Wishing for an All-In-One Box

[EmilyGF]

I'm homeschooling 3rd and 2nd, with a rising Ker who is slowly learning to read, a toddler, and a baby on the way.

 

I love RightStart math. I like Writing With Ease. I can stand First Language Lessons. We are doing OK with SOTW 2 (all together). I read to my kids every night before bed. My kids read to themselves and generally are productive, happy kids.

 

I constantly stress out about what I am missing. Science beyond random (and I mean RANDOM!) reading doesn't get done. Sometimes we read SOTW extra books, but we never do the projects. We are inconsistent at best with mapping. Art? Not unless it is an outside class.

 

Part of me says, "That's OK, they are getting a good education because of deep reading and conversations related to their interests." Part of me says, "We need a specific, easy-to-follow curriculum, like RS, WWE, SOTW, for the parts of our day I'm dissatisfied with."

 

Another part of me realizes that homeschoolers I knew in college who had a hard time had a hard time with things like time management, getting up on time, and doing their homework for the deadline. I don't want my kids to miss out on that part of the hidden curriculum. (OTOH, homeschoolers I knew were generally creative, think-outside-the-box people.)

 

I guess I want a box to check, where I know the curriculum is challenging but not too much, and I can then say, "Go get in your play clothes!" or "Sorry, Mommy is tired and needs a break!" without feeling guilty.

Sigh.

Emily

[Ellie]

 

Another part of me realizes that homeschoolers I knew in college who had a hard time had a hard time with things like time management, getting up on time, and doing their homework for the deadline. I don't want my kids to miss out on that part of the hidden curriculum. (OTOH, homeschoolers I knew were generally creative, think-outside-the-box people.)

 

 

To be fair, most of the adults I know who have a hard time with things like time management, getting up on time, and meeting deadlines spent 12-16 years in public or private schools. :-) Those things are first taught at home, whether the children have to leave the house to go to school or not, KWIM?

[bluedarling]

Having been almost where you are (4 kids, not 5) I think its really easy to get overwhelmed with your time stretched too thin.  I loved RightStart, too, but eventually gave it up because I didn't have time in my day to teach everyone.  Similar with WWE.  I think its important to consider your time constraints in the curriculum you choose. 

 

Curriculum that helped me with these kind of issues:  Math U See (letting the kids watch the dvds without me enabled me to not have to teach every child) and ACE (school of tomorrow)....we aren't using it anymore, but it really helped in that regard.   Any other curriculum that could be used independently would help.  Yes, I agree a lot of the teacher intensive stuff is better...but its only better if its reasonable for you to get it done.  I found it better to have independent base (where possible), then add in supplements where I needed to.

[EmilyGF]

Ellie,

 

The homeschooled kids I knew who had time management problems had time management problems that were bizarre. I can give details of the most extreme one, but it was definitely caused by a failed homeschooling model. While the creativity of homeschooled kids at college is part of the reason I homeschool, their time management problems serve as a warning to me. Other kids had run-of-the-mill time management problems (video games comes to mind). These kids, while smart and high achieving, had major issues with deadlines. (One girl wasn't even sure she would graduate on time - until 8 am the morning of graduation.)

 

Emily

[FO4UR]

I am streamlining our LA for January.  This thread was helpful.  LLtL would take the place of WWE/FLL.

 

 

Science in a Nutshell kits are a bit pricey, but come with 3 student journals and everything needed for the experiments except water.  Most kits are probably just a wee bit above grade level for you right now, but they are well done and worth every penny.  Science actually gets *done* in my house with these. No planning! Put these on your list to look at, and maybe try an easy one. 

 

 

If you and the kids love RS math, you should keep it.  Don't fix what ain't broke.

[SkateLeft]

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[Hunter]

Not all weaknesses are caused by homeschooling. My oldest was nicknamed "Shortcut ..." by his second grade teacher. And yes, he was one of those students who wasn't sure if he would be graduating college until the last minute. Looking for every shortcut has been a blessing and curse his whole life and homeschooling has NOTHING to do with it.

 

Always looking for shortcuts meant he even was in college at all, at that point, though. He was barely 19, had put himself through college including paying for his own health insurance because we had none, and was saddled with doing a lot of caring for me when I was sick.

 

My son wanted to be financially Independent and get out to Las Vegas to join friends at 18. He failed at that. His time management skills meant he showed up for his last elective class 3 days late and the teacher wouldn't let him join after missing the first 2 days. Instead of being able to take a quick 3 week summer course, he had to stick around for a whole another semester. Then when it came to graduate, there still were problems right up till the last minute.

 

My son moves along with the same attitude when things are easy and when things are very challenging. He does the least possible at the last minute, and nothing more.

 

Homeschooling is just ONE aspect of the training children receive, and they have their own personalities that sometimes are VERY different than their parents and the style they are parented with.

 

I battled the shortcut thing from day one, but I failed to make a dent in it, and I'm not sure I was meant to. I laugh when I listen to his adult adventures. Shortcuts seem to work for HIM. He's happy. He's doing well. He's always walking a tightrope I wouldn't want to be on, but he seems to like it up there.

[silver]

I think it can be hard sometimes to balance the curriculum in terms of how teacher intensive it is. I'm trying to figure that one out myself. Many of the curricula and teaching methodologies that I gravitate toward tend to be more teacher intensive in terms of prep and 1-on-1 time. I know that when I add in more kids to the mix that I'll have to change something.

You don't have to do every subject every day (or even every week--I skip science a lot, but my son is still getting a good science foundation). In fact my plan next year is to dig deep into science for three weeks and the do the same for history for three weeks. I think it will give us the ability to cover the topics we do cover well rather than rushing through twice as many topics and be left wondering what we even learned.

At the grades your kids are, I think random children's trade books on various science topics is completely adequate. And don't worry about not doing history projects with SOTW. I think most projects at the elementary stage are more for fun or better labeled as arts and crafts than they are for learning history. Sure, kids that mummify a chicken will remember doing that; but it's not like the ones that don't mummify chickens will forget about the existence of mummies in Ancient Egypt.

Whenever I express panic to my husband that I'm depriving our children of a good education in some specific area (like music), he points out that it's not like the public schools leave time for those areas these days. For many districts, so much time is spend on reading and math that not much time is spent on other areas.

And not on topic, but Hunter, I wouldn't call finding shortcuts a weakness. In many workplaces they would call that "efficiency" and reward it (as long as the shortcuts don't harm accuracy).

 

[Walking-Iris]

I started using Real Science Odyssey and now science is finally getting done. I also don't stress about the SOTW projects. I glance through them and find a couple that I think we would really like to do, and don't worry about trying to do something for every single chapter. Same with our HO...I don't try to check off every single thing weekly. And in the winter? No I can't do projects. I much prefer messy things like that outside in the warm sun. Same with science projects. I just don't have the energy for things like that in colder months.

 

Harmony Fine Arts has also been a treasure to find. Without art scheduled out for me like that, I may never do it. And my kids like art so I'm glad to have the weekly HFA schedule. 

 

I stress about the "hidden curriculum" all the time. My oldest has Asperger's so literally I stress about it all.of.the.time. Reading and researching executive skills really helps. I've found myself gravitating towards the open and go style of lessons and programs lately. I used to be able to wing it, but now I like going to the next thing.

[EmilyGF]

I've done a lot of reflecting since I wrote this last night about what the specific weaknesses were that I'm concerned about.

 

My first friend's parents effectively never let her finish school. They were trying to accelerate her, so if she finished something quickly or early, she was "rewarded" with extra work. So, when she came to college, she had a life-long habit of never starting anything early or finishing it quickly. Shouldn't there be a reward for finishing early? I see how off her parents' policies were, and yet, I realize I mimic them in some ways.

 

The more normal problem was the mastery problem - they were always to work for mastery/perfection growing up, so they would redo things until they were good enough. Well, in college, you have deadlines and points docked after that. You can't get tired and tell yourself your revision/redo will be better ("Mastery") but have to work for the good grade the first time.

 

Now, I think mastery is a great goal. But I see how it can also breed bad habits. I see bad habits in non-HSed kids, too, and try to avoid them. Why shouldn't I look at bad habits in HSed kids and try to avoid them, too?
 

I guess my longing for a boxed curriculum is due to these two problems. A boxed, check-the-square curriculum would show us when the day was done and "reward" us for a quick and efficient job. Check-the-square curricula also has due dates. Is it the way to deal with these problems I see? Not necessarily, but thinking through this has been helpful.

[PachiSusan]

In my 5 years of home education, I have used a box every year. Some say that's not home schooling, some say it's using a crutch, some say it's just fine. I say it's what *I* need at this moment and what I as the parent think is best for our home schooling environment. 

 

That said, I think the most important thing is to find the way that school WORKS for you at home. It's not all about the curriculum. It's about the learning style of the child/ren , it's about the needs/teaching style of the parent educator, it's about the educational philosophy of the family and the curriculum one picks should reflect all of that, if possible. 

 

If Mom needs a box to check it off and know it's done for HER peace of mind and the children are learning well, I dont' see a problem. 

 

If Mom needs a box to ensure that her children have a well rounded education and for now, she doesn't have the time to research individual curriculum providers, I don't see a problem. 

 

If Mom LOVES the box and the education it gives her children, I don't see a problem. 

 

If the Mom wants variety, but the child does well with the box, use it. I don't see a problem. 

 

I guess what I'm trying to say is that the BOX isn't the issue: it's what the individual family needs and whether or not that box is the tool that provides it or not. 

 

ETA that I realized later on you enumerated two worries: 

 

Reward for finishing doesn't translate to life

Mastery doesn't teach time management and can breed bad habits and the assumption that you get "do-overs" until you understand it. 

 

Do I understand those two correctly? If so - it won't be a box that makes or breaks that. It will be how you teach them. You can use check marks on any curriculum you have planned and the "check box" is finishing your goals for that book. You can not allow do overs, but you can test different ways and leave the grades be. 

[Ellie]

Ellie,

 

The homeschooled kids I knew who had time management problems had time management problems that were bizarre. I can give details of the most extreme one, but it was definitely caused by a failed homeschooling model. While the creativity of homeschooled kids at college is part of the reason I homeschool, their time management problems serve as a warning to me. Other kids had run-of-the-mill time management problems (video games comes to mind). These kids, while smart and high achieving, had major issues with deadlines. (One girl wasn't even sure she would graduate on time - until 8 am the morning of graduation.)

 

Emily

 

I'm sure you're right. :-)

 

I just also know people who were traditionally schooled who had major issues with deadlines. ::glares:: As it happens, both of my dds, while growing up in a very relaxed homeschooling environment, have turned out to be quite anal when it comes to time management. It was especially noticeable with my younger dd, who didn't read at her age level until she was 9 1/2, and yet who came home from her colleges classes (both dds began community college at 14yo) and rewrote her notes (color coding involved) such that others wanted to borrow them, and who completed any papers a week in advance, and who was physically ill if she got a grade less than an A...all of this without my making a single comment. I am amazed.

 

I think using real-life circumstances to check ourselves out, causing us to make adjustments in whatever the issue is, is wise. I have done that, both with my children and with myself, lol.

 

[Incognito]

I've done a lot of reflecting since I wrote this last night about what the specific weaknesses were that I'm concerned about.

 

My first friend's parents effectively never let her finish school. They were trying to accelerate her, so if she finished something quickly or early, she was "rewarded" with extra work. So, when she came to college, she had a life-long habit of never starting anything early or finishing it quickly. Shouldn't there be a reward for finishing early? I see how off her parents' policies were, and yet, I realize I mimic them in some ways.

 

The more normal problem was the mastery problem - they were always to work for mastery/perfection growing up, so they would redo things until they were good enough. Well, in college, you have deadlines and points docked after that. You can't get tired and tell yourself your revision/redo will be better ("Mastery") but have to work for the good grade the first time.

 

Now, I think mastery is a great goal. But I see how it can also breed bad habits. I see bad habits in non-HSed kids, too, and try to avoid them. Why shouldn't I look at bad habits in HSed kids and try to avoid them, too?

 

I guess my longing for a boxed curriculum is due to these two problems. A boxed, check-the-square curriculum would show us when the day was done and "reward" us for a quick and efficient job. Check-the-square curricula also has due dates. Is it the way to deal with these problems I see? Not necessarily, but thinking through this has been helpful.

 

Have you considered taking what you are doing, putting it on a 36 week schedule, fitting in a little more science (or whatever you feel you are missing), then printing it up and using that as a checklist for your day?

 

I wouldn't do it, exactly like that, but I did love having Sonlight for the first 2 years to get my groove.  I haven't had it this year, and I do plan to work out some sort of weekly schedule again in the coming year because checking those things off just feels nice to me. 

 

 

[MamaSprout]

I've done a lot of reflecting since I wrote this last night about what the specific weaknesses were that I'm concerned about.

 

My first friend's parents effectively never let her finish school. They were trying to accelerate her, so if she finished something quickly or early, she was "rewarded" with extra work. So, when she came to college, she had a life-long habit of never starting anything early or finishing it quickly. Shouldn't there be a reward for finishing early? I see how off her parents' policies were, and yet, I realize I mimic them in some ways.

 

The more normal problem was the mastery problem - they were always to work for mastery/perfection growing up, so they would redo things until they were good enough. Well, in college, you have deadlines and points docked after that. You can't get tired and tell yourself your revision/redo will be better ("Mastery") but have to work for the good grade the first time.

 

Now, I think mastery is a great goal. But I see how it can also breed bad habits. I see bad habits in non-HSed kids, too, and try to avoid them. Why shouldn't I look at bad habits in HSed kids and try to avoid them, too?

 

I guess my longing for a boxed curriculum is due to these two problems. A boxed, check-the-square curriculum would show us when the day was done and "reward" us for a quick and efficient job. Check-the-square curricula also has due dates. Is it the way to deal with these problems I see? Not necessarily, but thinking through this has been helpful.

 

You don't necessarily need a box to address this- just a good plan.

[WIS0320]

Have you considered taking what you are doing, putting it on a 36 week schedule, fitting in a little more science (or whatever you feel you are missing), then printing it up and using that as a checklist for your day?

 

I wouldn't do it, exactly like that, but I did love having Sonlight for the first 2 years to get my groove.  I haven't had it this year, and I do plan to work out some sort of weekly schedule again in the coming year because checking those things off just feels nice to me. 

 

I agree.  There are definitely ways to prepare ahead of time to create your own "boxed curriculum" feel while choosing your own curriculum and resources.  I discovered filing for our school year on these forums 2 years ago and it has helped me so much and addresses the time management issues for both my children AND me.  We know we have to complete what it is in our weekly folder before the end of the week.  I don't plan pacing for math, but everything else I will use for the year either has a notecard indicating what we need to do that week, a printed schedule, worksheets are printed ahead of time, project pieces are cut out and ready to go ahead of time, etc.  It all gets filed.  It really is "open and go" and we really have a good daily and weekly schedule in place.   It takes me about a month in the summer to get set up for the following school  year but it is time very well spent.

 

You don't have to buy a box to set pacing and get organized!   :001_smile:

[Walking-Iris]

Have you considered taking what you are doing, putting it on a 36 week schedule, fitting in a little more science (or whatever you feel you are missing), then printing it up and using that as a checklist for your day?

 

I wouldn't do it, exactly like that, but I did love having Sonlight for the first 2 years to get my groove.  I haven't had it this year, and I do plan to work out some sort of weekly schedule again in the coming year because checking those things off just feels nice to me. 

 

This is a good idea. I don't plan like this exactly, but similar. My kids know what to expect each day. Their daily work is in a wire magazine holder. They know that math and various lang arts get done every day. 

 

When they are done going through what is in their basket, the rest of the day is read alouds, project, free time, documentary etc. I try not plan out what we'll do all day long. I want them to experience finding and following through with their own interests. 

 

But it's a good step in helping them learn time management and responsibility when they understand that xyz needs to be done today. 

 

They basically rely on me to plan out the content, science and history, and that's okay. I like researching and thinking about fun lesson ideas or activities. But I plan on the priority principle. If we get our basic three r's done that week and certain science or history got laid aside, I don't worry too much. The foundation needs to be set before they could even understand the others deeply. 

 

My 1st grader is showing he needs more attention in language arts and learning to read, so I can't really put learning ancient history high in my priorities. 

 

It can be very helpful to plan like that. 

[Hannah]

I agree with those that suggest setting up a plan for yourself.  It is just a matter of working out how many weeks you want to school in the year and then working out how many pages you need to cover in a week or a day for each subject.  

 

In the early grades, kids can learn loads of science from Magic School Bus dvds. Homeschoolbelle has a very useful free schedule (linked to teacherspayteachers) for the dvd's and supplemental books and activities if you wish to expand on the dvd's.  You could see what your library has and spend a bit of time putting your own box together for the year.

 

Another option for science is Sonlight bundles . The Science Discover and Do DVD's demonstrate the experiments from the Usborne Science Activities books.  The K-2 dvd's can be done for any of these grades.  Dd's did them with friends the same age.  We put a kit together for each book/dvd, let the kids watch the dvd's and the moms had coffee while they experimented/played :).

 

ETA:  My 9yo dd loves the Popular Mechanics for Kids series. I count this for science as well.

Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego  is another great series.  Dd9 has learned loads about Geography from watching.

[Hannah]

By art do you mean art appreciation or drawing/painting etc?

 

For art appreciation we do an artist of the month.  I print out 5 prints for the particular artist and put them on the wall.  We do a quick daily review.

I  also get a children's book or two (Mike Venezia's books are good for the lower grades) to read during the month.  Its a quick and easy way to get exposure and create 'hooks'.

 

We also enjoyed Sister Wendy's dvds for art.  Not everyone likes them, so please check the reviews.

[SnMomof7]

We didn't get much science done in the early grades, just the basics really. Science is happening here now, but ONLY because I got my readers something they can do on their own. Is it rigorous, perfect, and ideal? Nope. But it isn't mom intensive, it is getting done, and at least they are getting some science exposure instead of almost nothing while waiting for me to give it to them. At least they are familiar with the most common science concepts and ideas about how the world works, and really, that's okay.

[EmilyGF]

This thread has been incredibly helpful in clarifying to myself what is wrong with our HS right now. I mentioned some of the problems above, but the biggest problem for me right now is stress/fear.

 

I am a cub scout den leader, so I see other kids my son's age and see that he is doing exceptionally well academically. We did science experiments yesterday and the other kids (except one) didn't understand data collection or analysis. They go to a ritzy, $17K private school. My daughter's Sunday School teacher tells me frequently that she is a "sharp cookie" and I can tell she is doing well, too.

 

What is wrong is that I constantly feel like I have to do more. Not only are my kids never officially "done", I'm never done. I'm worrying that I am missing something important. I'd like a good, rigorous, tried "standard" that I can use and say, "That's it." I'm having a hard time making up my own.

 

Emily

[KeriJ]

This thread has been incredibly helpful in clarifying to myself what is wrong with our HS right now. I mentioned some of the problems above, but the biggest problem for me right now is stress/fear.

 

I am a cub scout den leader, so I see other kids my son's age and see that he is doing exceptionally well academically. We did science experiments yesterday and the other kids (except one) didn't understand data collection or analysis. They go to a ritzy, $17K private school. My daughter's Sunday School teacher tells me frequently that she is a "sharp cookie" and I can tell she is doing well, too.

 

What is wrong is that I constantly feel like I have to do more. Not only are my kids never officially "done", I'm never done. I'm worrying that I am missing something important. I'd like a good, rigorous, tried "standard" that I can use and say, "That's it." I'm having a hard time making up my own.

 

Emily

 And this is why we are going to a "box" next year.  We used one before, quit, used my own plan for awhile, and now we're going back.  I love making my own plan.  But it consumes me.  I constantly doubt myself and it takes up too much brain space.  I need to be able to be "done" for the day confidently.  We may not use a box forever, but I need to for now.  

 

I realize it won't solve all my problems.  Most of my problem is probably discipline and trusting my own plan.  But for now, I need someone else's plan so I can devote my time to other things.

[PachiSusan]

 And this is why we are going to a "box" next year.  We used one before, quit, used my own plan for awhile, and now we're going back.  I love making my own plan.  But it consumes me.  I constantly doubt myself and it takes up too much brain space.  

 

This is one of my fears going away from a box. I don't doubt myself right now, but when I put the curriculum together, how do I know if I'm missing something?? 

[hands-on-mama]

Some of your concerns are why I chose to go with a semi-box (I think that's what HOD is). I feel like I would be dragging my kids through so much in fear of not doing enough. It's freeing to be able to check off those boxes and call it done.

[boscopup]

 

I constantly stress out about what I am missing. Science beyond random (and I mean RANDOM!) reading doesn't get done. Sometimes we read SOTW extra books, but we never do the projects. We are inconsistent at best with mapping. Art? Not unless it is an outside class.

 

<snip>

 

Another part of me realizes that homeschoolers I knew in college who had a hard time had a hard time with things like time management, getting up on time, and doing their homework for the deadline. I don't want my kids to miss out on that part of the hidden curriculum. (OTOH, homeschoolers I knew were generally creative, think-outside-the-box people.)

 

I used random library books and science reference books/encyclopedias strewn about as "science" for grades 1-3. I didn't actually "do" science at all. I just made science books and a few Science Wiz kits available. Note that DH and I are both engineers, so we are big on science - this isn't a case of parents who aren't science-minded ignoring a subject they don't like. ;) Guess what? My 4th grader knows an awful lot of science! It really didn't hurt him to not "do" science those years. He's technically had more "science" than he ever got in school. :tongue_smilie: I'm using Science in the Beginning this year, and I really like it, because it's easy to get done AND it is packed with good information, plus it is useful for multiple ages. But I'd totally be ok with just doing the random library books again this year too. We also did very few SOTW projects. My oldest learns most by READING, not doing projects. He really learned nothing from projects, so why bother with them? Again, he knows a LOT about history. He's always telling me random history facts that I have no clue about.

 

Time management is something you can teach as your children grow older. I don't expect an elementary student to have good time management, regardless of the type of school they attend. I remember in 5th grade when I was on Flag Corps (the kids that put up the flag early in the morning) and I was supposed to be there early. The teacher in charge noticed I was always late and asked if I needed a ride to school. She probably thought it was my parents' fault. Nope. I lived right behind the school. I simply had to walk across the school field! I was just chronically late. And all through school, I waited until last minute to do homework, projects, or study for tests. I'm a chronic procrastinator. My time management skills had nothing to do with my schooling. I can see how it could be hard for homeschooled children to develop skills such as meeting a deadline, but that's where it's your job to set up a deadline and enforce it. I've started working on these skills with my oldest a little bit. He has to do his Bible class lesson before he goes to class. He was, like me, doing the lesson in the van on the way to Bible class. Technically, that's fine, because he has 25 minutes, and that's plenty of time. :tongue_smilie: But we have encouraged him to do his lesson BEFORE the day of class. So now he has gotten into a habit of doing it the night before. Good! In fact, Saturday night, we were out late (went to Behind the Myths show, getting to see the Mythbusters live - so cool!), and DS stayed up until 11:30 to finish his lesson instead of doing it in the morning. Note that he didn't realize we would be out so late that night, as we had not told him where we were going (even *I* didn't know where we were going before we got there :lol:). I imagine if he'd known, he would have done the lesson earlier in the day or the previous night. Anyway, he's learning to do his lesson earlier than the day of, and I'm so proud of him for doing that!!! I've also started giving him reading assignments that he needs to do by a certain date. We use TOG, so I tell him what the weekly reading assignments are, and I say he needs to have them read by Friday. He has figured out how to break the reading up into daily assignments on his own, and he gets it done.

 

So you don't NEED textbooks or boxed curriculum in order to teach time management in a homeschool. There's nothing wrong with using those things, of course! If you think you'd enjoy homeschooling that way, by all means, go for it! But I wouldn't use them just for time management teaching purposes. I don't think there is anything inherently different about those than what you're doing when it comes to time management, unless you go with something that uses outside accountability, like K12 or an outside class.

 

The biggest thing that helps ME stay on track with school is to set up a generic checklist for the day. Mine looks like this:

 

DS1:

 

Math practice

Latin

Spelling

History/Science

History/Literature reading (independent)

Math

Writing

 

DS2:

 

Math

Phonics

History/Science

Reading

Extra Math

 

I print those out and hang them up. As we do our school, I check them off. There is really no planning involved. Everything on those lists is "do the next thing" (or in the case of TOG, we have a week plan to look at, and it's easy to just read something or do some mapwork or whatever). When we used SOTW, I read one section per day, 3 days per week. At the end of a chapter, we did mapwork (which my son could do on his own, even in first grade, because he could read). On Sundays, I look at which library books we'll need for the *following* week or two, and I put those on hold. SOTW extra books would sit in the library book basket, and my son could read them when he wanted to. Now that I use TOG and I have a 1st grader that doesn't read independently yet, the "History/Science" time in the schedule above is when I would read those books to him.

 

We have a once-a-month art class that my kids go to, so I don't worry about doing art at home (plus I don't find it terribly important... I never learned *real* art in school, and it didn't hurt me whatsoever in adulthood... I was big into music though, so I experienced "fine arts", mostly in middle and high school... music class in elementary was absolutely a useless waste of time).

 

[Mamajams23]

Have you considered using a planner?  I found an online planner called Homeschool Planet at the homeschoolbuyersco-op.org website. It is easy to use and you can plan for every person in your household. You can set up a schedule for every class as well as schedule all of your household duties with times as needed. You can plan a whole year or more if you want to.  If you need to move a class, it is easily done with a click of the mouse. You can view it online or print out a schedule for the day. 

 

I like it because I can see how my curriculum fits within the school year. It gives me peace of mind to know that there is a time for everything that I want to accomplish in my homeschool. It helps to keep structure in my family. For me, this has translated to a better year for my family. I hope this helps. 

 

[Hunter]

I'm trying to design a 4 year bare bones box, right now, along with some other members from here, that are planning to use LLtL. It's so much easier to add than subtract.

 

I'm printing out 4 years worth of 36 week plans and trying to fill out each week with about 15 hours of work. I'm trying to pick what will take the least work to produce the most fruit, and provide the most balance. More can be added, but I want to first see what I can accomplish in the amount of time kids used to spend on task in PS. Back in the days when kids ate dinner as a family and played outside and went to bed at 7:00. Back in the days before kids needed anti anxiety drugs and caffeine to get through the day.

 

I'm kind of looking at it as a puzzle right now. Trying to fit the pieces together into a pleasing whole, with nice neat borders. I despise Christmas, so this is giving me something else to focus on.

[cjgrubbs]

If you are a young earth Christian I recommend Apologia; it gets done and my kids like the elementary series.  There are lapbooks from A Journey Through Learning to coordinate with most or all of them if you want to do that. 

 

I got sick of Apologia (one topic all year - ugh!) so with my 2nd grader this year we are reading some books and doing some experiments from the Usborne books - your library probably has them to check out before you buy.  We are also doing some experiments from Soda Bottle Science.  This inexpensive little kits are fun for him and easy for me.  I try to do science with him twice per week.  Usually one day is reading about a topic of interest like birds and the 2nd day is an experiment.  We also play outside a lot when weather allows and I try to have all three kids work in their nature journal weekly (though this year we've done a poor job of this!)

[Courtnkids]

Okay, I haven't read all the responses in this thread but I know how you feel about checking the boxes!  I've been driving myself crazy trying to figure what is the best grammar, history etc....  I finally talked to a well respected family of 12 kids in my town. Husband is Pediatrician and all kids are in college doing well and the nicest family you'll ever meet. That said I asked them what they do.  It's very simple, Christian Liberty press, everything.   So, guess what we're doing, CLP.  It's been a great year this year.  I'm confident we're covering the basics and adding in history and science with VP and Sonlight science.  CLP is reformed and I trust them.  It's structured for a full school year and my son has been able to do things by himself.  So, I hope this helps!

 

Courtney

[mommymilkies]

Ellie,

 

The homeschooled kids I knew who had time management problems had time management problems that were bizarre. I can give details of the most extreme one, but it was definitely caused by a failed homeschooling model. While the creativity of homeschooled kids at college is part of the reason I homeschool, their time management problems serve as a warning to me. Other kids had run-of-the-mill time management problems (video games comes to mind). These kids, while smart and high achieving, had major issues with deadlines. (One girl wasn't even sure she would graduate on time - until 8 am the morning of graduation.)

 

Emily

I gotta say that it's not a hs issue! Parenting and personality have more to do with it. Dh is a college professor and less than 1% of his students are homeschooled. Almost every new college kid has the issues you state. Dh does, too. And he went to ps and then countless years of university. :p It took me training in the medical field before I learned decent time management skills and I was public schooled. Meanwhile my dd was born with some sort of born in knack for it. I'm pretty sure it wasn't genetic!

 

I'm not saying you shouldn't work on it, but a large deal is training and maturity. SWB has a good audio lecture on nurturing and teaching independence.

[CyndiLJ]

I took it subject by subject, and through trial and error found curriculum to use eclectically in each topic that met the following criteria:

 

1)  Was not overly complicated for me to teach with.

2)  Was rock solid in teaching foundational skills

3)  Was NOT project heavy (Who was I foolin',it wouldn't get done!)

4)  Didn't bore the kids to tears

 

I then tried to mix it up with a little video, a little computer, a little Mama Teach, a little independent, etc. so that we were not all textbooky all the time.

 

Somehow, by thinking more globally then breaking it down into parts, I found my happy place.  Just keep working at it, and maybe back up a few paces to see the bigger picture, and how you might work with each subject to fit the big picture.

[lea_lpz]

Not sure if you are interested in a Christian based curriculum but we've been very happy using mfw k & 1st and will use the family circle. Considering your children's ages it might be great for you because you can combine kids core and just do math & Lang individually. We'll be taking a bit if break to do Portraits of American Girlhood and Prairie Primer for 2/3 before going back to mfw in 4th when my youngest can join the family circle as a 2nd grader. I also would recommend these as really great hands on US history programs for younger kids. We will be following a more rigorous classical education model for 5-8 and complete a history cycle, but for k-4 we are doing a more Charlotte Mason approach to classical education and I think that mfw fits with that beautifully. They include Bible, art, music, literature, science, and history, with optional foreign lang recommendation for the core so you don't miss a thing and they schedule it all in a way that it's not overwhelming and you can keep your school day for grades 2-6 to 4 hours.

[...................]

 And this is why we are going to a "box" next year.  We used one before, quit, used my own plan for awhile, and now we're going back.  I love making my own plan.  But it consumes me.  I constantly doubt myself and it takes up too much brain space.  I need to be able to be "done" for the day confidently.  We may not use a box forever, but I need to for now.  

 

I realize it won't solve all my problems.  Most of my problem is probably discipline and trusting my own plan.  But for now, I need someone else's plan so I can devote my time to other things.

 

 

THis is one of the things I kind of like about Calvert. Unfortunately, due to their continually rising costs and continual selling out more and more to the socialized school market, their curriculum gets more expensive and less traditional every year.

 

More to the point, it is unlikely that you will be happy with a box anyway.  My daughter's 4th grade is pretty balanced but she needs a special spelling program (thus took her off of Calvert Spelling and onto Sequential Spelling.)  I ditched the Geography for my son because it was extremely time consuming and it was teaching more world cultures than Geography.  Then, I ditched the history because even though it wasn't awful, it wasn't nearly as good as what he was absorbing previously from SOTW and historical fiction.

 

So here I am, with very expensive boxed curriculum, subbing things out, and adding and subtracting, to meet the needs of my children.

 

As far as knowing when you are "done" that has way more to do with NOT COMPARING your kids or yourself to others on this board or in the homeschool magazines, than anything else.  Honestly, although I love this board and have learned so much, I realize that sometimes I compare myself to what people are doing here and feel like I have to do more.

 

Stop comparing.  THat's the real issue.

[Alte Veste Academy]

A boxed, check-the-square curriculum would show us when the day was done and "reward" us for a quick and efficient job. Check-the-square curricula also has due dates. 

 

This thread has been incredibly helpful in clarifying to myself what is wrong with our HS right now. I mentioned some of the problems above, but the biggest problem for me right now is stress/fear.

 

What is wrong is that I constantly feel like I have to do more. Not only are my kids never officially "done", I'm never done. I'm worrying that I am missing something important. I'd like a good, rigorous, tried "standard" that I can use and say, "That's it." I'm having a hard time making up my own.

 

I used to long for a box that met our needs too. I still do every now and then, because I imagine how easy and stress free it would be. I can't imagine ever finding one though, because my kids are different, even subject to subject. I really like CyndiLJ's approach. And the truth is that you can make your own box and then relax into that. You have curricula you like already. That's the beginning. Just make a list of all the subjects you want to cover, find curricula that meets your specific needs, and schedule it all into a beautiful checklist for yourself. You can proclaim yourself done. 

 

I have searched and searched and searched for a thread this this morning. Perhaps someone else will remember and link it? A couple of years ago there was a thread in which someone was giddy with excitement because they realized that they were attracted to catalogs and box curriculum because of the beautiful all-doneness of it—the big picture of all the components, neatly displayed, ready to do and be done. So you know what she did? She arranged all her individual programs and book selections in an artful way and took a picture. She made her own box curriculum and took a glossy photo for the ad! LOL It was an epiphany for a lot of people, myself included. You absolutely can make your own school in a box with a nice daily/weekly checklist to go with it. 

 

As to the concerns you have about weaknesses of homeschoolers, lots of that stuff is life skills. You can create a course called Life Skills. You actively teach time management, organization, etc. I am one who also realizes that kids get a lot of that naturally in school and I feel like it has to be actively taught by DH and me at home. Books like Learning to Learn are great for that kind of thing, and there are others. There are threads (great ones especially on the logic board) about how to teach organizational skills to kids. Good stuff! I'm going through Smart but Scattered with my oldest DS right now, and I find it very helpful for stuff that might be completely obvious to others but I somehow forget to teach. LOL Each of us has strengths and weaknesses.

 

Anyway, as someone else who used to wish for a box, I wanted to tell you that it is actually pretty easy to make your own. And no matter how convenient it would be to buy one, I do know that whatever I buy would never be as perfect for us as the one I put together myself. 

[Walking-Iris]

I used to long for a box that met our needs too. I still do every now and then, because I imagine how easy and stress free it would be. I can't imagine ever finding one though, because my kids are different, even subject to subject. I really like CyndiLJ's approach. And the truth is that you can make your own box and then relax into that. You have curricula you like already. That's the beginning. Just make a list of all the subjects you want to cover, find curricula that meets your specific needs, and schedule it all into a beautiful checklist for yourself. You can proclaim yourself done. 

 

I have searched and searched and searched for a thread this this morning. Perhaps someone else will remember and link it? A couple of years ago there was a thread in which someone was giddy with excitement because they realized that they were attracted to catalogs and box curriculum because of the beautiful all-doneness of it—the big picture of all the components, neatly displayed, ready to do and be done. So you know what she did? She arranged all her individual programs and book selections in an artful way and took a picture. She made her own box curriculum and took a glossy photo for the ad! LOL It was an epiphany for a lot of people, myself included. You absolutely can make your own school in a box with a nice daily/weekly checklist to go with it. 

 

As to the concerns you have about weaknesses of homeschoolers, lots of that stuff is life skills. You can create a course called Life Skills. You actively teach time management, organization, etc. I am one who also realizes that kids get a lot of that naturally in school and I feel like it has to be actively taught by DH and me at home. Books like Learning to Learn are great for that kind of thing, and there are others. There are threads (great ones especially on the logic board) about how to teach organizational skills to kids. Good stuff! I'm going through Smart but Scattered with my oldest DS right now, and I find it very helpful for stuff that might be completely obvious to others but I somehow forget to teach. LOL Each of us has strengths and weaknesses.

 

Anyway, as someone else who used to wish for a box, I wanted to tell you that it is actually pretty easy to make your own. And no matter how convenient it would be to buy one, I do know that whatever I buy would never be as perfect for us as the one I put together myself. 

 

I remember reading that post, but can't recall who or where it was!! But yes, i agree. Sometimes I really like the idea of placing an order and then that's the end of it. I have a friend who homeschools with all Enki curriculum. She doesn't even know what is available to homeschoolers, and usually has no idea what I'm talking about when we talk about what we do, she just orders her Enki package each year and doesn't stress it. 

 

I do envy that peace of mind (although I don't envy the price tag) of these full complete curricula. But really I have enough on my shelves that I really can't complain. There was thread not too long ago about using what you had and not buying anything new. I really think I could pull that off for the most part next year. 

 

Really I think this thread comes down to one thing---time management and organization on the parent's part. If that isn't established first it will be hard for kids to learn it. 

 

Even a boxed curriculum with it's checklist won't help if a parent ignores the checklist!! :) That would likely be me as we went off on our many rabbit trails. 

 

That is definitely the first thing to work on. I find it helpful to use programs that have an internal schedule already. So we can just go to the next lesson. 

[mamamindy]

This thread has been incredibly helpful in clarifying to myself what is wrong with our HS right now. I mentioned some of the problems above, but the biggest problem for me right now is stress/fear.

 

...

 

What is wrong is that I constantly feel like I have to do more. Not only are my kids never officially "done", I'm never done. I'm worrying that I am missing something important. I'd like a good, rigorous, tried "standard" that I can use and say, "That's it." I'm having a hard time making up my own.

 

Emily

 

Look at my signature and you will see I was in a very similar situation (ages of children, adding another) this time last year.  I mean no disrespect at all by this, but most of my problems were solved when I looked away from the boards, Facebook, blogs, etc., took a look at what we were doing and decided that was just fine for now.  Comparison is the root of discontent (or is it the other way around?) or something like that.  I just quit comparing what I am doing to what anyone else is doing, and I am much more content that we are on a good path.  And, I agree with everyone else that you can make your own box, if that is what you want to do.  Honestly, I don't know if I'd have the time right now.  For me, I try to make what I have as open & go as possible, have a time during the day we focus on the priorities, stop when that time is up, and the rest (History and Science, of which we do exactly like you described) happens eventually.  How's that for vague!  Sorry, I'm on the tail end of a looong break for the holidays.  I look forward to seeing how you're doing.  Hopefully my ramblings may be a tiny bit of help.  Or encouragement, anyway.   You are not alone. ;)