Help! My ds6 AND I are bored.

[Scook86]

The curriculum that we are using right now is boring us to tears, literally. When I was researching it sounded so fun and laid back, but the problem is that it is too laid back. There's not enough meat to it. He needs more to stimulate his mind and I need more to feel like he's actually learning something. I feel like all we do is read a book and then talk about it for 3 minutes. There's not much hands on learning going on. I feel like he needs that. He's asking for more experiments and activities. I have already started looking at other curriculums to see if something else might be a better fit. Any suggestions? Thanks!

[Chris in VA]

For what subject?

If it's history, I'd pick SOTW, with the AG--hands down the most fun we had while homeschooling.

We used history as our skill practice, too. Just the act of making a notebook page had dd telling me a short summary (narration), copying down a sentence or two (handwriting), and drawing a picture (art). We also tied a lot of our read alouds to history.

[Scook86]

Here is a breakdown of what we are using this year:

 

Science/LA/History- Five In A Row (He is so bored with it)

Handwriting- A Reason for Handwriting (He absolutely detests handwriting)

Reading/Phonics- All About Reading (He loves this)

Math- Math U See (He likes this)

 

I think the problem with FIAR is that he is a visual and kinesthetic learner. The majority of the lessons in FIAR are reading the book and then discussing it. He's not an auditory learner at all. He has a hard time following verbal direction, as well. He likes the Manipulatives from MUS because he can touch them and see the math. He likes All About Reading because we build with the letter tiles and use activity pages and cut outs. As far as handwriting goes, my guess is that he's a 6 year old boy and nothing could be closer to torture than sitting there practicing letter shapes and sentences. ;)

[acurtis75]

Another vote for sotw. Dd loved it from the first lesson. Especially the first book because we used the activity guide and read lots of the suggested library books. For a kid who loves hands-on the projects in the activity guide are great.

 

 

We also had less of a struggle once we switched to Handwriting without Tears.

[EKS]

Is he in K or 1st? If he's in K, I'd recommend K12's History K. It has a semester of geography followed by a semester of American history. When my younger son was in K, and we hit a boring patch, History K really spiced things up. I also like doing a bit of American history before starting the multi-year world history rotation. There are so many great children's books for younger elementary kids that involve American history in some way, and it's nice for them to have an idea about it early on.

 

If he's in 1st, I'd use SOTW with the AG or K12's history for first grade. Both are very good.

 

As for science, my son loved K12's first grade science course. You could also take a look at R.E.A.L. Life Science.

[sbgrace]

I'd pick up SOTW with activity guide or some fun science (Janice Van Cleave or similar books (check the library) or Magic School Bus videos/books with the online experiments, something like that). Go ahead and read the great Five in a Row books from the library...once or twice if he'd like! It sounds like your basics are going well. All you need is something engaging/fun and you'll be set.

[CyndiLJ]

For science try Nancy Larson Science. Easy to teach, fun to do with lots of activities.

[BugsMama]

Have you looked at any of the FIAR blogs? It's really easy to spice up!

[IceFairy]

We are loving Christian Liberty Press 1st grade (not the academy/charter...just the kit). It is challenging DS and he loves schoolwork now. He is not a "sit, listen, discuss" kid so FIAR would never work fof him....but for my DD, it will be the perfect approach.

[AKshanmar]

I will agree with SOTW for history. My kids were auditory kinestetics, so I would have them draw while I was reading to them. We then scrapbooked everything. It gives you a fun finished project.

 

We really like Real Science 4 Kids. They had some fun hands on projects. Try Beginnings Publishing (Rainbow science) I only used this at the older levels, but we were impressed with the experiments at that level.

[lifesadream83]

Here is a breakdown of what we are using this year:

 

Science/LA/History- Five In A Row (He is so bored with it)

Handwriting- A Reason for Handwriting (He absolutely detests handwriting)

Reading/Phonics- All About Reading (He loves this)

Math- Math U See (He likes this)

 

I think the problem with FIAR is that he is a visual and kinesthetic learner. The majority of the lessons in FIAR are reading the book and then discussing it. He's not an auditory learner at all. He has a hard time following verbal direction, as well. He likes the Manipulatives from MUS because he can touch them and see the math. He likes All About Reading because we build with the letter tiles and use activity pages and cut outs. As far as handwriting goes, my guess is that he's a 6 year old boy and nothing could be closer to torture than sitting there practicing letter shapes and sentences. ;)

 

 

Try SOTW for History

When he starts 1st I would try FLL & WWE

Handwriting without tears is what I would try if he hates what you are using.

[Lolly]

Here is a breakdown of what we are using this year:

 

Science/LA/History- Five In A Row (He is so bored with it)

Handwriting- A Reason for Handwriting (He absolutely detests handwriting)

Reading/Phonics- All About Reading (He loves this)

Math- Math U See (He likes this)

 

I think the problem with FIAR is that he is a visual and kinesthetic learner. The majority of the lessons in FIAR are reading the book and then discussing it. He's not an auditory learner at all. He has a hard time following verbal direction, as well. He likes the Manipulatives from MUS because he can touch them and see the math. He likes All About Reading because we build with the letter tiles and use activity pages and cut outs. As far as handwriting goes, my guess is that he's a 6 year old boy and nothing could be closer to torture than sitting there practicing letter shapes and sentences. ;)

 

We tried FIAR when my kids were little. It was a bust here too. My kids couldn't stand listening to the same story 3 days in a row, much less five! Personally, I thought it was an excellent program for preschool. A little to little for K. And totally beneath 1st grade. (This was at my house with my kids and is mho.) I would suggest trying First Language Lessons for English, Story of the World for history, and adding in some science reading from the library (just go by interest) along with some fun experiments. I think you will both be much happier!

[Down_the_Rabbit_Hole]

I know many have recommended SOTW, but it did not work for us. I had to add tons to it to keep dd interested. She did not like the readings and then we got stuck in Egypt until I finally quit. I would look in the library for a copy and see if it is something your son would enjoy listening to before diving into it.

First, what are you looking for in a history? do you want to cover world history or US history or a cultural geography study? Have you tried lap booking? this adds a hands on dimension to your studies.

 

For science I agree with getting a Jan Van Cleave book and library books. Then just study topic by topic and add in the appropriate experiments. The Magic school bus activity sets are fun to do and you can move as fast or slow and are easy to add to or use as is. We liked these for K because there was lots of hands on, quality supplies, and easy to look at the corresponding MSB video online. Also after a few weeks we moved on to a new subject.

[Chris in VA]

Just wanted to add that I would NOT do SOTW without the Activity Guide.

And, you might want to occasionally start with one of the activities or even one of the picture books to kick off the chapter of SOTW.

For example, the book, Archeologists Dig for Clues is an outstanding way to start the first chapter.

[Scook86]

Wow! Thank you all so, so much for all of your suggestions. It sounds like a lot of people are having success with SOTW. I will definitely be looking into that, as well as the others suggested. And the Young Scinetists Club sound exactly like something he would thrive with. Thanks again!

[Aurelia]

If you want to look at something else, you can try Moving Beyond the Page. It's more hands on and in depth than FIAR. Ariel enjoyed Oak Meadow, too, but I had to get the next grade level because it's very gentle in the beginning and it would have been too easy otherwise.

[JessieC]

ITA with previous poster about Moving Beyond the Page, but also...are you just following the FIAR manual, or are you adding to it? I used FIAR with my first grader last year, and picked up a lot of ideas beyond the manual at the FIAR forum and websites like http://tinderbox.homeschooljournal.net/five-in-a-row-resources/our-fiar-studies/ and homeschoolshare.com. I think if we had just used the manual, we would have been rather bored, but I found planning the FIAR lessons with ideas from outside resources was fun and a nice creative outlet for me.

[marylandhsmom]

Maybe consider MFW 1st? MFW tends to have more hand-on activities that accompany the history studies. Good luck!! :)

[Scook86]

ITA with previous poster about Moving Beyond the Page, but also...are you just following the FIAR manual, or are you adding to it? I used FIAR with my first grader last year, and picked up a lot of ideas beyond the manual at the FIAR forum and websites like http://tinderbox.hom...r-fiar-studies/ and homeschoolshare.com. I think if we had just used the manual, we would have been rather bored, but I found planning the FIAR lessons with ideas from outside resources was fun and a nice creative outlet for me.

 

I have tried adding to FIAR a little bit. We did the lapbooking but Ds isn't into it. We have tried adding a few activities here and there but he still wants more. Like, something to actually *do* each day. I ask him what would make school more fun and hea says, "More experiments!". Is there any way to actually facilitate that or is he just going to have to deal with the less exciting days?

[2_girls_mommy]

Story of the World vol. 1 for first grade, and then move up a vol. each year (or as you get there, since you probably won't finish it all in one semester)

 

For science for 1st we did the Well Trained Mind suggestions. We studied plants, animals, and human body for first grade. We used mainly the Usborne First Illustrated Encyclopedias of ... (human body, etc.) as a guide, plus library books. We found lots of hands on activities in the library books. Then we did those and did notebook pages drawing and describing what we learned. Plus the Usborne books have links to games and things on line that my dd enjoyed.

 

Sounds like you have the core subjects covered..

[sbgrace]

 

I have tried adding to FIAR a little bit. We did the lapbooking but Ds isn't into it. We have tried adding a few activities here and there but he still wants more. Like, something to actually *do* each day. I ask him what would make school more fun and hea says, "More experiments!". Is there any way to actually facilitate that or is he just going to have to deal with the less exciting days?

 

I've got a "doer" too. He really craves the hands on stuff.

 

If you do SOTW the activity guide, and the more involved stuff particularly, is going to be very important for him.

 

But given he's saying more experiments I think I'd focus on science instead. You could also do SOTW or just pick a few US history topics instead. My blog has some fun hands on US history plans. You could cover one history topic a week (or a month) if you wanted. Then have his more frequent fun stuff be science related. If you find a good science experiment book and do one of those a week, Magic School Bus (most videos available online or many libraries carry the books which my kids enjoy) with a simpler activity a week (free here http://www.scholastic.com/magicschoolbus/parentteacher/activities/index.htm ), get some library books for the topic, etc. it may fit him better than SOTW would.

 

 

Maybe you could do science topic 2 days (books, experiment, video if you're ok with screen time), a history hands on activity 1 day, FIAR book and anything that looks fun there 1-2 days, maybe an art project sometimes too. I'd just try to have something engaging more days than not. My goals would be less about what we covered at that age and more about giving him the over-all sense that learning, and homeschooling, is enjoyable.

[thebacabunch]

educational games, manipulatives, and computer games. If you go to amazon and type in educational games there are tons of results. Scrabble jr is great for spelling. There are lots of ideas for all subjects. Almost anything can be used as a manipulative for school. Legos are awesome for building ancient buildings or making graphs for math. Measuring cups and moonsand are awesome for math. Puppets are great for keeping attention while instructing and acting out famous historical happenings. hwot with the teachers manual is great for handwriting. I love love love sotw (especially the audiobooks by jim weiss and the ag). We do a lot of computer games from brainpop, mensa jr., etc. The usborne internet linked books are fabulous for linking subjects with computer games and other subject related content. I don't think your ds is too old for sensory boxes with a cool subject related theme. Pinterest has a ton of great science experiment ideas. The sky is the limit as far as doing hands on schooling. I didn't see any art on your list either. A good set of watercolor pencils and a niji brush are great for doing mapwork and making some great art as welll. My kids will spend many hours independantly cutting and glueing. Lapbooks are also a great way to do hands on learning. I love watching documentaries with the kids. I just saw that amazon is now selling horrible histories ( I know you can watch clips on youtube). Speaking of horrible histories, I highly suggest a visit to horriblebooks.com.

[thebacabunch]

Also, I love our leappad. It is very educational.

[Scook86]

educational games, manipulatives, and computer games. If you go to amazon and type in educational games there are tons of results. Scrabble jr is great for spelling. There are lots of ideas for all subjects. Almost anything can be used as a manipulative for school. Legos are awesome for building ancient buildings or making graphs for math. Measuring cups and moonsand are awesome for math. Puppets are great for keeping attention while instructing and acting out famous historical happenings. hwot with the teachers manual is great for handwriting. I love love love sotw (especially the audiobooks by jim weiss and the ag). We do a lot of computer games from brainpop, mensa jr., etc. The usborne internet linked books are fabulous for linking subjects with computer games and other subject related content. I don't think your ds is too old for sensory boxes with a cool subject related theme. Pinterest has a ton of great science experiment ideas. The sky is the limit as far as doing hands on schooling. I didn't see any art on your list either. A good set of watercolor pencils and a niji brush are great for doing mapwork and making some great art as welll. My kids will spend many hours independantly cutting and glueing. Lapbooks are also a great way to do hands on learning. I love watching documentaries with the kids. I just saw that amazon is now selling horrible histories ( I know you can watch clips on youtube). Speaking of horrible histories, I highly suggest a visit to horriblebooks.com.

 

Great suggestions. I will be looking into these, as I can tell even by the names that Ds would be into them. Thank you!

[ElizabethB]

I would do your handwriting on the whiteboard instead of the book for a few days and see if that helps.

[Candid]

I have tried adding to FIAR a little bit. We did the lapbooking but Ds isn't into it. We have tried adding a few activities here and there but he still wants more. Like, something to actually *do* each day. I ask him what would make school more fun and hea says, "More experiments!". Is there any way to actually facilitate that or is he just going to have to deal with the less exciting days?

 

Allow me to suggest some balance!

 

First, as you have learned changing a program is not easy. It is much smarter to find a program that works for you.

 

There are plenty of programs that include more hands on stuff.

 

I think MFW even has a kit of craft sort of things at this level (but I'm not a user, so I'm not sure). Tapestry of Grace includes craft books, usually for all 3 of the lower levels.

 

And there are plenty of science books full of fun stuff to do.

 

If you want complete, go look at Sonlight's science, if they are still using the Usborne 3 up experiment books for k - 2, you can buy the book, and the kits and go (note: there is a permanent kit, that you'll have to buy for all three years and then a yearly kit). You don't need the other books they offer (although some are nice) and they don't tie the experiments to the other books for these first three years.

 

Okay, on balance, you also don't want your son to think he has to have you and some set experiments or crafts to entertain or educate himself. So if none of these things, take more than an hour a day (or even less!) then don't get up tight. At 6, he also needs to learn to play quietly by himself.

[maize]

For science, I would get some fun kits or a book of experiments using household items--your library probably has some. Anything hands-on will likely appeal to a 6 year old boy.

As for handwriting, none of my kids has been ready to really progress there until they are at least 7 years old. I personally would just drop that subject for now and come back later.

[poiema]

From my experience with a 6yo boy, more "hands-on" means more science experiments. Science kits and kitchen experiments. My 6yo loves that stuff! I thought that meant he loved all hands-on crafts and activities so I purchased HOD's LHFHG and he can't stand those little activities.

 

I don't think you should make a complete overhaul just yet. Start by adding fun science experiments (especially the messy kind) and relaxing a bit with handwriting (maybe try chalk outside, writing in shaving cream, dry erase, etc). It sounds like things are going well with reading/phonics and math, and that's what really matters at this age. If he is bored reading the same story 5 times, then just read it once or twice. Adding more history probably isn't going to thrill him (not that history can't be thrilling, but that's probably not what your 6yo is asking for). If you do want to add more history, I suggest Brain Pop Jr and library books for now. There are even library books with history/crafts so you can see if he is even into that sort of thing. Just don't overwhelm him (or yourself) with a bunch of changes all at once.

[Shellydon]

I am using FIAR in a co-op and I make it hands on. It is really up to you as the educator to make it suit your child. FIAR is a great curric, you just have to make it work for you.

[Scook86]

Oooh. Lots of thinking to do. Thanks for all of your help guys. It is truly appreciated.

[kroe1]

Why use a curriculum? Just get some great art kits like those by Alex Toys and some great science kits like those from Eino-Science. That will definitely add some spark to your current curriculum.

 

Also, consider teaching keyboarding, PowerPoint, Microsoft Word, etc. right now while your son has an easier curriculum. Also, that is a great age to start a foreign language. I liked BJU's Pasaporte en Espanol at that age. I'm not sure if it is still available, however.

 

In other words, consider adding more subjects rather than change curriculum.