Calizzy Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 I have a 2nd grade dd and a 4 yo with a November birthday who is doing kindy work. I also have a 2 yo and a baby due in February. We currently live in S. California and next month we are moving to London. Our lives are chaos at the moment. We are trying to get our shipping freight ready to go out next week. We are trying to get the house ready to sell. We are trying to sell our belongings that we are not taking with us. Needless to say, I am stressed about the amount of schoolwork we are doing! With the 2nd grader I usually do reading, writing, spelling, and math everyday. With the 4 yo we do 100 ez lessons and singapore earlybird everyday. We have very little history, no structured science, no art (although they craft constantly.) Dh does Bible regularly, and Latin about 2x week. Please tell me that they will learn so much from moving to London that it will be worth the amount they are missing the next couple of months! Save me from full on panic!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellydon Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 I would seriously stop school entirely right now. Get ready to move. When things settle a bit, pick up math and reading with your 2nd grader, maybe add some audiobooks as time allows. Nothing else. Living in London will be AMAZING for learning. At 2nd and PK, they will easily catch up when you get settled. 13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beaniemom Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 We took 3 full weeks off just for a cross country move and my kids are 5,7, and 8. I agree with other posters, take some time off school. You will have one less worry and the kids will be able toease back in as you get settled. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 I have a 2nd grade dd and a 4 yo with a November birthday who is doing kindy work. I also have a 2 yo and a baby due in February. We currently live in S. California and next month we are moving to London. Our lives are chaos at the moment. We are trying to get our shipping freight ready to go out next week. We are trying to get the house ready to sell. We are trying to sell our belongings that we are not taking with us. Needless to say, I am stressed about the amount of schoolwork we are doing! With the 2nd grader I usually do reading, writing, spelling, and math everyday. With the 4 yo we do 100 ez lessons and singapore earlybird everyday. We have very little history, no structured science, no art (although they craft constantly.) Dh does Bible regularly, and Latin about 2x week. Please tell me that they will learn so much from moving to London that it will be worth the amount they are missing the next couple of months! Save me from full on panic!! Everything will be ok. :grouphug: I would absolutely not do one more thing that looks like school. Your dc are so young I cannot imagine anything that is so important that it cannot wait for a few months. And when you get to London, I wouldn't do anything that looks like school for a looong time (although it will be winter, and y'all might be staying inside until spring, so you might do School Stuff then). P.S.: you know that your 4yo would not be kindergarten age this year, right? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aiden Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 You're fine. International moves are hard. If your kids need the consistency of school in this time of transition, give them what they need by doing the minimum. Otherwise, feel free to do the minimum or stop altogether for a while as you choose. They're young. Only the second grader needs any school right now, and if you miss a few weeks, she'll catch up. Don't stress about it; you have plenty of other things to stress about. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calizzy Posted October 21, 2015 Author Share Posted October 21, 2015 Thank you all for the support. I know my 4yo isn't even aged for kindy, but she wanted to do school work at the beginning of the year, and then I didn't want to stop because she was doing really well. I am the type that always puts too much pressure on myself. Plus, I'm thinking that once we get there it will be the holiday time and after that we are having a baby so I was trying to get as much done now knowing that we will likely have several months off. But maybe it's time to stop and try to get us moved out in a more peaceful manner :) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxbridgeacademy Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 I wouldn't do any more school for awhile. Instead do fun stuff like guessing how many stuffed animals will fit in the box. Do more shirts fit if I fold them or roll them? Make up a rhyming poem about the place you live now (to say goodbye) where you're going, the stress of packing. Talk about the history of current and future homes. Discuss how things will be different and the same. Look at maps and pictures of the city and other places you plan on visiting. Have 2nd grader write on boxes what's in them (on the top and at least a couple sides). Let them draw pictures on the boxes. Take lots of pictures to help them remember that moving was fun. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aiden Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 And, actually--I assume you're preparing your kids for the move, but instead of school, I'd focus on things like reading "Berenstain Bears Moving Day" or other similar books to them. Instead of nature walks, walk through your house and neighborhood with them and a camera and take pictures of the things they particularly like. I know you're stressed and busy, but try to carve out time for this kind of activity to help them process the move, rather than carving out time for school. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest gimbalsoph Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 I would seriously stop school entirely right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Entropymama Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 YOU ARE MOVING TO LONDON!!! That right there is enough of an educational experience to cover several months of school. Imagine the college essays.. "My days as an ex-pat"… Put on some Magic School Bus or Schoolhouse Rock or something and go pack. Don't even worry about school. Have fun and keep us all posted! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garga Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 The advice is good, but I know for myself I would still feel compelled to do a little school. I'd keep it to reading, 'riting, and 'rithmatic. Just to keep up any skills. My pesonality is that I wouldn't feel comfortable stopping my kids' education entirely. That's for the 2nd grader only though. For the 4 year old, if we did any "school" it would just be so she would feel important, but I wouldn't expect anything from it other than for it to be playtime with Mommy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeAgain Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 Everything will be fine. :)Take a few weeks' worth of work and put it in one binder for your suitcase. That's it. Photocopy pages, do whatever you need to to keep some consistency when you have time. Use the moving opportunity as your classroom right now. Get the kids fully involved. Do a unit study on London/GB. Read Our Island Story to them. Create your own history book by taking pictures of where you live right now, all of the best loved areas in your town, your home, their bedrooms..have your 2nd grader write memories for some of the places. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 Punt school for now and get ready to move. They will learn plenty from living until you are settled. Read to them and call it good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
73349 Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 I would keep doing just English and math with the 2nd-grader a little longer and cap the 4yo at 15 minutes of instruction and send her off with a sticker book or something. You are doing great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Governess Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 It will all be fine. 😊 I'm not one to stop school when life gets chaotic, so I would probably do a hour or two of school each morning after breakfast and then switch to moving-related tasks after that. My kids do better if I continue with some structure during crazy life stuff. If you need a break from teaching, you could use this time to have them work on basics - a math workbook that is all review, a phonics or spelling workbook, etc. (if they enjoy that sort of thing - mine do) and then pick up where you left off in January. Yes, this will be a fantastic learning experience for them!! Good luck and enjoy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tsuga Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 It will be okay. I personally would not stop school--not reading and math for a second grader. If I stopped school every time something came up in life my kids would have had all of 1 year of school by now. Ex-h was military. We moved almost every year. The kids have lived in three countries. It is HARD but it will be okay. Focus on reading, writing and basic math. Set a timer and then let what didn't get done, rest until tomorrow. Float on. :) 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalusignan Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 It will be okay! We are in the middle of our 3rd move in 8 months, one move which was a big international move. When we moved international, we took 1 month off school, but then made up the time in the summer. I would cut back as much as you can now, while still maintaining some semblance of routine and stability for your kids (3 Rs is a good place). I found it was easier to keep schooling on the front end rather than on the back end when you reach your new destination. Save the pure 'off' days for unpacking and getting settled. Are you shipping your homeschool supplies separately so they are there when you get there? Overseas shipments take awhile. Something to consider if you were planning to include your homeschool materials. We waited over 3 months for our main shipment to arrive. I had to switch some things up simply because I couldn't pre-ship and couldn't bring everything with us. I actually used Math Mammoth during our transition for awhile simply because I could put the worksheets on my iPad. Things like that. Good luck! Have fun with the move! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amira Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 I also wouldn't entirely drop reading and math with the second grader unless you absolutely can't do it. International moves are hard, but they don't have to suck up every second of your life a full month before they happen. Reading and math with a 2nd grader doesn't take long and it can be lovely to have those few minutes to spend together. But I wouldn't stress about getting school done every day. If you miss it one day, okay. But unless things get really crazy, school can be a good thing to keep doing. You definitely don't need to worry about all the things you're not doing for school. What you have going on now is plenty. You can do this! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 It will be ok. We've dealt with all kinds of interruptions. It's always ended up ok. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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