What is not getting done?

[sagira]

Here homeschooling has been going smoothly, our tenth week in, except...

 

piano lessons.

 

It is not. getting. done. :tongue_smilie:

 

I don't know if it's the scheduling (Wednesdays at 4) or the fact that I'm too tired after school to do anything else. So far we did one lesson with some of ds' friends. One. That's it.

 

What is that one subject that is just ignored, shoved to the side, neglected, not getting done at all?

 

Confession time! :bigear:

Edited November 14, 2008 by sagira

[emeraldjoy]

EVERYTHING.

39 weeks pregnant here!!

Everything is about 1/2 of what is should be right now.

e

[Titus.Two.Five]

Everything is getting done....except Latin. :glare:

 

Next week though it will be added in and done regularly.

[Pata]

Handicrafts, I'm trying really! It's just to easy to let it go each week.

 

Ok, fine, I'll admit the other one, poetry memorization.

[Emmy]

I am following through on all the little stuff more than EVER before (see I have to pat myself on the back first lol) but what's still not getting done here is.....

 

much pre-K stuff with my 4yo - I read to him everyday and he does math and free art time, but we aren't "doing" the stuff I thought we'd do. I'm starting to think maybe he doesn't need to do anything else but am not sure if that's my own laziness talking or a true change of heart lol.

 

and

 

music appreciation - and the reason why is just so stupid. My cd player broke. Playing music on my computer isn't loud enough. We don't have another option. I keep telling DH I want a new cd player (we're talking what like $30?) and he keeps saying I should burn the cds to MP3 and use my ipod speakers. But the ipod speakers power cord is missing. And it's non-standard so we can't get a new one. So then I decide to get a cd player and DH thinks that's a waste since we should just go all MP3 from here. But buying new ipod speakers means research and no time to do that. Now that you've read this far start again at the top of the paragraph and repeat 372 times and maybe you'll understand how I feel. :lol:

 

I think I'm going to throw the kids in the van and go to walmart and buy a cd player. That's just a really stupid reason to not be doing something that is important to me!

[Ali in OR]

Art.

 

But I'm very happy that it's only art. Spanish got pushed aside for 2 years but is in the mix this year. I've even kept up with Teaching the Classics, doing 1 book a month. And we have been reading about Velasquez in I, Juan de Pareja, so there is some art discussion, but no doing art.

[MIch elle]

I trying to rotate geo., & science but it's not getting done as often as I'd like. Bible is sporatic because history takes so much of our time using the SL 6 schedule (just for history- not even the readers).

 

Latin has taken a back seat to test prep. until ds takes his entrance exam 12/6 for acceptance to a private middle school.

 

He's still keeping up with piano & guitar but he doesn't need me to practice. These are the last things he does for the day.

[WTMCassandra]

Science. Again. Just like the last couple of years. SIGH.

[sagira]

music appreciation - and the reason why is just so stupid. My cd player broke. Playing music on my computer isn't loud enough. We don't have another option. I keep telling DH I want a new cd player (we're talking what like $30?) and he keeps saying I should burn the cds to MP3 and use my ipod speakers. But the ipod speakers power cord is missing. And it's non-standard so we can't get a new one. So then I decide to get a cd player and DH thinks that's a waste since we should just go all MP3 from here. But buying new ipod speakers means research and no time to do that. Now that you've read this far start again at the top of the paragraph and repeat 372 times and maybe you'll understand how I feel. :lol:

 

:smilielol5:

I swear this is what I have with a few things in my life.

 

I'm glad mine is not an earth-shattering omission. I mean, the kid is five, he can learn piano next year. I just don't know if I will teach it :leaving:

[mamato3 all-boy boys]

Writing With Ease hasn't been done in a couple weeks.

[arcara]

The dication part of WWE with my oldest has been neglected over the past few weeks. She's doing AAS 3, which has 12 dictation sentences in each lesson. With all that dication, I feel bad making her do the additional dication from WWE. But, the dictation in WWE is much more challenging than the sentences in AAS, so they are important. But, the ones in AAS are important, too, for practicing her spelling words! I think I just need to schedule it better so that we do one in the AM and one in the PM.

 

Oh, and art appreciation!

[Heather in Neverland]

Of all the stuff in my signature line, the one thing we are not keeping up with is A Child's Geography and I am not sure why...we just aren't.

[AuntPol]

This is our first year, so we are still acclimating (that's my excuse and I am sticking to it0.

 

We just started Rosetta Stone a few weeks ago but most of first quarter had no Spanish.

 

I started well with Draw Write Now for Art once a week but have slacked last few weeks (but have been doing lapbooks instead).

 

We've slacked on music and art appreciation and devotions as our mornings have been out of whack. We've done them some but it's very spotty.

[lwilliams1922]

physical science :(

Every time we skip a week I plan to make it up when we take a short break in Dec. Realistically I dont know. I may need to look at farming it out in the future.

 

It just requires more of me and that's hard to do with the two little ones.

[Julie in MN]

Spanish, again, sigh. Ali, how'd you get past that one? Foreign language just takes so much time & daily dedication to really learn. I remember in high school & college, that was the one class that you had to work on EVERY day... and we're not.

[Aurelia]

Music. I bought Progressive Recorder for Beginners and DD complains the instrument "too loud" every time we get it out to try to play, yet for months she ran around blowing on it at top volume. Maybe I can find someone to tune my piano (the last guy who looked at it said he couldn't) and we can start on that.

[ssexton]

Lively Latin isn't getting done. I've printed everything and put it into gigantic binders. <sigh> Seems overwhelming to get both of these binders out (two kids doing it). I think I need to just pull out the lesson we are working on.

 

TOG is going slowly because I'm having trouble getting my books from the library. My Pals Science is working, but I need to come up with a new science plan for my oldest. He just wasn't ready for Hakim's The Story of Science.

[Ali in OR]

Spanish, again, sigh. Ali, how'd you get past that one? Foreign language just takes so much time & daily dedication to really learn. I remember in high school & college, that was the one class that you had to work on EVERY day... and we're not.

 

I finally bought a curriculum. I was waiting around for a perfect curriculum and thought I would just wing it with some words books and CDs the last couple of years. This year I purchased Spanish for Children, and while not perfect, at least we're getting something done!

[keithfamily5]

I have to start with what we are actually doing, so I don't get too down on myself. We are getting Grammar, Writing, Spelling, Reading, Art, Music, Math, Bible, Penmanship, and Vocab done.

 

History and Science are slow. Very sporadic. Very little being done with my four year old: working on an ABC lapbook, reading to him, he works in a shape workbook, Starfall on the computer. I did go buy the ETC books A, B, C for him because he just wants to do school like his older sisters.

 

We don't do foreign language. I just can't fit it in. We're doing good to get done with the things that we're doing right now. We do most things daily. So, maybe I just give them too much to do. It's hard for me to come up with a new way. Then the youngest will start with more stuff next year, so they may not get it until high school.

 

P.E. - Man, I've been terrible with this, this year. Mostly because I'm having some problems and can't seem to get to it.

 

My daughters go to art class every Monday, so if they aren't finished by noon. It won't get done. They get back too late. On Tuesdays, we leave by 1:30 to take my son for his "casting" (for toe-walking) and then straight to piano lessons for the girls. The casting should be finished early December some time, but they are doing some sensory processing testing on him next week, so we may be going to therapy for that before too long. Again, if it's not done before we leave, it's not happening that day. Some weeks are busy than others. We only had two days this week that we were home for the bulk of the day. I will be having surgery (hopefully before the end of the year) so we'll probably slack off then, too. I'm just trying not to stress about it too much. (which goes against my nature)

 

More info than you wanted, but it feels good to get it off my chest.

 

Patty

 

dd, 11

dd, 8

ds, 4

[Julie in MN]

I finally bought a curriculum.

 

Ahhh... thanks. We have 3 curriculums. When we do them, they are good! But when we're pressed for time, they're so easy to skip...

[Rhonda in TX]

We are supposed to be doing Apologia Elementary Zoology 3. I finally just put reading the book in the schedule. No notebook pages, no expirements, but the book's getting read.

 

I always struggle with science.

[Matryoshka]

Art. I decided to buy Artistic Pursuits this year instead of doing pricey art lessons, but it falls off the end. I think one of my dds has tried to do like two lessons by herself. Sigh.

 

Other subjects I've struggled to fit in, I've come up with workarounds

- Science we do with a small coop

- Writing they take a class (but man, the homework! That's why no time for art...)

- Spanish I'm teaching myself this year, but I asked a friend's family to join us because that way I have to do it! That has been working very well. I know otherwise it wouldn't be getting done.

 

I may have to sign them up for some art classes later this year to assauge my guilt...

[Sarita]

Art. We haven't even done it once this year.

 

Science gets done maybe 2/3 of the time. The kids aren't interested in studying animals, so rather than make them trudge through it, I think we'll jump to learning about the human body (which they are very excited about) and spend twice as much time on that. That's the beauty of homeschooling, right?

[4summergirls]

I have an easy little book I plan to use with all 3 dds called "Drawing Textbook" but it has repeatedly fallen through the cracks. My dd8 loves art though, so I may sign her up for an outside class this winter. Otherwise pretty much all of it is getting done, which is a relief.

[Laura W.]

Here, handwriting and spelling are the subjects we are finding difficult to fit in - they get done perhaps 50% of the time.

 

Blessings,

 

Laura

[Kelli in TN]

I am entirely consistent year after year after year.

 

And because I am one who can be counted on to do the same thing each year, we gave up on Latin in October. We do it every year.

[readwithem]

we seem to get all the academics done, but you know what? We're not having "fun, game-playing, read a fun book" time. It's getting old.

 

High School: it's not for sissies.

[PollyOR]

I have to start with what we are actually doing, so I don't get too down on myself. We are getting Grammar, Writing, Spelling, Reading, Art, Music, Math, Bible, Penmanship, and Vocab done.

 

 

 

Patty, you ARE getting a lot done. Give yourself a pat on the back!:thumbup1:

[PollyOR]

I am entirely consistent year after year after year.

 

And because I am one who can be counted on to do the same thing each year, we gave up on Latin in October. We do it every year.

 

:lol::lol::lol:

[koko]

(this is specific to my 3rd grader)..Art. And Science is pushed to one day a week for about 30 minutes.

 

That said, what IS getting done is the core language arts stuff that was my goal for this year. My reluctant reader read 20 books last month; and the same kid, who squawked and whined about writing in August, just now handed me a story complete with illustrations, plot, dialogue and conclusion (psst..at his own initiative..it wasn't assigned!). :D

 

So, no worries here and the other two kids are on track.

[Cornerstone Classical]

We are running out of time for Science and Art, and Science and did I mention Science?:blink:

[HSMom2One]

I teach art part-time at a private classical Christian school, but I have neglected to teach art to my own dd at home.

 

Your post comes at a time that I was evaluating my priorities, and one of them is consideration to giving up the school position so that I might give more to my family at home, especially my dd's education!

 

Blessings,

Lucinda

[sandra in va]

Of all the stuff in my signature line, the one thing we are not keeping up with is A Child's Geography and I am not sure why...we just aren't.

 

 

We're not doing well with A Child's Geo (v.2) either. We all really liked it and it's easy to use, but for some reason we are not finding time for it. I even removed it from my signature below a couple of weeks ago. Still hoping we'll get back to it. :001_unsure:

[Jane]

 

~o~.A.R.T.~o~

 

 

 

Praise the Lord for crafty children who seek out hobbies w/artistic elements, but I assure you we won't have any art majors coming out of our home...

[Cindy in MO]

Art for both kids and science for one. He had vision therapy 1 or 2 days per week so science always got bumped and it's been hard to pick it up again.

[Johanna]

spelling....dd is a natural speller....seems useless!

[Donna]

I try to alternate weekly what does not get done. It helps me to get everything done. One week we might not get to chemistry and the next we might not get to history and those two usually alternate on busy weeks (when we have dentist or doctor appointments or music lessons are rescheduled).

 

We have had a nice run on free Saturdays (which will end very soon as it is getting close to wrestling season and weekend tournaments :001_rolleyes:). I try to catch up there. It seems so much easier to just do chemistry or just do history than it does to do them after a full day of school. I have more energy.

 

I would love to add another foreign language (already doing Spanish) but that is not getting done anytime soon.

[frogpond1]

and didn't run our two day school and she told me that I would be able to make them homemade cookies and cook much more gourmet homemade dinners. I asked her if it was worth the exchange and she said yes she wouldn't trade a homeschool/coop mom for a mom who cooked better. So I guess the cooking isn't really getting done here. Academics are fine but cooking, laundry, painting and all the basic house projects aren't getting done.

 

I'm not sure I'd be a better cook if I had more time, but I'll just let her think I would.

[Peela]

We dropped French for now. I just cant seem to find a way to do it that works for us. Latin is fine- enjoyable even!- but French feels like such a chore even though 2 out of 3 of us want to learn it.

 

This term we are also not doing much art or music appreciation, or Shakespeare, but I am not concerned about those, we have done plenty this year. We are in our last term of the year and I have had enough.

 

As for piano practice- I knew the only way music practice would get done around here was to schedule it before school in the mornings. Since I pay a lot for lessons its a priority for me, and I also think its a good way to switch on the brain in the mornings. One child has a lesson before school on Mondays, too, which we dont really like at the time, but it is nice to get it over with for the week.

[Karen in CO]

We aren't doing TOG - yet. But we are reading through some wonderful Celtic stories to setup for the Middle Ages. We are also reading the Little House series and just started Misty. My dd also just finished doing a unit on the Olympics in her cottage school. So no TOG yet, but kind of history. She is also reading a lot of Roman history books on her own.

 

Lively Latin isn't getting done, BUT. She is taking Spanish at her cottage school, and she requested that we quit the latin for now because it was confusing her. So she isn't doing latin, but she is doing a foreign language.

 

That is all that isn't getting done for second grade.

 

For preschool, I found that my little one hasn't developed the concept of conservation of numbers yet - so we are holding off on RS A until she "gets" that. Once shes knows that five blocks is five blocks whether they are squished together or stretched apart, we will start again. Until then we are doing lots of puzzles and playing. I am not going to push through something that will be much easier once she is developmentally ready for it.

[keithfamily5]

Thanks so much! I am always very hard on myself. I've even thought my kids should go back to school since we're on the run so much. That and I'm moody an awful lot. I think it's pre-menpause stuff. I need to RELAX and enjoy my children. I'm such a box checker!

 

Thanks for the words of encouragement. You have no idea how much they were needed! You ladies are great!

 

Patty

[sweetbaby]

Logic, Latin and computer lessons here. I've enrolled my highschooler into some computer classes at a job training center that begins in the spring so that will take care of that. You can't beat classes for $15! However, Latin and Logic have been at the bottom of the list lately. I'm going to do better. I promise.:D

[sagira]

As for piano practice- I knew the only way music practice would get done around here was to schedule it before school in the mornings. Since I pay a lot for lessons its a priority for me, and I also think its a good way to switch on the brain in the mornings. One child has a lesson before school on Mondays, too, which we dont really like at the time, but it is nice to get it over with for the week.

 

Thanks for the tip, Peela. I will try to do this. Good idea.

[HSMom2One]

I try to alternate weekly what does not get done. It helps me to get everything done. One week we might not get to chemistry and the next we might not get to history and those two usually alternate on busy weeks (when we have dentist or doctor appointments or music lessons are rescheduled).

 

This makes me feel so much better! I have been doing this too, but was worried that maybe I'm not doing it right -- feelings of guilt, etc. :tongue_smilie: It is so great to know that it's all right to customize the schedule as needed, as long as we get the program in and dc understand the concepts.

 

You be de bomb Donna! You made my day!

 

Blessings,

Lucinda

[laurad1125]

Science is the bad one for us. I finally decided that ds's robotics class would have to suffice for the year - and we've quit even trying. How bad it that? :001_rolleyes:

[jenniferlee]

Logic and Latin here as well - The kids don't like the logic book I got and I haven't had time to find anything else.

Oh well, maybe after Christmas...

Jen

[YJ in AL]

Latin in the Christian Trivium...she is doing it all on her own. I need to get my carcass in gear and catch up with her.

 

Yvonne

[laughing lioness]

I've been thinking about this myself lately. It's Latin here. We always start out really strong and then kinda fizzle out...we know lots of vocab :001_smile: My dh is on the case, though. He's been reading TWTM- is he good or what?- for a project and I am feeling the support. :001_smile:He is catching the vision.

[runamuk]

Art and music appreciation. I don't even know where to begin.

[Damselfly]

(1) Child Sized Masterpieces~ I love the idea of this art appreciation program, but for some reason I haven't been able to make myself cut up all the cards and figure out what I'm supposed to do with them!! And yes, I even have the book that explains step-by-step what to do. :tongue_smilie:

 

(2) Science Experiments~ My DS would do experiments all day, every day if the materials were provided for him. I try to plan ahead and to be prepared to do at least one per week, but it never seems to get done. We do all the 'desk work' first, and by the time that is done, DS has "checked-out" for the day. :glare:

 

Those are the two biggies, but there is so much more I'd LOVE to do and just never get around to doing it, either due to lack of time, energy or motivation.