I now know why PS parents say they cannot home school...

[Lara in Colo]

You know, the people who say they couldn't spend that much time with their children?

 

I am watching a friend's children along with my own-- 9 total. I would rather teach than try and keep this crowd occupied!!!

 

 

I have been schooling though the summer months for three years now and I can honestly say I am happier teaching them than keeping up with them!!!

 

These are great children and we all get along so well (I consider them family) and my children are just as guilty in all aspects.

 

But I see how a mom who has had them in school all day, then had to entertain them all summer would be horrified by the thought of actually having to teach them all year long as well.

 

I guess we can leave it our secret that schooling is easier!!!

 

Well, we are off to run through the sprinklers!!

 

 

Lara

[Jean in Newcastle]

That is why I school year round. . . :leaving: :leaving:

[Excelsior! Academy]

That is why I school year round. . . :leaving: :leaving:

 

This.

[Lara in Colo]

That is why I school year round. . . :leaving: :leaving:

 

 

I school year-round too!! But not with 5 that aren't mine own!!

 

.

I confess to logging onto DD 3's reading eggs account for two.

[Jean in Newcastle]

I had one very very frenetic young guest once that in desperation I finally sat in front of the t.v. and said "Watch this and do not move!" All I needed was one 30 min. episode of quiet. I never ever thought I'd have to say that!

[Butter]

I figured that out when my SIL was saying she just didn't know how I entertain my kids all the time. I don't. They know how to entertain themselves. But if all you know is kid behavior on school breaks you would totally assume its how they all are all the time and thing homeschoolers are a bit nuts.

[Um_2_4]

I keep telling my nonHS friends (ok that's pretty much all of them) this and they just look at me like I am crazy (or Super MOM, which I am so not).

About 2 weeks in to their summer break, I get "The calls".... "what can I do???? " "Umm, get them some projects, set a schedule, do a reading challenge at home"...."but that is like school, they won't like it."...."Have you tried??"

only one followed my advice and she was shocked at her success.

[Luanne]

I sometimes think people send their children to public school so they can avoid any kind of disciplining them. They just tolerate them on the weekends and evenings. I could never do that. Even if my daughter had gone to public school, she still would know the proper way to behave. I wouldn't have had it any other way. My neice and nephews go to school in Salt Lake City, Utah and they have always behaved well because my brother and sister-in-law insisted on it.

[SKL]

I have my kids in b&m school and also school at home. I agree that the fear of kids not liking to "learn" in the summer is generally unfounded. As long as it's not the exact same thing they were doing in school. One of my kids likes the one-on-one attention, and the other likes the opportunity for independent study (aka unlimited reading time YEAH). ... As for the "escaping discipline" comment, having a kid who misbehaves at school instead of at home is not an escape. Take my word for it. Nobody wants to hear that kind of report from school. And kids usually behave better for people other than their parents. Unless they have attachment issues like one of mine, and they give you a false sense of security until all hell breaks loose at school. Where you can't really do anything about it. But that's a story for a different day . . . ;) ... But in the interest of full disclosure, I'm sending my kids to a series of day camps for most of the summer. :) What can I say, I have some big work deadlines coming up. :)

[lynn]

DD ps friend has already announced she is bored and has been...let's say a little destructive in her attempts to get get unbored. Yeah I am keeping dd busy this summer to limit time with this friend who I need to make a tape for and play of myself repeating Do not jump on, over or kick my couch, please knock and wait until someone answers the door to let you know if dd can play or not, please do not empty dd toy box then decide it's time for you to go home, please do not go outside with out shoes on there may be roofing nails around. it's time to go home and do not find 100 excuses to continue to come running back to my house then expect us to walk you home AGAIN and again.

[Word Nerd]

I get annoyed with all the articles and blog posts I see (mainly directed at school parents) that talk about ways to "sneak" learning into your kids' summer activities. If so many adults actually believe that learning is unpleasant and can't be enjoyable or fun, it's no wonder their kids pick up on that message. Instead of trying to keep it a secret, why not encourage kids to view learning as a positive thing instead of something to be avoided?

[Alte Veste Academy]

I get annoyed with all the articles and blog posts I see (mainly directed at school parents) that talk about ways to "sneak" learning into your kids' summer activities. If so many adults actually believe that learning is unpleasant and can't be enjoyable or fun, it's no wonder their kids pick up on that message.

 

 

I agree! My kids like learning AND vegetables! :tongue_smilie: We don't sneak anything good for you around here!

[SKL]

One of the reasons I will be schooling and maintaining a busy schedule all summer is to avoid the shift in momentum, which is problematic for my kids. No need to ramp up at the beginning of the school year. In fact, if all goes according to my evil plans, the first month of 2nd grade will probably be a vacation for my kids. ;)

[Lilaclady]

I think some of the problem is that it is easy to coast to the schools schedule during the school year. I find that with my friends who afterschool, their kids tend to do better and don't find the reading problematic but those that do not usually have more issues.

[RemsMom]

I think sometimes that parents of PS children think that they have to entertain their children all summer because they don't have school to keep them busy. I know a mom that schedules almost every day of her children's summer. Sleepovers multiple times a week and some scheduled activity each day. I don't know how she does it! I would despise summer with her schedule. I think when children are home schooled that they learn to entertain themselves. DD11 is always so happy when I am too busy to get to schoolwork and she has to entertain herself by drawing, reading, playing Mindcraft, or watching Bill Nye DVDs.

[Kelly1730]

I agree with the pp. My boys know how to amuse themselves. I never have to find things for them to do. My grandsons, who attend ps, need to be constantly "busy" or they are getting into trouble or they are "bored".

[KungFuPanda]

I'm in the minority. I think summertime, when I JUST have to be the mom, is soooo much easier than the school year. For me, homeschooling takes up about as much time as a part-time job. While I do enjoy that job and feel privileged to do it, I think it's a LOT less work just do what we want around town, and even the house, without doing lessons. My kids HAPPILY fly under my radar to quietly do their own thing.

[Alte Veste Academy]

I'm in the minority. I think summertime, when I JUST have to be the mom, is soooo much easier than the school year. For me, homeschooling takes up about as much time as a part-time job. While I do enjoy that job and feel privileged to do it, I think it's a LOT less work just do what we want around town, and even the house, without doing lessons. My kids HAPPILY fly under my radar to quietly do their own thing.

 

I agree with this. (We do homeschool year-round but do less during the summer, leaving more time for our own individual hobbies, reading, etc., and I find that very relaxing.) I am not sure if that is what people are saying though? I might be a bit if a dim bulb today. :lol: I think you and your kids Iike summers because you all know how to entertain yourselves. You enjoy your time off because your kids aren't wandering around complaining of boredom and flitting restlessly from one thing to another, expecting you to keep them entertained. I thought the point was that PS schoolers were more likely to want to be entertained, exhausting the moms.

 

ETA: Never mind. I see where people are saying they prefer to keep their kids busy, scheduled, whatever.

[RemsMom]

My kids HAPPILY fly under my radar to quietly do their own thing.

 

 

This made me laugh. This is DD11 and her brother and sister when they were younger. They loved the "Mom is too busy so I get to do what I want".

[momacacia]

Weeeellllll, if you're bored, you can get out the lightweight vacuum and vac the back bathroom and laundry room where you traipse in all the dirt from the backyard. Child: "Are you serious?!" Me: LOL! "Yes."

 

8yo was quite proud if the job she did, showed Daddy when he got home and hasn't complained of boredom since. ;-)

[Lara in Colo]

Weeeellllll, if you're bored, you can get out the lightweight vacuum and vac the back bathroom and laundry room where you traipse in all the dirt from the backyard. Child: "Are you serious?!" Me: LOL! "Yes."

 

8yo was quite proud if the job she did, showed Daddy when he got home and hasn't complained of boredom since. ;-)

 

 

LOL that was exactly what the momma of one of the bored children said. I didn't make him, of course.

 

these are great kids and I think it is hard at someone else's home.

[*********]

Lara, I bet I know what kids you were keeping! :D

 

You're a great friend. It's not every girlfriend that would keep someones five kids all at once for a couple days.

[LisaKinVA]

We do have different routines during the summer...I had ours all nicely planned out, and then someone went and gave us the gift of swimming this summer, so I had to re-organize the schedule to account for that ;) The kids are thrilled, though.

 

Our days are packed...with something. Swimming, school, chores/projects, day at the park. No one has time to be bored here. Sunday is really our only "slow day." But, our family works best if we stay on a routine (even if that routine changes to make time for different activities than we would do in the winter).

[momma aimee]

That is why I school year round. . . :leaving: :leaving:

 

here too :) school may only be about 3 hours (in chunks, not all at once) but it is 3 less hours i have to fill with "activity planner". especially right now, living in temp housing with out a back yard)

 

I agree with OP -- the wife of one of DH's co-workers is forever saying "i have no idea what to do with them [girls, 2 of them]" when the girls are out of school. she is amazed i can "deal with them all day" to home school -- but i don't think she gets that we do SCHOOL it is not choas (or so i tell myself)

[petepie2]

I agree! Summer is hard for me, too. I want to get certain things done, and the kids just don't know what to do with themselves. If I leave them to themselves, it usually results in mass chaos of the sort you describe. The days when I have more structure (of any sort!) go so much better! We do a little bit of math in the summer and I still have scheduled reading time in the afternoons.

[sewingmama]

We do no schoolwork in summer , my kids love unscheduled time and make the most of it. If they ever complain about being bored I tell them to grab their schoolbooks and they soon find something else to do lol.

 

My niece who goes to ps needs to be entertained constantly in the holidays. Every day she begs to go out somewhere...she hates to stay home. Last time she was visiting she asked if I would take her horse riding LOL. I said honey I can't afford to take my own kids horse riding I'm not taking you (she was 4 at the time). I got out some play dough which my kids played with for over an hour and my niece poked it with one finger and proclaimed it boring.

 

My kids didn't actually play with her much that trip. Her dad ended up taking her out nearly every day and she just didnt know how to join in with my kids make believe play.

 

It was kind of sad when you think about it ...a 4 yo who doesn't know how to play...just how to be entertained by an adult.

[Lara in Colo]

I didn't mean for this lighthearted observation to turn into a "public schooled kids are bad" discussion.

 

This is another homeschooled family... but they are at my house---- things are different.

 

Today my ds has spent 2 hours playing with wooden blocks. He built a Greek temple and an ancient city. Yesterday an 18mo knocked them over before there was one building so---- blocks and legos were not an option.

 

Barbies were out since the bedding was basically covering the entire bedroom floor (down mattresses were the beds since I don't have guest rooms).

 

Eight children waiting for their turn on a trampoline is probably boring after a while.

 

Taking a walk is out since I was letting people nap and 7-8 children all at once roaming unattended in the neighborhood didn't set well with me.

 

Once they finished their books (both sets of children) I couldn't get them to the library for more (not enough seats in the van).

Basically the dynamics of the two families brought on "boredom" and some frustrations in all parties.

 

We had a good time and I would do it again if asked.

 

But during this time I did "see" how a public school parent could not understand that structured school makes all the difference, and they would think that homeschooling is insanity.

[Lara in Colo]

Lara, I bet I know what kids you were keeping! :D

 

You're a great friend. It's not every girlfriend that would keep someones five kids all at once for a couple days.

 

 

I bet you do too!!!

 

I love this lady and her children.

 

They went home last night and it was like having family leave.-- You were sad to see them go, glad to have things return to normal, and hoping they come again soon!!

 

I am sitting here today thinking how quiet my house is!!

 

Lara

[Mom2OandE]

Funny you post this. I was just thinking I wish we were schooling. We have a pool and dd and a neighbor boy are swimming. Ds is upset because he doesn't want to swim. Summer just started and its already crazy.