pahansen Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 I need help in trying to manage my daily work flow for our homeschool. This year I have three in school -- a kindergartener, a 2nd grader, and a 4th grader. The oldest has been identified as gifted (not that I needed anyone to tell me) and is fairly self-motivated, and the kindergartener is following in his footsteps. The 2nd grader is bright, but her talents are more in being creative and an excellent reader rather than in strictly measurable math/science/spelling skills. She does learn quickly, but she is very easily distracted from her work and needs quite a bit of hand-holding and one-on-one instruction compared to the other two. We also have an 18 month old toddler who naps for about 1.75-2.5 hours at some random time each day. So far, all of them have separate core subjects, but we do science, art, and history together. I am able to differentiate activities fairly well so that they are all engaged in those subjects, and with three bright kids who are only four years apart, I don't think I'm doing anyone a disservice. We usually do those subjects while the toddler is sleeping. My problem has been in my getting everything done each day. The kids are getting their work done (for the most part), and I have the entire week laid out for them on a checklist so that I do not need to direct them constantly. But there just doesn't seem to be enough of me to go around. Each day, Math, English, and to some extent spelling need to be taught in a very hands-on fashion to my 2nd grader. I need to review math, with occasional deeper instruction, and do a couple of longer reading/composition lessons each week with my 4th grader. I have a daily (fairly short, Charlotte Mason-style) lesson with my kindergartener. Most of the rest of their work is self-guided or can be done just by asking me an occasional question. It really doesn't seem like it should be a Herculean task, but once I add checking all of their work and reviewing it each day, group lessons, and all of the "regular life" -- like breakfast, lunch, putting the little one down for a nap, checking that the kids are doing their chores, etc., -- we're regularly doing school from before 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. And I'm regularly checking papers and other things either late at night or early in the morning. The worst part is that, for them, things just drag on. They finish the work that they can do alone, go and play, and then I call them back when I'm free to do instruction. I know it feels like a yo-yo some days, especially for the second grader. Once she starts to play, she doesn't want to keep being interrupted, and she feels like school never ends. So what am I doing wrong? Or is this just life with three school-aged kids and a toddler? (We've done this before with toddlers, and I know life changes drastically at age 3 or so.) Should we be trying to do our work at one large table, instead of spread out at desks, so that I can be in a central location? Should I pick a different child to focus on each day, so that everyone is at least getting more of my attention twice a week? Should I just be getting up an hour earlier than the kids because life frequently goes more smoothly that way? And how do I keep up with all of the checking of work? Most importantly, how can I afford to hire an assistant who will make sure the kids have done their chores, make the meals that always seem to suck the time out of the day, and keep an eye on the toddler? I'm a mom in need of a wife! ;) I am posting here because I suspect that the first response I would get on the general boards would be to cut back on the kids' workload, but I really don't want to do that. These are bright kids who need to be challenged, and we are homeschooling primarily because this way they can move at their own pace. I have actually been holding back my kindergartener, who is already doing first grade math and reading, and my 9 year old is almost ready to start Pre-Algebra. Other than general complaints about school -- because they'd all rather be playing or watching TV -- no one is complaining about the difficulty of the lessons or about the work load. (Except me! :lol:) I'd love some suggestions or just moral support! Thanks, Pamela Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 Well, I don't read the general board and I am probably in the minority on this forum, but in my family I would reject those hrs as way too long for the ages of the children. However, I absolutely in the camp that believes playing is incredibly important for cognitive development and should not be dismissed as somehow an unworthy use of time. I actually view academics as less critical to the mental development of young children than playing. OTOH, TV....yeah, that I agree is not worth anyone's time. I teach daily for easily over 8 hrs, but I am also teaching much older kids. I sit and work directly w/my 5th grader for about 2 hrs/day (and she works independently for about 3 hrs/day) and I work directly w/my 1st grader for about an hour and a half. (she doesn't have to do anything else. I sit w/her while she does all her required work. She will go off an read on her own, but it is purely for her own pleasure, not required.) FWIW, my younger kids sit and work w/me in 1 full sitting. So, my first grader plays until I am ready to work w/her and then she works w/me until she is finished. My older kids work on independent work while I work w/younger siblings (reading, writing assignments, etc). I work early mornings w/my oldest b/c my younger kids are still asleep. Once the younger crew are awake, I start w/my youngest school-ager and then send them on their way to play and then move to the next "young" school-ager. Once they are older and full-day school days are the norm, then I rotate back and forth between them between different subjects and based on who is finished w/a subject and available. (my general rule of thumb is that direct academics is approx 1 hr per grade level until middle school and then it is 6-8 hrs and high school is anywhere from 7-10+ hrs per day (depends on the student and their course load) For our family, this is an approach that has worked. I do have kids that are very accelerated (by the end of this yr as an 11th grader, our ds will have finished all of the college math required by both my dh and our oldest ds for their engineering degrees ;) and will have finished through sophomore college science requirements for the most STEM degrees and I have an 8th grader that has already earned or is currently earning high school credit for alg, geo, French 1,2,3, Latin 1, 2, and Russian 1 and is doing solid high school lit/writing but not receiving high school credit for it and we have deliberately chosen to not do high school science so that she can explore her own interests completely this yr in science (which she is loving.) Just an alternative perspective from someone who does "get" what it is like to have advanced kiddos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pahansen Posted October 12, 2012 Author Share Posted October 12, 2012 I'm sorry. Let me clarify: Each of the kids is spending 2 hours or less completing individual schoolwork (K about 30-45 minutes; 4th about 1 1/2 hours; 2nd could be anything, depending on her motivation and distraction level! I'm shooting for about an hour's worth of work for her.) Then we usually do 30 minutes to 1 hour as a group in science, social studies or art/other fun subjects each day. That is super flexible, depending on whether we're doing an experiment or crafts with history and how much fun we're having. The kids are doing 2-3 hours of school, tops. It's me who is trying to "do school for 8+ hours a day;" I need help managing myself. In no way do I underestimate the value of playing. These kids do not need to be sitting at a desk for 8 hours to accomplish a day's schoolwork, and I agree that they'll learn as much or more through play at this age. And now my son is old enough to have hobbies, like learning to write computer code and doing electronic stuff with Snap Circuits, that are indistinguishable from education anyway. When the kids are "doing school" all day long, it's because I can't find time to sit down with anyone for an hour straight. The big problem I'm having with playing is that my 7 yo, for example, will be "done" with her schoolwork, at 10 a.m., but we haven't done math or English yet, and I'm in the middle of something else. Then at 10:45, say, I have time to do those subjects with her, but she balks because now she's playing and she was "done" with school. Then after lunch, we have time while the little one is sleeping to work on history, which she loves, but she balks because she's playing again. It's not the length of time she's actually working, it's the starting and stopping that's killing her. Maybe if I just called it recess it'd be easier... Hope that clarifies things. This is a "mommy stress" issue, not a kid one. Our kids are anything but! --Pamela Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pahansen Posted October 12, 2012 Author Share Posted October 12, 2012 Sorry, one more thing. :) What is your 2 yo doing while you're doing school, or are there just enough other kids around that there's always someone to play with? Beyond that, I'm starting to think that maybe it's not so unreasonable for me to just expect an eight hour day for myself, once I figure in making meals and things like that. And of course I know that things will change as the little one gets older. Honestly, if he weren't in the mix this year would probably be industrious, but relatively pleasant. (Although I am pleased as punch to have him!) --Pamela Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 If that is the case, then I would focus on the 2nd grader 1st and work w/her while the toddler is eating breakfast on things that need your instruction. Then she is free to complete her independent work. Then when she is done, she is done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 She eats in her high chair, she plays by herself, she plays w/the first grader once she finishes school, she interrupts a lot, they fight quite a bit.......:tongue_smilie: It's life. Some days she is better than others. I have never had a yr w/o a baby or toddler or pregnant and tired (though I think we are finally going to be at that pt when this toddler grows up ;)). We adapt (work in rooms that are completely baby-proof, etc) FWIW, w/3 school-agers of your kids' ages, I would expect 45 mins of my time for K, 2-2 1/2 hrs for 2nd, and 2 hrs of my time for 4th. So, I would expect to have my school time would be somewhere in the realm of 6 hrs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allison.ls Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 I am brand new here but I just wanted to let you know that I can totally relate! I have a 7 year old (doing 4th grade), 4 year old (doing K) and an 18 month old (destroying everything in his path :tongue_smilie:). It seems to take us all day to get school in for both girls. I completely understand with the starting and stopping. I recently made an excel spreadsheet to help everyone to know what they were supposed to be doing each day. On the top I have each persons name and then going down the side I have the time in 30 minute incriments. This way I have myself "scheduled" for certain tasks for each time frame. I also have the girls scheduled to make breakfast one day a week, do laundry, chores, extra curriculars, getting ready for extra curriculars, etc. It also lets the kids know when they have free time and when they need to resume school. It has helped so they don't feel like they are constantly in limbo of being called back for school. It helps me because I know everything will get done because I have the time scheduled. It also allows me to make sure the kids are doing what they are supposed to do. An example would be: 7:00 Me- Make Breakfast DD1- Laundry DD2- Clean Room 11:00 Me- Phonics DD1- LA book DD2- Phonics 11:30 Me- Math w/DD1 DD1- Math DD2- Math Workbook 5:30 Me-Make Dinner DD1- Guitar DD2- Typing Instructor For my 18 month old I have a ton of activities on pinterest for toddlers, I need to start setting up more busy bags/tot trays to keep him busy. I too try to do the majority of instruction when he is sleeping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2squared Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 I can tell you what is working for us. I have kids in 5th, 3rd, and K with a PreKer and a toddler. All times approx. 8:30 chapter book read aloud 9:00 5th grader independent, 3rd grader one-on-one 11:00 lunch break for 5th & 3rd, Ker & PreKer one-on-one 11:45 lunch break for the rest of us 12:45 chapter book read aloud 1:00 3rd grader independent, 5th grader one-on-one 3:00 school ends My 5th & 3rd graders get two hours one-on-one with me. My Ker gets about 45 minutes one-on-one which includes me reading picture books aloud. With transitions, I spend almost 5-6 hours of my time on school work each day. My 3rd grader cannot handle getting interrupted with his play. I don't blame him, so working in larger chunks works for everyone. When not completing school work, the kids have free play. My 1yo and PreKer free play pretty much all day. They play, interrupt us, fight, sit in my lap, create poopy diapers, nap, whatever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Embassy Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 I get it. I've had to cut back some because of my schedule. My middle child is also the creative and distracted sort. I'm attempted to change how I educate him so I work according to his strengths. I can't do that for everything, but when I do that he works independently quite well. For the little one I've always found rotating toy boxes to work well. When my older two were little I worked full-time from home and the rotating toy boxes worked well for them too. If the starting and stopping is the problem, I might start each child at different times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pahansen Posted October 12, 2012 Author Share Posted October 12, 2012 Thanks for the help. Honestly, if I'm adding in meal prep and whatnot, it sounds like I'm not really far from the norm. It's a big shock from last year, because it seems like we really jumped in the amount of time school takes, but I suppose it makes sense. Last year the kindergartener was mostly doing fun stuff and at her own pace -- at age 4, some days she'd want to do school with us, and some days she'd just want to play. I was fine with that. There was little actual work to check, and her "schoolwork" with me was mostly structured playtime or talking and reading about different topics. Grade 2 is a bit more intense than first grade, and I think we're feeling a little of that. There are also more complex math topics (math is not her strong suit), and Thing 2 just plain has to work. (Work is not her strong suit either... :lol: It's like a dirty word to her.) It's not too difficult for her, it's just that she wants everything to be easy and effortless. Then, with a new baby in the house last year, I was happy to let subjects that were less crucial slide. Reading, writing, and 'rithmatic always got done, but sacrificing my sanity for Ancient Greece was not worth it. (And I used to be a history teacher! :001_smile:) This year I'm actually keeping to my lesson plans. Altogether, I think it just came as a shock how all-consuming this school year is. And, of course, some days are better than others. I think I will try devoting the first part of the day to Thing 2. We'll try that for a week or two and see where we are. I also hadn't considered breaking up meal times and feeding people at different times. I'm not sure if that would work for us, but I'll think about that, too. One thing that has fallen by the wayside was that I used to have a set time to go over yesterday's work at the beginning of each person's school day, but I (obviously) can't be reviewing three people's work simultaneously. On the other hand, school goes more smoothly when everyone starts first thing in the morning. The alternative we've been using is for me to sit down sometime in the afternoon with each person and review what they've done that day, but that brings back the "not school again!" issue. Maybe if I schedule an afternoon "review" time with the oldest and the kindergartener (who aren't as sensitive to interruptions and who appreciate schedules), that would work. Then I could sit down in the morning with the 2nd grader, review her work from the previous day, and do that day's instruction all at once. No breaks. Thanks again for the help and for lending an ear. I find "thinking out loud" to be very beneficial to me. (I like to call it "thinking out loud" and not "talking to myself!" :lol:) --Pamela Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2squared Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 Altogether, I think it just came as a shock how all-consuming this school year is. And, of course, some days are better than others. I think I will try devoting the first part of the day to Thing 2. We'll try that for a week or two and see where we are. I also hadn't considered breaking up meal times and feeding people at different times. I'm not sure if that would work for us, but I'll think about that, too. I don't necessarily feed people at different times. I do prep and serve lunch at one time. The kids eat at different times, though. They just have to be done before we start our afternoon schooling. My 10yo, 8yo & 6yo can use the microwave to warm their food up. Often my 1yo sleeps through lunch so I make him a plate and leave it on the counter waiting for him. One thing that has fallen by the wayside was that I used to have a set time to go over yesterday's work at the beginning of each person's school day, but I (obviously) can't be reviewing three people's work simultaneously. On the other hand, school goes more smoothly when everyone starts first thing in the morning. The alternative we've been using is for me to sit down sometime in the afternoon with each person and review what they've done that day, but that brings back the "not school again!" issue. Maybe if I schedule an afternoon "review" time with the oldest and the kindergartener (who aren't as sensitive to interruptions and who appreciate schedules), that would work. Then I could sit down in the morning with the 2nd grader, review her work from the previous day, and do that day's instruction all at once. No breaks. I have alternative independent time with one-on-one time, and I review work during their one-on-one time. My 5th grader is taught in the afternoon. We review her independent work first, then I teach, and then she has her assignments for the morning. My 3rd grader is taught in the morning and then he works on his independent work in the afternoon. I review it when he is done. If I wait until the next day, the review isn't very effective. They can't remember why they did xyz, KWIM? My Ker doesn't have an independent work. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lamppost Posted October 14, 2012 Share Posted October 14, 2012 I need help in trying to manage my daily work flow for our homeschool. I had seen a resource recently (of course I can't remember the name of it now) that several homeschoolers I know have had great success with. I remember the gist of it was that you map out your day with exactly what every member of your family will be doing all day in 30-minute time blocks. When you're doing something with one child, you match up the others with tasks. If you're working independently with the 9yo during one of those time blocks, you can plan, for example, to have the 5yo hold up flash cards for the 7yo during that time, or for the 7yo to read aloud to the 5yo, or for both of them to put on music the 1yo likes and show him how to play freeze dance. I have a large white board that I use to post our schedule for the day so my 5yo can look at it and know what to do at what time. Somehow having it there in black & white to read makes her obey a lot better. Previously, I'd say okay time for math and she'd object. Now I just say, check the clock and the white board and tell me what we need to be doing right now. She usually has no problem with that, I think because somehow she feels more in control of what's going on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs.Mom Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 I don't know if it would work for you but, mine are in 1st and 5th grade... and I typically school with my oldest first while my little one free-plays. He is usually in the room. Then we lunch, do our joint subjects, then my oldest is free to do his own thing while I work with my youngest. Trying to go back and forth between them was creating too much chaos. I have learned that blocking works better for me. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colleen in SEVA Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 ... marking my spot to reply later with more details... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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