Need help with a crisis plan

[MartinMom]

Hello All,

I am a long time reader/lurker.  :)  I have learned so much from all of you.  I have found myself in need of a crisis plan, and not sure what to do.  My father was diagnosed with bile duct cancer last week.  (I had never heard of that cancer before!)  I have 3 children ages 12, 10 and 2.  The oldest will be in 7th and the 10 year old will be in 5th.  I had planned to do Tapestry of Grace this year, but I don't know if that will be a good fit with all the running around we will be doing.  The hospital they are looking at is an hour away.  If I have to travel to their house to transport them to any Dr. appts., we will be in the car for at least 8 hours, plus all the waiting at hospitals.  My husband is home several days a week, so they will be able to stay home to work independently frequently.  I am making lots of activity bags for the 2 year old.  I was looking at maybe switching to Wayfarers.  Has anyone completed the first year and think this would be doable?  The girls both have laptops and chose to do teaching textbooks this year, so that is taken care of.  I was going to switch to Rod and Staff for English.  His first surgery should be in a week, so I feel like I need to have a new plan ASAP.  Last year I switched our curriculum choices at the last second, and I felt out of sorts all year....like I was playing catch-up.  I'm trying to not repeat that.  Sorry if this doesn't make sense.  My brain is overloaded right now.  Thanks for any suggestions you may have! 

[Junie]

No curriculum advice, but  :grouphug: .  Hopefully someone will be on soon to help you out.

[FO4UR]

:grouphug:

 

 

How about simply SOTW audiobooks for the long car rides?  That is enough history in crisis mode.  Documentaries to watch while home with dad would be nice too.

 

 

Can your husband facilitate a Science in a Nutshell Kit while he's home with the kids?  They are no-brainers for the teacher, and enjoyable.  20-30min lessons.  Again, documentaries are great for science, especially in a pinch.

 

 

Math on the laptops...and R&S English (CLE is similar and might be better self-directed)...the only other thing I would add would be some great literature, something uplifting.  Bonding over read alouds is incredibly therapeutic, and you can share the reading between the 12yo, 10yo, and yourself.

 

 

That is enough. They will learn plenty as they go through this with you. :grouphug:

 

 

[Starr]

I agree with  SOTW audiobooks. And get some audiobooks from their history or literature and they can listen in the car and finish up in the house. I'm sorry about your dad.

[ktgrok]

yup, audio books, documentaries, historical fiction, and math and they will be fine this year. Really and truly. Oh, and maybe a journal to keep of their experiences, fears, hopes, etc. 

[almondbutterandjelly]

I feel like I would go with fairly independent workbooks in that situation, plus audiobooks for the car.  I like The Adventures of Genius Boy and Grammar Girl for the 7th grader.  It's fun, too, so they will be motivated.  For the 5th grader, I might use Language Smarts D (if they are not beyond this yet) or something like The Sentence Family or I Laid an Egg on Aunt Ruth's Head.  Again, something fun.

 

For writing, maybe Winning with Writing at the appropriate grade level?

Drop spelling for now.  Fun books for literature.  Just to read.  They don't need to analyze now.  Although if you want, we enjoyed Take a Bite out of Rhyme for poetry and Awesome Alliterations for literary elements.

 

Handwriting practice if they need it.  A Reason for Handwriting.  Quick and easy.

[freesia]

TT will work well.

I think you could have them do Rod and Staff bc the teaching us in the book- but my friend while in crises mode used CLE and 6 trait writing (which has daily writing exercises).

Make a list of lit for each child to read using Sonlight list. Either have them write a book summary or ask them about the book.

I don't remember what you said about science, but I would get them a grade level text and have them read it and be responsible for answering the end of section and chapter questions. I wouldn't use the tests. I would have them so the experiments if you can but not worry about it if you can't .

SOTW will work well.

[Um_2_4]

I would use Evan-moor Daily series for :vocab, grammar, and science for the 5th grader and vocab and grammar for the 7th. Add in some reading to go with the science topics to round it out. (I am doing that for science for my 3 youngest.) They even have options for software (interactive books) so you could use it on their laptops instead of books. 

Science for the 7th grader: I would look at something like Uzinggo. It's free to try right now on homeschoolbuyers co-op.

History: Reading list and videos. You could use a spine for the 7th grader like Human Odyssey.

Writing: Eiw is DVD based and could be done at home for both.

Math: TT with some reinforcment (sumdog or khan academy)

Spelling: Sequential Spelling dvds (there is a placement test on their site) for both.

 

[MartinMom]

Thank you all for replying!  I just found out my dad's Dr. is on vacation this week.  The Dr.'s schedule is full next week with surgeries already.  My dad will go back for blood work on Wed., the 24th and surgery is pushed back to the 30th.  I have a little more time to prepare than I thought.  I will take all these suggestions and try to work up a new plan.  I have SOTW audio for year 1, but there is a short in my van's cd player.  I need to get that fixed so every time we hit a bump, the cd won't pop out.  :)  Just one more thing to add to my list to get done before surgery.  Does anyone else hear Dorie's voice from Finding Nemo singing "just keep swimming" when they are overloaded....or is it just me?  :huh: Thanks again for all the support! 

[birchbark]

Easy Peasy

 

CLE or ACE (self-directed booklets, very portable)

 

Robinson - get the books on a reading device

 

:grouphug:

[Hunter]

We all have different things we find easy to do when overwhelmed. What is easy for you, even when overwhelmed? That should be the CENTER of your curriculum.

 

When Art Robinson found himself suddenly alone with 6 children, he found Saxon math the easiest thing for HIM to center his curriculum on. Then he had the kids write for an hour about anything, and then read for 2 hours from the bookshelves his wife had stocked before she died. I think he might have found the Saxon math books on the shelves, too, and maybe had no part in choosing them; I don't know.

 

But my point is, that when stressed the first thing he did was reach for what was easy for HIM, and that was the math books.

 

A lot of women find literature easy to get done. When overwhelmed they find it easy to keep children supplied and reading literature, even if they get nothing else done.

 

Other moms find workbooks easy.

 

Right now, for ME, the easiest thing to assign is  99 cent whispersync audio and eBook sets. So I knew I needed to make plans that included a lot of them, for this year. My plans for this year can be downloaded from the link in my signature. But that's what is easy for ME, and you are not me, so it might be completely useless to you.

 

Is there something you know is easy for you?

[Hunter]

Easy Peasy

 

CLE or ACE (self-directed booklets, very portable)

 

Robinson - get the books on a reading device

 

:grouphug:

 

If you look at CLE and ACE, make sure to look at Alpha-Omega, too.

https://www.aophomeschooling.com/lifepac.html

[Sahamamama]

Hello All,

I am a long time reader/lurker.  :)  I have learned so much from all of you.  I have found myself in need of a crisis plan, and not sure what to do.  My father was diagnosed with bile duct cancer last week.  (I had never heard of that cancer before!)  I have 3 children ages 12, 10 and 2.  The oldest will be in 7th and the 10 year old will be in 5th.  I had planned to do Tapestry of Grace this year, but I don't know if that will be a good fit with all the running around we will be doing.  The hospital they are looking at is an hour away.  If I have to travel to their house to transport them to any Dr. appts., we will be in the car for at least 8 hours, plus all the waiting at hospitals.  My husband is home several days a week, so they will be able to stay home to work independently frequently.  I am making lots of activity bags for the 2 year old.  I was looking at maybe switching to Wayfarers.  Has anyone completed the first year and think this would be doable?  The girls both have laptops and chose to do teaching textbooks this year, so that is taken care of.  I was going to switch to Rod and Staff for English.  His first surgery should be in a week, so I feel like I need to have a new plan ASAP.  Last year I switched our curriculum choices at the last second, and I felt out of sorts all year....like I was playing catch-up.  I'm trying to not repeat that.  Sorry if this doesn't make sense.  My brain is overloaded right now.  Thanks for any suggestions you may have! 

 

For History, could you do MOH and get the audiobooks to go with the volume you need? If you are traveling, you could listen to the CDs in the car, then do any pretests, reviews, and activities when you are back at home. Another thought is Veritas Press Self-Paced History.

 

Edited to add: My girls have learned so much from listening to audiobooks, especially Great Hall Productions (Jim Weiss) and Your Story Hour. If you're on the road a lot, perhaps you could "cover" some of your History and Literature through this method. Greathall has a curriculum guide that shows how each recording fits into an overall educational plan.

 

http://www.greathall.com/curriculum.html

 

And here's the link for Your Story Hour CDs. We especially like the Great Stories series.

 

For English, maybe take a look at CLE Language Arts, because the light units might be easier to manage in a waiting room than R & S English? They are more self-contained than R & S, IMO. HTH.

 

:grouphug: My dad had esophageal cancer a few years ago. We got him through it, and he is zipping along at 83! He has more energy than I do.

 

 

 

 

 

[AmyontheFarm]

I just want to say, you can do this!  Keep swimming, keep putting one step forward in front of the other.  Your children will have questions about the cancer and treatments.  Incorporate learning about some of that into your science for the year.

 

I loved ktgrok's suggestion about the journal to keep their experiences, fears and hopes.  Make part of that a 10-15 minutes free writing project everyday. 

 

yup, audio books, documentaries, historical fiction, and math and they will be fine this year. Really and truly. Oh, and maybe a journal to keep of their experiences, fears, hopes, etc. 

This will give you an idea of what is going on in their heads.  Take the concept of a smash book journal ( https://www.google.ca/search?q=smash+book+journal+ideas&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&gws_rd=cr&ei=nJWAVb2sIMfQtQWl_4HQDQ)  and let their creativity come out.  It will be therapeutic for them and give you insight into their thoughts.  Also, it's a combination of writing and art ;)

 

Take advantage of any family related services that some cancer centers offer.  Let the kids ask questions of a dr or nurse.  Homeschooling through this difficult time will be a beautiful thing for your family.   If your kids were to learn nothing but compassion, how to help when someone is sick, how to ask questions, express their emotions during a difficult time.  Then they have learned some pretty huge things!  This is just a season so don't stress about getting everything covered.  Know what is required by law in your state and get that covered.  The rest is just fluff.  Time with grandpa is most important right now.  So, don't be hard on yourself if they miss a math lesson or two, talk nicely to yourself in your head and things will work out in the end.

 

You can handle this girl and we are always here to encourage and cheer you on.  Give your Dad a kiss from us.

[MartinMom]

For History, could you do MOH and get the audiobooks to go with the volume you need? If you are traveling, you could listen to the CDs in the car, then do any pretests, reviews, and activities when you are back at home. Another thought is Veritas Press Self-Paced History.

 

Edited to add: My girls have learned so much from listening to audiobooks, especially Great Hall Productions (Jim Weiss) and Your Story Hour. If you're on the road a lot, perhaps you could "cover" some of your History and Literature through this method. Greathall has a curriculum guide that shows how each recording fits into an overall educational plan.

 

http://www.greathall.com/curriculum.html

 

And here's the link for Your Story Hour CDs. We especially like the Great Stories series.

 

For English, maybe take a look at CLE Language Arts, because the light units might be easier to manage in a waiting room than R & S English? They are more self-contained than R & S, IMO. HTH.

 

:grouphug: My dad had esophageal cancer a few years ago. We got him through it, and he is zipping along at 83! He has more energy than I do.

 

So glad your dad is ok now!!  The dr. that diagnosed my dad last week said he had 6 weeks to live without treatment.  The new dr. has surgery scheduled for the end of the month.  This is so nerve-wracking!  I love that you gave me a positive outcome!!  Cancer is scary.  Thanks! 

 

I'm enjoying going through audiobook list!  :)  Thanks again.

[MartinMom]

I just want to say, you can do this!  Keep swimming, keep putting one step forward in front of the other.  Your children will have questions about the cancer and treatments.  Incorporate learning about some of that into your science for the year.

 

I loved ktgrok's suggestion about the journal to keep their experiences, fears and hopes.  Make part of that a 10-15 minutes free writing project everyday. 

 

This will give you an idea of what is going on in their heads.  Take the concept of a smash book journal ( https://www.google.ca/search?q=smash+book+journal+ideas&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&gws_rd=cr&ei=nJWAVb2sIMfQtQWl_4HQDQ)  and let their creativity come out.  It will be therapeutic for them and give you insight into their thoughts.  Also, it's a combination of writing and art ;)

 

Take advantage of any family related services that some cancer centers offer.  Let the kids ask questions of a dr or nurse.  Homeschooling through this difficult time will be a beautiful thing for your family.   If your kids were to learn nothing but compassion, how to help when someone is sick, how to ask questions, express their emotions during a difficult time.  Then they have learned some pretty huge things!  This is just a season so don't stress about getting everything covered.  Know what is required by law in your state and get that covered.  The rest is just fluff.  Time with grandpa is most important right now.  So, don't be hard on yourself if they miss a math lesson or two, talk nicely to yourself in your head and things will work out in the end.

 

You can handle this girl and we are always here to encourage and cheer you on.  Give your Dad a kiss from us.

 

I love the idea of a smash book for this!  They both love journals, fun pens and colorful tape.....this is right up their ally.  :) 

 

The girls were going to do Apologia Astronomy (10 yr old) and Apologia General Science (12 yr old), but I think we should do anatomy.  Maybe I will learn enough to understand what the Drs. and nurses are taking about!  Ha! 

 

Thank you again for your kindness and support!

[MartinMom]

 

 

Is there something you know is easy for you?

 

Hunter,

I've been thinking of this comment all afternoon.  Planning awesome homeschool days that never happen is what is easy for me.  Lol!  Life or crabby kids or crabby mom tend to interrupt it.  For my oldest, giving her a stack of books and telling her to read them is easy.  For the 10 year old, giving her stuff to do on the computer is easy.  The 2 year old loves the older kids kits that have 3,000 pieces (like legos)  so she can spread them evenly over the floor is easy.  Making her clean up is not so easy. :)

I think the audiobooks will be great.  Documentaries on Netflix, amazon, Discovery streaming, etc. will be good too.  Teaching textbooks will also be easy.  I guess I will start from here and fill in the pieces.  Robinson always intrigues me.  I will have to think about that.  That would be easy!  2 hours of reading, 2 hours of math and an hour of writing.  Hmmm.  That sounds good.  :)   Thanks for all your help!

[Hunter]

In war time and overseas, medical workers frequently are forced to triage. They use their resources where they will help the most. People that will take large amounts of resources are tagged not to be helped. The workers then dive in help the less injured and help as many as possible.

 

I believe in triage for education, when things tighten up. Important things will go undone. Maybe even the most important thing. What!!? :scared:  Skip the MOST important thing? Sometimes–yes! If the ONE most important thing uses up ALL the resources, maybe it should be skipped, so LOTS of other very important things can get done.

 

Go for easy to do. Go for volume that CAN be done.

 

Don't compare what YOU are doing with whatever others are doing.

 

Do not doubt that one or more of the kids is going to learn something they could only learn BECAUSE of this crisis. And you might not recognize the lifechanging thing for years or ever.

 

My life has been eventful and eclectic, and others like me seem to find me and share their experiences. This crisis will change things. Ride the wave, don't fight it. Resistance is futile. Enjoy the little moments.

 

:grouphug:

[boscopup]

We did TOG 2 years ago and loved it, but then I got pregnant at the beginning of our school year last year. We did Mystery of History instead, and I liked it quite a bit. While it still didn't get done (and I didn't care, because my oldest was 5th grade, and he'd read the SOTW series a million times since 2nd grade - he knows more history than I do), it is actually easy to do because it's ONE BOOK, and you can add other books as you're able to. There are also suggested research ideas for older kids in the book. Or you can just read and not bother going deeper. I really like that aspect of it. If we just read, we still learn history and don't feel like we did nothing, ya know?

 

During our slacker pregnancy year, I focused on math (strong subject) and writing (weak subject) for my 5th grader. He progressed in those areas, and it's all good. More importantly, with me being on bedrest much of the pregnancy, he learned self-sufficiency, how to cook and clean, how to be more helpful to his brothers, etc. He really had to step up because I wasn't physically able to. So while we didn't do as much school as I'd have liked, he learned a lot and is a much more mature young man because of it. In your case, you may be too tired or emotionally drained to do certain things, so your kids may need to step up and help you out more than usual, and that's worth learning.

[Hunter]

I've seen a common scenario over and over.

 

School is hard. Kid is struggling with a certain thing. Crisis hits. Mom FREAKS that kid is going to get even more behind. Kid learns to work. Crisis fades. Mom and kid go back to hard topic/subject and kid breezes through it. Learning to work somehow made kid quicker to learn EVERYTHING.

 

I love mom on bed-rest stories. They always have a happy ending.

[Fabio McFluffypants]

I second  the CLE for LA instead of Rod and Staff.  I've used both and find that CLE's LA is much easier for the children to use independently.  Plus it has spelling, handwriting and greek and latin root word study(7th).  Look at CLE for reading as well, especially for 7th grade.  We are using it this year and it teaches a huge amount of literary analysis and critical thinking-stuff that I didn't learn until high school--stuff that I thought I would just teach through discussion (ha).  It's my first year using a "reading" program and all of the kids have loved it.  

 

Story of the World on audio is great. I would think that you would want to do the third or fourth book of SOTW for a 5th and 7th grader.  Get the activity book pdf.  Only do the mapwork.  If you want to make mapwork independent, take an evening and cut and paste the map directions from the pdf of the activity book into a document.  Print it out and give it to them. _ta da-independent map work!They can cut out the timeline cards and keep them in an index card file box to review if you want to get fancy. They can also use the activity guide as a resource if they are really interested in a subject and want to independently do a project.  

 

Apologia General science with the student notebook has been independent here for 7th--and we don't do the experiments.  The text tells you what happens in the experiments anyways.  The student notebook has a schedule with checkboxes in the front. Ignore the weeks and the student just checks stuff off as he goes.  Open and go.  Or use the online at your own pace class (with quizzes and tests graded for you) available at http://www.virtualhomeschoolgroup.com/

Look at Rod and Staff science textbooks for fifth grade.  Just let them read it--or read and answer the questions that are after every section.  

 

For the two year old--keep play dough in a baggie in the diaper bag,  Throw a couple of bean bags in there too. A roll of painter's tape is fun--and you could tape off a square on the floor for the bean bags to be thrown into.  An aquadoodle mat would be easy to transport and not messy.  Board books.  Two year old's have the attention span of a gnat and thrive on routine--big hugs and lots of chocolate to you for the tough time you have ahead of you.  Little Bear, Max and Ruby, and Stella and Sam cartoons could save your life here.  The first two saved mine the year that I was on bed rest with a two year old because the shows weren't overstimulating and I could stand to listen to them over and over.

 

If all of that is too much--have the kids do math and read books.  Have them take turns entertaining the two year old and helping do laundry and cooking.  Call it good.  They will be fine academically if that's all they do for a year.  hugs.

[Sahamamama]

MartinMom --

 

I am praying for your dad. :grouphug: Please let him know.

 

Along with my father, I am a cancer survivor, too (thyroid). I'm cured ten years out now, and I know what it's like to hear the words "You have cancer" in the same sentence with your name. It may help your dad to know that someone he's never met is praying for him. I really am.

 

Life is hard sometimes, but it is a precious gift. Each day is a gift. Having another person's hand to hold is a gift. A messy toddler kiss is a gift.

 

On your curriculum line-up this year are subjects you were not expecting, but have to teach:

• Loving Grandpa
• Being There
• Fighting Cancer
• Pulling Together
• Holding onto Hope
• Driving Fear Away

All good to know, and possibly of more lifelong value than the dates of Ashurbanipal.

[MartinMom]

MartinMom --

 

I am praying for your dad. :grouphug: Please let him know.

 

Along with my father, I am a cancer survivor, too (thyroid). I'm cured ten years out now, and I know what it's like to hear the words "You have cancer" in the same sentence with your name. It may help your dad to know that someone he's never met is praying for him. I really am.

 

Life is hard sometimes, but it is a precious gift. Each day is a gift. Having another person's hand to hold is a gift. A messy toddler kiss is a gift.

 

On your curriculum line-up this year are subjects you were not expecting, but have to teach:

• Loving Grandpa
• Being There
• Fighting Cancer
• Pulling Together
• Holding onto Hope
• Driving Fear Away

All good to know, and possibly of more lifelong value than the dates of Ashurbanipal.

 

Sahamamama,

 

Thank you so very much!!  I love how many people are praying for my dad.  I have him on prayer lists all over.  He is a very private man, but I love him and want and need him to be around for a long, long time, so I have called in reinforcements.  LOL!   My dad is a strong man, former Marine, but as he likes to say, "Once a Marine, ALWAYS a Marine."  :)  It's just been really hard to see him in pain.  Your comments have really touched my heart.  I've been crying all morning.  What you have said is so true!  Thank you again for this wonderful reminder of what our year needs to include. 

 

Congrats on being a cancer survivor too!!  I'm praying I will be able to say that about my dad soon. 

[MerryAtHope]

MartinMom --

 

I am praying for your dad. :grouphug: Please let him know.

 

Along with my father, I am a cancer survivor, too (thyroid). I'm cured ten years out now, and I know what it's like to hear the words "You have cancer" in the same sentence with your name. It may help your dad to know that someone he's never met is praying for him. I really am.

 

Life is hard sometimes, but it is a precious gift. Each day is a gift. Having another person's hand to hold is a gift. A messy toddler kiss is a gift.

 

On your curriculum line-up this year are subjects you were not expecting, but have to teach:

• Loving Grandpa
• Being There
• Fighting Cancer
• Pulling Together
• Holding onto Hope
• Driving Fear Away

All good to know, and possibly of more lifelong value than the dates of Ashurbanipal.

 

Love this! I like to say...God's curriculum is not always my curriculum. My dh was disabled 15 years ago, and it has made life much different than we expected and added a lots of dr. appointments and traveling (some years to other states for doctors). But God has brought us through it all and will bring you through too. Kids will learn what it means for a family to truly love and support each other, how to care for someone who is sick, how to be watchful etc... Things you can't learn from a regular curriculum. Don't underestimate that importance, and the need to sometimes flex while your kids process, ask questions or just need to "be" with family. School will happen, but sometimes it needs to give.

 

I used to have two schedules--one for "normal" school days, and one for "minimal" school days--days when I needed to give hubby more care, but I wanted to get in a "bare minimum" school day. Mine were younger at that stage and not independent yet, so it could look different for you than it did for me--but maybe that idea of having different schedules that you can plug in depending on the circumstance might be a helpful tip for you.

 

For me, the thing that was "central" or "easy to do" was read-alouds. I always kept up a read-aloud as a way of connecting with my kids and spending some time with them, knowing it filled love tanks as well as having value for them educationally, socially, emotionally, and spiritually. (I still read to my teens, actually!)

 

A core of Bible, reading, math, and writing can really go far.

 

I second (third? fourth?!) audio books!

 

I also highly recommend Adventures in Odyssey. They include a lot of history (I'm always amazed at things my kids know, thinking they remember some lesson I taught them & they'll say no, they learned it from Odyssey!), but they are also just good stories--some funny, some moving, some thought-provoking--great for long hours in a car, or listening to while playing with legos, etc..., and good value for many ages (my kids still enjoy them, and have listened since they were 8 or so). 

 

I pray your father's surgery will go well, and for God to draw your family close in this time. (((Hugs))) Merry :-)

[MartinMom]

 

I used to have two schedules--one for "normal" school days, and one for "minimal" school days--days when I needed to give hubby more care, but I wanted to get in a "bare minimum" school day. Mine were younger at that stage and not independent yet, so it could look different for you than it did for me--but maybe that idea of having different schedules that you can plug in depending on the circumstance might be a helpful tip for you.

 

 

Merry,

THIS is what I need to do!  Thank you!!  I keep going over to my TOG notebook because I just spent $170 on it.  I think it may not be the right thing for this stage of my life, but the guilt over the cost gets me.......  I have been going in a vicious circle, but now I will settle down and have 2 plans. 

 

I just found out about Wayfarers last week.  It looks so fantastic!  My girls picked TOG for all the projects.  I really wish I had found Wayfarers a few months ago.  Sigh.  Another lesson learned.  Maybe I should use Wayfarers and just add a few TOG projects?  That makes me happy. 

Thank you again and thanks so much for the prayers!  :)

[Tiramisu]

I really like the samples I've seen of Wayfarers, but I almost think you'd be better off keeping it even simpler by sticking with CLE for LA, reading, and math, unless you have a math that will work in this situation. The CLE light units are something you could take with you anywhere, and they are solid. I think the reading is worthwhile but you could always skip it and be fine.

 

Go with the Apologia anatomy if that appeals to you. I enjoyed that book so much, and I like the journals, too. They have an audio for the anatomy that you could play in the car, just like SOTW. If getting the CD player fixed is a problem, you might find MP3 versions to play on other devices. 

 

Try stuff like Music Master's CD's, too, and you could work in arts. 

 

I like the recommendations of Winning With Writing or EM six-trait writing. What's good about them is that the writing can be done in the workbooks and also taken along on car rides. I suggest that only because I have two kids who like journal writing but two who hate it, so while I like that idea, you have to consider your own dc.

 

Just to let you know, I have a friend who went through a family crisis. Her dc always used a full curriculum but that year she didn't think she could manage it. She decided to stick with the math they had done all along but for the other subjects she went to the store and bought Spectrum workbooks. She tested her kids at the end of the year to see how things were going and they had done as well as they ever had. The two she was hsing at the time are in college now and doing wonderfully. That year never hurt them.

 

I'm sorry for your family's troubles, but the love and care you have for your father gives me great confidence that your family will weather this storm.

[MerryAtHope]

Merry,

THIS is what I need to do!  Thank you!!  I keep going over to my TOG notebook because I just spent $170 on it.  I think it may not be the right thing for this stage of my life, but the guilt over the cost gets me.......  I have been going in a vicious circle, but now I will settle down and have 2 plans. 

 

I just found out about Wayfarers last week.  It looks so fantastic!  My girls picked TOG for all the projects.  I really wish I had found Wayfarers a few months ago.  Sigh.  Another lesson learned.  Maybe I should use Wayfarers and just add a few TOG projects?  That makes me happy. 

Thank you again and thanks so much for the prayers!  :)

 

I think TOG could work if you are willing to flex with it. There may be times when you just let your girls read and do the projects they are interested in, but you don't get to the discussion ideas in the TOG manual. Then there may be times when you are home and can do that "full" day and you can do some of those discussions. Think about it...but be sure to show yourself a LOT of grace. Try not to think about what you "can't" do or "don't get done," and instead look at the things you actually DO accomplish.

 

I think with either TOG or Wayfarers, there would be the possibility of being overwhelmed. Both have you pick and choose what you want to do, instead of just saying "do this." Wayfarers manual might be slightly easier to use or less to wade through than TOG though, so I would only get it if you think it's going to save you time and/or headaches throughout the year. I think it could be easy to get overwhelmed with either, so again, give yourself LOTS of GRACE!

[FloridaLisa]

Hello All,

I am a long time reader/lurker.  :)  I have learned so much from all of you.  I have found myself in need of a crisis plan, and not sure what to do.  My father was diagnosed with bile duct cancer last week.  (I had never heard of that cancer before!)  I have 3 children ages 12, 10 and 2.  The oldest will be in 7th and the 10 year old will be in 5th.  I had planned to do Tapestry of Grace this year, but I don't know if that will be a good fit with all the running around we will be doing.  The hospital they are looking at is an hour away.  If I have to travel to their house to transport them to any Dr. appts., we will be in the car for at least 8 hours, plus all the waiting at hospitals.  My husband is home several days a week, so they will be able to stay home to work independently frequently.  I am making lots of activity bags for the 2 year old.  I was looking at maybe switching to Wayfarers.  Has anyone completed the first year and think this would be doable?  The girls both have laptops and chose to do teaching textbooks this year, so that is taken care of.  I was going to switch to Rod and Staff for English.  His first surgery should be in a week, so I feel like I need to have a new plan ASAP.  Last year I switched our curriculum choices at the last second, and I felt out of sorts all year....like I was playing catch-up.  I'm trying to not repeat that.  Sorry if this doesn't make sense.  My brain is overloaded right now.  Thanks for any suggestions you may have! 

 

Martinmom,

 

You've received lots of great advice so I'll just add a few things in. 

 

I wouldn't rush to make all new plans by a surgical date (I know you said it's not extended but still). You have time to make a plan and if you need to add something in November or change it up in February b/c life has shifted again? It's okay. That's the beauty of homeschooling. 

 

I would focus on the bottom line: if nothing else gets done this year what do your kids need to get done? That's your core. There may be many bare minimum days and knowing that they are getting done the most important stuff will ease your mind. 

 

Your kids are at an okay age for an interruption. School might not look ideal, but you'd be surprised how far doing the core will take your kids. Some things might get done in clumps -- a clump of science when you have a good two weeks and then paused for a trip to grandparents. 

 

Finally, your kids will need to know the new expectations.  Without a set structure, they will need to know what, when, how much to do.  If you have the time, a daily checklist would allow your 7th and 5th graders to work pretty independently. Since the days might look different, a checklist on a post-it note works great! Ask me how I know. ;)  My kids actually love when I stick a post-it on their pile with check off boxes. 

 

Hoping you are able to fully enjoy your dad this Father's Day. 

 

Lisa

[sassenach]

I would think that veritas press self paced history would be the easiest history.

 

What about essentials in writing for writing? It's also video or computer based, I think.

 

TT for math. Done.

Apologia anatomy- light.

I wouldn't really stress about getting much done beyond math and writing.

Best wishes.

[stm4him]

My signature is a crisis plan. And I think it is better than my old non crisis plans. I am praying that our curriculum is so simple that my focus would be their hearts.

[ByGrace3]

Big hugs and prayers! This is a season. Find something that allows you to do what you need to do to be there for your family...it will all work out.

 

What I would suggest:

 

For the 7th grader:

MOH (audio or text) with a pile of SL books from the core for the year you choose.

Math you have..

Writing: what about an online course? I would do a VP English course or have her do some outlining and writing from her history lessons. --either way something she could do n her own without you.

Science- Apologia...just read the text maybe some summaries

 

5th grader:

You have math...

VP self paced history or listen in on the MOH audios

Apologia- read the text

Online English course (VP) or just writing summaries from history and science or maybe a few Evan Moore writing/grammar

 

Both keep a journal...

Lots of books/audiobooks

 

Add some history projects when you have the time and energy, but if you're anything like me I feel guilty when I plan it and don't get to it, so better don't plan and surprise yourself if you get to it.;)

 

I like the two schedule idea...

 

Just breathe and don't stress over school. Set up some must get done but can get done on their own and be ok with it...

[stm4him]

And going through cancer (my son) and my chronic illness for almost two years (and almost three for my son) I can tell you that Sahamamama (I am sure I spelled that wrong) is spot on with her list.  We deal with those issues every day, and they are more important than the curriculum and academics.....