Any advice?

[mom2agang]

I have 12 children and 11 of them are school age. This year I'm doing straight video. I'm not sure I like it. The teachers are great. Everything is organized for me etc. but it's really chaotic trying to keep up with grading and testing etc. So next year I'm thinking of going back to HOD. But it never felt like my kids were giving it their best shot. Kids seemed lazy.But,With the kids in Sports and speech HOD is way more flexible. My kids loved HOD. But I had 7 kids learning to read at the same time.i felt like I was drowning try to keep up. The video teachers give them more then I could. Now I believe next school year they would apply themselves more if we returned to HOD. I have this feeling they will miss a good education by not doing video.But long days with lack of flexibility is driving me crazy! I'm torn between it!

[SnMomof7]

Do video for Math and LA subjects - do a combined read aloud type program for all the others?

[Holly]

Have you looked at Simply Charlotte Mason?  We switched to it from HOD because I got overwhelmed with it (and I only had 3 school aged kids at the time).  I follow their free curriculum guide and try to combine my kids as much as possible.  We use MUS for math so I don't have to do much teaching with it.   :blush:  It seems like most larger families I know use either MUS or Teaching Textbooks.  AIG God's Design series has been wonderful for teaching K-8th.  Several history programs combine most or all age groups at least to some extent.  

 

You can combine them with some LA materials.  I've combined them for grammar, copywork, and writing in the past.  We'd previously used McGuffey readers to cover most of our LA's, which is what they did in the one-room schoolhouses.  Currently I have them split up, but it does take a large chunk of our school day (but zero time planning with our current materials).