Do you give homework for evenings/weekends?

[Riverfront Headmistress]

I'm planning out my lesson plans and my 5th grader has a lot of ground to cover, and not enough days.

 

She will be involved in CC on Tuesdays and another co-op on Fridays (covering science, logic, and arts).

 

This means we're out of the home for 2 whole days. I'm finding that she'll need to complete some assignments at night or on the weekend.

[Johanna]

Homework?? Whats that??

LOL...

seriously speaking, I guess because mine are not older (oldest is in 4th) I have never assigned homework. When our school day is done, its done!

To me, that is a benefit to homeschooling in our house...while all kids in the neighborhood are bogged down in the evenings with HW...mine are enjoying family time!

 

I am sure that will change in highschool when they are more independent, and have the option to do it later in the day. But, for now all work is done between 9-2.

[AudreyTN]

I've considered giving them a little to do "before tomorrow" to help with learning responsibility. Besides, my kids BEG me for homework!! Weirdos! :lol:

[Suzannah]

Is supplemental reading considered homework? If so we do that all the time. I have from time to time told DS to finish something before he goes to bed if we have to rush out to an appointment or company is arriving and he simply doesn't have time to complete that assignment. Sometimes we just put it off until the next school day though.

 

As he goes into 6th grade, I am beginning to think about assigning homework. What I have scheduled for this year is more of a study hall. It's about an hour set aside at the end of the day for school work that wasn't completed or extra reading. I'm trying to keep the lessons themselves short (I simply can't take another all-morning math lesson) and when the time is up, the time is up. He'll have an opportunity to get the work done later, but we need to move on. I have tried to take this approach in the past, but it seemed like we just got further and further behind. So now with Study Hall actually on the schedule I'm hoping we'll stay on track

[Heather in VA]

I'm planning out my lesson plans and my 5th grader has a lot of ground to cover, and not enough days.

 

She will be involved in CC on Tuesdays and another co-op on Fridays (covering science, logic, and arts).

 

This means we're out of the home for 2 whole days. I'm finding that she'll need to complete some assignments at night or on the weekend.

 

Honestly with 2 co-ops I don't really see how you'll have a choice. Foundations won't care if you only review during your 3 days at home but Essentials will expect you to have 4 days between classes for assignments. In addition you can't really just do math 3 days a week. I don't know what the outside expectations will be from your other co-op. I'd try to limit it to Essentials and math if you can so you don't end up with a 6 day school week. That's exhausting for everyone.

 

Heather

[Titus.Two.Five]

Other than just 'reading' good living books for supplementation? No.

 

However, if they do not finish their work in our allotted school time, then they do have to finish during everyone else's afternoon free time. ;)

[newbie]

For dd 11, only if she dawdled during wk., we will cover wkend. High schooler does homework nights and wkends.

 

Jet

[fivetails]

Last year, no (our first year of hs'ing - took dd11 out at the end of grade 5, did gr 6 at home) ..this year, she says she wants some -- we live in a neighbourhood swarming with ps kids and she says she wants homework to do when they have it, because they'll often bring theirs outside to do....so I'll give her some 'extra' stuff that she can take and do with her friends if she wants. :)

[Wendy in ME]

Nothing scheduled for 4th and 6th grade but they are responsible for any unfinished work and 30 minutes of free reading at night.

[Samiam]

We do not normally have "homework"....but that being said....I planned on doing this last year, started it, but after a few times...didn't need to do it anymore...have the same plan this year as we gear up for a full load of work. Here is the plan: If I see my son dwaddling (ie unneccessary messing around, spacing out, working slow due to bad attitude), I give him a warning of a certain time "Ten minutes and then we have to move on"......if the work is not done then we move on and he has to finish that work during his "own time".

 

His "own time" is after school work, exercise and chores are done...which this is usually in the early afternoons (1p ish). So said unfinished work would have to be completed at that time.

 

So a few times last year of this and my son realizing what this meant, it wasn't too much of an issue.

 

But also, we do work on some school work on Sunday a.m's, which are usually a quiet, at home time for us. So we will do one or two little things. Plus we do also school year around (light in the summer), so I am not so much bent on "having to be done by a certain date".

 

So to answer the question, honestly, I don't see why a HSer would have to do "homework", unless they wanted to.

 

K

[EKS]

My son does his reading for his lit program in the evenings by choice. Also any work that doesn't get done during "school time" gets done in the afternoon. So if he doesn't focus during school he has homework but if he is on top of it he doesn't.

[FlockOfSillies]

It's a bumpy ride so far with school just starting, but I just have to have her do homework, especially since she's such a slowpoke. I figure this is the year I'll be introducing my 5th grader to a level of work that's more comparable to what she'd be getting in ps. (Not that there isn't a certain level of busywork in ps, but I remember 5th grade as being "the heavy backpack year.")

[Peela]

What I am doing is adding up their hours- we are also out of the house one half day and one full day- but I count the classes as school time- but not the travelling or associated play time. Both mine are doing well over 20 hours a week even though we only have 3 solid days at home. I feel that that is plenty, although it will go up next year. So no, I don't assign homework because I feel it is one of the blessings of homeschooling to have free evenings for family time and play.

[sweetbaby]

Formally, no but my dc are responsible for completing any tasks left undone.

[Deb in NZ]

..

[Deb in NZ]

& whatever isn't finished in the morning is "homework." My dd is taking a polytech class TH / F 9-3 & is out T 1-4 for flute lessons & volunteering at the SPCA. That leaves 2 1/2 days to finish a week's work. She has to do homework on evenings & weekends to finish her assigned lessons.

 

My ds#1 should be able to finish his work during lesson time, but often doesn't focus. This week I decided to give him a strict time limit. He HAD to have that day's work finished by 3:00 if he wanted to go to scouts, gymnastics, etc. It's amazing what a bit of incentive (ds#1 calls it blackmail) accomplishes! I find that a lot of HS kids aren't required to work to deadlines.

 

Ds#2 isn't assigned any homework as he finishes all he is assigned before lunch. But if he has a sport day or other special activity during the day, I still require that week's work completed by friday afternoon. During those weeks ds#2 will either do double assignments the day before or work in the evening. I wouldn't expect a 10yo to do regular homework unless s/he had no regular evening activities. My ds#2 has M-Violin Lessons & SeaScouts, T-Gymnastics, W-Karate, TH-Soccer, F-Swim Lessons & Karate, Sat.-Soccer Games, & many Sundays the SeaScouts row or sail in the afternoon. Regular homework just wouldn't happen.

 

JMHO,