Kids a year apart?

[Carrie12345]

Looking down the road aways... ;)

 

I've been hsing for 6 years now, and have never really taught more than two grades at a time. My dds (13 months apart) are combined for everything but math and some of their writing, though the gap on writing is starting to close a bit. However, I do have different expectations when it comes to output in most subjects.

 

When my dds hit the high school years, I'm going to also have a late grammar stage/early logic stage child and an early grammar stage child. The idea of separating the girls to teach two separate high school grades in addition to the little boys terrifies me!

 

I've flirted with the idea of keeping the girls on the same track, but the older one is much more motivated, picks things up faster and easier, and is willing to do more and work harder. The younger needs more instruction, more practice, and honestly just wants to do the minimum required. She's been saying she doesn't want to go to college since she was 6!

 

I realize they're still young, but these traits can be seen in all aspects of their activities, and I doubt that will change dramatically.

 

So, as I plan their logic stage years out, I keep wondering whether I should be working on separating their studies more or continue merging them together in preparation for the hs years.

 

Has anyone kept two students on the same course but at different levels? Did it cause friction between the kids?

If you separated them AND had other grades to teach, how did you survive?

:001_huh:

[Gwen in VA]

Kids get MUCH more independent as they get older. IMHO, high school takes LESS time than the middle elementary grades!

 

My older two were a grade apart. We did some subjects together occasionally, but not many. They had different interests and different needs and we felt it was better to tailor each program to the individual.

 

Relax and let the future take care of itself. I don't think you need to worry about separating them now, but just be prepared to do it if/when the need arises.

[Murphy101]

My oldest two are 15 months apart and about 1/3 of their classes are the same. Once they hit middle school, they start to really become more diverse and by about 10 grade, they are so different academicly that it's hard to believe they are in the same home school.

 

I've never really thought much about it. It never occurred to me they would always stay the same courses through graduation.

 

And all except 2 of my kids are 15 to 22 months apart. 2 are a whopping 30 months apart.;). It's our normal.:)

[mommymilkies]

My oldest two are 14 months apart. I keep them together for most things still. You can add work for the older, or otherwise adapt it.

[PentecostalMom]

My older two are one year and two days apart. My ds was much more motivated to just get it done, while dd had her head in the clouds. We graduated ds a year early with more high school credits. They both graduated May of 2010. FWIW, ds is a go-getter that took some college then decided to take some time off to work (just got hired as an Assistant Manager at Taco Bell) and dd still has her head in the clouds, but is plodding along slowly and steadily, like the turtle.

[Lori D.]

Our two DSs are 20 months apart. Due to birth dates, that was 1 grade apart, but because younger DS has mild LDs, that translated to more like a 3 year gap in math and the language arts. BUT, no problems here in keeping them together for some topics in high school! We were able to do history, gov't, economics, logic, Bible, worldviews, and literature together. I just required different assignments as far as the writing. It was MUCH easier keeping them together, as we had good discussions on the history and lit. that would have been hard to "discuss" if it had been just 1 student and parent. ;)

 

Math and writing required completely different curriculae, and timetables -- but it had been like that all along. Science we were able to overlap for only 1 year due to the LDs. And foreign language I outsourced as dual enrollment at the local community college in each of their senior years. They also got to follow their own unique interests for Fine Arts, and we created a course for each (one = filmmaking; one = drumming). Both fine arts were mostly independent working.

 

 

JMO, but, I'd say if your DDs get along and don't mind working on some things together, then YES, keep what topics together that you can for YOUR sanity. Just require different appropriate output. And for some things like math and science, they will probably be working at separate levels and on different topics -- but you can simplify by moving towards materials and methods that allow them to work more independently.

 

For example:

- math and science programs that have DVD teaching components

- outsource the one course for each DD that would be hardest or most time-consuming for you to oversee (use an online class, dual enrollment, local co-op, tutor, etc.)

- schedule regular daily time to touch base with your older students to go over the material, and to make sure work got done (have a 30-minute morning "huddle" and then a 30-minute afternoon "post game" chat)

 

 

Some families still all work together to make it easier for mom to answer questions, oversee that work is getting done, and for togetherness. See posts by 8FillTheHeart on how she homeschools a crew all together. You might also look for some past threads on how large families with students at all levels manage to homeschool with a minimum of stress! :)

 

Also, there have been threads on working your student toward independent working. I had "late-bloomers" in that department, so my suggestion is, if that works out to get your DDs to work more independently in the middle school years -- GREAT! But be realistic about attitudes and abilities. For me, older DS was insecure AND as an auditory learner he "got" it better if I read it to him, lecture style. He didn't have the desire or interest to start working solo in some areas until along about 10th-11th grade. And younger DS, with LDs, just couldn't jump that hurdle for some areas until 11th-12th grade. Even now, in college, he has me help coach him through some of his Writing 101 papers.

 

 

I think having high schoolers and youngers is do-able from what I see of others on this board; just be flexible; keep your expectations reasonable; don't try and do very many outside-the-home activities; be sure to touch base regularly with the older students so they don't have a chance to get TOO far off base or behind or develop bad habits before you catch it. :) BEST of luck as you enter the high school years! Warmest regards, Lori D.

Edited October 22, 2012 by Lori D.

[coffeegal]

Some families still all work together to make it easier for mom to answer questions, oversee that work is getting done, and for togetherness. See posts by 8FillTheHeart on how she homeschools a crew all together. You might also look for some past threads on how large families with students at all levels manage to homeschool with a minimum of stress! :)

 

I think having high schoolers and youngers is do-able from what I see of others on this board; just be flexible; keep your expectations reasonable; don't try and do very many outside-the-home activities; be sure to touch base regularly with the older students so they don't have a chance to get TOO far off base or behind or develop bad habits before you catch it. :) BEST of luck as you enter the high school years! Warmest regards, Lori D.

 

My kids tend to come in packs. Two are 13 months apart, two 18 months apart, and two are 16 months apart. Then one is completely on his own.... ;)

 

What's working for us is to keep skills separate but topics together. TOG works wonderfully for this. :D As far as science, we're all studying biology this year. I rearranged the curriculums so we're studying the same topic each week as much as possible. The older boys do labs together but study separately, while the middle 2 do labs together but study separately. This week we're studying reptiles. The older boys are reading about it in their Biology textbook, but don't have an experiment this week. My dd is reading, completing a sketch, and writing a short report on reptiles. She and my 9yo son are doing an experiment together later today. My 9yo is doing a ton of reading on reptiles and will work on his animal lapbook. My tots will likely watch the experiment while completing a reptile coloring sheet. We won't be able to stay this nicely lined up the entire year, but close enough. :D

 

What I would suggest is to plan on keeping the 2 children working on the same topic, but in separate textbooks. For instance Cambell's Biology comes in a couple of formats with varying difficulty, or one child could use Cambell's and another the Miller/Levine Biology. Simply go through and correspond topics and labs so the 2 children can be lab partners, while you can stay up on the 'topic' of the week without going crazy.

 

I haven't had any problems having the children on 2 different levels as long as the birth order is maintained. My oldest is assigned the hardest material, my 2nd son the next hardest, and so on. It would be much more difficult if my 2nd son was outpacing my oldest in most subjects.

[katilac]

If your younger dd was the hard-working, motivated student, it MIGHT work to keep them together. Other way around, probably not. It's very hard to keep students together as they get to logic stage, and almost impossible in high school, imo.

 

My oldest is in her first year of high school. She is motivated and hard working and very academic. It's definitely been an adjustment, and I can't imagine her starting high school a year early (she is a summer birthday, so she turned 14 and then started high school). You would be in a situation of either holding back the better student, or pushing the less motivated student. Not a good situation, imo.

 

Another poster mentioned keeping topics together but skills separate. This can work well for history, literature, and art. However, I would emphasize that you have not just different expectations but different assignments (don't assign them both a paper on the Egyptians but with different expectations).

 

My girls are 2 years apart, and we did a lot together in the younger years. One reason I started giving them different work (not just different expectations) was that the younger dd keenly felt the differences in their performance/expectations. It didn't matter how many times I told her that she was not expected to work at the same level - she would work her booty off and do a GREAT 4th grade assignment, but it was hard b/c the 6th grade assignment always outshone it. Giving her completely different assignments allowed her to shine and truly enjoy doing her best work.

 

I would look toward outsourcing some classes before I tried to keep them together in high school.

[Carrie12345]

I am so grateful to have this place! :D

 

I'm no less terrified, but lots of thoughts and ideas to work from here. Thanks so much!

[Joani]

I have kids in 9th, 8th, 7th, 4th, 3rd and 2nd this year. :D

 

My oldest is very academic and has been homeschooled the longest, so he's really too far ahead to combine with his siblings. But, he's very independent, so I'm not really "teaching" too many levels. I think I'm going to have him study AP Biology the year that the next two study biology, so that at least they can do labs together. My 8th and 7th graders are much closer in ability, and will likely stay together for history, science and literature through high school.