grantmeawish Posted November 29, 2012 Share Posted November 29, 2012 This is my first year. My son is 7. This is what we do: SM 3A, sotw ancients twice a week. He writes one narration a week and then reads extra books. We don't do any activites other than looking up the area on a map. WWE, Science narration and read extra books, hw, kiss grammer. SO I sometimes I feel like we are doing the minimum. My son is not into crafts but enjoys science experiments (we don't do these much because we both find them somewhat laborious) My 5 year old dd comes home telling about exciting activities she did in ps K and it makes me feel bad for my son. I want to bring her home next year. I want my kids to have a great education and I want to provide them that, but I question whether I am cut out for it. I am very independant and expect my kids to be to the extent they can and while I love all the crafty extras like scrapbooks, awesome timelines etc., for me personally, it would be painful to do that. I am not lazy, but saying that makes me feel lazy. Maybe its because I have a 2 year old and the thought of doing anything that extensive and having it survive seems hopeless. Based on my ramblings : ) , can you see anything I need/can improve on? I am in awe of my friends that were teachers before staying home. They always seem to do projects with their kids. Ahhh..I just don't want to jip my kids. Any ideas are appreciated thanks for reading this far! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Tick Posted November 29, 2012 Share Posted November 29, 2012 So it sounds like you (and ds) don't want to do crafts, but would like to do more science experimenting (if it isn't too much hassle to set up)? What about buying some science kits related to whatever you are, or will be, studying? Outside of that, is there anything one or both of you does want to study? Perhaps dabble in a foreign language? A musical instrument? Martial arts? I assume Art would be too close to crafts? You are right, if the thought of craft-y stuff gives you the twitches, don't do it! :D Lots of people don't, but then, of course, they don't blog about it or talk about it. Those things are like a highlight reel of their homeschool. It is rare to see posts about meltdowns, or things that didn't work. It sounds like you have the basics covered, is he enjoying himself? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2_girls_mommy Posted November 29, 2012 Share Posted November 29, 2012 What about getting him signed up in a co-op for some fun messy classes or for science experiments. You could try scouts or an art class at a center or something. Outsourcing can help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grantmeawish Posted November 29, 2012 Author Share Posted November 29, 2012 Out sourcing sounds great. I haven't looked into it yet though. Maybe next year. Learning a foriegn language might be good for both of us too. We can see how much I remember from my 5 years of Spanish! Thank you for saying its ok to not be crafty! He is enjoying himself to the extent he can enjoy school. At least he says he is glad we are hsing and prefers it over ps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted November 29, 2012 Share Posted November 29, 2012 I second the idea of premade science kits. I think there are lots of options for kids that age, or at least I seem to recall that from long ago. FWIW, I always attempted to do the crafts thing with my kids but they always fell flat. We rarely finished any of them. They just didn't hold our attention. My kids have turned out fine without them. :tongue_smilie: Also, school at your son's age doesn't need to take all day. Perhaps you can slip some fun time in with him, like playing a game (not necessarily school related) with him each day. That would be something he could see as a benefit to being home. One thing my kids did like was drawing in a sketch book. Sometimes we would pick out an object to draw and then compare our pictures. It was really fun. They often did better than me as I'm not an artistic person at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myfunnybunch Posted November 29, 2012 Share Posted November 29, 2012 You're not a slacker. :) You have a different teaching style, and won't be cheating your children. You sound a lot like my sister. Her oldest children are now graduated, and they got a good solid education and had plenty of time to pursue the activities and subjects that they really enjoyed. They are bright, hard-working, and successful in their college classes. When they were younger, they had plenty of time to setup and cleanup their own projects according to their own interests. Premade science kits, outside art classes and the like can be a Godsend for moms who don't enjoy the prep and cleanup involved in projects. :) Cat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grantmeawish Posted November 29, 2012 Author Share Posted November 29, 2012 You're not a slacker. :) You have a different teaching style, and won't be cheating your children. You sound a lot like my sister. Her oldest children are now graduated, and they got a good solid education and had plenty of time to pursue the activities and subjects that they really enjoyed. They are bright, hard-working, and successful in their college classes. When they were younger, they had plenty of time to setup and cleanup their own projects according to their own interests. Premade science kits, outside art classes and the like can be a Godsend for moms who don't enjoy the prep and cleanup involved in projects. :) Cat Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Another Lynn Posted November 29, 2012 Share Posted November 29, 2012 You sound a lot like me, except I think you're doing a better job than I am! Really, he's doing great! There are plenty of benefits to giving them time to explore their own interests. On the other hand, if you feel like you need to do more for them... is there a Y program, or an opportunity for exercise you could provide them? Personally I would put their opportunity to exercise (gym, swim, sports, whatever) ahead of glue and glitter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elinor Everywhere Posted November 29, 2012 Share Posted November 29, 2012 I abhor crafts. I really do. But oh my, for so many years I WANTED to like them. I wanted to be the fun mom! The crafty mom! The project mom! But the truth is......I'd rather read about it. :) So, I did the few crafts out of SOTW I could muster, and they took an outside art class once a week. Science? Well, experiments didn't really happen until they were older, and by then they could do most of it themselves. Definitely buy a kit. Timelines? Tried several years, but most were a bust and we trailed off as the year went on. We did a lot of museums/plays/concerts with other homeschoolers in town (as a group so we could get great rates). The kids read a lot, loved homeschooling, and learned a TON. Don't worry!! Crafts aren't everything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tullia Posted November 29, 2012 Share Posted November 29, 2012 I don't see you as a slacker and remember--the beauty of home school is that you can draw on the best you have to offer your children--it's ok to customize. Confession from an orgininal "not much fun home school mom": I hated the mess of indoor crafts and could never think of fun stuff on my own, so we went outside whenever possible. When my son was younger a couple hours once a week was doable for me and something he looked forward to. My ds is in college now, so this will be VERY dated! I couldn't face the mess of crafts..., but ds liked the "Science in a Nutshell" kits--I'm sure there are other options now. They were so easy; pull out the bin, read and follow instructions, write in the booklet, and then pack everything up again. I learned to enjoy keeping a nature journal and most of that was done outside the house. We did bring in things to look at under a microscope sometimes, and we watched birds and wildlife with field glasses during the winter. When the weather was nice, we roped off an area outside--looked for different habitats we could get to easily and were close to home-- then we cataloged and described what we found there. We used a sketchbook and drawing supplies and kept everying in a bin. Digital cameras are affordable now; if I had a young student we'd be adding digital photography and a free blog into the mix. The key is to find something that appeals to you and works for your children. I didn't make elaborate plans; we just took advantage of what was convenient when we had some free time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
briansmama Posted November 29, 2012 Share Posted November 29, 2012 Part of the beauty of homeschooling (to me) is giving our dc enough time and space to really delve deep and discover what they love to do. Kids naturally want to do more of what they love! I think working with him on the skills/literature/history you feel are important for him to know and then allowing him to be creative by thinking about what he wants to do is great. Maybe let him know that each day, after lessons with you, he can choose what he'd like to do and you will help him if he needs by finding books/websites/instructions and making sure he has the necessary supplies for whatever he wants to make/do/create. My boys and I have been doing this for the holidays- we scour Pinterest together and make lists of what we want to create/make/do and jot down needed supplies and ideas and post them on bulletin boards. My job is to make sure I gather the materials and make myself available to them to help/guide. It's great that your dd is experiencing crafts in her Kindy and she sounds happy, but those crafts are likely pre-selected with a single desired outcome, not open-ended and creative like you can give her at home. Plus, both your dc are likely to have far more quality resources at their fingertips in your home than in a class of 25 students in PS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
briansmama Posted November 29, 2012 Share Posted November 29, 2012 Part of the beauty of homeschooling (to me) is giving our dc enough time and space to really delve deep and discover what they love to do. Kids naturally want to do more of what they love! I think working with him on the skills/literature/history you feel are important for him to know and then allowing him to be creative by thinking about what he wants to do is great. Maybe let him know that each day, after lessons with you, he can choose what he'd like to do and you will help him if he needs by finding books/websites/instructions and making sure he has the necessary supplies for whatever he wants to make/do/create. My boys and I have been doing this for the holidays- we scour Pinterest together and make lists of what we want to create/make/do and jot down needed supplies and ideas and post them on bulletin boards. My job is to make sure I gather the materials and make myself available to them to help/guide. It's great that your dd is experiencing crafts in her Kindy and she sounds happy, but those crafts are likely pre-selected with a single desired outcome, not open-ended and creative like you can give her at home. Plus, both your dc are likely to have far more quality resources at their fingertips in your home than in a class of 25 students in PS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momtoamiracle Posted November 29, 2012 Share Posted November 29, 2012 I wouldn't mind crafts too much but my son wasn't interested. He would want me to do it all, and what is the point of that? So I let him do what he wants. He builds and draws, explores bugs and other creatures, and has a good time running around outside. He's happy and not stressed so I don't worry about the things others are doing. We rarely did crafts or xperiments when I was in school... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennW in SoCal Posted November 29, 2012 Share Posted November 29, 2012 Ahhh..I just don't want to jip my kids. Any ideas are appreciated thanks for reading this far! You are certainly not shortchanging your kids! Homeschoolers are very susceptible to the "grass is greener" syndrome because we only have this one shot with each child and dread ruining them. It sounds like you are suffering from your first case of comparative-itis! The cure is to remind yourself of the freedom you have in making a homeschool that works for your circumstances and for your children. It doesn't need to look like what they do in school, and it isn't supposed to look like what other families are doing. The send bit of the cure is to let go of the responsibility of having to supervise anything even remotely educational. YOU do not need to create crafts and set parameters of what an activity is supposed to look like. Your kids are kids -- let them play and create. Same thing with science. It doesn't HAVE to be an experiment or kit. Just have some materials out at kid level (with rules on cleaning up and keeping things out of reach of the toddler) and let your kids do what they will. Let them explore, let them create, and they will do wonderful things that may not look on the surface like "learning" but in reality are their way processing what they are learning. For instance they should have free and easy access to: paper -- construction and white markers tape scissors magnifying glasses tape measures magnets empty tp and paper towel tubes, empty egg cartons cardboard boxes little spiral bound books of drawing paper which can be used as a science journal or sketch book and lots of craft and science books for kids -- which you can get from the library so there are always fresh ideas perhaps an inexpensive digital camera Add to that legos or other building material and who knows -- your kids may start building a castle or pyramid, or start making trading cards of Greek heros. They might start collecting rocks and storing them in the egg cartons. They might turn to those books to find out how to identify or classify rocks. Sure they will want to do the fanciest craft in the book -- but don't feel obligated to help. Keep it child led and worry free. Games, jigsaw puzzles, trips to the zoo, interesting shows on tv and even just going to the park are rich opportunities for learning, opportunities which kids in the classroom don't get! Do what you enjoy. Find outside activities like scouts or theater or art classes and let another adult deal with the mess if you really feel they need something more. Keep a journal of everything your kids do -- not just the curricula covered, but everything, and when you look back at it in a month or so you'll see just how rich your homeschool really is. And remind yourself that the nice folk on the WTM boards said you are NOT a slacker! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boscopup Posted November 30, 2012 Share Posted November 30, 2012 I don't do crafts and projects in my homeschool, except for the rare science project. I love Science Wiz kits - everything provided, and my 8 year old can work independently! What you're doing looks fine to me. My son did the fun stuff in K at school too, but honestly, he didn't learn anything from it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamajudy Posted November 30, 2012 Share Posted November 30, 2012 It sounds like you have the academics covered. But I would encourage you to take advantage of homeschooling by learning in other ways besides textbooks. Part of the beauty of homeschooling is the freedom you have to explore things that really interest your children. Learning can take place all the time - not just during "school hours". Our kids at one point became interested in birds. That year for Christmas, they asked for field guides and a trip to a national park to go bird watching. The kids started life lists of birds that they saw and became quite expert at identifying various species. We built a pigeon loft, and raised racing pigeons. One daughter started hand raising lovebirds...you get the idea. Find out what they are interested in and go with it! You'll be amazed at what they (and you) will learn! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SevenDaisies Posted November 30, 2012 Share Posted November 30, 2012 Thank you for saying its ok to not be crafty! I'd like to be more crafty and my kids would enjoy it. Much as I try, I find it tedious. I don't think it's lazy - I just prefer other things. I always have lots of art supplies on hand, and kids are free to do what they please with them. Atelier has done well to fill that void for my kids, but if your son isn't craving it, then it's okay not to do it. He's only 7. When he asks for something you can't (or don't want to) provide, farm it out - be it outside classes or DVD courses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5LittleMonkeys Posted November 30, 2012 Share Posted November 30, 2012 I've done curricula that is heavily project\crafty driven - SOTW, Time Travelers, Paths of Exploration to some degree, History Pockets - for lengthy periods of time. My older two dc would actually run out of the room if I mentioned doing anything like that, dd9 and ds6 liked them to some degree, but would typically tire of them before the longer more involved ones were completed. I tried to incorporate that type of activity in order to peak interest and to try to make concepts or ideas more easily remembered. Plus, I did feel that need to make things fun so that my children would have happy, fuzzy, sunshine and lollipop memories of homeschooling. Unfortunately, our projects usually ended up with me saying, "Oh, don't worry about it being perfect, just please, please, please get done so the baby stops licking the tape!" Hmm, not too much in the way of warm and fuzzy there. I decided last year, after spending a huge amount of time and money pre-printing ALL the components of a Time Travelers program...for two...only to have everyone's interest fizzle out after we were only 1\4 of the way into it that I was done with directed project\crafty educational supplementation. It's very liberating. :D All in all I felt, that for us there was too much of a time investment for too little return. Not to mention having to chase around a toddler whilst supervising glue application and proper cutting procedures proved frustrating on the best days. I think doing things with their hands is important for kids so now we focus on learning handicrafts their interested in that produce things we can actually use. I also keep our art cabinet heavily stocked so the kids can do their own art\crafty stuff whenever the mood strikes them. Dd9 and ds6 actually made rain forest dioramas a while ago after we studied them for science - without me. :p Now that all our time isn't taken up with projects and crafts tied to school my dc are able to devote time to their passions and interests. Sometimes that takes them to extending things they learned from our school lessons and sometimes it takes them to learning completely new things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misty.warden Posted November 30, 2012 Share Posted November 30, 2012 What about getting him signed up in a co-op for some fun messy classes or for science experiments. You could try scouts or an art class at a center or something. Outsourcing can help. So much this. My ds is all art all the time: paints, crayons, cut, paste, everything. And he's only 3 so I (not being a crafty person at all) can't see this going well if I have to be in the lead of his crafty pursuits much longer. Don't feel like you're slacking, OP. There's quite a range here of how much is the perfect schedule, and every kid is different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blondeviolin Posted November 30, 2012 Share Posted November 30, 2012 So you have a science museum nearby? Celebrate the time he's NOT in school by taking an afternoon there every so often! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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