I want to drastically change the way we homeschool.. Help?

[MommaOfalotta]

Every year, about this time, I get the urge to totally ditch our way of homeschooling and do something else for the following year-something we will ENJOY. I usually spend a few months looking at new ideas/curriculum, and while I might end up trying one or two new things, for the most part I order the same stuff. And I don't know why because I do NOT enjoy it and dd could be having a much more fun, exciting, education.

 

We never finish our curriculum.. we don't even come CLOSE in some subjects. School feels like a chore and there is no actual interest in anything we are learning about. It's just check it off and move along. We do enjoy special projects that sometimes go with History or Science but the actual lessons or reading from the books just bore us for the most part. We use SOTW and the reading seems to be hard for dd to follow (often unable to answer most of the questions at the end-which I have posted about before).

 

I usually try to just plow through, check it off, get it done.. but this leads to burnout fairly quickly. So I'm asking for help. At this point, I feel like a homeschooling failure. She's never had a problem passing our yearly assessments-but I am just done with schooling this way. I dread opening up our books but then I feel stress and anxiety over being so far behind my plan for the year. Also, this isn't something that only happens at the end of the year when everyone is tired-I mean I'm energized at the start of the year but these negative feelings kick in not even a month into our year.

 

I feel like I stick with the curriculum we're using because I'm scared to try anything new-but at this point I realize it is NOT working. I have no idea where to start with these big changes but I do know:

 

-I like Horizons Math and plan on continuing with that.

 

-I plan on using SOTW as an outline of our year, but not following it by the book every week. I want to pick and choose what we learn about and make more time for unit studies, projects, crafts, field trips, etc. I would like to find some good unit studies but I want to keep with TWTM chronological study/rotation of history.

 

Other than that I am open to any and all suggestions. We haven't included music or art in our lessons in forever because it became just another subject to GET THROUGH in our day. Same with the Latin I ordered this year. :(

 

Dd is 9YO and still talks about the Pirates unit study I created for her in Kindergarten. She loved it. I'm really feeling like Unit Studies may be our thing. A project type learning. She is very hands on and loves all the fun extras that I never made time for before because I was too overwhelmed/struggling with burn out. I just fear I will end up ordering the same old same promising myself I will "do better and try harder" and then end up in the same boat like years previous. I want to see my little girl love learning! There are so many wonderful opportunities that come with homeschooling and I feel like I'm not taking advantage of them. I want to break this cycle of constant burnout and being a slave to curriculum before Ds starts school or its too late to give Dd the kind of education she deserves.

 

I've been feeling very scatterbrained, so hopefully this makes sense... I need help :(

 

So.. do you have any tips, ideas, advice, btdt?

 

 

 

 

 

[HomeAgain]

Depending on what year of SOTW you're doing, you can try this: http://www.learning-adventures.org/ 

 

We did a year with it for American history (book 3.  book 1 is Ancients, 2 is explorers).  The units were well structured, the language arts was integrated, and the literature books they picked were well loved.  There were projects each day, and we did order the separate student package so I didn't have to make copies/write it on the board.  That said, we did not love the history or science "lectures" written in the book, choosing to do more individual study on the same topic.

 

 

If you are not sure of what you want, I suggest a Moving Beyond The Page unit study ordered a la carte. Do it, see how the pieces come together, and whether you really enjoy them or not.

[Jean in Newcastle]

We did the four year cycle of history but did not use SOTW.  I just used some of the books/topics suggested in the actual TWTM book for our grade level (or more accurately my eldest's grade level.)  We did them as read alouds and did some projects at times.  Or I found neat books at the library on the same topics and we just read those.  Dd, who is highly visual, prefers YouTubes on history.  I found lots if I just searched for ___________ for kids on YouTube.

 

Science is fun if you do a lot of experiments mixed with some books from the library.  And actually, most of the experiment books came from the library.  There are a lot of YouTubes showing kids' experiments or discussing different science topics on YouTube as well.

 

For art and music, I found that just sitting down and doing art and music alongside the kids was fun.  We had no set program (though I did teach them to play the recorder from a book). 

 

 

[MommaOfalotta]

Thank you for the tips.

 

Jean, that sounds a lot like what I am visualizing. We school year round and I have thought of just ditching what we don't like and using the last few months of 3rd grade to try out learning on our own. Library books, videos, projects, etc. Ditching our current plan and seeing how it goes before I commit to it next year.

 

ETA: I have always loved the idea of mapping out our year (pretty general, just topics to cover per subject) and then using library books, youtube/videos, projects, experiments on our own to learn about them without really needing to purchase curriculum. But I have never had the confidence to do that on my own and always wanted some hand holding via curriculum. Now I'm just started to wonder if our curriculum has been hindering instead of helping, kwim?

Edited April 1, 2016 by Mrs. Hound

[Ravin]

Before I got to the last paragraph of your post, I was already thinking "sounds like spring would be a good time for a unit study!"

 

My 2cents is that you should drop everything that is boring you both to tears and do a unit study for the rest of the school year. There is no law that says you have to finish your curricula--most schools never get to the end of the textbooks, either.

[HomeAgain]

Mrs. Hound, what about task cards? http://creekedgepress.com/ It's just enough handholding to give you an outline, but you pick resources to use and can swap out projects if you want.

[FO4UR]

A hand-holding resource for a free-style curriculum.  I'm seriously considering these.  http://www.creekedgepress.com/

 

 

Some subjects just need to get done, but history and science can have much more fluidity.  And, it is OK to miss some topics in elementary school in favor of allowing a child to delve deeper into something they find interesting.  I think those task cards might be a good "starter" for that sort of independent, free-style education.

 

 

[Plink]

 I officially give you permission to follow your instinct.  Childhood is too short to reduce it to slogging through subjects.  

 

 

[Jean in Newcastle]

Wow, I like those task cards A LOT!  Thank you! 

[FO4UR]

Wow, I like those task cards A LOT!  Thank you! 

 

I would like to see our library invest in a set.  That would benefit so many local homeschoolers.

[eternallytired]

Not sure if this will help you any, but I was feeling overwhelmed with trying to plan out and cover so many subjects and we were burnt out on pretty much everything, so I switched to 6-week block scheduling with four subjects at a time.  The week before our next block, I make a list of topics (general things like "logic puzzles" and "writing skills" and more specific things like particular topics in science or history) and have my kids pick two things that look interesting to them.  (If they've mentioned something they're interested in, I make sure to include that on the list.)  For anything we're not covering, I do a review rotation (one day it'll be a math game, the next day we'll analyze a sentence, then we'll review Latin stems, etc.), and I pick one topic I think we ought to work on.  Knowing that we're only doing these things for six weeks keeps them fresh, the kids are more engaged because they once again have a significant say in what we're learning, and with less to plan I am more able to throw myself into it and do those fun things I ran out of energy for when we were trying to do it all.  While we don't cover every subject in every block, since we school year-round I am confident we'll cover each subject adequately.

[MommaOfalotta]

Love the task cards! Oh my goodness, thank you!

 

Plink, thank you. My thoughts exactly. :/

 

Funny, I have always called myself a curriculum junkie and today I am imagining a school year with little to no formal curriculum. I do feel like I am already breathing easier and feeling excitement in regards to our homeschooling for the first time in a long time. Hopefully trying it out in the spring and summer months will let us know if this is a step in the right direction. I do feel this style is more fitting to our personality types/learning styles. Thank you, ladies.

[cowboyjunki]

Check out http://www.layers-of-learning.com/.  If you sign up for their newsletter they will send you a code to download unit 1.1 free.  We started it this week and so far we are liking it, except that I don't have a globe and kind of need it for the curriculum!  Lots of hands on stuff to pick and choose from.

[8filltheheart]

I would have not been able to homeschool if I had to use mostly textbooks and pre-planned curriculum bc I would have gone crazy. I can't stand to follow anyone else's plan. Our home school's success lies squarely in the freedom to follow our interests and allow those interests to blossom into the desire to learn more.

[HomeAgain]

Mrs. Hound, we used the task cards in middle school.  One of the very great benefits to them (other than picking our own resources, so our cost that year was MUCH lower!) was that my kid could schedule tasks and help pick resources himself.  He gained a lot that year from using them, I think, in terms of executive function skills.

[Mrs. Tharp]

Just wanted to chime in to say that I could have written your post and am in the exact same spot. I ordered a few mbtp units to try and am going to take a hard look at the other suggestions posted here. Thanks everyone!!

[Ellie]

Unschooling worked for me. :D

 

One year, when the dc were 9 and 12, I started out in September with an Official School Year, something I had never done before. I don't know what possessed me. And we had a book for Every Single Subject. We had never done that before. And we did School every.single.day, even on park days, in the car on the way to field trips, everything. I don't know what I was thinking.

 

By Thanksgiving we were completely burned out. I put all the books away Thanksgiving weekend...and we didn't touch them again until the next fall. After a few weeks, the dc began looking at me out the corners of their eyes, and finally one of them asked me if we were going to do school, and I said not. She heaved a sigh of relief and went on her way.

 

I don't think it hurt them very much; older dd began taking a class at the community college the following January, and two classes that fall. Younger dd also started taking classes at the c.c. when she was 14. Both did c.c. instead of high school, graduating with honors.

[Tsuga]

 

 

Every year, about this time, I get the urge to totally ditch our way of homeschooling and do something else for the following year-something we will ENJOY.

 

This is me every spring. I have to remind myself that I need to focus on changing one thing at a time. Right now it's new home, new job, and considering finishing my degree... I have to stop!

 

So my advice is to really think through a positive vision and work towards achieving that one step at a time.

[KSinNS]

Honestly, I would keep the math, spelling if necessary (and simple) then ask your daughter what she wants to study, and take her to the library and get out lots of books (fiction and nonfiction, and not necessarily related.) Talk about what she is reading. And let her dream up a project if she feels inspired. Free write and do poetry tea now and then, with copybook for language arts. Let inspiration guide, and don't plan. But keep a simple record of what gets done, and you will be surprised at how much actually happens.

[Guest]

 

Funny, I have always called myself a curriculum junkie and today I am imagining a school year with little to no formal curriculum.

 

 

I think it must be the age, because I feel EXACTLY the same way! My ds is only 8, but I started the curriculum junkie stage early.

 

< cringe >

 

I could have written your post too.

 

Thank you for sharing.

Edited April 2, 2016 by Guest

[mumto2]

We used the library one year and studied whatever interested us. Self designed unit studies....It was a great year.

 

Those cards are wonderful. I would have loved those for a bit of structure.

[Chrysalis Academy]

Check out http://www.layers-of-learning.com/.  If you sign up for their newsletter they will send you a code to download unit 1.1 free.  We started it this week and so far we are liking it, except that I don't have a globe and kind of need it for the curriculum!  Lots of hands on stuff to pick and choose from.

 

Holy cow, I showed these to my dd who has been making noise about wanting to go back to public school, and she got super excited.  I ordered one I thought would appeal to her - Renaissance Art, the cheeses of Italy, baking . . . bribery might get me somewhere  ;)   Anyway, thanks for posting, I'd never seen these before and they look right up dd9's alley - full of the kinds of hands-on and crafty stuff that I never get around to doing.

[MommaOfalotta]

Thank you to everyone for the advice... and knowing that there are others feeling this way makes me feel SO much better. Such a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders. I can't tell you how many times this board has been there for me. Thanks everyone!

 

I feel so encouraged and I am definitely going forward with a totally new attitude/outlook. I had a talk with dd yesterday about the changes I want to make.. and the vision I have for her education and she seemed really excited. Funny, she always moans and groans when it's time for independent reading and yesterday after our talk, she checked about 9 books from the library and read half of the first one last night.

 

I've been praying for God to show me how to help our struggling homeschool.. and I feel like this is the answer. It just feels right. So thank you again!

[newhsmom]

Have you listened to any of Julie Bogart's talks on Periscope?  Her saved scopes are at katch.me/bravewriter.  I would start with The Enchanted Education that is at the bottom of the list.  It was one of her first scopes and it really helped me to change my thinking about how we are doing school.  All of her scopes are good and are encouraging, but also challenging.  The latest scope with Sarah Mackenzie was also excellent.  It might be worth a listen to see she can give you a glimpse of the homeschool that you dream of, but are not sure how to accomplish. 

[fairy4tmama]

I think you might find the Homeschooling Journals by Thinking Tree really useful. I would particularly recommend 

Homeschooling Creative Girls - Library Based Curriculum Journal: How to learn everything you need to know with library books, movies, nature, art ... tutorials.

[SeaConquest]

I would have not been able to homeschool if I had to use mostly textbooks and pre-planned curriculum bc I would have gone crazy. I can't stand to follow anyone else's plan. Our home school's success lies squarely in the freedom to follow our interests and allow those interests to blossom into the desire to learn more.

 

Dovetailing on this, I would recommend reading 8's ebook on how she plans their studies. It was very helpful for me.

 

http://www.treasuredconversations.com/homeschooling-at-the-helm/

[SanDiegoMom]

We do Tops Science Units, Bravewriter projects, Ellen McHenry Materials, or just project books when we get bored. And my kids universally rejected Sotw...so we use OUP books instead supplemented with crafts and documentaries. We use WWS1-2 days a week and creative writing and freewriting the other 2. We have to do a lot of different things throughout the year or else we will all get bored!

[Mom28kds]

What is the link to the task cards? It didn't work for me.

[MommaOfalotta]

We do Tops Science Units, Bravewriter projects, Ellen McHenry Materials, or just project books when we get bored. And my kids universally rejected Sotw...so we use OUP books instead supplemented with crafts and documentaries. We use WWS1-2 days a week and creative writing and freewriting the other 2. We have to do a lot of different things throughout the year or else we will all get bored!

 

Thank you for this. I'll be looking into these! I'm basically starting from scratch and looking around at what to purchase for next year.

[PeterPan]

I'm coming in late here, but I can tell you how I did things with my very much a DOER daughter.  For us, the Veritas Press cards were a good spine.  Someone else suggested some other task cards to you.  I haven't seen them, but same idea.  For *me* I needed some structure.  The VP cards worked for that.  I'd read the card with her, discuss, then hand her a pile of books.  I'd make sure there were activity books, fiction, non-fiction, just a good variety.  Yes, she would have liked unit studies too.  I just wasn't so good at pulling them off, kwim?  For me, it was easier to do those kinds of things for discrete periods of time.  Like we'd do a May Term and do a unit study just for May.  Then we'd go back to the structure that was easier for me to implement.

 

I think that you can give yourself permission to let the writing, let the reading, let the art, let the crafts, etc. all flow naturally from the history spine topics.  VP is good for that, but in reality that's what TOG does too.  It just gives you so much that some people get overwhelmed thinking they have to do all the things.  But if you approach it sort of sensibly, saying what components you want as options weekly (art project, cooking project, fiction reading, non-fiction narrations, whatever) it can all flow from whatever you use to organize.  And in reality a unit study on pirates is not so different from studying pirates for three weeks because that's the major topic in your cards, kwim?  If you list the components you want to have each week, then you can use ANYTHING to organize it.

 

Fwiw, my doer dd really enjoyed the VP self-paced history as well.  Since you don't seem to like the curriculum stuff you buy, maybe branch out and go a different direction, kwim?  The self-paced courses are good.  Audiobooks are good!  You could let her listen to audiobooks while she crafts.  You could read her the MP version of Guerber's american history text while she plays.  Rethink what this looks like, kwim?  I used to do a lot of reading aloud while my dd played, ran around, etc.  She's a mover and doer, and that just really worked for her.  And yes, she had extreme disdain for SOTW.

 

Just for your trivia, my dd visited the costume design program at a conservatory this week and fits in quite well.  She's going to take some time to think through whether she's going to apply there, because it's a pretty serious thing.  I think you need to FEED these passions, these niches and interests.  If she likes to DO, let her DO!!!  More doing, less worrying about whether you're doing it "right" kwim?  For me, the self-paced courses, the read-aloud spines, these were the glue to make sure I had sort of exposed her to the basics.  Beyond that, give her lots of opportunities to DO.  You really won't regret that.

 

Writing for doers?  At that age, my dd really liked Wordsmith Apprentice.  You might look at it.  We did writing prompts to good effect.  Focus on getting her typing.  The series How to Report on Books is charming.  Ooo, you're at the PERFECT age for the Mrs. Renz book projects!!!!  Google them.  She was Disney teacher of the year, and she's a 4th grade teacher.  Her book projects will blow your mind.  Love, love, great for doers.  

 

Edited April 3, 2016 by OhElizabeth

[MommaOfalotta]

Thank you, OhElizabeth! I'm adding those to my list and plan on looking into everything today. I'm excited! I agree so much a lot that you said.

 

I was going to post another thread asking for more resources, fun games, supplements, etc.. but I didn't know what to call this new type of style I want to try. Is it "relaxed homeschooling?" Anywho... If anyone has any more suggestions I'm making a list of things to look into today and I would appreciate anything you've got! Unit studies, math games, writing prompts.. ANYTHING!

[PeterPan]

Well for me it helps to make a list of the categories I'm looking for.  My dd likes to sew, cook, craft, read fiction, write creatively, etc. etc.  Make those categories for what you're looking for.  Then you go through resource lists and fill them in.  If you know you're wanting to cook Civil War, then you go to amazon and you punch in cook Civil War.  Or you hit your library, since everything will be organized on a shelf, all together.  Or you look at TOG or the VP catalog or Homeschool in the Woods (which has unit studies!) for ideas.  

 

For us, it didn't work very well to do whatever other people said, because maybe their ideas were totally different, kwim?  Like the Time Travelers units.  People love 'em, but honestly they're a ton of papercrafting.  If your kid doesn't love papercrafting, they might not fit.  So for me it worked better to find some books.  If I found one, then I could use the rest of the series to get us through, kwim?  Or find one really STELLAR resource book.  TOG tends to have those.  I got some, way back when, where it would be like 1 book, 150 projects, all top notch.  Or the Heinrich books at Enrichments4U.  Or...  

 

I think once you find some resource books that have the types of "doing" activities your dd enjoys, you'll feel much more comfortable.  Then you just pair that, planning say one activity every other week, while you read through a spine.  Hand her piles of books to go along with that.  It all comes together.  

 

She's still at an age where she might enjoy the American Girl activity books.  Those are american history, obviously.  For world my dd enjoyed books like Spend the Day...  

[PeterPan]

You asked about games.  We've had plenty of threads asking about games, so do a site search.  You put in the terms into your google bar and add "site:welltrainedmind.com"  Then it will search just WTM.  Personally, I recommend logic puzzles, Ticket to Ride, anything from Timberdoodle.

 

Writing prompts.  Zaccaro (Hickory Grove Press) has terrific taste, so check his lists.  She's at a good age for a book like Listography.

[birchbark]

I was going to post another thread asking for more resources, fun games, supplements, etc.. but I didn't know what to call this new type of style I want to try. Is it "relaxed homeschooling?" Anywho... If anyone has any more suggestions I'm making a list of things to look into today and I would appreciate anything you've got! Unit studies, math games, writing prompts.. ANYTHING!

 

Grammar: The Sentence Family

 

Science: Be Naturally Curious Mini-Courses

 

Math: Your Business Math from SCM

[8filltheheart]

 I didn't know what to call this new type of style I want to try. Is it "relaxed homeschooling?" 

 

I have no idea what your definition of "relaxed" is.  In our homeschool, it is more interest-led.  Are you interested in reading threads where people discuss relaxed vs. rigorous?  Or how they approach school from a less traditional approach?  If so, some of these threads may interest you.  

 

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/410086-project-based-homeschooling-directing-self-learners/

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/511101-question-for-those-that-like-circe-etc/

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/560963-anyone-not-a-relaxed-homeschooler/page-1

 

If you search the forums via google (site:forums.welltrainedmind.com followed by whatever terms you want to search) you can find lots of threads on out of the box, interest led, project based, etc.  That might help you figure out what goal it is that you want to accomplish.

[JaneEyre]

I would suggest that you divide the subjects into two groups: the ones you have a passion for teaching and the ones that give you a feeling of dread in the pit of your stomach when you think of teaching them every day for years. The ones you don't like teaching, you should find the best way to make those take the least amount of time for you as possible. The ones you like to teach, let yourself feel free to really enjoy them with your kids!

 

We have started doing unit studies lately and I love it! I hope you find something that works for you. We are loving Konos (without lesson plans) and Guesthollow right now; you might want to look at those.

 

Also we do lessons only 3 days a week all year long. The days that we do lessons we don't do other classes, so we can be relaxed and not feel like we have to be rushed.

 

Good luck :)

[MommaOfalotta]

Thank you for all the responses. I did the site search right after I posted and learned a lot! Lots of reading. Haha I'll admit to being doubtful for a minute or so yesterday when I read all of this years planning threads :( It seemed like everyone was planning so much curricula and I just wondered how that works for just about everyone else but not me. In reality I know there are lots of other homeschoolers that take a less is more approach, but when it comes to the boards & the yearly planning threads I don't see them and I start to doubt myself. Maybe I'm just lazy or bored too quickly. Maybe I need to give our stuff another shot.

 

But I just have to remind myself why we're doing this. I do feel like it's the right thing for us, at least right now. It's just new and a very big change.

 

Sorry-Just some ramblings pre-coffee.

 

  

 

[8filltheheart]

Thank you for all the responses. I did the site search right after I posted and learned a lot! Lots of reading. Haha I'll admit to being doubtful for a minute or so yesterday when I read all of this years planning threads :( It seemed like everyone was planning so much curricula and I just wondered how that works for just about everyone else but not me. In reality I know there are lots of other homeschoolers that take a less is more approach, but when it comes to the boards & the yearly planning threads I don't see them and I start to doubt myself. Maybe I'm just lazy or bored too quickly. Maybe I need to give our stuff another shot.

 

But I just have to remind myself why we're doing this. I do feel like it's the right thing for us, at least right now. It's just new and a very big change.

 

Sorry-Just some ramblings pre-coffee.

In our household it has nothing to do with laziness. It has to do with a different philosophy toward what develops critical thinkers and life long learners.

 

My little children do zero formal academics. I have never taught pre-school to my kids. In today's society that is almost considered neglect. My primary age kids still play almost all day. Formal academics is limited to around 1 hr per grade level. I view play as formative. It is where they explore, imagine, create and those are much higher critical thinking skills than seat work.

 

But it isn't laziness. It isn't unintentional. It is absolutely determined. It means they aren't playing video games or watching tv. It means they have to be engaged in creative play.

 

Fwiw, I see the long lists of planned curriculum for little kids and my internal response is I am so glad I control my kids' education. Definitely no guilt! But the proof is also there for me now and I have 100% confidence bc my older kids are academically and professionally successful.

[PeterPan]

Thank you for all the responses. I did the site search right after I posted and learned a lot! Lots of reading. Haha I'll admit to being doubtful for a minute or so yesterday when I read all of this years planning threads :( It seemed like everyone was planning so much curricula and I just wondered how that works for just about everyone else but not me. In reality I know there are lots of other homeschoolers that take a less is more approach, but when it comes to the boards & the yearly planning threads I don't see them and I start to doubt myself. Maybe I'm just lazy or bored too quickly. Maybe I need to give our stuff another shot.

 

But I just have to remind myself why we're doing this. I do feel like it's the right thing for us, at least right now. It's just new and a very big change.

 

Sorry-Just some ramblings pre-coffee.

Well not to point out the obvious, but people don't do everything at once.  ;)  You actually need to sit down and make a list, a plan of what you're trying to do, either for each day or over the course of a week.  You actually have to be realistic, kwim?  The most common mistake in homeschooling is having too many tasks that do the same thing or address the same issue.  So people will end up with three reading programs, three math programs, etc.  You have to say no.  Or you have to say ok these two programs are really important together, but reality is we only work on math 25 min a day (or whatever you work), meaning we work one program four days a week and the other one day a week.

 

Until you actually list everything out in a chart, assign times to each thing, and do a reality check, you really could be trying to do more than is humanly possible.  

 

And nothing says you have to like everything.  Maybe you were pursuing latin because it's the fad and not something you felt strongly about.  If it was something you felt STRONGLY about, you probably would have stuck with it.  So don't follow fads.  Sit down with a sheet of paper, pray, talk with the other parent, whatever, and write down a list of goals.  You need to know what you're trying to accomplish for the year and why you're doing it.  

 

So, for instance, maybe you say one of your big goals for the year is to get the dc more comfortable getting thoughts on paper.  Then you think ok, how am I furthering that goal in my history, in my language arts, in my play and break times, etc.  Then you know WHY you're doing something and can be flexible, bringing in things, removing things, knowing that it's not merely that you're doing the subject but that you're trying to accomplish the goal.

 

When my dd was that age, I also had some quantity targets.  So I'd say ok, for this age, I think one page written a day is a good goal.  So then I'd look at the entirety of what we were doing for the day and balance it out.  And you can say that's silly (it is, lol), but it's how I kept quantities in check and realistic.  Others can do more, fine.  

 

You CANNOT homeschool by conglomeration.  If you take the best of everything on the board, you're going to end up with something unrealistic that does not fit your student!  When I list those Mrs. Renz book projects (which are AWESOME), I'm saying we did them INSTEAD of other writing.  It's not like we said oh do 3 narrations today AND dictation AND a book project.  I'm saying I let creative projects SUBSTITUTE for the more mundane projects.  My quantities of work stayed the same, stayed realistic, but we just used more creative ways to get there.  

 

And this is NORMAL.  The schools right now are doing tons of creative projects, tech projects.  That's nice if someone else's kid is happy sitting with notebook paper writing narrations.  For some kids that's totally sucking the joy of life.  It's OK to spice things up with these creative kids!  But what you're doing is replacing, not adding.  No one is saying have long days and ruin their lives.  Ok, there are some places that say you should.  I'm just saying *I'm* not saying that.  

 

If you really feel unconfident doing things eclectically, find some structure to work under.  For instance Oak Meadow is on the creative/fun side of things.  For me it was the VP cards.  

 

Doing a good job at homeschooling is not about researching on the boards and finding what everyone else did and compiling it into this perfect list.  You have to make a list of YOUR goals, what fits YOUR dc, and narrow it down to the specific things you want to focus on for the year.  And then, when you hit those goals, you can say wow that really worked.  You actually WANT your student to be unique like this.  It's what makes them interesting to colleges, not just a dot in the rest of the crowd.  

[Gentlemommy]

8-thanks for that last post, it really resonated with me and I needed to hear it today.

[Chrysalis Academy]

Well not to point out the obvious, but people don't do everything at once.   ;)  You actually need to sit down and make a list, a plan of what you're trying to do, either for each day or over the course of a week.  You actually have to be realistic, kwim?  The most common mistake in homeschooling is having too many tasks that do the same thing or address the same issue.  So people will end up with three reading programs, three math programs, etc.  You have to say no.  Or you have to say ok these two programs are really important together, but reality is we only work on math 25 min a day (or whatever you work), meaning we work one program four days a week and the other one day a week.

 

Until you actually list everything out in a chart, assign times to each thing, and do a reality check, you really could be trying to do more than is humanly possible.  

 

And nothing says you have to like everything.  Maybe you were pursuing latin because it's the fad and not something you felt strongly about.  If it was something you felt STRONGLY about, you probably would have stuck with it.  So don't follow fads.  Sit down with a sheet of paper, pray, talk with the other parent, whatever, and write down a list of goals.  You need to know what you're trying to accomplish for the year and why you're doing it.  

 

So, for instance, maybe you say one of your big goals for the year is to get the dc more comfortable getting thoughts on paper.  Then you think ok, how am I furthering that goal in my history, in my language arts, in my play and break times, etc.  Then you know WHY you're doing something and can be flexible, bringing in things, removing things, knowing that it's not merely that you're doing the subject but that you're trying to accomplish the goal.

 

When my dd was that age, I also had some quantity targets.  So I'd say ok, for this age, I think one page written a day is a good goal.  So then I'd look at the entirety of what we were doing for the day and balance it out.  And you can say that's silly (it is, lol), but it's how I kept quantities in check and realistic.  Others can do more, fine.  

 

You CANNOT homeschool by conglomeration.  If you take the best of everything on the board, you're going to end up with something unrealistic that does not fit your student!  When I list those Mrs. Renz book projects (which are AWESOME), I'm saying we did them INSTEAD of other writing.  It's not like we said oh do 3 narrations today AND dictation AND a book project.  I'm saying I let creative projects SUBSTITUTE for the more mundane projects.  My quantities of work stayed the same, stayed realistic, but we just used more creative ways to get there.  

 

And this is NORMAL.  The schools right now are doing tons of creative projects, tech projects.  That's nice if someone else's kid is happy sitting with notebook paper writing narrations.  For some kids that's totally sucking the joy of life.  It's OK to spice things up with these creative kids!  But what you're doing is replacing, not adding.  No one is saying have long days and ruin their lives.  Ok, there are some places that say you should.  I'm just saying *I'm* not saying that.  

 

If you really feel unconfident doing things eclectically, find some structure to work under.  For instance Oak Meadow is on the creative/fun side of things.  For me it was the VP cards.  

 

Doing a good job at homeschooling is not about researching on the boards and finding what everyone else did and compiling it into this perfect list.  You have to make a list of YOUR goals, what fits YOUR dc, and narrow it down to the specific things you want to focus on for the year.  And then, when you hit those goals, you can say wow that really worked.  You actually WANT your student to be unique like this.  It's what makes them interesting to colleges, not just a dot in the rest of the crowd.  

 

Fantastic post, OhE! And thanks for introducing me to Mrs. Renz - I just got the Poetry unit and we'll start it today! The Book project looks awesome too.  This is exactly the kind of thing my crafty, do-er kid will love, and the kind of thing I am not so good at putting together. I really appreciate it! This thread has had several suggestions that have helped me inject a little new life into my 4th grader's world.  I think maybe we were just in a rut.

[Gentlemommy]

And back again to thank OhE this time for a fantastic post! Wow, you ladies are amazing.

[Chrysalis Academy]

We had a great poetry lesson this morning, thanks to OhE and Mrs. R!  :thumbup:

[MommaOfalotta]

Goodness. Thank you. Seriously the advice and wisdom on this thread is helping me so much. I think recently I've just felt like I need to follow my intuition more than anything else. These responses have really reinforced that. Instead of trying to force myself and dd to fit a curriculum I finally am just throwing it all out and creating something that fits US. Which is the best thing about homeschooling and I have known that all along I've just lacked the confidence to DO it. I see 10 sides to everything and second guess myself too often. The plan is to try new things.. tweak as needed and assess as we go. Follow interests, get her engaged and excited and just ENJOY learning together.

 

When I think of making these changes, throwing off this pressure and forgetting the "by the book" approach... all I feel is FREEDOM.

 

[HeWillSoar]

Have you listened to any of Julie Bogart's talks on Periscope?  Her saved scopes are at katch.me/bravewriter.  I would start with The Enchanted Education that is at the bottom of the list.  It was one of her first scopes and it really helped me to change my thinking about how we are doing school.  All of her scopes are good and are encouraging, but also challenging.  The latest scope with Sarah Mackenzie was also excellent.  It might be worth a listen to see she can give you a glimpse of the homeschool that you dream of, but are not sure how to accomplish. 

 

I second this!  I loved the 55 Things I Didn't Do periscope followed by the  61 Things I Did Right.  It just helped me to see another side of homeschooling where you can be relaxed, have fun and the kids can still turn out ok.  Her kids did go to public high school except for one, I think, and I'm starting late in the game (and trying to get kids caught up) but it makes me wish I could go back and homeschool from the beginning and do it like she did. With a little classical mixed in too. 

[MommaOfalotta]

Big changes today. The first day of trying things completely different. Thanks again ladies!

[Chrysalis Academy]

Good luck! We're carrying on with the poetry unit, starting a new Botany unit with lots of projects & experiments, and waiting eagerly for the LoL Renaissance unit to get here.  But, yes, dd, you still have to do math and spelling every day!  :001_rolleyes:

 

 

[Chrysalis Academy]

Well.  The LOL Renaissance unit arrived yesterday.  That's not going to work for us at all.  Super biased, and not remotely secular-friendly.  How disappointing.

 

How's it going for you, Mrs. Hound?

 

Edited April 13, 2016 by Chrysalis Academy

[vaquitita]

I'm coming to this late, but if you want to continue using SOTW you might consider using these free planner pages: http://barefootmeandering.com/site/planning-pages/

There's one for each SOTW book, in two formats. While they do schedule the book over 36 weeks, I don't stick to the time frame. I just complete each 'unit' before moving on to the next. There's a nice amount of space to jot down the other books, videos or projects that I want to do with each chapter. Sometimes we might move fast, if the subject doesn't interest us, other times we linger on a chapter/subject for awhile with lots of extras.

[HomeschoolingHearts&Minds]

Well.  The LOL Renaissance unit arrived yesterday.  That's not going to work for us at all.  Super biased, and not remotely secular-friendly.  How disappointing.

 

How's it going for you, Mrs. Hound?

 

Can you share some examples?  I keep trying to find some real reviews of this product, but without luck.  :D