He said "I hate school," so obviously I've failed, right?

[Trilliums]

I'm going to go against the flow here.  And this is not a critique of you, Writermommyy, but I think that first graders *should* like school, and if they don't, then something has got to change.  These are just little kids.  In some countries they are not even of school age yet.  Now they may not like 10 minutes of copy work, or 15 minutes of math, but in general at age 6 school should be a fun, positive experience. Obviously, this is my humble opinion!

 

I completely agree with NASDAQ, finishing at 3 (or even 6) is WAY too much.  Your little boy is exhausted.  You need to do less.

 

Ruth in NZ

 

I agree!

 

I would even radically suggest you drop the curriculum for a while.  I read TWTM when my boys were in early elementary, but it was not a good fit for them at that time although the general principles appealed to me.  Going into middle school/preteen-early teen years was a better time for them to start with standard curriculum.  And you know what? Even though we used little elementary curriculum, the kids were able to jump into middle school work with few problems.  Kids really do not need years of worksheets to be able to transition into pre-algebra and algebra and move onto high school and college level math.   My kids did hate math in early elementary when I tried to drag them through saxon and singapore. I finally dropped those programs and adopted a living math approach which mostly consisted of using math manipulatives and eventually checking out every math book from our library.  One son is a high school sophomore and loving algebra 2, other son is a high school junior rocking through AP Calculus BC and he is genuinely excited about taking Linear Algebra at the university next year.   Also, kids really can become diligent and self-motivated learners in classes with strict deadlines even if they did not have that kind of education structure during the elementary years. 

 

I know there have been a few threads recently about relaxed schooling, eclectic schooling and unschooling.  I strongly suggest reading through a few of them.

[konglish]

 

 

"I would do the absolute minimum amount of seat work that you feel you need, and then fill the rest of his day with interesting, meaningful activities, not TV & video games." (I screwed up the quote feature somehow.)

 

Thank you for this!  I'm fairly type-A and am very invested in providing my children with a high quality education...but "school" (i.e. curriculum) just isn't getting done very consistently here.  Our first year of homeschooling hasn't gone at all like I thought it would.  We do the very barest of seat work, and then spend the rest of our time outside, reading, playing, or checking out interesting places.  I always feel reassured when I hear the veterans say this is great!

 

[Elisabet1]

Well, every child, public, private, or home schooled, says they hate school at some point. School is not meant to be like a Disney Vacation.

 

On that note though, think about what you have been doing. Writing science reports at 6 yrs old? And while having a new baby?

 

You may want to re-vamp what you are doing.

[KSinNS]

FWIW things my ds6 hated yesterday: school, violin, his younger sister, his older sister, his lunch, barbies, the pencil sharpener, and his lego (he couldn't get pieces apart) Today, he wanted to practice first and asked to do copybook because "that's fun" even though we don't do school on Fridays.:-} Six year olds hate lots of stuff, often because they are 6. And Hate is an all-purpose word for little kids. "Hate" can mean anything from a mild frustration "I have to stop torturing my sister to do math" in which case after a few minutes they get into it. Conversely, hate can mean "i'm totally overwhelmed by what I'm being asked to do." And of course, that can also change from day to day. Don't panic. But if hate is meaning "I'm totally overwhelmed" see what you can change to make it easier. There's lots of great advice above. He's only 6. Maturity will come.

[PeterPan]

Nasdaq, I'm using Rod and Staff Phonics at the second grade level. He thinks it's boring, which it kind of is, but the material is so vital. He's also doing Saxon Math 2, which someone asked about earlier.

 

OhElizabeth, you're a genius. I love the idea of setting time slots, and letting him have free time until the next thing if he finishes early. I will start that next week.

 

I will also read about VSL learners. (Is that what he is if he likes to do things orally?) I don't know what BJU is, but I'll figure it out. He is not typing yet. He wants to, but at the school where I used to work, we didn't start them until 4th grade, supposedly because their hands are too small. He's really tall, though, so maybe he can do it now.

 

He really wants to do chemistry, so maybe instead of telling him he has to wait until 3rd grade as per SWB, I'll be crazy and let him do it next year. Oooh, I'm so wild. I'll check out those science things, too. When I asked him what he wanted to do instead of video games, he said "build something." Dad usually comes home late, and I'm hammer-impaired (I hate Lego's and puzzles, he loves both), but maybe I'll just get him some wood, hammer, nails, wire, pliers, etc, and let him figure something out!

BJU=Bob Jones.  They have a full curriculum. Not secular, but extremely meaty stuff.  Their math is a healthy blend of modalities and has a conceptual emphasis with spiral review options built in.  Won't be as much spiral as some kids need, but it's a good example of a curriculum that you could flex to work with more types of kids.  It will have narrative options for  kids who need that, b&w printables for kids who need less color, gifted enrichment pages for kids who need that, etc.  One curriculum, lots of options.

 

VSL=Visual Spatial Learner.  Means they think in pictures.  Sometimes you get floozy things like my dd, who was VSL but using her (weaker) auditory processing for everything because she had vision problems.  We fixed her vision, and the VSL side took off.  You'll see it in unusual attractions to things visual or spatial.  My dd would tell me how to rearrange the living room at age 6 and designed her dream farmhouse around the same age.  Very VSL.

 

If he wants to do chemistry now, do chemistry NOW!  You have 6 months till fall, and that's a long time in the life of a child.  You might find he totally is ready for something different by fall.  Btdt, if he wants it now, do it NOW.  Don't plan so hard.  Just go to middleschoolchemistry.com, download the materials, and jump in.  Don't plan so hard.   :)

 

PS.  If he's so bored with the phonics, bail.  You could get WRTR (Writing Road to Reading), which will cover all the phonics AND spelling, have him through that in a couple years, and drop spelling and phonics entirely.  He's bright, so he doesn't need to dawdle with a traditional curriculum.  Get something that will move at his pace.  WRTR is secular and cheap.  Seriously, he could blow through that by 5th and be DONE.

[PeterPan]

I agree!

 

I would even radically suggest you drop the curriculum for a while.  I read TWTM when my boys were in early elementary, but it was not a good fit for them at that time although the general principles appealed to me.  Going into middle school/preteen-early teen years was a better time for them to start with standard curriculum.  And you know what? Even though we used little elementary curriculum, the kids were able to jump into middle school work with few problems.  Kids really do not need years of worksheets to be able to transition into pre-algebra and algebra and move onto high school and college level math.   My kids did hate math in early elementary when I tried to drag them through saxon and singapore. I finally dropped those programs and adopted a living math approach which mostly consisted of using math manipulatives and eventually checking out every math book from our library.  One son is a high school sophomore and loving algebra 2, other son is a high school junior rocking through AP Calculus BC and he is genuinely excited about taking Linear Algebra at the university next year.   Also, kids really can become diligent and self-motivated learners in classes with strict deadlines even if they did not have that kind of education structure during the elementary years. 

 

I know there have been a few threads recently about relaxed schooling, eclectic schooling and unschooling.  I strongly suggest reading through a few of them.

I'm pulling this to a s/o thread here with some questions, if you don't mind.  :)   

 

     s/o: Living Math--Trilliums, anyone...    

[LibraryLover]

Finland has some of the highest PISA scores in the world, and they don't do formal writing etc until age 7. Developing fine motor skills takes time. He really is in pain when he writes (SWB even says so!)   He might need more time to strengthen his hand muscles. Painting or writing at an easel helps, as does working with clay or kneading bread, using a chalk or whiteboard (set up on a wall or easel). Tearing and cutting (for collages etc) are also precursors to writing stamina. My kids loved using the hole punch at that age....lots of little holes all over the kitchen table. Using the garlic press with play dough was never dull.  That could kill some serious time. lol

 

And I agree with the poster who reminded that SWB says dictation is where it's at for very young children.