beckydjd Posted September 21, 2012 Share Posted September 21, 2012 okay, so it is after dinner, and I set down to work out our new schedule... and the time is about 7.25 hours. I have: Language Arts- 20/25min (so my new goal should be 10/15min) Teaching to Read- 35/45min (so my new goal should be 10/20min) Writing- 20/25min (15/20min) Math 45/60min (30/45min) Science 30/45min (only 2 or three days a week) History 45/60min (only 2 or three days a week) Reading (mommy reading to kids)- 60min/2 hours Aidan reading out loud- 20/30min Quite reading time- 30min That would make it still 6 and a half hours. The lesser time would be 4 hours, four hours would be awesome! we could breath, take more walks, enjoy family time. So, I think I found it! Thank you ALL so much!!! Becky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAIMOM Posted September 21, 2012 Share Posted September 21, 2012 I don't even have words. Thank you guys SO much. Today, we just hung out at the park all day, and relaxed. The truth is I have known it was to much. I just am so scared of letting him down, and failing him. But, at the same time I don't want him to grow up never having had a childhood. Thank you. So, so much. Becky Remember this is a journey. You have 12 years to teach him all he needs to know. Many topics only need to be introduced for exposure as they will keep learning more and more about the subject...thinking of English that keeps going deeper and deeper. Your new schedule looks like fun for you and your littles! Enjoy the journey! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted September 21, 2012 Share Posted September 21, 2012 :grouphug: Girlfriend, do NOT spend that much time on math with a little person who is only 6. Half an hour, 40 minutes tops, maybe 15 minutes of you teaching, then 15 or 20 minutes of his doing seatwork, no more. It doesn't matter if you aren't moving along as fast as you think you should. Half an hour of focused OPGTR, tops. Then do some history, then some science, and lots of goof-off time (and age-appropriate household responsiblities). You have littles. They need lots of time to figure out things on their own, not lots of time with their faces (and yours) in structured academic study. :iagree::iagree::iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 21, 2012 Share Posted September 21, 2012 okay, so it is after dinner, and I set down to work out our new schedule... and the time is about 7.25 hours. I have: Language Arts- 20/25min (so my new goal should be 10/15min) Teaching to Read- 35/45min (so my new goal should be 10/20min) Writing- 20/25min (15/20min) Math 45/60min (30/45min) Science 30/45min (only 2 or three days a week) History 45/60min (only 2 or three days a week) Reading (mommy reading to kids)- 60min/2 hours Aidan reading out loud- 20/30min Quite reading time- 30min That would make it still 6 and a half hours. The lesser time would be 4 hours, four hours would be awesome! we could breath, take more walks, enjoy family time. So, I think I found it! Thank you ALL so much!!! Becky My 7yo's schedule is similar to this except History doesn't take that long and you have a lot of different reading things that I don't completely understand. I use Hooked on Phonics so there is a teaching to read component and also a portion where he reads to me. The part where he reads to me takes 5-10 minutes. I do also read to him, but most often at night, before bed, so it doesn't take up so much regular daytime. We use Math-U-See. I have used it with great success for nine years. It doesn't take gobs of time; you're just whittling away at the concepts one little bit at a time. (I also do math through the summer and I think that is a key to math success as well.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warneral Posted September 21, 2012 Share Posted September 21, 2012 I would slow down FLL to spread it out through the year. No need to overdo grammar at this age :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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