Schedule, aka routine, with 3 very different age/learning groups

[mamamoose]

I am sure this has been hashed out, but we struggle to fit it all in. I have a child in K, a dyslexic/dysgraphic/add child in grade 2 and an advanced child in grade 4, and honestly I feel like she is missing out on extras because I spend so much time in cores with the other two.

 

I would love to hear what a typical day looks like for families with multiple children.

[MotherGoose]

I have three, ages 7, 10, and infant. So only really juggling 2 academically. In your case, which is what I do with mine, I would give the oldest and most advanced extra reading and such, or extra in whatever she's advanced in, and fit in the others. This does not stop me from have regular attacks of " I'm not doing enough for X!" Even if it's nursery rhymes for the baby.

[8circles]

I have 4 - advanced and eager in K, ADHD dyslexic dysgraphic (plus vision therapy) in 3rd, average in 5th and advanced in 7th.

I know how you feel. I wasn't able to really get a handle on it without putting together a schedule in 15-minutes blocks. Then tweak it as we go, figuring out what works and what doesn't.

I generally get through all the must-dos for the 2 youngers in the morning, alternating working with one of them while the other plays. I am also able to squeeze in spelling with my 5th grader mid-morning. Afternoons the youngers play or do independent work while I work with olders.

It's a challenge and I never feel like it's perfect, but its the best I can do.

 

ETA: in the mornings, my olders work independently, according to a schedule.

Edited March 23, 2016 by 8circles

[mamamoose]

That's how I've been doing it but I feel like my 4th grader is rushing through stuff without really learning it and she's the one that loves school, so I don't want to crush her love for learning by not being available. What kind of school hours do you have? My Kindergartner is eager too.

[8circles]

That's how I've been doing it but I feel like my 4th grader is rushing through stuff without really learning it and she's the one that loves school, so I don't want to crush her love for learning by not being available. What kind of school hours do you have? My Kindergartner is eager too.

 

Our schedule goes from 8am until 2 or 3 in the afternoon, including meals and breaks.  My 7th grader sometimes has to put in more time after that.

 

Maybe change-up the curriculum for your 4th grader to keep her interest up?  Maybe something more project-based & let her choose the topic?

 

Is your 2nd grader able to work in the afternoon? 

 

IDK.  I think a lot of it is trial and error.

[Ellie]

I am sure this has been hashed out, but we struggle to fit it all in. I have a child in K, a dyslexic/dysgraphic/add child in grade 2 and an advanced child in grade 4, and honestly I feel like she is missing out on extras because I spend so much time in cores with the other two.

 

I would love to hear what a typical day looks like for families with multiple children.

 

Ages are more helpful than grade levels. :-) So, your dc are 5, 7, and 9?

[mamamoose]

My K kiddo turned 6 today :D! My 2nd grader is 8.5, and my 4th grader is 10.

[mamamoose]

And they were in public school until October.

[maize]

 

I would love to hear what a typical day looks like for families with multiple children.

In my house, it mostly looks like chaos and insanity.

 

We compensate by schooling year round and using online resources to fill in gaps.

[Another Lynn]

Our routine is to start with morning time with everyone (ages 14, 12, 10 and 7) which (at its best) lasts an hour.  Then everyone starts their independent work and I drag them back one by one to work with me, ideally the youngest first and working my way up.  My 10yo is a more efficient worker than my 12yo, so I probably spend more time with 12yo than with 10yo.  Also, my 7yo is an independent reader now, so I can get away with quicker lessons with her than I did a year ago.  You are in a tough spot with two who need a great deal of your time.  My 14yo was in the position of your 4th grader several years back.  He was advanced; he worked well independently; I had other "squeaky wheels" and young children who were still learning to read.  It will be okay.  I would say if a "morning time" or group time appeals to you add some extras there - even in 15 minutes increments (artist study, composer study, drawing, nature related read aloud, history read aloud, poetry, recitation,  - once a week, or on a loop).  Also, look for engaging resources that can be used independently for content subjects and then make the most of your time with her for skill subjects.  The demands on your instruction time will ease up in another year or two. 

[wendyroo]

My kids are only turning-7-this-week, 4, 2 and 5 months, so I don't have any personal experience with older kids, but...

 

This is what I think I would aim for in your shoes; it is an extended version of our current schedule.

 

I read literature aloud during breakfast.  Then I would divide the morning into three blocks of approximately an hour.

Block 1: 6 and 8 year olds play, preferably outside, to burn off some energy.  10 year old works with you on skill subjects (math, writing, spelling, foreign language, etc.).  I would teach each subject and then go over what the student should do during independent work time.

 

Block 2: 10 year old does independent work (and free time once the assignments are completed); I would discourage interruptions and encourage jotting down questions for me to be handled at the end of the time block.  This is when I would sit one on one with the 6 and 8 year olds for skill subjects.  Half an hour should be plenty for the 6 year old (reading, writing, math) and half an hour is probably as long as the 8 year old can focus on those difficult subjects at a time.

 

Block 3: Content subjects all together.  Read, read, read about science and history.  Do some art and experiments.  Keep it fun with very little required output - probably just some oral narrations and map work.  We use a block schedule to limit how many content subjects we are tackling at any given time.  This time would be optional for the 6 year old, but this is the fun stuff, so none of my kids would want to miss this time.

 

Lunch - we watch documentaries and foreign language shows.

 

Quiet play and finish up time.  The 6 year old and I would buddy read a picture book and then he/she would be sent off to play, draw, do puzzles, etc. for a while.  The 10 year old would independently finish up a couple odds and ends like perhaps typing, grammar, reading a bit more about our science or history topic and writing a narration, etc.  Meanwhile, I would sit down with the 8 year old for another half hour block of skill subjects and then he/she would be sent off for quiet play.  After that I would touch base with the 10 year old to edit the narration, go over math done earlier, generally tie up loose ends and then I would send him/her off to do some assigned reading and then quiet play.

 

Mid-afternoon after everyone had some down time we would have time for outings, errands, free play, projects, etc.

 

At least, that is how I envision things working around here in 4-5 years.

 

Wendy

Edited March 23, 2016 by wendyroo

[mamamoose]

What books are you reading for literature? I also feel like I'm stuck there--we are doing MOH and I love the audiobooks and the kids do too, so I bought illuminations but the book choices are either above the heads of my younger students or below my 4th grader, but the read alouds suggested might be too hard for her to read herself. I guess that's probably typical?

 

Right now we do Bible as a group in the morning, and then I try to knock out as much as the 8 year old will tolerate because after that he's worthless and cranky about school. He has a lot of issues: the issues listed above cause him to be a very negative individual most days, and he often sets out to ruin everyone else's day too. He does not read independently at all yet, he often says he hates books, etc. he is the reason we pulled the kids out of public school, but all 3 were on board with school at home.

 

Anyway, I like the block idea, and maybe I've been expecting too short of days. I suspect if I extend the school day I will be met with resistance by my son, and told science experiments and history projects are stupid, etc, but maybe I leave him out of it and just let him see how much fun it is? Or force the issue? We have been finishing school by noonish for the most part, but we start around 7:30.

[BlsdMama]

I am sure this has been hashed out, but we struggle to fit it all in. I have a child in K, a dyslexic/dysgraphic/add child in grade 2 and an advanced child in grade 4, and honestly I feel like she is missing out on extras because I spend so much time in cores with the other two.

 

I would love to hear what a typical day looks like for families with multiple children.

 

 

Let's break it down.  

 

We have a K.

We have a dyslexic / dysgraphic - 2nd.

We have an academically strong kiddo - 4th.

 

Hey!  I have had all of these! :)  

 

First - whatcha using for the 2nd grader?  

Second - what do you do with the 4th and what do you wish you could do?

How much time do you spend on the K?

 

 

At 2nd grader with a dyslexic/dysgraphic, I'd be doing two (separate) things.  I'd be remediating the dyslexia with an OG program and I'd be slowly working on cursive copywork, considering it therapy, not school.

With the K, I'd be folding that child in - reading aloud, singing songs, listening to music, some memory work.

 

With the 4th grader - more is not always better.  Gifted children need quality/intensity of activities more than quantity.

Reading aloud, books on audio, building toys, board games, board games, board games. 

 

All three of yours are old enough to learn chess.

All three can listen to audio while playing or working.

All three can do some limited amount of tablework.

[8circles]

My 8yo (3rd grade) is not a fan of "schoolwork". He also can't focus for more than 15 minutes at a time, on a good day. So I schedule his subjects every 1/2 hour, assuming it will take 15 minutes, then he gets to run around and play for 15. I also posted his schedule so that he can easily see what is expected of him and explained to him that this what what he needed to do & the consequences of he didn't. Then I don't fight him anymore. I announce the time & subject and he either comes or doesn't.

 

So, MWF for him we have

Breakfast

VT

Reading

Spelling/handwriting

Online math

Online reading/grammar

Typing

Lunch

Then either an audio book or educational video on the current social studies or science topic

Art

Piano practice

Done

 

TTh we are gone during the afternoon so

Breakfast

VT

Reading

Spelling/handwriting

Then either an audio book or educational video on the current social studies or science topic.

Done

I can post the schedule for my other kids it you want.

[Momto4inSoCal]

We start at 8am and my girls rotate reading and doing veritas press self paced while I spend time with my 4yo twins. Then they do Vocabulary and spelling (independent) and I stay with the twins. We all do memory work together and then we all do art or science. I rotate my girls on math. One has to play with the twins while the other works with me on math then they switch. We have lunch, I put the twins down for a nap then we do writing and grammar. This is my routine and it doesn't always (read rarely) go smoothly or as planned but in general that's the way we schedule the day.

[SilverMoon]

I have pre-k/k through high school.

 

When they were all little like yours a bottom-up approach worked best. The littlest ones can get through all their work quickly if you're just working with them. I'd actually start with the current toddler and make sure their momma-cup was full. Then I'd kickstart older kids who could begin independent work and pull in the youngest student to work with me. When the little is done I'd call the next one up. When that one has worked through mom-dependent work and is working on their math work at my elbow I'd call the next one, and so on. When I get to the older kids we start by going over what they did on their own, and then dig into their mom-dependent lessons.

 

Now that they're spread up through high school, bottom-up still works pretty well. I usually start with the youngest. Everything he has is mom-dependent. I try to save math for last, because after the lesson has been taught he can pretty much do that worksheet on his own. Then I can turn my attention to the 2nd grader, who has probably already whipped through a fair amount of independent work. Her math and English are what she needs me most for. When I get those done she's pretty much done for the day, and I can focus on the middle schoolers next. Then I mosey over to the high schooler to see how she's doing.

[mamamoose]

We are using the Barton Reading and Spelling program and HWT cursive for the 2nd grader, and supplementing with AAR/AAS when he can't get tutoring. We do Right Start Math, and I read from 15-30 minutes with him. He also does MOH with us. A schedule is ineffective with him because just looking at "all he has to do"!intimidates him even though from start to finish he can be done in less than two hours.

 

The forth grader gets all the cores covered and history and science but it's not anything very fun because she does it in workbooks. I want time to do more hands on science and more reading aloud. I want more time to teach her so she can spend less time in workbooks.

 

The youngest is halfway through AAR Level 1, and doing RS math. She does as many worksheets as I hand her and loves them! But she doesn't want to play independently, she wants me to keep giving her worksheets and working with her, lol.

[Carrie12345]

I take a trickle down approach.

One daughter (13) is gearing up for high school, so I spend more time lesson planning, even though she works fairly independent.

Another daughter (12) struggles to stay focused, so she gets the most supervision.

My 8yo receives the most hands-on help, but we wing it and keep his "curriculum" flexible and relaxed.

The 5yo mostly learns through osmosis, lol.  He gets the least planning, the least direct instruction, the least management.  And he's very likely the sharpest tack of them all!

[Targhee]

I have 4 - DD13 2e, DS 11 2e, DD9 2e, DD 4 craz-Y ( :tongue_smilie: not really, it just rhymed with 2e)

 

Typical day. (I am not a morning person) DS is up at 6:30 and reading to himself in bed, I am vaguely aware that he is doing so.  At 7:00 I get up to ask him to please be quieter (he's now playing toys, keyboard, or something) because people in the house are still sleeping.  I fall back to sleep for 15-45 minutes (depending on how often I have to get up to ask him to be quiet).  I roust others out of bed, get myself ready and get down to make breakfast.

 

9:00 School is supposed to start. No one but me there.

9:10 DD4 comes down

9:15 I break up a dispute and lay on the "you were supposed to already be down for school and breakfast, come on!"

9:20 DS arrives

9:30 DD13 arrives

They all eat breakfast during morning basket  - vocab words, poetry study, artists, composers, bios of noteworthy people, short US history snippets, read aloud, etc.

 

10:00 everyone starts math.  DD4 usually gets the iPad and plays ABC mouse for a little while.  I circulate between DD9 with math, DS with math, DD4 who needs help brushing hair and teeth, and dishes.  DD13 does math independently

11:00 everyone moves on to languages.  I work with youngest on PP or just read a book to her, while DD9 does Sequential Spelling and her memory work box. DS works on Lively Latin and a sentence in Practice Town.  Oldest works on Japanese and WWS mostly independently.

11:20 I switch and work with DD9 on PLL/Grammar Island, while DD4 goes and plays in her room.

Some time later I begin working with DS on writing (this is a belabored process).  Meanwhile DD9 has slipped away to play in the bedroom with DD4.

DD9 makes DD4 cry, and I go in to see what's happening.  Meanwhile DS slinks off to rough house with the dog inside  :glare:

I get DD9 back on track with her other language work (typing, reading) and get DS upstairs to finish the writing that should have already been done.  DD4 interrupts because she wants me to play with her.

Lunch

Afternoon is for personal study time.  This is time we've planned out before the start of the week. They have a checklist they made with me of what they need to get done each day.  DS might be listening to SOTW and coloring the picture while DD9 is sewing a stuffed animal out of felt.  DD13 is possibly doing her biology readings.  DD4 and I hopefully get some math time in with c-rods or RS A.  This is usually a very independent time for the older 3 and I can get some quality time in with the youngest.  They are remarkably engage and self-propelled during this time.  I think it is because they have so much say in what they are going to do then.

Around 2:00 DD9 is done and plays with DD4

Around 2:30 DS is done and I make him go around the house and pick up the piles of school work he left everywhere.

Around 3:00 DD13 is done and everyone begins music practice and the shuttle service (aka me) for extra curricular begins around 4.

 

I tried to give you a realistic day.  It's never as smooth as I want it to be, and I often feel fractured.  They key to making our days work was building  independence into their work.  Now, obviously from my "typical day" you can see that my kids are highly distractible (oldest three have ADHD).  But they still manage to get through their independent work.  It has been a process to get here, but I'm so glad we spent the time in developing their independence. Also, that independent work is where the enrichment comes in! Oldest 2 are on Science Olympiad team and often spend their time studying and working on the things they build for the competitions.  They might be working on things for outside classes.  Today DS was designing a battle plan for his Warfare class at co-op.  DD9 does conditioning for gymnastics.    DH helps when he can, I help too, but they know it is up to them if they want to do something.  That serves two purposes.  One, it frees me to work with the littles who need more attention.  Two, it empowers them to take charge of their own learning.

 

When youngest was 1-3 we actually had a rotating thing where each of the older 3 was either working with me 1:1, doing an independent task, or playing with the littlest.  That might work better for your ages.  And those short periods of time (20 minutes or so) of working independently on a task helps to develop the skills to work independently on longer tasks.

 

So that rambled a lot, but here's the summary

• you won't ever get it all in - that's ok
• morning basket is a great time for the "extras" (it's like Mom's-buffet-of-amazing-extras-in-easy-to-swallow-bites)
• help your kids develop independent work habits and then utilize that
• give your kids the chance to work on the "extras" they are interested on their own

[Jadde32]

Those of you who have alot of kids and especially with disabilities and do not have time for them should consider a good private school or public school. We owe it to our kids to always provide the best education if its out of our reach. Its almost impossible to juggle so much and then on top of that manage a household, cook, clean, take care of babies. Burn out is a reality and noone will be happy. Susan Bauer talks about burn out in one of her videos and regrets not sending one of her kids to school. She said he belonged in school. If she experienced burn out I think we all can. She ended up getting a tutor for her kids.

 

 

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[mamamoose]

Private school is not an option (nearest private school is 70+ miles away) and public school isn't either--they get 30 minutes of special education, proven not to work with dyslexics, each week, and the school already denied to do more or I wouldn't even be homeschooling. I think it's short sighted to hop on a thread like this and be condescending about the situation and someone's lack of ability to handle or not handle a situation.

[Another Lynn]

Private school is not an option (nearest private school is 70+ miles away) and public school isn't either--they get 30 minutes of special education, proven not to work with dyslexics, each week, and the school already denied to do more or I wouldn't even be homeschooling. I think it's short sighted to hop on a thread like this and be condescending about the situation and someone's lack of ability to handle or not handle a situation.

 

:iagree:   Too bad the forum is not equipped with a "Dislike" button for the discouraging post above surely warrants it. 

 

Mamamoose, you are using some great programs with your kids, and as you already know they are teacher intensive programs.  Keep focusing on the skills (as you already are!) and make use of independent resources for content subjects - SOTW on cd with maps to color (any way they want!) or play dough to mold while they listen, stories on cd from Jim Weiss, science related dvds, etc. 

 

[Another Lynn]

Those of you who have alot of kids and especially with disabilities and do not have time for them should consider a good private school or public school. We owe it to our kids to always provide the best education if its out of our reach. Its almost impossible to juggle so much and then on top of that manage a household, cook, clean, take care of babies. Burn out is a reality and noone will be happy. Susan Bauer talks about burn out in one of her videos and regrets not sending one of her kids to school. She said he belonged in school. If she experienced burn out I think we all can. She ended up getting a tutor for her kids.

 

 

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I don't believe anyone said they didn't have time for their kids.  Asking for example routines and time management tips is not the same as failing to meet needs or burnout.  No one asked you to come tell us to what standard we should be cooking, cleaning and caring for households.  SWB graciously shares great information about burnout and when a child may be better off in school, but you are grossly twisting her words to apply to this situation. 

 

[mamamoose]

It's all good--I haven't been on this forum for long but it seems there are always the naysayers! I suspect you are right in that all the programs are teacher intensive and maybe that's where I am going wrong! I am looking at maybe teaching textbooks for the dyslexic next year but honestly I don't know how much time it will actually free me up. He's also very good at math and I am concerned that teaching textbooks won't challenge him as much. Thank you for your positive post and encouragement!

[Openhearted]

:grouphug: mamamoose.

 

I have no advice as I am only homeschooling twins. But I wanted to say I admire you for taking your children's education in your own hands, and provide them with a superior experience than public school was providing. There is some excellent advice in this thread. (And some not so much)

[Hobbes]

Those of you who have alot of kids and especially with disabilities and do not have time for them should consider a good private school or public school.

'Should' is a very presumptuous word when discussing someone else's education choices.

 

Asking for advice about wisely managing time is not the same thing as 'not having time' for your children.

 

Many of us (and many researchers as well) have found that teachers in classes with 30 children often 'do not have time' to provide them with the attention needed for a quality education... this is a concern and complaint of several teachers I know. Sending a child to school does not guarantee an increase in time and attention received from an instructor.

[mamamoose]

Thanks all, for the reassurance! I don't feel like I don't have time and I KNOW for a fact they are better off here, or OBVIOUSLY I would put them back in public school. I am not burned out at all, actually, and I LOVE teaching my kids and watching progress. My 2nd grader couldn't read at a K level when I pulled them out of school. He is now reading at a first grade 6th month, albeit very slowly. We are getting there with him and just yesterday, he actually told me, "Mom, I think I might actually be starting to like reading." If that isn't the proof in the pudding I don't know what is! He has been taking up a lot of my time, but hopefully in another year, his reading will be remediated enough that it won't be so time intensive. I need to figure out a way to not put my oldest on the back burner, because she is such an easy child...and its not fair to her. She is still better off at home, and I know this to be true! If private school were an option, I might consider that for her, and her alone, but its not so here I am. I am very fortunate because I can afford to hire someone twice a month to keep my house in order, but even if I couldn't, the house would just take the back seat! Anyone who even considers homeschooling obviously loves their children very much--and yes, I need time management strategies, and all of those offered have been EXTREMELY helpful!  :grouphug:

[Momto4inSoCal]

Those of you who have alot of kids and especially with disabilities and do not have time for them should consider a good private school or public school. We owe it to our kids to always provide the best education if its out of our reach. Its almost impossible to juggle so much and then on top of that manage a household, cook, clean, take care of babies. Burn out is a reality and noone will be happy. Susan Bauer talks about burn out in one of her videos and regrets not sending one of her kids to school. She said he belonged in school. If she experienced burn out I think we all can. She ended up getting a tutor for her kids.

 

 

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If you looked at how a typical day ends up playing out here you could easily jump to this conclusion. The reality is I pulled my kids out of public school and our distracted, disorderly school day has accomplished so much more in my kids education than the public school system ever did, and we are in a very high rated district. I am also dealing with ADHD and if your kids are not behind academically the schools won't accommodate them. In the case of my daughter she has jumped ahead 2 grade levels since being home schooled vs where she was at in school. Don't underestimate the value of homeschooling. It's amazing what some one on one schooling can accomplish. Even if it's in a spurt here and a spurt there.

Edited March 25, 2016 by Momto4inSoCal

[8filltheheart]

mamamoose, I have 3 kids who are dyslexic.....our oldest, our #4, and our #7.  The older 2 are now incredibly successful adults.  #4 is the most severely impacted and didn't read on grade level until the end of 4th grade, but he graduated from high school having completed 5 semesters of cal+ physics and 3 semesters of post cal BC math.   He is attending college on full scholarship and is a 4.0 student.  Our oldest is a successful chemE.  He graduated from college back in 2011 cum laude and with multiple job offers.  :) So it is definitely possible to homeschool a very large family with the constant arrival of babies and have very successful outcomes all while staying sane!  :)

 

My approach, fwiw, is to spend about 1 hr per grade level on academics.  My Kers spend no more than an hour working on school with me.  Even my severely dyslexic child spent no more than 2 hours on school in 2nd grade.  Prior to third grade, the focus is on reading, handwriting, and math.  Third grade history and science are formally added. 

 

This yr I have an incredibly precocious Ker (she is by all appearances our most advanced child), a dyslexic 4th grader, a slightly advanced 8th grader, and a very gifted 11th grader.  I work with my Ker first so that she can go off and play.  Then I work with my 4th grader.  My afternoons are spent with teenagers.  (The 4th grader works on math while I work with my Ker and my older kids do writing, reading, foreign languages, etc while I work with my younger kids.)

[Peaceful Isle]

I haven't read the rest of the posts, but I will tell you what I would do, and have done. :)

 

You can have the older child do more  independent subjects for her core, and then when you are done with the littles, you can focus on some more fun stuff.

An example would be using classes with a dvd/cd content. Many math programs teach for you like MUS, Teaching textbooks, and even Saxon has younger teaching cds for their intermediate series now.

Language could be Essentials in writing, Jr analytical grammar, or even Easy grammar which is very simple.

Reading/Lit could consist of awesome library books to read, and then tell you all about them later.

History she could read one of the Story of the World books to herself, and then do the coloring sheet in the Activity guide. 

Science- I have not found any easy science program yet. 

 

Also, there are some different subscriptions for you child like time 4 learning that would free you up for some of the subjects, at least. 

 

Everyone will have a different take on what would be best in your situation. Go with your heart. 

 

 

 

Edited March 24, 2016 by Peacefulisle

[mckive6]

I'm not sure if this will be helpful because my kids are different ages; however, I am dealing with similar issues. My kdis are: ds, gifted and age 12; ds, average, 11and likes to get school done quickly; dd, 16 with intellectual disability. This is my first year schooling the second two kids. My first ds has been homeschooled since 1st grade.

 

We use self-paced history for him, because he loves it and has more interaction than a text/workbook. I do math and english with him everyday, usually after breakfast. He would love to have me work with him all day. Then, I do as many subjects that I can get through with my dd. She, too, gets overwhelmed if she thinks there is too much work to do. I've started making her history into powerpoints, and embedding short videos, and text because she is a very visual learner.

 

Both my older son and dd do physical science together. My ds reads the book and does the notebook on his own, and they do the experiments together. This gives my ds a chance to teach, which he loves to do, and my daughter learns what she is capable of. My ds also loves to do learning things, especially science, all day long, so we can converse later. He loves the interaction.

 

My ds, 11, does his independent work on his own in the morning, then he has free time. He and I work on math and reading in the afternoon.

 

It's not perfect, but as the year goes on I am figuring out what works for us. I'd love to do readalouds, but my dd has auditory processing issues. Getting her to read at all is a challenge. Oh, I also have a dd, 18, senior who takes mostly online classes.

[mamamoose]

I think I've been trying to get too much done in the morning. I also do all the office work for our business, so I try to give myself time in the afternoon but maybe that's not realistic.

[BlsdMama]

Those of you who have alot of kids and especially with disabilities and do not have time for them should consider a good private school or public school. We owe it to our kids to always provide the best education if its out of our reach. Its almost impossible to juggle so much and then on top of that manage a household, cook, clean, take care of babies. Burn out is a reality and noone will be happy. Susan Bauer talks about burn out in one of her videos and regrets not sending one of her kids to school. She said he belonged in school. If she experienced burn out I think we all can. She ended up getting a tutor for her kids.

 

 

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It isn't anywhere NEAR impossible to do so.  I have five dyslexics and I resent your statement.  If you have no experience in this area and only base it on what you think, then  you ought leave the advice to those who have successfully done it.  I absolutely have heard the same talk you have with SWB and they also had a personality rub with that child.  It would have worked better for HER family had they put that child in school.  That in no means relates to what is being said here.

[BlsdMama]

We are using the Barton Reading and Spelling program and HWT cursive for the 2nd grader, and supplementing with AAR/AAS when he can't get tutoring. We do Right Start Math, and I read from 15-30 minutes with him. He also does MOH with us. A schedule is ineffective with him because just looking at "all he has to do"!intimidates him even though from start to finish he can be done in less than two hours.

 

The forth grader gets all the cores covered and history and science but it's not anything very fun because she does it in workbooks. I want time to do more hands on science and more reading aloud. I want more time to teach her so she can spend less time in workbooks.

 

The youngest is halfway through AAR Level 1, and doing RS math. She does as many worksheets as I hand her and loves them! But she doesn't want to play independently, she wants me to keep giving her worksheets and working with her, lol.

 

 

I apologize for leaving you hanging.  I'm back. ;)  Life does so interfere with my forum time. ;)

 

Rest assured this CAN be done and done successfully.  My oldest is dyslexic - moderately so, professionally tested.  He didn't start reading until 10.  He's 17 now and really quite academically gifted.  We just had to get over the hump.  

 

What I've learned the most?

 

Foundation, foundation, foundation.

 

So, are you tutoring or paying for a tutor?  That's an important thing.  The other thing - are you ABLE to tutor?  I am reading your posts and I assume your husband is the dyslexic in your family and not  you.  You might be best off tutoring yourself for consistency - buying one level used, selling it to buy another and so on and so forth.  Consistency is pretty important with Barton.  The other perk?  No driving.  Frankly it just takes a lot of time to get kids ready, find shoes, buckle kids in, drive, get out, do tutoring, buckle kids in, drive home.  That one day time frame is your week of tutoring at home.

 

I cannot tutor my kids with Barton for much more than 15-20 minutes each day.  I fully understand it is supposed to be longer.  But here's the deal - if I wait until I have an uninterrupted 45 minute block then it just doesn't happen.  Settle for the 15-20, go at a slower pace, be consistent, and it WILL get done.  IMO, it actually is a more thorough, more solid foundation.  I have friends who have had to repeat levels.  They were very consistent and did long sessions, but less repetition and had to go back.  I like the slower, more repetitive approach.

 

10 minutes of handwriting therapy - twice a day.  And by therapy I mean cursive.  You can find a rather lot of data/studies on this if you search the internet.

 

If there are no problems with math, this can be a minimal issue for you.  In my opinion, math until age 10 is totally optional.  The Bluedorn site covers this.

 

I personally would do all of this during nap/quiet time.  This is where you need the most focus/quiet.  I'd do incredible amounts of reading both wide and deep in the AM to all kids while they play, build, draw.  Audiobooks as well. Once the child is into Level 5 of Barton, he/she needs hours of reading.  As a celebration of Level 5, go out and get a reading lamp.  Allow any kid who can read to stay up an extra 30-60 minutes later than the other children to read as a treat.  We use afternoons as read or sleep afternoons. That goes for everyone - all the way up to my teens.  If you don't read, you sleep.  It's surprisingly motivating. ;)

 

There is  a purpose behind this.  Dyslexics read slower.  We know that minutes read equals greater academic success.  It's a direct correlation.  I'm too lazy to find the study.  Your kiddo, after Level 4, needs to be reading, reading, reading.

 

I spread myself to thin when my kids were younger and it was an utter waste.  Now that I have two taking college classes, another entering high school (at home) next year, and a few in middle school, I have better hindsight about what was valuable and what wasn't.  We've tweaked accordingly.

 

Read, read, read...  This can be done with all three.

Audiobooks - this can be done with all three.

Discuss - all three present.

Boardgames - all three and during weekends to provide balance.

 

Don't double dip. You should be doing no Language Arts programs while doing Barton.  AAR/AAS is incredibly time consuming.  You are taking your resources (time, money, mama) and spreading them out.  You are better off to pool these and just focus and concentrate.  More is not better.  Putting all the eggs into Barton and getting that done, then moving on, gives you a solid foundation.  It is not worthwhile to focus on which kitchen sink, which counters, what flooring, when there is no house built. ;)

 

It is easy to feel like you are behind.  But remember, my son was 10 before he started to read anything more than three letter words.  And I'm tellin' you, once these kiddos can READ, they can FLY!  Foundation first. ;)

 

So let's say 20 minutes for Barton.

[mamamoose]

I apologize for leaving you hanging. I'm back. ;) Life does so interfere with my forum time. ;)

 

Rest assured this CAN be done and done successfully. My oldest is dyslexic - moderately so, professionally tested. He didn't start reading until 10. He's 17 now and really quite academically gifted. We just had to get over the hump.

 

What I've learned the most?

 

Foundation, foundation, foundation.

 

So, are you tutoring or paying for a tutor? That's an important thing. The other thing - are you ABLE to tutor? I am reading your posts and I assume your husband is the dyslexic in your family and not you. You might be best off tutoring yourself for consistency - buying one level used, selling it to buy another and so on and so forth. Consistency is pretty important with Barton. The other perk? No driving. Frankly it just takes a lot of time to get kids ready, find shoes, buckle kids in, drive, get out, do tutoring, buckle kids in, drive home. That one day time frame is your week of tutoring at home.

 

I cannot tutor my kids with Barton for much more than 15-20 minutes each day. I fully understand it is supposed to be longer. But here's the deal - if I wait until I have an uninterrupted 45 minute block then it just doesn't happen. Settle for the 15-20, go at a slower pace, be consistent, and it WILL get done. IMO, it actually is a more thorough, more solid foundation. I have friends who have had to repeat levels. They were very consistent and did long sessions, but less repetition and had to go back. I like the slower, more repetitive approach.

 

10 minutes of handwriting therapy - twice a day. And by therapy I mean cursive. You can find a rather lot of data/studies on this if you search the internet.

 

If there are no problems with math, this can be a minimal issue for you. In my opinion, math until age 10 is totally optional. The Bluedorn site covers this.

 

I personally would do all of this during nap/quiet time. This is where you need the most focus/quiet. I'd do incredible amounts of reading both wide and deep in the AM to all kids while they play, build, draw. Audiobooks as well. Once the child is into Level 5 of Barton, he/she needs hours of reading. As a celebration of Level 5, go out and get a reading lamp. Allow any kid who can read to stay up an extra 30-60 minutes later than the other children to read as a treat. We use afternoons as read or sleep afternoons. That goes for everyone - all the way up to my teens. If you don't read, you sleep. It's surprisingly motivating. ;)

 

There is a purpose behind this. Dyslexics read slower. We know that minutes read equals greater academic success. It's a direct correlation. I'm too lazy to find the study. Your kiddo, after Level 4, needs to be reading, reading, reading.

 

I spread myself to thin when my kids were younger and it was an utter waste. Now that I have two taking college classes, another entering high school (at home) next year, and a few in middle school, I have better hindsight about what was valuable and what wasn't. We've tweaked accordingly.

 

Read, read, read... This can be done with all three.

Audiobooks - this can be done with all three.

Discuss - all three present.

Boardgames - all three and during weekends to provide balance.

 

Don't double dip. You should be doing no Language Arts programs while doing Barton. AAR/AAS is incredibly time consuming. You are taking your resources (time, money, mama) and spreading them out. You are better off to pool these and just focus and concentrate. More is not better. Putting all the eggs into Barton and getting that done, then moving on, gives you a solid foundation. It is not worthwhile to focus on which kitchen sink, which counters, what flooring, when there is no house built. ;)

 

It is easy to feel like you are behind. But remember, my son was 10 before he started to read anything more than three letter words. And I'm tellin' you, once these kiddos can READ, they can FLY! Foundation first. ;)

 

So let's say 20 minutes for Barton.

My mom is tutoring, and only getting in about an hour a week. We supplement on the days she can't be there and she also travels some, so we do AAL when she can't be there. It actually follows along perfectly thus far, and ends up being review. I don't push it though, and it's our "backup". We don't do anything that hasn't already been covered in Barton.

 

Math is definitely his strong point and he learns what he hears extremely well...so high in fact that the psychologist said he should hear everything in order to learn it.

[mamamoose]

I appreciate all you have shared, and take it to heart!

[maize]

I get in some one on one time in the evenings; in our case we are driving to gymnastics and dance and there is usually at least one child waiting during someone else's lessons; my husband watches the littles at home so that is my best opportunity to work individually with the school age kids.

 

I like the idea of regular scheduled school time that ends at a certain point, but right now that is not what works for my family.

 

My kids do work fairly well with a short checklist of somewhat independent stuff that can be done in the mornings.

[FO4UR]

That's how I've been doing it but I feel like my 4th grader is rushing through stuff without really learning it and she's the one that loves school, so I don't want to crush her love for learning by not being available. What kind of school hours do you have? My Kindergartner is eager too.

 

 

We are using the Barton Reading and Spelling program and HWT cursive for the 2nd grader, and supplementing with AAR/AAS when he can't get tutoring. We do Right Start Math, and I read from 15-30 minutes with him. He also does MOH with us. A schedule is ineffective with him because just looking at "all he has to do"!intimidates him even though from start to finish he can be done in less than two hours.

 

The forth grader gets all the cores covered and history and science but it's not anything very fun because she does it in workbooks. I want time to do more hands on science and more reading aloud. I want more time to teach her so she can spend less time in workbooks.

 

The youngest is halfway through AAR Level 1, and doing RS math. She does as many worksheets as I hand her and loves them! But she doesn't want to play independently, she wants me to keep giving her worksheets and working with her, lol.

 

 

I think I've been trying to get too much done in the morning. I also do all the office work for our business, so I try to give myself time in the afternoon but maybe that's not realistic.

 

 

Outsource the business office work before outsourcing their educations.

 

Your dyslexic is going to need the lion's share of your time, and likely always will.  Be at peace with that.  It's OK.

 

Your 4th grader CAN do fun and engaging without you.  It's a bit :crying:  for you, but she will not be harmed by learning independence.

 

Check out Project Based Homeschooling.  Find materials like science kits that she can do alone.  Better yet, she can lead those things with her siblings.  I have an advanced kiddo, and I've handed her the teacher's guide ot the Science in a Nutshell kits when baby started crying.  By the time I got back to the room, she was in the middle of a great lesson and I sat back and nursed the baby and watched. Those moments are HSing WINS!!!  (not mother's failures!!!)

 

Assign your 4th grader to read aloud to your Ker for 30min each day, and align that time with your working with the dyslexic child.

 

Take YOUR family and create a schedule around them, and feel no guilt about it.

[mamamoose]

I can't really outsource anything because of where we live! Lol We are 70 miles from a grocery store, and the office work is really specialized. I just need to find a better time to do it, and maybe it's when dh is home in the evening instead of during a quiet time in the afternoon. I like the idea of the older doing science projects. That's a great idea!

[FO4UR]

I can't really outsource anything because of where we live! Lol We are 70 miles from a grocery store, and the office work is really specialized. I just need to find a better time to do it, and maybe it's when dh is home in the evening instead of during a quiet time in the afternoon. I like the idea of the older doing science projects. That's a great idea!

 

 

You could also squeeze in some extra school time when hubby is home if that works better.

 

It might help to make a short list of ideas of things he could do with 1-2 of the kids at a time and let him have some input.  He might enjoy doing science experiments with the kids or reading to them or building dioramas to go along with history lessons. Even finding and watching history/science documentaries and discussing them in the evenings would help.  If he's an artist or musician, I'd tap into that.  If he's a farmer (guessing b/c you are 70mi from a grocery store), take them out and teach them things on the farm leaving one at home to work on school.

[mamamoose]

He's a contractor, and he travels a lot for work. He gets home after bedtime 2-3 nights of the week, and we have a lot of office work doing bids and stuff. I'm not making excuses but truly I am the primary parent 95% of the time, and he is pretty strung out with our business. It's a tough situation, no doubt. We also have chickens and goats and a few cows, and the kids help out with that already. They know more about practical biology than a lot of 8th grade grads I'm guessing! I forget how far along that goes!

[LMD]

I have a 6th, 3rd, k and toddler.

 

The 6th grader loves to be independent and I write her a weekly list of work to get through. We have meeting times during the day for direct teaching and working together. Ideally they are scheduled at a certain consistent time, realistically we do it when we can.

 

My 3rd grader has a daily list. Some independent, some not. And I make up folders with the term's work ready so we stay on track.

 

I made folders for the ker too, but they're more for me!

 

We tend to work in blocks. I start off my oldest with some one on one then leave her to work, repeat with next oldest, spend time with ker. I try to keep everyone on the same subject, so for example we'll do a maths block and then Latin before a break then the next block, LA.

 

My toddler generally causes trouble. I have his toy rotation drawers, he dumps them all out. I bribe him with snacks. He plays outside a lot.

 

We also take every Friday for music lessons, sport/art/crafts, visiting friends.

 

I wish I was better at routines and chores. Life would run more smoothly...

[FO4UR]

He's a contractor, and he travels a lot for work. He gets home after bedtime 2-3 nights of the week, and we have a lot of office work doing bids and stuff. I'm not making excuses but truly I am the primary parent 95% of the time, and he is pretty strung out with our business. It's a tough situation, no doubt. We also have chickens and goats and a few cows, and the kids help out with that already. They know more about practical biology than a lot of 8th grade grads I'm guessing! I forget how far along that goes!

 

 

Yes, the practical biology goes a very long way!

 

Many of us homeschool in situations that are less than ideal.  You can make it work.  Take time to think through your priorities, your kids' needs, and put some blinders on to outside input that is not helpful.

 

Use what you have as far as resources, time, energy.