I feel like I am at a homeschool crossroads.

[ByGrace3]

I feel as though I toggle, not so much in homeschool philosophy, but in the daily implementation. I am a classical homeschooler at heart. I believe in classical writing philosophy ie SWB, the trivium, the focus on the written word, the pursuit of truth, beauty, and virtue...

 

In our 7th year of homeschooling we have bounced around some with curriculum, but not really in philosophy.

 

I have always had this innate battle of what my own fantasy homeschool looks like...I want the Bravewriter experience with the WTM outcome. ;)

 

My oldest will be in 7th grade next year. Academically, I think she is in a good place with a relatively solid foundation. She will complete MM6 this year, is doing well in EW 1 with WTMA, has been doing VPSP for 2 years and a splattering of other things for history and science. Science has definitely been a weakness for us.

 

As I consider 7th grade next year, I am torn. Part of me wants to go more online, more academic assurance...and part of me misses actually schooling her...and two of the main reasons we homeschool is parental investment and family togetherness. I don't know that anyone is really enjoying the learning experience. She is more of a get it done kid. She is focused and independent.

 

The only thing she complains about is VP lit choices. She is my SL readers kid. She likes "books about families" in her words.

 

My two older kids have asked to do history as a family next year. Like we do science. I love the independence of VPSP history, but I do often wonder what they are really getting out of it. I have always wanted to do a geography year with them. This seems like a great opportunity to do it, although my youngest is doing light geography this year. (very light). I could tie writing into this or let her continue with WTMA which she loves...I can do a geography year on our own, or SL Core F appeals to me. . .

 

But then, will we do "enough" to get her ready for 8th/9th. I have this fear that when we do things on our own we never quite do the proverbial "enough." And would SL Core F be "enough" academically.

 

My tentative goal is to have her in at least a couple of Wilson Hill classes for 8th-- I love the idea of the Great Conversations classes. I don't want her to hate it though, and I just don't know what her reaction to that will be.

 

Do I just enjoy our time doing a geography year and maybe a US History year (using SL or not), and then would she be ready for The Great Conversations or would our doing that stifle her readiness? Maybe just a geography year and then Great Conversations 3 for 8th?

 

Can 7th grade science still be done with the family or do I need to find something she can do independently to go deeper.

'

She has a summer birthday so is a "young" 6th grader this year.

 

I want to enjoy field trips and read alouds, and enjoy my kids...but I feel like I don't know how to do that without stressing we will miss something. This year we had such great science plans, and we struggle to get it in . . . and then I feel guilty. I want them to be prepared academically, but I want them to enjoy the experience...and me as well.

 

I know this was long, and honestly, I don't know exactly what I am asking. I talked to dh yesterday and he obviously doesn't understand my perplexity. I want to have weeks where we throw away the lesson plans and study something just for fun...but when we takes a day or days to do that, I get stressed because we won't accomplish "the curriculum."

 

I hear friends talk about their homeschooling with CC or in other classical schools and that is the education I want my kids to have. But then I want to enjoy field trips and take rabbit trails... I feel at war with myself...It seems a bit ridiculous but as my kids get older, I feel even more pressure...

 

Any feedback is appreciated!

Edited January 15, 2017 by ByGrace3

[KathyBC]

I feel as though I toggle, not so much in homeschool philosophy, but in the daily implementation. I am a classical homeschooler at heart. I believe in classical writing philosophy ie SWB, the trivium, the focus on the written word, the pursuit of truth, beauty, and virtue...

 

In our 7th year of homeschooling we have bounced around some with curriculum, but not really in philosophy. 

 

I have always had this innate battle of what my own fantasy homeschool looks like...I want the Bravewriter experience with the WTM outcome. ;)

 

My oldest will be in 7th grade next year. Academically, I think she is in a good place with a relatively solid foundation. She will complete MM6 this year, is doing well in EW 1 with WTMA, has been doing VPSP for 2 years and a splattering of other things for history and science. Science has definitely been a weakness for us. 

 

As I consider 7th grade next year, I am torn. Part of me wants to go more online, more academic assurance...and part of me misses actually schooling her...and two of the main reasons we homeschool in parental investment and family togetherness. I don't know that anyone is really enjoying the learning experience. She is more of a get it done kid. She is focused and independent. 

 

The only thing she complains about is VP lit choices. She is my SL readers kid. She likes "books about families" in her words.

 

My two older kids have asked to do history as a family next year. Like we do science. I love the independence of VPSP history, but I do often wonder what they are really getting out of it. I have always wanted to do a geography year with them. This seems like a great opportunity to do it, although my youngest is doing light geography this year. (very light). I could tie writing into this or let her continue with WTMA which she loves...I can do a geography year on our own, or SL Core F appeals to me. . .

 

But then, will we do "enough" to get her ready for 8th/9th. I have this fear that when we do things on our own we never quite do the proverbial "enough." And would SL Core F be "enough" academically.

 

My tentative goal is to have her in at least a couple of Wilson Hill classes for 8th-- I love the idea of the Great Conversations classes. I don't want her to hate it though, and I just don't know what her reaction to that will be. 

 

Do I just enjoy our time doing a geography year and maybe a US History year (using SL or not), and then would she be ready for The Great Conversations or would our doing that stifle her readiness? Maybe just a geography year and then Great Conversations 3 for 8th? 

 

Can 7th grade science still be done with the family or do I need to find something she can do independently to go deeper. 

'

She has a summer birthday so is a "young" 6th grader this year. 

 

I want to enjoy field trips and read alouds, and enjoy my kids...but I feel like I don't know how to do that without stressing we will miss something. This year we had such great science plans, and we struggle to get it in . . .  and then I feel guilty. I want them to be prepared academically, but I want them to enjoy the experience...and me as well. 

 

I know this was long, and honestly, I don't know exactly what I am asking. I talked to dh yesterday and he obviously doesn't understand my perplexity. I want to have weeks where we throw away the lesson plans and study something just for fun...but when we takes a day or days to do that, I get stressed because we won't accomplish "the curriculum." 

 

I hear friends talk about their homeschooling with CC or in other classical schools and that is the education I want my kids to have. But then I want to enjoy field trips and take rabbit trails... I feel at war with myself...It seems a bit ridiculous but as my kids get older, I feel even more pressure...

 

Any feedback is appreciated! 

As your children get older, the bolded is going to happen more and more. The parent becomes more of a coach and less of the primary teacher, at least for most of us.

 

If it were me, I would probably honor my kids' request to do history as a family. I can't answer about geography, but the time for family learning together is so short. Hopefully others can answer about your academic goals.

 

I wonder if you could make your plans in 4-6 weeks blocks of "the curriculum", and schedule 1-2 weeks of other topics before resuming where you left off.

[fourisenough]

I feel you. We've moved to more online classes this year and, while I like the academic outcomes, I miss the freedom/flexibility we had before. But, for my DD12 it is a good fit. And seeing my older girls' trajectory, I know it's important to be establishing a very strong foundation and setting high standards now. I know I can do that without online classes, but the outside accountability really helps keep us on track and motivated.

[8filltheheart]

Replying so I can find later.

Edited January 14, 2017 by 8FillTheHeart

[RootAnn]

I would definitely do a geography year if that's what your kids are asking for (together) and you want to do it. I also think you should give yourself enough leeway that you have time to rabbit trail all you like with it.

 

If your kid is on track in math, can read well, and can write (some), you are "on track" for 8th.

 

I don't think the Great Conversation classes have prereqs, do they?

[Lori D.]

JMO: 7th and 8th grades really are meant just for this dual purpose that you are feeling torn about:

 

1. Window of opportunity to explore topics and activities (that you may not have a chance to do in high school, or, that might create a passion to follow through the high school years).

 

2. Simultaneously solidify foundational work (K-6th "3 Rs"), and, ever so slowly, at the student's pace, begin to transition into PREP for high school. Note: PREP is different from actually DOING high school work; only DO high school in middle school if that is where your student really IS for Math, or whatever subject.

 

 

Based on what you're describing about your family and your oldest student, just me, but I would not outsource anything next year. Instead, honor -- and enjoy! -- your DDs' request for History together. Honestly, 7th grade, possibly 8th grade, may be your last year to all work together. Just by virtue of high school courses requiring a step up in rigor and volume of work, it gets a *lot* harder to have everyone work together. So don't rush in to that before you *have* to. ;)

 

I see so many people trying to make high school "be college" -- which means having to make middle school "be high school". Yikes. What a fast track to academic burn-out for the student. No wonder so many college students who pushed and did tons of APs, 8 credits a year and more a year, repeated testing, and highly rigorous courses all through high school drop out! Just my personal little rant... ;)

 

 

And as far as outsourcing: Again, just me, but I think a lot of people to rush in to online courses in middle school trying to "prep" for high school, when the student might transition better if waiting until high school to start online classes, when the student has developed a bit more maturity and had a bit of time in middle school to practice study skills...

 

And, again, JMO,but unless I had an advanced student who was beyond my ability to teach in multiple subjects, I highly recommend starting with only ONE outsourced class for the first time you do an outsourced class, because for many students, there is a big learning curve and transition curve in to how to do this new type of schooling and being accountable to an outside source, and learning how to use the tech to make it happen.

 

Whenever you decide is the right time to try an online course, I suggest picking the subject that YOU feel weakest in as a teacher, or the subject you most dislike teaching. Or pick a specific teacher/class that you know your student would love. Let that first year of an online class (or at least first semester) be about the family figuring out how to DO an online or outsourced course. It will like be far more time-consuming than you think, esp. if you're planning something rigorous like Wilson Hill, so don't swamp your poor student with more than one class to start with. Instead, let your student have the time to transition --and to succeed and excel. Then the following year (or semester, if doing very well AND if really enjoying the outsourced class) try adding a second course...

 

BUT... don't feel you HAVE to outsource at all. There is plenty of great material and resources out there to do it all at home and have a high quality, rigorous classical education -- 8FillTheHeart will probably share some of the courses they have created that both follow student passion AND are of high quality/rigor. TWTM came out in 1999, years before online classes were available. And lots of families continue to very successfully homeschool a quality classical education without outsourcing.

 

 

I guess my short answer would be:

Teach the student before you. :) You say have a young 6th grader this year. That means you'll have a young 7th grader next year. And a young 8th grader the year after that. That sounds like you will be solidly on the path for moving into transitioning into PREP for high school somewhere along the line of 8th/9th grade. No need to rush in to something your student isn't ready for.

 

Enjoy this last window of opportunity:

 

- do Sonlight F all together; add a few books or assignments at a slightly higher level for your rising 7th grader

- do Science together for another year; perhaps if there's a program out there you know your rising 7th grader would esp. like, go with that for 7th and put together materials on the same Science topic for the youngers

- be sure to schedule regular field trips and activities for next year -- at least once a month; your children are all getting older, so there are sure to be some activities/trips you can do this next year that they weren't ready for previously

- take it one year at a time -- do 7th this way, see how it goes, and along about spring of next year, you'll probably have a much clearer idea of where your oldest student really is and what she needs to know what to do for 8th

 

BEST of luck as you think and plan! Warmest regards, Lori D.

Edited January 15, 2017 by Lori D.

[jamijoy]

_{I'm not sure if this would solve anything since you want to do geography now, but we use the VPSP history as a family. MFW is our core history and since VPSP history doesn't line up exactly and we couldn't jump ahead, and my kids didn't want to stop using it, we are using it as a review and are dozens of lessons behind what we are learning in the MFW history we use. I use our Chromecast to put it on the TV and we watch the videos and answer questions together. My kids have to take turns playing the games and placing the medallions is a coveted job, but it works out fine. If you wanted to stick with it, you could use it as a family and add in whatever reading books you want. Since I've never used it alone for history, we've never used their reading suggestions, so I'm not sure what you'd need to add to get it to a 7th grade level. My kids really enjoy it though.}

 

_{P.S. I'm not sure why I'm having font size issues. It looks tiny to me so I made it bigger, but if it's huge to everyone else, I apologize.}

 

Edited January 15, 2017 by jamijoy

[8filltheheart]

I just want to share my thoughts on your post when I read it through the prism of my homeschooling experience.  These thoughts are coming from the perspective of wanting encouragement to homeschool courses yourself.  If you want validation for outsourcing, the entire post is probably unhelpful.

 

I feel as though I toggle, not so much in homeschool philosophy, but in the daily implementation. I am a classical homeschooler at heart. I believe in classical writing philosophy ie SWB, the trivium, the focus on the written word, the pursuit of truth, beauty, and virtue...

 

You covered a lot of territory, so I am going to hit some of the comments that really stood out to me.  Your motivation for homeschooling is pretty key.  I am not sure why, but the trend today is for homeschoolers to believe that homeschooling isn't good enough/is lesser, or is going to ruin their children's futures.  Outsourcing seems to be the panacea to college admissions and quality education.  Outsourcing has its place when it is done b/c that is what is wanted. But outsourcing bc it is the current mantra does not mean that the mantra is correct.  

 

I have always had this innate battle of what my own fantasy homeschool looks like...I want the Bravewriter experience with the WTM outcome.  ;)

 

Well, I would never have thought of putting it that way, but I think that is actually probably a fairly good descriptor of our homeschool.  (Sort of iffy on the Bravewriter analogy b/c I am not overly familiar with it, but from the little I have read about it here....maybe.)  It is absolutely possible to homeschool courses at home w/o outsourcing and have strong academic outcomes.  As Lori stated, WTM was written before outsourcing became the norm.  The shift toward outsourcing everything is a newer concept in homeschooling.  I don't outsource very much and it certainly isn't b/c I know all the subjects my kids are learning.  It is more that I have confidence in using resources that I know will teach my kids and they can master the content at home.  Our discussions often require looking up information to find answers to questions raised b/c I don't know the answers.   :)

 

Science has definitely been a weakness for us.

As I consider 7th grade next year, I am torn. Part of me wants to go more online, more academic assurance...and part of me misses actually schooling her...and two of the main reasons we homeschool is parental investment and family togetherness. I don't know that anyone is really enjoying the learning experience. She is more of a get it done kid. She is focused and independent.

 

Those are not my main reasons for homeschooling, but those are encompassed in our homeschool.  My kids do a mixture of independent work and heavy discussion.  It depends on the grade, the student, and our life any given year what their actual day looks like.  But, I write their daily lesson plans so that both of us know exactly what needs to be done on any given day.  Science doesn't become a weakness b/c its plans are written out and scheduled.  They can work independently while I am doing other things b/c they have their planner that lists out their assignments and their independent work can be done without me.  We meet for discussions as it works in the day.

 

7th grade was my all-time favorite yr with my 12th grader.  That is the yr we did an Anne of Green Gables study.  Gosh, she also grew to love literature and words that yr.  I wouldn't trade her learning experiences or those memories for anything.  (I know there are lots of old posts of mine about that yr.) Anyway, no online course could ever replicate what we did.  It was the absolute freedom of homeschooling and 1-on-1 interaction that made that yr priceless.  Far, far, far better than any classroom experience b/c it was driven by her interests and the flexibility to stretch her to a higher level vs. conforming to a classroom pace/content.

 

The only thing she complains about is VP lit choices. She is my SL readers kid. She likes "books about families" in her words.

 

That is a beautiful sentiment and opens the door to countless literature studies!!

 

My two older kids have asked to do history as a family next year. Like we do science. I love the independence of VPSP history, but I do often wonder what they are really getting out of it. I have always wanted to do a geography year with them. This seems like a great opportunity to do it, although my youngest is doing light geography this year. (very light). I could tie writing into this or let her continue with WTMA which she loves...I can do a geography year on our own, or SL Core F appeals to me. . .

But then, will we do "enough" to get her ready for 8th/9th. I have this fear that when we do things on our own we never quite do the proverbial "enough." And would SL Core F be "enough" academically.

 

Enough according to who?  Sonlight was put together by homeschooling parents.  They put together a list of history books and literature and added in assignments.  What history do your kids want to study?  What books do they want to read?  What documentaries are available for that time period?  What geography does the history cover?  Can you read, discuss, create writing assignments about the key concepts from the reading, create geography assignments from the reading?   What you do does not have to replicate a school.  What you do needs to encourage active learning.  If they are learning, is that enough?  If they are actively engaged, they are more likely to retain long term.

 

What are your goals for 7th grade history?  What do you perceive as being better in a school or in another program that makes them superior to other options?  (For me, 7th grade is about becoming a better writer, learning how to learn from materials and be able to articulate what they have learned, learning how to consider different POV, etc.  I don't think the "what is used" is as important as how they learn to process.)

 

My tentative goal is to have her in at least a couple of Wilson Hill classes for 8th-- I love the idea of the Great Conversations classes. I don't want her to hate it though, and I just don't know what her reaction to that will be.

Do I just enjoy our time doing a geography year and maybe a US History year (using SL or not), and then would she be ready for The Great Conversations or would our doing that stifle her readiness? Maybe just a geography year and then Great Conversations 3 for 8th?

Can 7th grade science still be done with the family or do I need to find something she can do independently to go deeper.
'
She has a summer birthday so is a "young" 6th grader this year.

I want to enjoy field trips and read alouds, and enjoy my kids...but I feel like I don't know how to do that without stressing we will miss something. This year we had such great science plans, and we struggle to get it in . . . and then I feel guilty. I want them to be prepared academically, but I want them to enjoy the experience...and me as well.

I know this was long, and honestly, I don't know exactly what I am asking. I talked to dh yesterday and he obviously doesn't understand my perplexity. I want to have weeks where we throw away the lesson plans and study something just for fun...but when we takes a day or days to do that, I get stressed because we won't accomplish "the curriculum."

I hear friends talk about their homeschooling with CC or in other classical schools and that is the education I want my kids to have. But then I want to enjoy field trips and take rabbit trails... I feel at war with myself...It seems a bit ridiculous but as my kids get older, I feel even more pressure...

Any feedback is appreciated!

 

I don't know anything about Wilson Hill. We just have our own great conversations (not Great Conversations) amg ourselves.  I am 100% ornery, so I don't stress about missing anything b/c I KNOW that schools miss a lot.  I am not talking about slacking and believing that anything we do at home is better than schools.  I know that I am not a slacker and that I take learning seriously.  I know that by reading, discussing, writing, and following the rabbit trails that our discussions take us on that we are covering far more than any textbook or classroom is capable of achieving b/c they are limited by their confines.  We aren't.

 

One way to not get stressed about not accomplishing the curriculum is to create your own.  You created it, so you have selected exactly what it is that you want to get done.

 

Know your absolute weaknesses--think about outsourcing those when you KNOW that you can't do it at home.  But really know.  I can't teach math beyond alg 2, so math instruction has taken many different forms from that point on.  We have used tutors, AoPS, Derek Owens, Chalkdust, Thinkwell, and DE.  Different paths for different kids.  Chalkdust and Thinkwell are more "resources" than outsourced classes b/c they are not online instruction based.  They are resources used to teach at home.  Tutors, AoPS, DE, online providers are more expensive and outside instructor based.  My different kids have had different needs.  It isn't a one size fits all proposition.  It is a moving target based on what we need. 

 

My current 12th grader completed almost every single course at home. The only subject she consistently outsourced was Russian and by far that was an absolute excellent decision.  Ms. Denne is fabulous.  For French she has had a Francophone tutor for the past yr and a half.  We created a methodology for learning French independently at home up to that point.  It worked for her.  She is fluent.  For another child, it might not have worked and a tutor earlier might have been a better option.  She has zero APs.  Not one.  She just started her first DE course this past week.  So all of her college applications had no APs or DE courses.  She took the SAT, 2 subject tests (Latin and math), the calculus CLEP exam in 11th.  She has awards in Russian.  

 

She has been invited to full-ride scholarship interview weekends at multiple colleges.  She received a phone call from one international scholars program b/c they were so excited about her application and her obvious love of learning. That love of learning was not demonstrated through AP courses or DE.  It was demonstrated through the courses we created that reflected her and what she wanted to study/learn.  They were courses like a fairy tale study for literature where we read books on how fairy tales are analyzed via Jungian psychology and then read fairy tales from different cultures.  (I didn't know a thing going into that course.  We read a lot of books and online database journal articles.)  She had a course built around Russian history and communism in the 20th century and we read War and Peace.  Her transcript is 100% her plus science (the one subject that she took b/c she needed the courses, not b/c she wanted to take them.   ;) )  Does she have gaps?  Well, if you go by AP standards, absolutely b/c her courses are absolutely nothing like AP courses.  If you go by ps courses, absolutely b/c her courses are nothing like traditional ps courses.  But, she knows how to think critically and read critically.  She knows what she knows and doesn't know lots.  But she loves to learn and is open to learning what is put in front of her.  By my standards, that is success.   :)

 

:rant:   Rant over.  Maybe too late. :ohmy:  I hope some of it might be encouraging to you if you are terrified that it can't be done at home.  It can.  It takes work and effort to find the resources and create daily plans, but it is oh so satisfying b/c the plans are built on the enthusiasm of your children.   :)

 

(I just skimmed this and it is full of mistakes.  Sorry.  I am way too tired tonight to worry about fixing them.  I think you can get the gist of my thoughts even wading through the mess.  If not, please ask and I will try to answer tomorrow.)

Edited January 15, 2017 by 8FillTheHeart

[klmama]

OP, I have found the best results come when the dc have buy-in.  If your dc want family history, give it to them!  Your dc is going into 7th grade, not 12th.  If online courses or DE are better choices later, great, but for now it's just fine to do it all at home.  It may happen that outsourcing will be the best option later, but it doesn't have to be that way now, if your dc want to learn together.  This may be one of the last opportunities for that; I encourage you not to miss it.

[LMD]

8filltheheart- you rock. Your posts help me to gain courage for another year.

 

I would love to hear more about your dd's language at home path sometime. My dd has discovered that she loves languages, she has Russian, French and Welsh going on her duolingo account as well as Latin. I only assigned 2 of those!

 

Sorry for the derail op! I can totally relate, I'm just finishing up plans for this year and the struggle is real.

Edited January 15, 2017 by LMD

[ByGrace3]

You all have been so helpful! I need to reread everything...a few times. I needed a little perspective. Thank you! It is so easy to think we can't do both-- enjoy ourselves and be academically challenging...I still haven't figured out how, but I do know I don't want to quit trying. 

[MerryAtHope]

If I'm hearing the "heart" of your post, the thing that holds you back is fear (specifically fear of not doing enough, not being academically challenging enough etc...)

 

My heartfelt encouragement to you is not to let fear make this decision for you.

 

Your children have asked for a beautiful thing (to do history together as a family). This is HUGE! Don't let this opportunity slip away. You absolutely can provide an academically challenging education for your children studying things they are interested in (any rabbit trails), using books they are interested in reading (such as Sonlight books--and their high school cores use MANY AP level books). You don't have to do lots of online classes, use CC, or make your school look just like others on WTM or your local friends to be successful. 

 

Give yourself permission to take risks and fail--because that's also when you have permission to succeed. And you will succeed far more than you will fail, but you will all learn from the failures too, and they won't disadvantage your children. If you are reading great books and discussing the topics in history and literature and science etc..., you will be providing a great education. Keep learning and growing along the way.

[birchbark]

My advice is ENJOY middle school. It's their last chance to study whatever they want. Solidify the 3R's and have fun with the rest. Wait! I must link JennW's awesome post about middle school:

 

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/76668-high-school-parents-looking-back-what-would-your-ideal-be-for-7th8th-grade/?do=findComment&comment=739982

 

Our first online class was 8th-grade writing. That was plenty early.

[8filltheheart]

8filltheheart- you rock. Your posts help me to gain courage for another year.

 

I would love to hear more about your dd's language at home path sometime. My dd has discovered that she loves languages, she has Russian, French and Welsh going on her duolingo account as well as Latin. I only assigned 2 of those!

 

Sorry for the derail op! I can totally relate, I'm just finishing up plans for this year and the struggle is real.

:blush5: Glad that you found my post encouraging.

 

I don't want to derail this thread, so here is a link I wrote a few months ago about dd's French studies.

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/606268-may-i-post-a-small-momma-brag/

 

(I will aslo share that this yr she was nominated and ultimately selected as 1 of 5 students from across the country to represent the US in the International Olympiad of Russian in Moscow. She won a 3rd place for a speech she gave. :) Super proud momma! Highly recommend Julia Denne from By the Onion Sea for Russian.)

(Wow....2 brags in a single post.... :leaving: )

Edited January 17, 2017 by 8FillTheHeart

[LMD]

:blush5: Glad that you found my post encouraging.

 

I don't want to derail this thread, so here is a link I wrote a couple of yrs ago about dd's French studies.

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/606268-may-i-post-a-small-momma-brag/

 

(I will aslo share that this yr she was nominated and ultimately selected as 1 of 5 students from across the country to represent the US in the International Olympiad of Russian in Moscow. She won a 3rd place for a speech she gave. :) Super proud momma! Highly recommend Julia Denne from By the Onion Sea for Russian.)

(Wow....2 brags in a single post.... :leaving: )

Thank you!

 

Please, do brag, it is so encouraging!

 

Congratulations to your dd, and you, that is an amazing achievement.

[2_girls_mommy]

We have done WTM style classical the whole time we have homeschooled. We haven't done any online outside courses yet, and I don't have any immediate plans to do so. My kids do an outside co-op class with requirements and tests, so that is somewhat similar, though there is more leeway and flexibility there than an online class I think. 

 

I will probably have my high schooler do a dual enrollment class in 11th grade, and definitely by 12th. But I haven't found a need to do the expensive online classes to keep them working. We read aloud and discuss and she reads and writes using WTM methods and lists and materials just fine at home.  We study for outside tests together so far like the NLEs and will add studying for SAT or ACT next year. So far they have been competitive in all things they have tried educationally so far. We have done science fairs, essay contests, robotics teams, scouts, etc.  I just haven't found it necessary for us.

[cintinative]

 

I want to enjoy field trips and read alouds, and enjoy my kids...but I feel like I don't know how to do that without stressing we will miss something. This year we had such great science plans, and we struggle to get it in . . . and then I feel guilty. I want them to be prepared academically, but I want them to enjoy the experience...and me as well.

 

I know this was long, and honestly, I don't know exactly what I am asking. I talked to dh yesterday and he obviously doesn't understand my perplexity. I want to have weeks where we throw away the lesson plans and study something just for fun...but when we takes a day or days to do that, I get stressed because we won't accomplish "the curriculum."

 

 

I can truly relate to this and am all ears to the input of the Hive on this one. 

[Alice]

I feel like I'm not worthy to reply after Lori D and 8filltheheart have weighed in. They are both way wiser and more knowledgable than me. However, I feel like I could have written the OP multiple times over the past few years. So I'm replying more as someone who has felt the same way rather than someone who knows the answers. It's something I still struggle with. 

 

Two things that have helped me in the past few years when I've felt the tension between being really strong academically and being able to have fun and be more relaxed: 

 

1) I remind myself that middle school does not have to be high school. I've grown to believe that middle school is the perfect time to follow a lot of interests and be looser about curriculum. I thought about the skills I wanted my kids to go into high school with and then thought about how to get them those skills rather than worrying about making sure we covered anything specific body of knowledge. For 6th grade with my oldest we did a year of unit studies. One was "Other Worlds" where we read fantasy, dystopian and science fiction and then as a project he had to create his own world. For his 7th grade we did a year of World Geography/Culture as a family. 

 

2) I try to think about how to best emphasize the strengths of homeschooling. Part of that is field trips and time to read aloud and do art and follow interests. I cannot recreate school at home, nor do I want to. If we aren't enjoying ourselves and our time together (for the most part...not every single minute) then it seems like it's not worth it anymore. 

 

[Lori D.]

Two wonderful insights -- and some great encouragement, Alice! :)

Edited January 18, 2017 by Lori D.

[Pistachio mom]

With the age spread of your children, your oldest's jr. high years are the last time you will probably have time to actually do many regular classes together other than read alouds and family devotions.  7th-8th grades are the times to work on organization skills, study skills, solidify arithmetic, learn how to write a basic essay.... You don't have to start high school level core classes until 9th.

 

I recommend making a potential 4 year general schedule of what you want to do for high school, then check your state grad requirements/college admission requirements.  This will let you know how much "wiggle room" you have. For example, do you need to plan time for computer courses, how many years of foreign lang, where will you put govt/econ and US history?  Wilson Hill has a great list of classes. Many titles of the Omnibus list, with more time on each since they do not at all cover all of the titles in the Omni text.  You might want to get a general idea of which class you would start in 8th grade, so you do not use similar lit in 7th.

 

If you want more "together" time, you might consider using a multi-level course for history or science. You can teach some literature together using a younger child's story to teach literary elements. Another approach is to teach different levels of the same book simultaneously by using abridged books with your younger children, and unabridged with the older. Everyone can discuss together. I used to do this frequently using the old edition WTM book as a guideline with all those titles. It has  worked out great in preparing my oldest to tackle the meaty literature she reads for Omnibus. The Poetry for Young People series has also been great for multi level teaching.

 

For science: If you think your oldest needs a harder book, then you could plan some weeks to do a science unit study all together and other weeks to work separately.  The Apologia science only gives 32 weeks of lesson plans, so you would have extra time for some group things. Maybe near holidays....Another idea is to teach the same general type of science to all 3 students, each working at his/her own level. Then the concepts overlap; even the experiments overlap. For my family - teaching this way keeps us unified and interested in the work of each other. Answers in Genesis and Masters books have some multilevel courses that could work like this. A living books approach could also work.

 

For history: the same idea applies. Keeping everyone on the same era of the trivium cycle helps with family unity and my own sanity.  I also utilize Veritas Self Paced courses. My children love watching the elementary Veritas Self paced. {I had to realistically add this in last year in the process of accepting the challenges of teaching the age spread of my children. I can't be working with everyone simultaneously....} Omnibus would get over the heads of my younger girls. With Veritas, I pick my own elementary literature. Their catalog age levels are advanced for my family. If you are wanting to get in a year of Geography or American History, Jr. High is a good time. But again, check your overall plan if you are going for a classical pattern to allow enough room to breathe the Jr and Sr year. You might need 8th grade to start the Great Conversations Ancient cycle so to allow time for state history requirements.  For American history, you could combine levels with Beautiful Feet lit guides for your older 2 while the younger one does the beginner level. This could also work using America the Beautiful from Notgrass with the older 2 with the younger in Beautiful Feet.  AB has 2 levels of workbooks, but the same geography/map work. They also have literature options.  The Child's Geography of the World series from Knowledge Quest series is also much more advanced in level than the name sounds. It comes with a CD of PDF files for copywork and the books have lots of cross curricular activities. Memoria Press also has some nice Geography resources on the levels of your older 2 children. You could supplement with Evan Moor geography also.

 

These are just a few ideas that I use with my family.  This forum is a great place to get ideas. I do wish I had made a specific long range plan for my oldest back in middle school. I don't think I would have changed much. She would not have been ready for the Omni lit at 7th grade; she needed to be high school to better comprehend it and handle the work load. I hope you get some good ideas as you seek out wisdom in this area.