SeaConquest Posted January 1, 2014 Share Posted January 1, 2014 I'm seriously considering FT homeschooling in the fall. I looked at the PS curriculum for our district, and my son, who will be starting K in the fall, would be 2.5 years ahead the day that he begins school. Gifted testing doesn't even happen in our district until 2nd grade, with differentiation beginning in 3rd. I can't imagine that would make for a very enriching academic environment for him. The issue is that I just had my second child 5 months ago and am still adjusting to being a mother to more than one child. The baby will be a year old when my oldest begins K and we will be living on our sailboat, so a smallish space. To date, I have been afterschooling my oldest, and was hoping to send him to PS for his K year to give PS a chance and allow me to spend one-on-one time with the baby. But, after looking at the course of study at the PS, I feel like I would be doing my oldest a huge disservice if I sent him to school. So, my question... if you HS with very young ones in tow, how do you manage it logistically? Do you just school when the baby naps? If not, how do you entertain a one year old while teaching an intense 5 year old? I can't imagine my oldest will be schooling independently for quite some time. It just seems so overwhelming whenever I think about what our days would be like. What about extracurriculars? My oldest is involved in soccer, music, tennis, and foreign languages, and I was hoping to take the baby to swim lessons. Do you shuttle all your kids around to all the activities? I know many of you have large families, and accomplish what seems to me to be herculean feats of homeschooling/juggling. Would you mind sharing your tips of the trade with a newbie? How do you manage to school with the littles? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RootAnn Posted January 1, 2014 Share Posted January 1, 2014 When they are little (less than two), it is easier. I wore my babies while teaching quite a bit. It depends on the kid because some of my kids were tougher to 'amuse' (or keep out of trouble) than others. (Some liked to scribble on walls, climb any tall piece of furniture they could, or pull books/CDs off shelves. Others were more trouble.) K doesn't require a lot of time - some math, reading, handwriting, and as much reading aloud to them as you can handle. The one-on-one stuff should be when baby is sleeping, IMO. I try not to do too many extracurriculars, but everyone comes along when we go. So, I tote everyone to karate, horse back riding, and gymnastics during the year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ondreeuh Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 My son is in PS kindergarten this year, but working well ahead of his peers. I had the same concerns that you do - what helped me was observing the classrooms and talking to the teachers. I know that often isn't allowed, and I am fortunate that parent observation time is scheduled and encouraged in my district! One of the teachers was very open about how he differentiates the curriculum, and his own daughter is an advanced student in the same school so he completely understands where I am coming from. I was able to get my son in his class and it has been going very well overall. My son does the same work as the other kids do when they work as a group, but the teacher reads with each child daily, so my son has his own reader he does 1:1. Each afternoon the teacher gives out individual work and he gives my son stuff that at least approaches skill level. He writes sentences on the back of his art projects about what he draws, and "helps" the teacher spell words when he is writing on the board. I am actually quite happy to do all the new teaching at home, and just let my son do reinforcement & review at school. My primary reason for putting him in PS was for the social time and activities. If he were home, he would be so bored as my middle schooler takes a lot of my time. I am considering keeping him home next year, but we would run into the same issue of being left on his own for much of the day. School is much more stimulating. His school doesn't start until 9 am, so I can continue doing "afterschooling" before school, and he can continue to work on following directions, playing nicely with kids, handling frustration, etc. His current teacher has said he can almost assure me of getting my son into the class of the teacher who is best at differentiating. If he struggles too much behaviorally (that is his biggest weakness) or he starts to hate learning, then the scale will tip in favor of homeschooling, but for now we are able to get the best of both options. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heidi Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 To keep my sanity I only do the 3Rs until they are old enough to do grammar, history, and science fairly independently, usually around 2-3 grade. Specifically, K-2 kids have a 10 min reading lesson, 10 min of handwriting/copy work, a math page, and I will read aloud to them daily and require them narrate or tell me the story in their own words. Every family has different priorities. Keep the big picture in mind. The baby won't be a baby forever and some subjects can wait another year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Incognito Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 For a little perspective, what HAVE you been doing with your oldest child so far? He's already 2.5 years "ahead." With a Ker, I would generally suggest you keep doing the same things you have been doing. ETA: Ah, I see he is in a private Spanish preschool now, so you don't already have him most of the day. May I ask if the preschool is teaching him the things that cause him to be "ahead" or if it is what he just picks up on his own/in your afterschooling? My guess is that he is ahead in the current learning environment as well, so I'm sort of asking why K is different in your mind? As far as how to do it with a toddler - I'm halfway into this year and I still don't know. Some days it works great - she colors and plays nicely while we do our thing. Some days it is impossible and we don't get much done outside of naptime. As far as activities - sounds like you have good ones going. I think you just make time for the ones that are most important to you, and skip the rest. How does your child get to these activities now? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeaConquest Posted January 2, 2014 Author Share Posted January 2, 2014 What I meant was 2.5 years ahead of the school district curriculum. Their website shows what each child should learn for each subject on a monthly basis. He would need to be accelerated to mid-2nd grade before he would learn anything new, which is unlikely to happen. In the past, he has gone to a French immersion preschool 3 days per week, a Spanish immersion preschool 2 days per week, and Hebrew school one day per week. I was casually afterschooling him to his interests, but didn't start formally doing so until this year, primarily with HS curricula designed for 1st graders. He currently attends a Spanish immersion preschool in Mexico 5 days per week and my husband took a year off to spend with the baby and I. Next year, we will likely be back in the States with my husband at work. I had planned to put him in PS, but I just can't imagine sticking him in class where they are learning letter sounds or what numbers to 10 mean. In contrast, he's currently finishing up MM1, AAS1, and the intermediate books in Progressive Phonics. He will likely be halfway through MM2 and AAS2, and finishing the advanced readers in Progressive Phonics by the summer. It seems cruel to put him in PS just for the free babysitting, but starting HSing with a 12 month old by my side seems daunting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeaConquest Posted January 2, 2014 Author Share Posted January 2, 2014 Typing mobile...not sure how to edit. To answer your question about what would be different. To date, I haven't cared too much what he learned in school because they were immersion environments. So, he was just there for the language, socialization, and hands on activities like art (that are not my strong suit). With baby #2, we can no longer afford to keep my son in expensive private schools, so it would be public school in English. He's already had some behavioral issues because of boredom and I imagine an English speaking PS K program like I've described will only make matters worse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Incognito Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 It is very do-able to homeschool with other small children around. It teaches you as a mom how to be more patient, flexible, and creative. It can be frustrating, but a classroom of 25 K-aged kids isn't devoid of distraction either. He may need to learn how to occupy himself - if he has been in a structured environment already for so long he may expect you to provide him with "what to do" all day. Teach him to find his own ways to fill his boredom, help him learn to play with and really enjoy his baby sibling (a skill that he could miss if in school). Perhaps you could find a good Spanish tutor to come to your house to keep up his language (and French). Depending on where you live, there are often classes for homeschoolers (like art), or you could do a "co-op" with a couple of families a couple of times a month to share the burden of doing those things you otherwise wouldn't get to. You can do it, if you want to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dewdropfairy Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 To me, the trick is utilizing nap time. You can do an entire day of school with a K'er in the amount of time a 1 year old is napping. During the time the baby is awake your K'er can have free time, do simple chores, reading time, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ondreeuh Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 He may need to learn how to occupy himself - if he has been in a structured environment already for so long he may expect you to provide him with "what to do" all day. Teach him to find his own ways to fill his boredom, help him learn to play with and really enjoy his baby sibling (a skill that he could miss if in school). Incognito, do you have tips on how to help a child transition? My kiddo has lost nearly all ability to entertain himself. After being in all-day Kindergarten, he wants to be interacting with someone every blessed minute. After 2 weeks of winter break, he is just starting to branch out on his own. Today he read 2 chapters of a book of his own accord, and agreed to my suggestion of drawing a picture (which he hasn't actually done yet, but at least he agreed to it!). The rest of the time he wants to be played with or do schoolwork. He has a brand-new Kindle Fire, but he only wants to play Minecraft PE with his siblings and not play on his own. He won't even watch something on the TV. I've never heard of a kid who won't watch TV. He is exhausting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Incognito Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 I haven't actually had to make the transition, but I have heard people talk on here about it a lot. Generally, the advice I remember is to let them get bored, have lists of ideas for them, get them started with things but walk away... I'm sure you could post a question and people would have more/better advice. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FO4UR Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 I'm HSing 3 school age dc with a 12mo right now. You have to adjust how you do things. You'll get better at letting go of things that don't really matter to make time for things that do. Sometimes the ideal has to be set aside for balance. Simplify and streamline the typical day at your house. Utilize naptime. Utilize that time after baby goes to bed and let the Big Kid stay up an extra hour for some Big Kid Storytime, and read aloud some great children's literature. (In a few years, you'll be sending Big Kid off for quiet time in his room while Baby gets that same storytime.) Designate a spot in your home for allowed messes, and then school your Big Kid adjacent to the mess so you can keep an eye on it all. Require your oldest to play independently for a while each day so you can spend some time with the baby too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbcooker Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 If you hire a house-keeper and even a cook, you would free up a lot of time for both of your dc. Another option is hiring someone to take you dc to lessons and activities while you stay home with the other dc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Incognito Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 Here's a nice site I stumbled upon today that made me think of this thread. :) http://www.leapingfromthebox.com/art/kmg/kindergarten.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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