Total change of plans for next year… how does this sound?

[amyc78]

New baby plus co-op opportunities have changed our plan for the next year with my 2nd and 4th graders...

 

DD7, Grade 2:

Cottage School Co-op- 2 days a week, covers Math, Phonics, Spelling, Writing, Art, Music and Chapel

Classical Conversations Foundations- 1 day a week

Home- 2 days a week- Cottage School assignments, Memory Work practice, SOTW and Family Readalouds

 

DS9, Grade 4:

Cottage School Co-op- 1 day a week- Integrated Science, Art, Math and Special Projects

CC Foundations and Essentials- 1 day a week

Home- 3 days a week- Essentials work, MUS Delta, Memory Work practice, SOTW and Family Readalouds

 

Does this sound like all the bases are covered? Any gaps or suggestions?

[kentuckymom]

I'll be a first time homeschooler next year, so I'm not exactly well qualified to advise you, but I don't see anything glaringly missing.

Edited April 2, 2016 by kentuckymom

[Lori D.]

Well, 3 days a week out of the house with 2 early elementary children plus infant in-tow would have done ME in, but, this is about works for YOUR family. ;)

 

I would first ask -- how frequently each week were you guys out of the house this past year? And how did that work for you guys? And how will you handle this if the baby turns into a fussy one who won't sleep anywhere but at home or who needs large amounts of regular at-home time to make homeschooling and regular life workable for the rest of you? In other words, what is your back-up plan?

 

Also important to know in advance: How flexible are the co-ops? How much work will they require of you on co-op days? Any at-home work?

 

I understand that Classical Conversations is a fairly non-flexible option -- pay up front for the entire year, no refunds, parent required to stay in the class, weekly at-home work in order to be prepared for the class. What about the Cottage School Co-op -- is it a drop-off? Or are you required to participate as a teacher or helper or other time requirement? Will that be exhausting for you? And how does the baby fit in with driving/being at co-op? Can you withdraw part way through if circumstances require that? And is anything refunded?

 

What are your goals in choosing 2 co-ops for 3 days/week out of the home? It sounds a bit like you are hoping to give yourself and new baby a bit of a break by outsourcing through co-ops, but I think that might actually make things far more difficult for you, juggling your life, a new baby/routine, AND trying to meet TWO different co-op sets of expectations.

 

If outsourcing or making it easier on you is the goal, might a regular public/private/charter school setting work better for your older two students for this year? That would give all of you 5 days/week consistency in schedule, expectations and materials used, social time for your children, and a break for you.

 

My personal thought would be that 2nd and 4th grades are finally getting a little more independent (reading and worksheet wise for core subjects, as I see CLE in your signature and MUS in your next year plan), while not requiring large amounts of time each day the way middle school/high school does -- I'd be tempted to go the opposite direction and reduce outside activities to just 1 day a week, and have that day be full of fun things/social things -- field trips, park days and hands-on (art, science, history) with a few other homeschool friends/families. And do school the other 4 days a week, while focusing on getting your new family schedule/dynamics figured out and really drawing close as a family with the new baby.

 

Knock out "academics" in about 3 hours in the morning, plus an hour after lunch for read alouds and fun activities, games, supplements, etc. You can loop schedule, so you just pick up the next day where you left off if it all doesn't get done in 3 hours, which leaves flexibility for unexpected baby melt-downs or struggles with a math lesson, or whatever. And NOT being on one (much less TWO) other people's schedules -- the co-ops -- allows you to take days off as needed in case of illness or just getting everyone settled, or if someone is having a bad day. You can always go a little longer into the summer next year to make up any days you take off during the year. If you're tied to co-ops, you can't do that and have to push through to meet the co-op expectations/schedules, dragging wailing children and baby behind you. (lol)

 

However, if you ALL are extroverts and are high energy people, and are really craving that time out of the house, then 2 co-ops could be great, and your 2 days at home you just focus on doing the homework for co-op. This will be absolutely miserable if any of you are introverts -- even just ONE child, or just you…

 

JMO: key to making this work if outsourcing is the goal, would be that BOTH the co-ops have teachers who will very solidly TEACH your core academics (and not just end up being enrichment or supplement). From what I've read, CC doesn't run that way -- it's more on you at home to get the work done and your CC day a week is for accountability and demonstrations.

 

Whatever you decide, one thing to bear in mind is that at these elementary grades, as long as you are moving forward in your core areas (Math, Reading, Handwriting, Writing/Spelling, and maybe a bit of Grammar -- anything else is frosting on the cake -- Science, History, Geography, Vocabulary, Art, Music, Logic, Latin/Foreign Language, etc.). So that gives you permission to relax a bit and gives you all grace and flexibility for how the new family member will fit in. :)

 

Just my rambling 2 cents worth! Congrats on the new little one, and BEST of luck in finding the best educational path and transition with the baby for this next year! :) Warmest regards, Lori D.

Edited April 3, 2016 by Lori D.

[...................]

Hi,

 

I was going to say something like Lori D but she has already said it better than I would have. I would personally just do the co-op and not CC but that's me.

 

:)

[TX Pilgrim]

Hi,

I did two coops this year (CC and Artios) with a 9 mo in tow in Sept. Fortunately my baby is super adaptable or we would have been sunk. As it is, I feel like we didn't have any time to delve into CC because the other coop required assignments that had to be completed where memorizing foundations work was not as pressing. However, Essentials is not as forgiving and having two different groups potentially giving you assignments to complete might be a bit much. Driving around during nap times can also become an issue - even if you do get to drop them off. For two of my kiddos grandmas volunteered to help pay for preschool so I could have a break - didn't feel like much of a break and they didn't bring home homework and expectations. This is just my experience with adding outside groups. I still will probably do 2 groups next year (I'm a huge extrovert) but I know that one is small, informal and won't send homework home and is better for the younger kids and the other is meant more for my older son to provide him with some outside accountability.

 

Just make sure you are clear about the type of assignments he will be expected to complete because he will need time to do them. Unless you can make those days at home super efficient you might end up with homework on the weekend so that you are ready. If your kid is a super motivated go getter that may not be as much of an issue but most people struggle and need lots of help the first year of essentials.

 

Another issue is help. If you have a grandma or family around who can help transport and support that could make a difference too. I wouldn't worry about not covering the bases, I would be concerned with running yourself into the ground on someone else's schedule.

 

Congrats on the new little one and I hope you find a balance that works for your family.

[amyc78]

Good questions and concerns to bring up and certainly gives me something to think about. I *think* the schedule would be doable for the following reasons-

 

The youngest will only do CC Foundations and other than preparing an extremely simple presentation, there is no homework for that (we just listen to the memory work CDs in the car). CC will actually be the "easiest" co-op in that sense. Essentials, as I understand it, is quite the workload, HOWEVER, we have been advised to go into this first year with plans to mostly audit/observe the EEL part and do the best we can with the IEW. So that's my plan.

 

My biggest concern for CC is that doing both F & E puts us there from 9-3… looooong day with a baby. Some weeks we may skip Foundations, some weeks we may skip Essentials. CC also happens to be my social outlet for the week and since I tend to hibernate with a new baby, I think this will be a nice outing for me.

 

The other co-ops are drop off co-ops and honestly, if they are not working, we will drop out. This schedule does give me one day a week- Thursdays- to run errands and catch up on housework- I have a sitter that day for the baby. So our schedule would look like this-

 

Mondays- everybody home- 4th grader: Math, Essentials work, any projects/assignments for co-op

Tuesdays- CC Day

Wednesdays- 2nd grader at co-op; 4th grader at home: Math, Essentials work, any projects/assignments for co-op

Thursdays- BOTH kids at co-op and baby with sitter- errands, housework, barn chores

Friday- everybody home- catch up on work from week, nature walks, field trips, play time together

 

I think the hardest thing about this will be letting go of my own control over curriculum choices, but again, if it's not working, we will adjust.

[Lori D.]

Good questions and concerns to bring up and certainly gives me something to think about. I *think* the schedule would be doable for the following reasons-

 

The youngest will only do CC Foundations and other than preparing an extremely simple presentation, there is no homework for that (we just listen to the memory work CDs in the car). CC will actually be the "easiest" co-op in that sense. Essentials, as I understand it, is quite the workload, HOWEVER, we have been advised to go into this first year with plans to mostly audit/observe the EEL part and do the best we can with the IEW. So that's my plan.

 

My biggest concern for CC is that doing both F & E puts us there from 9-3… looooong day with a baby. Some weeks we may skip Foundations, some weeks we may skip Essentials. CC also happens to be my social outlet for the week and since I tend to hibernate with a new baby, I think this will be a nice outing for me.

 

The other co-ops are drop off co-ops and honestly, if they are not working, we will drop out. This schedule does give me one day a week- Thursdays- to run errands and catch up on housework- I have a sitter that day for the baby. So our schedule would look like this-

 

Mondays- everybody home- 4th grader: Math, Essentials work, any projects/assignments for co-op

Tuesdays- CC Day

Wednesdays- 2nd grader at co-op; 4th grader at home: Math, Essentials work, any projects/assignments for co-op

Thursdays- BOTH kids at co-op and baby with sitter- errands, housework, barn chores

Friday- everybody home- catch up on work from week, nature walks, field trips, play time together

 

I think the hardest thing about this will be letting go of my own control over curriculum choices, but again, if it's not working, we will adjust.

 

Again, just my personal reaction, but esp. when you add that you have barn chores (additional work in your daily life schedule), and that you are looking for social outlet for you, this schedule would not help me, personally, to accomplish those goals. BUT... you've done CC this year, you know how much your DC can do solo and how much you need to be there to motivate them, and you know how much time/effort the house and barn and family take. Most of all, you know yourself the best :), and you wouldn't have planned this out without thinking it all through and how it works for you and your family. :)

 

Wishing you all the best in the new schedule and with the new family member! Warmest regards, Lori D.

[mamiof5]

I think you have your bases covered (as far as subjects). Congratulations on the new baby!! I wish you the best with the new plan. Definitely not for me, but I really hope it works great for you!!

[mmasc]

It definitely looks like you have everything covered! I'm sure you've thought long and hard about your above choices, but I just wanted to point out that you could easily get your CC social outlet 'fix' with foundations and maybe skip Essentials this year. In my experience, the way you are thinking of utilizing it will not be worth your time or money, especially with the long day concerns there already. Maybe as a good prep/alternative, you could work through the IEW book at home and just solidify the English memory work? It would be great prep for Essentials the next year and would be very easy to implement at home.

It's true that you can't learn *everything* that first year of Essentials, but in our experience there was still a great deal of work each week. Work that we could NOT have gotten done if we were outside the house 2 days a week. YMMV, though. Also, skipping an occasional class was hard too. And I'm saying this as someone who did not expect or require everything to be learned or memorized.

Good luck!

[NatashaBrady]

I did something very similar this semester after having a baby and quite honestly, I don't know what I was thinking. We are out of the house way too much and next year we are cutting back. It's affecting my attitude, the kids attitude, everyone is tired and grumpy, and the baby spends too much time in the car.

[Sahamamama]

It would be too much out-of-home for us, but ymmv.

[Hobbes]

The thought of that much running around gives me hives (and with a new baby, it would give me anaphylaxis). However, I have a sister in-law who would (and does) thrive on that level of activity. So if you've carefully considered how that schedule will impact your family and it looks positive, I'd say you are definitely covered from an academic standpoint.

[amyc78]

Ack, y'all are making me nervous!! But I appreciate the honest feedback… I'm still trying to mull over what will work best. The good news is the Cottage School co-ops are month to month, so if we decide by October this isn't working, we can drop out without losing any money.

 

I am seriously reconsidering Essentials. That is such a long day… But if we wait until 5th grade to start, we will only get 2 years before Challenge… And I'm not sure that long of a day will get any easier with a 1-yr-old than it will be with an infant. Although maybe I will be less sleep-deprived at that point (wishful thinking??)… My DS does pick up stuff very quickly and so 2 years may be enough for him...

 

We have friends to help with carpool and my DH can take in the mornings so I won't be the only one driving...

 

The bottom line is, I have zero help here except for 1 day a week of paid childcare (no family to sit with kids). My goal in this is to free up some time to workout, run errands, ride my horse without just paying a sitter to hang out with the kids for a few hours- if they can be in a school setting during that time, I feel like everyone is getting what they need...

 

Plus, my daughter is craving some more social time and my son needs to develop a little bit of independence...

 

Sorry, not arguing with anybody, just thinking out loud...

[amyc78]

It definitely looks like you have everything covered! I'm sure you've thought long and hard about your above choices, but I just wanted to point out that you could easily get your CC social outlet 'fix' with foundations and maybe skip Essentials this year. In my experience, the way you are thinking of utilizing it will not be worth your time or money, especially with the long day concerns there already. Maybe as a good prep/alternative, you could work through the IEW book at home and just solidify the English memory work? It would be great prep for Essentials the next year and would be very easy to implement at home.

It's true that you can't learn *everything* that first year of Essentials, but in our experience there was still a great deal of work each week. Work that we could NOT have gotten done if we were outside the house 2 days a week. YMMV, though. Also, skipping an occasional class was hard too. And I'm saying this as someone who did not expect or require everything to be learned or memorized.

Good luck!

 

If we skipped Essentials this year, my understanding is he would only get 2 years of it before Challenge, I am wondering if that is enough?

[mmasc]

If we skipped Essentials this year, my understanding is he would only get 2 years of it before Challenge, I am wondering if that is enough?

I don't have a DC at Challenge level, so I can't speak to adequate prep for that class, but I do think 2 years of Essentials gives you A LOT of grammar. Honestly, my own child would have done much better doing Essentials starting at 5th, instead of 4th. He kept up fine with the grammar, but the IEW was at lightning speed and required much work at home. I know that was the case for most everyone in the class. It DOES require outside work, even if you want to keep it laid-back, so to speak. There's a lot of interaction in class and my DC was not one who would've been ok not having a paper prepared to read aloud, or know that week's grammar for games/questions. In our experience, it was much different not knowing a little (or lot!) of the Foundations stuff vs. not knowing our Essentials stuff. And yes, it's a long, long day. :)

[amyc78]

I don't have a DC at Challenge level, so I can't speak to adequate prep for that class, but I do think 2 years of Essentials gives you A LOT of grammar. Honestly, my own child would have done much better doing Essentials starting at 5th, instead of 4th. He kept up fine with the grammar, but the IEW was at lightning speed and required much work at home. I know that was the case for most everyone in the class. It DOES require outside work, even if you want to keep it laid-back, so to speak. There's a lot of interaction in class and my DC was not one who would've been ok not having a paper prepared to read aloud, or know that week's grammar for games/questions. In our experience, it was much different not knowing a little (or lot!) of the Foundations stuff vs. not knowing our Essentials stuff. And yes, it's a long, long day. :)

 

Any suggestions on what to do at home this year to prepare us for Essentials in 5th grade? We've done a hodge lodge of Language Arts over the years- Sonlight, Abeka, etc... Was thinking if we stayed home we might do Fix-It Grammar and maybe the Student Writing Intensive A? Can i do the student intensive without investing in the entire TWSS package?

[mmasc]

Any suggestions on what to do at home this year to prepare us for Essentials in 5th grade? We've done a hodge lodge of Language Arts over the years- Sonlight, Abeka, etc... Was thinking if we stayed home we might do Fix-It Grammar and maybe the Student Writing Intensive A? Can i do the student intensive without investing in the entire TWSS package?

I think the IEW SWI would be excellent preparation for Essentials. It would get your DC familiar with the terminology and method used in IEW. I think you would be fine doing the SWI without the TWSS. You could watch the videos with your child to familiarize yourself with how it's taught. We've only used the theme books so far, but it's my understanding that the SWI is sufficient to teach your DC, while the TWSS would help *you* know how to teach. So it's definitely helpful, but IMO, not absolutely necessary if using the SWI.

Regarding the grammar, thoroughly memorizing the English Grammar in Foundations (all cycles) would be great preparation. The parts of speech definitions, full list of prepositions, irregular verb tenses...will all be immensely helpful in Essentials.

I'm sure there are other curriculum choices that would be beneficial, but honestly, if you intend to stick with CC, I'd just work hard on the memorizing.

That's my humble opinion...I'm not an expert, nor do I play one on tv. :)

[KSinNS]

So, we have a five week old and are starting the month from you-know-where. We are out of the house most days, and having to drag bambina and the masses to many musical events. I don't think your plan sounds too unrealistic assuming that you don't have too far to drive and you can change your schedule if it's too overwhelming and you are okay with the fact that not everything will get done on your off days. If they aren't too judgy at CC and the coops, or you are the kind of person who doesn't care about that, then it could work. Big things to think about-getting a baby out the door takes twice as long as you think it will, and that's assuming they don't decide they are starving or poopy the minute you have to leave. So plan on being hopelessly early or tragically late. Also, getting babies out in bad weather is even harder. We have been very blessed this time with a mild winter and spring, but try to shovel out a car with a screaming baby and kids yelling because they are late, and it quickly makes more sense to stay home. The social thing is critical to me, so I totally get needing that, and would make that a priority for me.

 

Anyway, I'm certainly not an example of sensible parenthood. My son and husband went on an exchange trip to the Arctic two weeks ago, and I'm trying to figure out how to get my son from swimming to a choir concert 2 hours away to sing Monteverdi next weekend, and our two year old just had his first bath in 2 weeks. So, actually, ignore anything I say :-) and good luck.