We got burned out (both of us) and need some encouragement

[jillian]

DD just turned 6 just before Christmas. We were working through the following subjects:

Singapore Math 2b/3a (we focused mainly on multiplication, but are moving into the money topics and division now)

Middle Ages/Medieval History

Earth Science/Astronomy (she got a telescope for Christmas so we can do more fun stuff hands on practicality)

Greek, really just learning letters now, she wasn't as excited about this as I thought she would be

Grammar (MCT), and she really enjoys this and is great at sentence analysis

Literature (haven't started yet but we are almost done with the "fact" portion of history)

Geography

Handwriting (this is where she is on grade level, the only area)

 

So we didn't do all of this every day except for grammar, and math. We alternated Geography, History and Science on days. I have Rosetta Stone Spanish I would like to do with her and she already knows a couple phrases.

 

How do I make it exciting again. We use some fidget tools because she is CONSTANTLY moving. She reads standing on her head, she never ever ever is still. She sits on an exercise ball and I've been looking into getting this http://www.therapyshoppe.com/category/P2272-fidgeting-foot-bands-classroom-fidget-toys-focus-tools because she constantly moves her feet when she does have to sit in a chair to do things like handwriting.

 

It is tiresome because some days she can really sit down and do her stuff. Husband is pushing me to make school last longer. The thing is she is still 6, despite working ahead of grade level in many areas. We were going to do the following into the new year:

Finish up through math

Finish science, we are using Mr. Q (we love it)

Add in Caesar's English to our sentence analysis and poetry

Finish up geography (looking at maps and coloring them and making sure she can identify basic areas like oceans, continents, etc. Maybe even do things like make a topography clay map since she likes using her hands

Continue handwriting

We are almost done reading the facts portion of history and we were just going to move into literature for the era.

 

How do you keep motivation? DD likes seeing the fruits of her output so she loves doing hands on things. How do you keep motivation with a high needs, excitable kids? We have some outside toys to help burn off energy before and druing school.

[The Governess]

My dd likes to turn everything into a game. Here are things we have done:

 

-draw straws (with subject names written on them) to see what she'll do next

-do each subject in a different room

-draw cards with exercise/activity for 5 minute breaks between subjects

-do wiggly subjects (less exciting read-aloud, etc.) while they are busy eating

-play "pretend school" where I am the teacher and she and her dolls are the students - it baffles me that this helps!

- plan an activity to do if school is done by x time

-create breaks for difficult subjects - take a week off handwriting, then a week off grammar the next week, etc.

[Kathy G]

She is only 6.  It doesn't need to last long and you don't want her burned out.  School days last long because they spend so much time lining up for restroom breaks.  Many kindergarten/1st graders can homeschool in 2-3 days a week 3-4 hours a time.  Change it up- take a few weeks and let her decide what to do- a project based on something learned etc.  Slowly add in things if she isn't overwhelmed.  She is way ahead- don't worry about pushing.  She will learn more if self directed.  Put some running around in between subjects.  

[jillian]

Kathy that's my take. Husband thinks she needs to be doing more. I've explained that our formal subjecs take x time but we are learning throughout the day

[SeaConquest]

I would not do more. My son will be 5 next month and we're doing almost the same things, just MM1, SOTW1, Etc. I give him lots of breaks. We focus and then I tell him to go take a break. He'll watch TV, play Legos, Minecraft, Angry Birds. We're currently reading Alice in Wonderland, which is not easy, and despite the fact that he's bouncing all over the place, he can explain to me what's happening. My advice is lots of movement, lots of free play, short bursts of intensity.

[maize]

Kathy that's my take. Husband thinks she needs to be doing more. I've explained that our formal subjecs take x time but we are learning throughout the day

What is your husband's reasoning or point of reference for wanting her to do more? The length of a normal school day? Wanting her further accelerated? Something else?

[jillian]

That she needs to learn to sit still. Since I do almost all of the schooling I will continue to make the decision based on what work we get done and when we both need to stop.

[Chrysalis Academy]

 

 

How do I make it exciting again. We use some fidget tools because she is CONSTANTLY moving. She reads standing on her head, she never ever ever is still. She sits on an exercise ball and I've been looking into getting this http://www.therapyshoppe.com/category/P2272-fidgeting-foot-bands-classroom-fidget-toys-focus-tools because she constantly moves her feet when she does have to sit in a chair to do things like handwriting.

 

 

 

 

I just wanted to comment on this - and on your dh's feeling that she needs to "learn to sit still."  My current 6th grader  had a really, really hard time sitting still till she was in the 5th grade.  She was an excellent student, but we did a lot orally while she bounced, stood on her head, sat on the exercise ball, scooted up and down the front path . . . . it didn't look very "schooly" and sometimes my dh would question it - he would come home for lunch hour and see this, and say, "Why can't she sit still! Doesn't it drive you nuts?"  I basically told him to stuff it, he didn't get to dictate *how* we did school since he wasn't the one home all day doing it.  

 

It's turned out just fine.  Like I said, she grew out of this at around 10 years old.  She learned a ton while she was physically active.  She learns a lot now, sitting at the desk or in a chair, calmly.  I'm glad I didn't let *this* be the battleground issue for us, KWIM?

[jillian]

Thanks everyone. I guess more than motivation i needed reassurance.

[sbbulliv]

Probably kids shouldn't move less- adults should move more. Check out Katy bowmans website called Katy Says.

[....]

Thanks everyone. I guess more than motivation i needed reassurance.

 

If you need more reassurance than that, my older kids still get up and walk around during school work, my son (the 5th grader) rolls around on a yoga ball while he does his math and my 6th grader actually makes those braided survival bracelets out of that thick cord from Home Depot (not sure what this it's called) while she works.   :glare:   Every one of my kids sketches, colors or creates something while we do our read-alouds.

 

I don't know if you've ever read that book Boys Adrift, but the author talks about testing scores going up in an all-boys school where the boys are not required to sit during class.  They're allowed to move around quietly in the classroom.

[MissKNG]

My 7 year old learns more wiggling around and doing her things than she does sitting still!! LOL

[Dmmetler]

We have balls and wiggle discs all over the place. DD9 just plain doesn't sit.

[Black-eyed Suzan]

Some schools are exploring letting kids stand, too.

 

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-08-07/health/chi-standing-desks-the-classroom-of-the-future-20120807_1_desks-standings-classroom

[MissKNG]

We have balls and wiggle discs all over the place. DD9 just plain doesn't sit.

 

I do a "mandatory sit down" when I'm whipped...both girls need to sit on the couch and watch TV for a few minutes while I regroup. Needless to say, they are on the couch but wrestling, rolling, arms and legs flying around, etc!! But at least on the couch! Contained. lol

[Uff Da!]

nm

 

  

 

 

[Alte Veste Academy]

DD just turned 6 just before Christmas.

 

How do I make it exciting again. We use some fidget tools because she is CONSTANTLY moving. She reads standing on her head, she never ever ever is still. She sits on an exercise ball

 

she constantly moves her feet when she does have to sit in a chair to do things like handwriting.

 

Husband is pushing me to make school last longer. The thing is she is still 6, despite working ahead of grade level in many areas.

 

How do you keep motivation? DD likes seeing the fruits of her output so she loves doing hands on things. How do you keep motivation with a high needs, excitable kids? We have some outside toys to help burn off energy before and during school.

In this situation, my take is that the fidgets are like putting a band-aid on a broken leg. We like and use fidgets but, in my experience, the real problem is not getting an advanced Kindergarten age child to sit for long periods; it is getting parents who are set in their ways to realize that it is not ideal for a Kindergarten age child to sit for long periods. Personally, I would not attempt to fix things by having her do the exact same lineup standing up or on the couch or at the park... :D Those are great, useful fixes! I have used them all at different times. Still do. But with a 6 year old who has already burned out? Those are band-aids that do not have the power to fix the break.

 

You say it's "tiresome because some days she can really sit down and do her stuff" but I would look at it from the opposite direction. "How convenient and helpful it is that she can sit down for longer periods some days and do her stuff!" In your shoes, I would not be looking for ways to adapt and take my advanced child through an accelerated but still (fairly) typical workload. Instead, I would be looking for ways to adapt and take my advanced child through a tailor-made workload that she will be invested in by virtue of personal interest and drive. Ideally, she should be taught to develop and honor her own motivation.

 

So, what does she love? Which subjects does she favor? My kids have always loved writing, drawing, science, and nature. So a very early project for us, and very suitable for younger kids, was to take daily nature walks and keep a nature notebook. We also did native landscaping of our home together. Whole body stuff, but learning. Together, these two things evolved into the creation of a Family Field Guide for our area. Oldest DS loves science above all else, so early on we set up a science/tinkering space for him and let him loose. The learning was happening, and the motivation was his own. DD is a writer/artist, so I have always made sure our art center was stocked and her desk was full of writing materials. Typical stuff, novel stuff to inspire, lots of books and resources.

 

Now, I still taught/teach typical subjects with curriculum (although none of my kids officially started school until first grade). But the programs I use do not become the entirety of their experience. Sometimes they are just Mom's invisible guides (that I actually refer to as my woobies, LOL).

 

Does your DD respond well to strewing of resources? I have purposefully left a lot of stuff laying around for the kids to self-discover. Sometimes the things I actively teach and lead them to is resisted where the same would be fully loved and owned if it was their own idea.

 

I believe that what most advanced kids need is not external motivation and increased stamina to just move faster through typical work. I believe they need to get into the habit of becoming internally motivated and inspired and to increase their stamina for typical work through the realization that it is necessary for moving forward, advancing knowledge and skill, etc.

[SunshineMom]

 

I believe that what most advanced kids need is not external motivation and increased stamina to just move faster through typical work. I believe they need to get into the habit of becoming internally motivated and inspired and to increase their stamina for typical work through the realization that it is necessary for moving forward, advancing knowledge and skill, etc.

 

This is so very true.

[Kathy G]

My house is full of wiggles!  We have a huggle pod swing where DD 8 does reading time while swinging.  Sometimes we do math sitting in a tree.  We have a trampoline (against my better judgement).  Sometime we jump to our spelling words or play basketball and if she gets the word or question right she gets to take a shot , if wrong mom gets to take a shot. Sidewalk chalk for writing vocab or spelling.  Science labs on the driveway (hopefully the neighbors aren't grossed out by dissections!)  Our homeschool never really looked like a classroom, but it is less and less every year.  DS 15 does most work laying on the couch or in a tree and he just killed the ACT so it must be working.  It is easier now that I have several years under my belt and have test scores that show me how well they have learned.  At first I was nervous too.  Hang in there, and let DH see how much she knows.

[Runningmom80]

I agree with alte veste. She is my HS mentor. (Unbeknownst to her)

[LibraryLover]

Does your dh work at home during 'school' hours?

[Alte Veste Academy]

I agree with alte veste. She is my HS mentor. (Unbeknownst to her)

Aw, you are too kind. I am undeserving, because the truth is that when faced with challenges, I tend to crawl into a hole and work out my stuff offline. I am not brave enough to put most of it "out there." I promise that for every thread like this that I answer, I've done my fair share of chocolate snarfing and the ugly cry.

[jillian]

In this situation, my take is that the fidgets are like putting a band-aid on a broken leg. We like and use fidgets but, in my experience, the real problem is not getting an advanced Kindergarten age child to sit for long periods; it is getting parents who are set in their ways to realize that it is not ideal for a Kindergarten age child to sit for long periods. Personally, I would not attempt to fix things by having her do the exact same lineup standing up or on the couch or at the park... :D Those are great, useful fixes! I have used them all at different times. Still do. But with a 6 year old who has already burned out? Those are band-aids that do not have the power to fix the break.

 

You say it's "tiresome because some days she can really sit down and do her stuff" but I would look at it from the opposite direction. "How convenient and helpful it is that she can sit down for longer periods some days and do her stuff!" In your shoes, I would not be looking for ways to adapt and take my advanced child through an accelerated but still (fairly) typical workload. Instead, I would be looking for ways to adapt and take my advanced child through a tailor-made workload that she will be invested in by virtue of personal interest and drive. Ideally, she should be taught to develop and honor her own motivation.

 

So, what does she love? Which subjects does she favor? My kids have always loved writing, drawing, science, and nature. So a very early project for us, and very suitable for younger kids, was to take daily nature walks and keep a nature notebook. We also did native landscaping of our home together. Whole body stuff, but learning. Together, these two things evolved into the creation of a Family Field Guide for our area. Oldest DS loves science above all else, so early on we set up a science/tinkering space for him and let him loose. The learning was happening, and the motivation was his own. DD is a writer/artist, so I have always made sure our art center was stocked and her desk was full of writing materials. Typical stuff, novel stuff to inspire, lots of books and resources.

 

Now, I still taught/teach typical subjects with curriculum (although none of my kids officially started school until first grade). But the programs I use do not become the entirety of their experience. Sometimes they are just Mom's invisible guides (that I actually refer to as my woobies, LOL).

 

Does your DD respond well to strewing of resources? I have purposefully left a lot of stuff laying around for the kids to self-discover. Sometimes the things I actively teach and lead them to is resisted where the same would be fully loved and owned if it was their own idea.

 

I believe that what most advanced kids need is not external motivation and increased stamina to just move faster through typical work. I believe they need to get into the habit of becoming internally motivated and inspired and to increase their stamina for typical work through the realization that it is necessary for moving forward, advancing knowledge and skill, etc.

 

Great post! Thank you. I don't know so much if it is burned out in the traditional sense for her but she needed that time of self-exploration. She can absolutely self-learn and has been for the last two months

Does your dh work at home during 'school' hours?

Yes he does.

[Runningmom80]

Aw, you are too kind. I am undeserving, because the truth is that when faced with challenges, I tend to crawl into a hole and work out my stuff offline. I am not brave enough to put most of it "out there." I promise that for every thread like this that I answer, I've done my fair share of chocolate snarfing and the ugly cry.

Your advice always resonates with me, and helps me unravel a little bit of what gets tangled up through out the year. Your posts are always spot on, regardless of if it took some chocolate or crying for you to get there, so for that I thank you. :)

[Homeschoolrocks]

Heck yeah- try some kitchen science cooking, and some art- if he needs you to have a long day make sure half of it is constructive play!