Drama Llama Posted November 8, 2020 Posted November 8, 2020 (edited) I need to get a homeschool routine reestablished. I think a routine will do my kids some good, and my 8th grader has missed a huge amount of school, so I need to get him ready for high school.  The routines we planned before my middle son's death never really got off the ground, and wouldn't make sense now anyway, since they incorporated so many things like cousins, and scheduling around medical procedures, and my husband's participation, that won't factor in now. So, we need to build something from scratch. I'd love to hear from other people for what their routines are like with this age. I'll have a 5th grader and an 8th grade. Both pretty typical kids, but both not functioning close to normal due to grief. I'll be working 40 - 60 hours a week, from home, about 6 hours a day that's scheduled and the rest on my own timeframe, so ideas from parents who are juggling other responsibilities would be great. But really, more than ideas for what our schedule could look like, I'd like to hear what works for other people. Edited November 8, 2020 by BaseballandHockey The grammatical error in the title was annoying 1 Quote
Miss Tick Posted November 8, 2020 Posted November 8, 2020 In our house I've found that math needs to happen in the morning to be productive. I have a "suggested" schedule that everybody uses to hide their day. The schedule hits all the subjects that need to be done and accommodates my own schedule restrictions. Within that I encourage people to make whatever changes make sense for them. Typng it all out helps me not overload people with all the Cool! Supplements! I am sometimes susceptible to. Writing it all out helps everybody see that if they want to be done by 4 they need to get started by 9. The schedule also helps everyone feel justice, even on days a sibling finishes earlier.  3 1 Quote
Gobblygook Posted November 8, 2020 Posted November 8, 2020 (edited) I also have 5th and 8th graders. My 8th grader will go to high school next year as well so I’m very much focused on what I need to do to get him ready for high school. I currently also have a 10th grader at the same high school so I have a good sense of where my 8th grader needs to be next year. For him, the things we are working on are: Math. He’s doing prealgebra and is pretty amazing at mental math. He has very little confidence in his ability, though, so I’m working to make sure he has a very solid foundation. I know his teacher next year and know that she is very picky on showing work, which he does not like to do, so that is an area of focus as well. She lent me the algebra textbook for next year and I’m trying to make sure we cover enough that the content will be easy for him at the beginning, so that he can adjust to things like turning in assignments on time, showing his work, etc. I am teaching him one-to-one, but you might consider something with videos, like Derek Owens or Thinkwell, so that he can progress without your direct involvement. Writing. He’s really good at IEW, which is somewhat formulaic, but he needs help with coming up with original content. My older son does a lot of writing across the curriculum in high school so I’m trying to also incorporate the types of writing that my 8th grader will be expected to do next year, like essays. Study skills — note taking, organization. For our history and science, for example, I have him take notes on his reading. We also do history, grammar, science, and literature — but he’s either doing pretty well in those areas, or those subjects start from the beginning in high school, so I’m not stressing over them. I guess my advice to you is to take a look at your son’s strengths and weaknesses and choose a couple of things that you want to focus on during your limited teaching time. For the other things, choose resources that are fairly independent and/or not time-consuming. Best wishes to you! Edited November 8, 2020 by Gobblygook 2 1 Quote
Gobblygook Posted November 8, 2020 Posted November 8, 2020 4 minutes ago, SusanC said: In our house I've found that math needs to happen in the morning to be productive. I have a "suggested" schedule that everybody uses to hide their day. The schedule hits all the subjects that need to be done and accommodates my own schedule restrictions. Within that I encourage people to make whatever changes make sense for them. Typng it all out helps me not overload people with all the Cool! Supplements! I am sometimes susceptible to. Writing it all out helps everybody see that if they want to be done by 4 they need to get started by 9. The schedule also helps everyone feel justice, even on days a sibling finishes earlier.  We also do math in the morning typically, although I rotate between kids. 1 Quote
freesia Posted November 8, 2020 Posted November 8, 2020 Are they doing any subjects together?  Do they do science and history independently? When I had multiple middle schoolers I tended to spend about half an hour a day one on one going over math and grammar and writing ( I also had a weekly 45 minute writing class we did with others.) They did science independently with me helping with experiments. One child also did history independently with a once a week longer discussion. With my other three I read history with them for about another 1/2 hour—sometimes they had other history work to do independently.  1 Quote
Lori D. Posted November 8, 2020 Posted November 8, 2020 (edited) Your situation is different and trickier than what ours was, what with your 2 extra hard aspects to juggle (family grief, parents working long hours). I am so sorry you have to go back to work so soon now, and for such long hours. I think that you will really need to be careful for yourself that all the work hours + caring for the rest of your family does not push out time for yourself to rest, to do what brings recovery and joy for you, and to give YOU the time you need to grieve and heal. Perhaps setting up more general blocks of time might give you all some routine, but also flexibility as different family members have different needs arise? Thinking that might be of help, below is what our time blocks looked like when DSs were the age of your boys. NOTE: I do NOT think all of what we did below is realistic for your family at this time. I think it will need to look much more like what @SusanC or @Gobblygook described above.  BEST wishes for healing, and finding a gentle rhythm to your days that helps you all at this difficult time. Hugs, Lori D.  4 days a week: mornings (about 3 hours) - started our day with a together time of Bible/devotions and several miscellaneous things - Math, LA topics (literature, writing, spelling, grammar); also: Geography and Logic/Critical Thinking, on alternating days afternoons (about 90 min. for 5th grade, about 2 hours for 8th grade) - finish up whatever didn't get done in the morning - Science and History (on alternate days, so only one per day, but a longer block of time - solo Reading/Literature, plus as needed: a short 2nd "bite" of Writing or Math5th day of the week (for at-home work: 30 min. at 5th grade, maybe 2 hours at 8th grade) - Math; some LA topics as needed - Art/Music Appreciation - longer projects or experiments - finish up of work not completed during the rest of the week - meet with homeschool support groupother school things: - read-alouds = several evenings a week were family read-aloud time for 45-60 min., as it fit in with the rest of the schedule - extracurriculars = 2 afternoons/week DSs had sports; 1 evening/week DSs had church youth groupchores: - as a family, we did small daily chores each day to keep things picked up, dishes washed, laundry done, etc. - Sat. mornings was family deep clean for about 90 min., with each person responsible for their room + certain other areasmy personal care/exercise routine - several mornings/week DH and I walked the dog for 2 miles, and it was also our spouse time to talk/bond - 2-3 times/week after schooling I went to the public pool to swam laps, which helped me de-stress and reduced issues with anxiety/depression - during the school week, we took an hour at lunch and I spent about half of that relaxing/reading for myself ETA: Agreeing with posters up-thread, for your 8th grader who will be going to a brick-and-mortar high school next year -- the things that are key and would best help him transition: Math: - complete and be rock solid up through Pre-Algebra or Algebra 1 (to start Algebra 1 or Geometry in 9th) Writing: - be able to write complete paragraphs - be able to write 3-paragraph and 5-paragraph essays of different types - be able to revise and proof-edit his writing - be able to type, set up a document, save documents - familiarity with basic formatting Study Skills: - how to learn from a textbook - time management (schedule himself for getting work done; and track deadlines of big assignments) - stuff management (where are his papers, homework, assignments, and getting them handed in) - memorization tips and techniques (ex: learning For. Lang. vocabulary) - test-taking tips and techniques - beginning note-taking from a lecture If you get to any other subject areas this year, that is icing on top. I don't foresee anything else being absolutely critical to a successful transition into high school, other than a good amount of healing. (((((hugs))))) Edited November 8, 2020 by Lori D. 1 2 Quote
Drama Llama Posted November 8, 2020 Author Posted November 8, 2020 This is all great. I guess what I want to know is the nitty gritty. Like what rooms are your kids in?  Do they all do the same subject at the same time, or do they choose the order they work through things? If you say they work 3 hours, do they work for 3 hours straight, or work for an hour and then go ride their bike for a while, and then work some more and stop for a snack? My guess is that we'll need really high structure, and low volume. Quote
PeterPan Posted November 8, 2020 Posted November 8, 2020 5 minutes ago, BaseballandHockey said: Like what rooms are your kids in? A dedicated work space that gets them in mode is ideal, at least as a launching point. Some kids can rove from there, taking their work to other places, and some can't. I can tell you what *isn't* wise is kids in an office unattended. I would make it a public room. Printed, visble checklists. 6 minutes ago, BaseballandHockey said: Do they all do the same subject at the same time If the kids are competitive, you can get some momentum by doing this. What I did with my dd at that age that worked well was touchpoints. So they know they want to have the top part of their list done by 10:30 to take a break, etc. Or maybe the touchpoint is you or the supervising parent coming in for 30 minutes to do 15/15 with them. And they are *trying* to get their list done up to that point. If they don't, they're just behind and get it done after your session with them. But touchpoints worked well for us. 13 minutes ago, BaseballandHockey said: If you say they work 3 hours, do they work for 3 hours straight, or work for an hour and then go ride their bike for a while, and then work some more and stop for a snack? That would be improbable to work straight, lol. If you create touchpoints, then they know how long their breaks can be to keep on track. Personally, I would be ok for those ages, given the situation, with some morning chores (read Bible, sweep, feed animals, etc.), 1 hour of work, significant break, touchpoint with parent for 30 minutes, work 30-45, lunch, afternoon=free form learning that they record. 15 minutes ago, BaseballandHockey said: My guess is that we'll need really high structure, and low volume. Exactly. And structure can be recording what they chose to do. You can have a menu of choices. It seems like your tribe has always done well with useful choices. I think it would be more useful to schedule happy things than to stress over academics. We'll do things like Cookie Thursday, which happens if everyone is on track with their math. Mom's Day Off, which happens every Wednesday and they do totally independent studies and projects, like learning to make balloon animals. A month of art and just do 3-4 art projects a day, nothing else. Ditto for science. Science is fab because you can read it, watch it, write it, do it, and you've done 4 sessions, boom. You're coming up on Christmas so a limited plan (1 hour a day from the list, 30 minutes chores, 1-2 hours free reading) leaves you time for holiday crafts and baking each day. Right before Christmas is NOT the time to be stressing about next year and high school. Anything going on there you can solve in one month next summer. Seriously. This is the time to be kind to yourselves and create some PEACE and JOY going into the holidays. 2 1 Quote
Gobblygook Posted November 8, 2020 Posted November 8, 2020 (edited) We start out with what we call morning time. That almost always includes a read-aloud from our history, and also often includes some of the following: - a documentary (they take turns choosing one on a topic of interest) -an educational game like Noggin, Prime Climb, Election Night, or Geo Puzzles. -a short Bible reading or devotional -taking turns reading a poem to each other -a language arts component, such as grammar review After that, I typically take one child to do math or writing while the other works independently (usually - it doesn't always work that way) on science, history, grammar or another subject. We do morning time in our downstairs family room which adjoins our schoolroom. Usually, I work one-on-one on math or writing in the school room while the other child either goes upstairs to the kitchen table to work, or sits on the floor in the family room. We rotate through parent-intensive and independent subjects. As needed, we'll take breaks to go outside. We usually start at 9, take lunch between 11:30-12, take about an hour lunch and resume by 1. We're typically done by 3:00. They do the same history and science, but with adaptations for their level. For example, we're officially using Sonlight core E, but I adapt the readers as needed. We're now studying the time period after the Civil War, but my daughter really wants to read the American Girl history books, so she's doing that. My son already read one of the Sonlight books, so he's reading the Magician's Nephew which goes along with his IEW book. So, we're studying roughly the same time period, and our read-aloud correlates with it, so we can generally discuss what's going on. For science, they are both studying anatomy, but with two different textbooks, and we do the experiments associated with only one of the books. Edited November 8, 2020 by Gobblygook 2 1 Quote
PeterPan Posted November 8, 2020 Posted November 8, 2020 You know my ds is perpetually "behind" because of his ASD2. Right now (like today) I'm printing off things and making mini goals for the next 6 or so weeks to get us through the holidays. I'm ok with having a goal (like your oh my something is not right for high school) if it fits in that time frame peacefully. But it's ok to let goals wait and work on a different goal that fits in better. So I'm picking *little* goals, 32 day goals, not semester goals to start now. I'm going to have my ds start swiffering the steps to the basement each day. It's really hard to find independent work for him, and I think he can do that. I also pulled the comics pages from a month worth of papers and am going to have him read the comics each day. When my dd was the age of your kids, she was functioning higher, so she'd be reading emails of current events from major news sources and writing summaries. Same idea, same amount of time, just what its the kid. My dd in 5th really enjoyed Wordsmith Apprentice and the Beautiful Feet Geography. Both were conducive to independent work. It's a good age to have some basic structure (write a summary of what you learned) and let them have time to explore. 1 1 Quote
Lori D. Posted November 8, 2020 Posted November 8, 2020 (edited) 1 hour ago, BaseballandHockey said: I guess what I want to know is the nitty gritty. Like what rooms are your kids in?  Do they all do the same subject at the same time, or do they choose the order they work through things? If you say they work 3 hours, do they work for 3 hours straight, or work for an hour and then go ride their bike for a while, and then work some more and stop for a snack? Totally "YMMV" -- it will depend on your family circumstances and how each student works best. What we needed for our DSs to succeed with homeschooling is NOT going to be a fit for your family. I was right with DSs in the living room on the couches the whole time because DS#2 had LDs that necessitated that, and DS#1 did far better with auditory learning (me reading aloud, or audiobooks or video documentaries) BUT also in general he did better when I was there to "keep him company". For us, we needed to keep pretty focused, as DS#2 was extremely difficult to get back on track what with his ADD and LDs -- so our 3 hours in the morning was pretty much straight through with a 5-10 minute break about every 30-40 minutes, and the focus was core subjects (Math & LA). We always included a protein snack partway through the morning. The afternoon time block was shorter, and more relaxed and covered content subjects.  1 hour ago, BaseballandHockey said: My guess is that we'll need really high structure, and low volume. Perhaps a check-off schedule? And blocks for subject times (with just a simple, short lesson to accomplished in that time block), which slightly mimics what they will be going back to with a brick-and-mortar school? Totally just an example-- you'd need to make what works for each DS... morning (2 hours school + 30 min. together time)   8:00-8:30am = breakfast/clean up; light morning chores 8:30am-9:00 = family "power half hour" -- together time + go over what needs to happen for the day 9:00-9:40 = Math   9:40-10:30 = long physical activity, snack, bathroom, etc. 10:30-11:00 = Writing   11:00-11:15 = bathroom, snack, short physical activity 11:15-11:25 = Spelling workbook 11:25-11:45 = Grammar workbook 11:45-12:00 = Geography workbookafternoon (1 hr. 40 min. school, + 30 min. informal learning)   12:00-12:30 = lunch/clean up; watch CNN for kids during lunch   12:30-1:00 = break time -- rest, book, hobby, etc. 1:00-1:30 = read-aloud or solo reading 1:30-2:10 = History or Science   2:10-2:15 = break -- bathroom, snack/water, stretch 2:15-2:45 = finish up anything not done earlier; instrument practice; etc.   rest of afternoons = sports teams, extracurriculars, physical activity, hobby, cooking with granddad, etc. evenings = as it works, family read-aloud, occasional family movie, etc. Edited November 8, 2020 by Lori D. 1 Quote
Drama Llama Posted November 8, 2020 Author Posted November 8, 2020 I think the challenge is twofold. One is that we planned on private for high school. I have no idea if that's still the plan. I don't know if in person school will be safe, or if he'll be ready for 9th grade. We aren't anywhere close to being in a position to make those kinds of decisions. But if we want to keep that door open, applications are due mid December, which means I need to be able to report some kind of plan for 8th grade. So, whether or not we implement the plan right now, we at least need to make it.  DS10 will either go to public or back to the private he attended before, so that's a lot easier. The other is my return to work. If I'm going to have any chance of teaching them a routine, it's going to have to happen before then. And my experience with these two is that routine is going to be key to their mental health during what is certainly going to be a very hard transition.  3 Quote
PeterPan Posted November 8, 2020 Posted November 8, 2020 7 minutes ago, Lori D. said: What we needed for our DSs to succeed with homeschooling is NOT going to be a fit for your family. I was right with DSs in the living room on the couches the whole time because DS#2 had LDs that necessitated that, and DS#1 did far better with auditory learning (me reading aloud, or audiobooks or video documentaries) BUT also in general he did better when I was there to "keep him company". Oh my yes, this is SO where we live. 1 Quote
PeterPan Posted November 8, 2020 Posted November 8, 2020 7 minutes ago, BaseballandHockey said: applications are due mid December, What are the other applicants to that school doing right now? Things are SO up in the air, and I think their 9th grade incoming class will get accommodations and slow start as teachers will know some are not up to speed or had a really irregular year. 8 minutes ago, BaseballandHockey said: I don't know if in person school will be safe, Given that the CDC made their testing/hard to sail orders valid through Nov 2021, I think they have every assumption that things are going to be hairy till then. If it *is* still a mess the first half of next year, what will you want to happen? Also, does the dc want to go there? Grief has its own timetable. You could think of this year as a gap year, the kind some people take after high school. You could decide on something different for high school, something more flexible. 1 1 Quote
PeterPan Posted November 8, 2020 Posted November 8, 2020 13 minutes ago, BaseballandHockey said: my experience with these two is that routine is going to be key to their mental health during what is certainly going to be a very hard transition. The easiest way to create that level of structure is video classes. Not live, not graded, not for high school credit. Just something where they can sit on the couch, watch the videos, play with legos, sorta do the assignments, and say they did it. That way it happens every day, whether they feel up to it or not. There's a free online spanish that would work for that. The GA PBS has chemistry. For those ages, you might look for physical science, life science, astronomy, anything. Great Courses could be REALLY great. Just something where they can sit and watch it. 1 1 Quote
Miss Tick Posted November 8, 2020 Posted November 8, 2020 42 minutes ago, BaseballandHockey said: This is all great. I guess what I want to know is the nitty gritty. Like what rooms are your kids in?  Do they all do the same subject at the same time, or do they choose the order they work through things? If you say they work 3 hours, do they work for 3 hours straight, or work for an hour and then go ride their bike for a while, and then work some more and stop for a snack? My guess is that we'll need really high structure, and low volume. I have one middle schooler and two high schoolers. We all generally sit at the kitchen table together for most of the day. It isn't a requirement, though, and middle school dd will take independent work into my bed (close and made, so easy to curl up on.) The olders sometimes drift into the living room to work. The schedule I made is the default schedule, but if they want to do things in a different order they are welcome to, as long as it doesn't impact others. They used to all do math at the same time, but the olders rarely need my help anymore. Those two do history and writing together with me at the same time. Everybody works from 9 to noon, but msdd sometimes finished with her morning subjects early, especially if i am at the grocery store. If i am home we talk about if she should spend a little more time on ___ or pull something forward from the afternoon. Often, though, she just gets to be done. Every 4-6 weeks i remind her that in middle school i expect at least an hour's work on the highest priority subjects. We work in the kitchen, so food and drinks are ready to grab if they want, i don't really police that. Nobody takes a physical activity break here, even if I strongly suggest it. At lunch time we all go our separate ways and read books. From what you have said here and in the MS history thread, i think you might be week served to define what a lesson is for each subject and just make that the minimum each day for a while. If they finish "early" fine and if it takes "too long" reevaluate. Then, in the new year make adjustments as needed. You are juggling a lot at this point, i wish you all well. 1 1 Quote
Drama Llama Posted November 8, 2020 Author Posted November 8, 2020 OK, so I made an attempt at a schedule. It both seems like way too little, and really overwhelming, when compared with what we're managing to do now. For example, my older kid is falling asleep after lunch everyday right now. Grief is exhausting him. My thought is that we'd aim to be done with homeschool by 1:00, when I have about a 10 minute break from work, and they can ride their bikes to their grandparents, where there's more outdoor space to play, and they can get some attention.  Their cousins might be there, it's not really clear what that plan is. Then at around 5:00 when I get off work they can come home and we can have some family time. This would be with these curriculum DS10: Beast Academy, Reading of his choice, Lego Robotics, Homeschool Spanish Academy, join his brother for US Historical Fiction Read alouds, and the experiments from Physical Science. (We did Treasured Conversations this summer, because I knew we'd need to get ahead, so we'll count that as writing/language arts for theyear) DS13 Math Mammoth, US History Detective, Oak Meadow Physical Science, Some Historical Fiction Read Alouds, with the plan to do Oak Meadow English 8 this coming summer. Quote
Lori D. Posted November 8, 2020 Posted November 8, 2020 ^^^ Your above schedule -- looks good, and I hope this works well for you! One thing I will note -- starting around age 13 or so, most teen bodies switch the circadian rhythm so that they are awake later and sleep in later. So  your older DS might naturally do better by getting up later (like 7:30 or 8:30am), and then he might feel more alert for later into the day. And grief, as you say, is exhausting, so he might need to sleep in just for that reason, if nothing else. And, I totally get that if that works better for him, that it will throw off everything else in your schedule. But it's worth considering, if he is the one who is most struggling with grief right now, and may have the biggest need to be accommodated. Disregard if this is not applicable, or if he is a morning person and does best with an early start to the day. Totally just a thought, and something to keep one eye on for the future, as even "early birds" often experience a change in their sleep needs and patterns at the teen years. Warmest regards, Lori D. 2 1 Quote
Drama Llama Posted November 9, 2020 Author Posted November 9, 2020 He’s not the only one struggling.  I am a mess.  My husband is such a mess right now you will note I didn’t even put him on the schedule.  My younger one is bouncing off the walls and just expressing his grief in a different way. I am a public school teacher.  I have zero control over my schedule.  I need to be at my desk camera on at 7:45 and I think they are going to need some time to check in with me and connect before the day starts.  So we will cram as much exercise as we can into the day and hope that leads to sleep.  So far that has been working OK as a strategy. Please don’t quote. 2 Quote
PeterPan Posted November 9, 2020 Posted November 9, 2020 (edited) 37 minutes ago, BaseballandHockey said: OK, so I made an attempt at a schedule. It both seems like way too little, and really overwhelming, when compared with what we're managing to do now. So don't do increase it by so much. Take whatever you're doing now and add *one more thing*. That's it. One thing. And after that holds and is ok for two weeks (which gets you through Thanksgiving), then add another one small thing. That will get you through Christmas, but you will have doubled what you're doing without strain. Then in January, see if you can keep going up. I notice some of your blocks for academics are long. Maybe instead of trying to do a lot, try to do more of little things. So 15 minutes of math instead of 45. Do some of these kids need to see the doctor about medications? If they're sleeping a lot, that's the depression. Any chance their D is low? Ok, I'll just ask. If you moved from living with Gramps, would they be able to go to school? I've been told many people when grieving make radical changes. Have they made some kind of radical change? For my MIL, she changed all the furniture and carpet. Just WHOOSH gone. I've heard that is super common. Maybe a change of scenery would be good for their mental health? Edited November 9, 2020 by PeterPan 1 Quote
PeterPan Posted November 9, 2020 Posted November 9, 2020 17 minutes ago, Lori D. said: Your above schedule -- looks good, Yes! 19 minutes ago, Lori D. said: then he might feel more alert for later into the day. That is such a good point. She could start the schedule at 11:45, allowing them to sleep in, read, etc. Then she could have an evening meeting with each dc, 7pm and 8pm. Even shorten it to 30 minutes. Our pediatrician said sleeping in was normal for teens. My dd sort of took it to extremes, lol. 1 Quote
Lori D. Posted November 9, 2020 Posted November 9, 2020 5 minutes ago, PeterPan said: ...Take whatever you're doing now and add *one more thing*. That's it. One thing. And after that holds and is ok for two weeks (which gets you through Thanksgiving), then add another one small thing. That will get you through Christmas, but you will have doubled what you're doing without strain. Then in January, see if you can keep going up. I notice some of your blocks for academics are long. Maybe instead of trying to do a lot, try to do more of little things. So 15 minutes of math instead of 45... Good thoughts here. 1 Quote
Drama Llama Posted November 9, 2020 Author Posted November 9, 2020 1 minute ago, PeterPan said: So don't do that. Take what you're doing now and add *one more thing*. That's it. One thing. And after that holds and is ok for two weeks (which gets you through Thanksgiving), then add another one small thing. That will get you through Christmas, but you will have doubled what you're doing without strain. Then in January, see if you can keep going up. I notice some of your blocks for academics are long. Maybe instead of trying to do a lot, try to do more of little things. So 15 minutes of math instead of 45. Do some of these kids need to see the doctor about medications? If they're sleeping a lot, that's the depression. Any chance their D is low? Ok, I'll just ask. If you moved from living with Gramps, would they be able to go to school? I've been told many people when grieving make radical changes. Have they made some kind of radical change? For my MIL, she changed all the furniture and carpet. Just WHOOSH gone. I've heard that is super common. Maybe a change of scenery would be good for their mental health? I have to assume that losing a sibling you love and watching your parents fall apart completely is a more likely cause of grief than low D.  Especially for a fair skinned kid who plays outside a lot. But he is also on antidepressants for anxiety. In school person is not an option here, we are moving back to our own house next week, but my guess is the kids will travel back and forth daily.  We are about 1/2 a mile apart so moving doesn’t change the school district. We will add things gradually, but I need a picture of what we’re building towards.  Also me restarting work complicates things. Quote
Lori D. Posted November 9, 2020 Posted November 9, 2020 7 minutes ago, BaseballandHockey said: ...struggling... expressing grief...Â đŸ˜¢Â I can only imagine how impossible and overwhelming this is for you all. I am so sorry. Praying for you all. (((((hugs))))) 1 1 Quote
Drama Llama Posted November 9, 2020 Author Posted November 9, 2020 10 minutes ago, PeterPan said: Yes! That is such a good point. She could start the schedule at 11:45, allowing them to sleep in, read, etc. Then she could have an evening meeting with each dc, 7pm and 8pm. Even shorten it to 30 minutes. Our pediatrician said sleeping in was normal for teens. My dd sort of took it to extremes, lol. Realistically, I am not going to make it through an 8 hour school day and then teach my kids at 8 p.m..  And my kids need other kinds of attention. Quote
Lori D. Posted November 9, 2020 Posted November 9, 2020 See how your schedule goes. As Peter Pan suggested, maybe ramp up slowly, adding just one element of your schedule per week. Or, if you do start off with this full schedule, give yourself permission to set it aside for a day if it is not working for someone. Or to back way down if overall the schedule is not realistic right now. The holidays will bring more for you all to process, so if you only get part of your schedule implemented right now, that is okay! That is a step forward. You have all of next semester and summer to slowly, each in your own pace, recover and reach the place of being ready for brick-and-mortar school. (Or, even delaying that another year as you suggested elsewhere.) The intensity of what you all have experienced over the past 2 years has been immense. It will take at least that much time again to recovery, and to "unpack" everything that was a part of that intense experience. 2 1 Quote
Drama Llama Posted November 9, 2020 Author Posted November 9, 2020 18 minutes ago, PeterPan said:  I notice some of your blocks for academics are long. Maybe instead of trying to do a lot, try to do more of little things. So 15 minutes of math instead of 45.  I haven’t really done any homeschooling, but if it goes like everything else, we will need to pace it slow, and leave time for a kid to reset or go off on a tangent or whatever.  I don’t picture 45 minutes of math being 45 minutes of math, but if we’re going to get 15 minutes of math then I probably need to write 45 minutes on the schedule. 3 Quote
prairiewindmomma Posted November 9, 2020 Posted November 9, 2020 My 6th grader has mostly spun off into independence because I don’t have much time availability for her. It’s not ideal, but it’s what I have to work with this year. She has a planner that she marks off, and we go over work and have accountability discussions nightly. Her day looks like: school starting by 9, Spectrum Reading & Voyages in English for grammar (all workbooks), either History Odyssey (which has checklists) or Prentice Hall Earth Science (she does workbook stuff T/Th and we do labs on Fridays), Artistic Pursuits, and math. Some evenings we have to do math together, other days she is able to work on her own. She generally finishes her seated work by noon and then works on DuoLingo, works on her baking skills, reads, or otherwise pursues her own interests. My 9th grade does not function independently well. I let him sleep late (puberty) while I work with his younger sister in the am and I school him from 1-7pm. If I had him working on his own, it would have to be with him working with online materials next to me—either apps, websites, or videos. At 10, he watched a lot of Nature and Nova and history documentaries while playing with lego to build his vocabulary and conceptual understanding. That has surprisingly provided tremendous benefit because the foundational knowledge is there. 3 Quote
prairiewindmomma Posted November 9, 2020 Posted November 9, 2020 Coming back to add, Ds would be a lot more efficient if I designed his studies, but he is in an online charter which is completely ridiculous in how badly the assignments are designed, and in how badly the lessons are set up. I really freaking hate FLVS. It is nothing like when we were in K12 several years ago. 1 Quote
PeterPan Posted November 9, 2020 Posted November 9, 2020 (edited) 22 minutes ago, BaseballandHockey said: low D Maybe don't consider it either/or. This is right about the time D levels are dropping on people. Are you excited about moving back to your own house? It sounds kind of exciting. It's a lot, but it might make for that big change. Yeah, the kids need attention, but they also have each other. Around here, homeschoolers are going some public indoor activities (trampoline parks, skating, etc.). Maybe you could make friends and have your kids picked up for those? Might brighten things up and give them others to hang with for a few hours. Â Edited November 9, 2020 by PeterPan Quote
Drama Llama Posted November 9, 2020 Author Posted November 9, 2020 19 hours ago, freesia said: Are they doing any subjects together?  Do they do science and history independently? Right, now I'm thinking that DS13 will do some science (Oak Meadow Physical Science 8 ) and history (US History Detective) mostly independently, but with a few things that we'll do together like the experiments from Oak Meadow, or a historical fiction read aloud. Those pieces will probably be the only assigned things DS10 will do.  Academically, I'm less worried about my youngest. 5th grade seems lower stakes, and he was ahead before this started, so I figure he'll catch up. He's also seems to have an intense need to keep busy right now, so he's doing all the things, including things like cooking and legos that are probably developing his skills naturally. I figure since we did so much writing last year, if we keep up the math, and he reads every day, that will be enough. I'm also keeping him in online Spanish with his cousin, because he likes it and it's a good way for them to connect.  3 Quote
Raspberry Posted November 9, 2020 Posted November 9, 2020 I have a 5th grader and a 3rd grader and I work 40 hours a week from home. Here's our day: 6am - 7am: Wake up, breakfast and getting ready. 7am - 8am: Spelling and grammar. For the 5th grader it is MCT Town level and the younger is homegrown + phonics. I bought the package from MCT so I am following the written schedule for it. They are both at the table with me and I take turns going over everything with them. 8am - 9am: Math Mammoth for both of them. Still at the table. When the clock hits 9 they are done. 9am - 10am: They have some chores and then outside. I pull out my laptop and start working. 10am - 11am: Writing. We are doing IEW Structure and Style videos so I just need set them up and they are off. I do take breaks to check in with them and help with edits and drafts. They also work on poetry memorization during this time. 11am - 12pm: We rotate through the extras (like art, health, world religions ...). I probably spend 20 minutes hands on with them and then give them stuff to do/read for the rest. Or if work is crazy I have then watch a documentary. Lunch Time: They make their own lunch and then go outside for a hour. I work and usually put in a freezer meal in the slow cooker that I prepped on the weekend. Afternoon: They have a checklist of daily independent items. This includes things like typing and instrument practice as well as independent reading of classics and non-fiction (30 minutes for younger and an hour for the older and they come over a narrate to me when they are done). I also sign them up for a mix of weekly online classes for science and history during this time as well. They have instrument lessons with an online tutor once a week as well. They have access to tons of craft supplies, the outside, and once work is done some educational tv / games. This is when I get to focus on my job until about 6pm. 6pm - 9pm: Dinner, clean up (everyone helps) and then relax/family time until bedtime.  Almost all of my prep and planning happens on the weekend. Hope that helps a bit. :) 3 Quote
Drama Llama Posted November 9, 2020 Author Posted November 9, 2020 59 minutes ago, Raspberry said: I have a 5th grader and a 3rd grader and I work 40 hours a week from home. Here's our day: 6am - 7am: Wake up, breakfast and getting ready. 7am - 8am: Spelling and grammar. For the 5th grader it is MCT Town level and the younger is homegrown + phonics. I bought the package from MCT so I am following the written schedule for it. They are both at the table with me and I take turns going over everything with them. 8am - 9am: Math Mammoth for both of them. Still at the table. When the clock hits 9 they are done. 9am - 10am: They have some chores and then outside. I pull out my laptop and start working. 10am - 11am: Writing. We are doing IEW Structure and Style videos so I just need set them up and they are off. I do take breaks to check in with them and help with edits and drafts. They also work on poetry memorization during this time. 11am - 12pm: We rotate through the extras (like art, health, world religions ...). I probably spend 20 minutes hands on with them and then give them stuff to do/read for the rest. Or if work is crazy I have then watch a documentary. Lunch Time: They make their own lunch and then go outside for a hour. I work and usually put in a freezer meal in the slow cooker that I prepped on the weekend. Afternoon: They have a checklist of daily independent items. This includes things like typing and instrument practice as well as independent reading of classics and non-fiction (30 minutes for younger and an hour for the older and they come over a narrate to me when they are done). I also sign them up for a mix of weekly online classes for science and history during this time as well. They have instrument lessons with an online tutor once a week as well. They have access to tons of craft supplies, the outside, and once work is done some educational tv / games. This is when I get to focus on my job until about 6pm. 6pm - 9pm: Dinner, clean up (everyone helps) and then relax/family time until bedtime.  Almost all of my prep and planning happens on the weekend. Hope that helps a bit. đŸ™‚ Thanks, it's super helpful to see it written out from someone else who is balancing work and homeschool.  1 Quote
freesia Posted November 9, 2020 Posted November 9, 2020 3 hours ago, BaseballandHockey said: Right, now I'm thinking that DS13 will do some science (Oak Meadow Physical Science 8 ) and history (US History Detective) mostly independently, but with a few things that we'll do together like the experiments from Oak Meadow, or a historical fiction read aloud. Those pieces will probably be the only assigned things DS10 will do.  Academically, I'm less worried about my youngest. 5th grade seems lower stakes, and he was ahead before this started, so I figure he'll catch up. He's also seems to have an intense need to keep busy right now, so he's doing all the things, including things like cooking and legos that are probably developing his skills naturally. I figure since we did so much writing last year, if we keep up the math, and he reads every day, that will be enough. I'm also keeping him in online Spanish with his cousin, because he likes it and it's a good way for them to connect.  I think your instincts are right about your 5th grader. With my four, they've been all over the map in 5th grade in terms of what they were capable of and what we did as a result. It all came together in sixth grade. If you want low-key but sticky history, Liberty's Kids has always been a hit with my crew. Jonathan Bird videos for science.  You could have him do weekly freewrites for writing. But if not, I agree he will be fine. Your plan for DS 13 seems doable, too. (With regard to experiments, in my busiest/most stressful times, I write the experiments into my plan book (usually I just write in their plan book) so that I see it there all week and know that I have something extra to do that day than my normal schedule.Idk if that would matter for you, but it makes me feel less overwhelmed than realizing I need to do an experiment that day at the last moment. So, with all that, I stick with my recommendation--plan 30-45 minutes individually with each boy to go over, teach new lessons. Plan a read aloud time daily. Consider a day of the week for things you want to do once a week--science experiments, longer writing lesson, etc. Only plan 3 of these so that you can easily move them if you aren't emotionally up to doing them. 1 1 Quote
Drama Llama Posted November 9, 2020 Author Posted November 9, 2020 4 hours ago, freesia said: I think your instincts are right about your 5th grader. With my four, they've been all over the map in 5th grade in terms of what they were capable of and what we did as a result. It all came together in sixth grade. If you want low-key but sticky history, Liberty's Kids has always been a hit with my crew. Jonathan Bird videos for science.  You could have him do weekly freewrites for writing. But if not, I agree he will be fine. Your plan for DS 13 seems doable, too. (With regard to experiments, in my busiest/most stressful times, I write the experiments into my plan book (usually I just write in their plan book) so that I see it there all week and know that I have something extra to do that day than my normal schedule.Idk if that would matter for you, but it makes me feel less overwhelmed than realizing I need to do an experiment that day at the last moment. So, with all that, I stick with my recommendation--plan 30-45 minutes individually with each boy to go over, teach new lessons. Plan a read aloud time daily. Consider a day of the week for things you want to do once a week--science experiments, longer writing lesson, etc. Only plan 3 of these so that you can easily move them if you aren't emotionally up to doing them. I think we will need to do the experiments on the weekend.  1 Quote
freesia Posted November 9, 2020 Posted November 9, 2020 1 hour ago, BaseballandHockey said: I think we will need to do the experiments on the weekend.  Good idea. I have a friend who does that. Quote
bensonduck Posted November 9, 2020 Posted November 9, 2020 Is Physical Science Oak Meadow 8? I’ve done several years of Oak Meadow middle school science with my oldest and one thing that they are WONDERFUL at is writing the experiments to the students. They really break down the directions into bite size pieces so the kids know what to do and expect. I’d think that after the first couple weeks your child might be able to do the hands on part on his own (maybe with the sibling as a lab partner). Don’t worry if you don’t get to all the projects either. There are so many of them and so many different ways Oak Meadow presents info. 1 Quote
kirstenhill Posted November 9, 2020 Posted November 9, 2020 (edited) I'm homeschooling a 3rd, a 6th and an 8th grader, but a lot of MY time is devoted to the 3rd grader as he is dyslexic and can't do much of anything on his own. I'll lay out our routine (it was pretty similar really last year). 8am: Wake up DS13 if he isn't up yet (DS11 is an early riser). 8-9am: boys have breakfast, get dressed, do chores 9-10am: me reading aloud to all three boys. DS13 is doing something different for history than the other two boys, so he leaves to start independent work for the last 20 minutes or so of this. 10-12: DS11 works at desk in boys' bedroom upstairs, DS13 works in basement family room at table or computer (I'm working with DS9 during this time in dining room, with no interruptions allowed. If they have questions for me, they know to save it for afternoon). I encourage them to work straight through with no breaks, but sometimes they take a break. On Mondays, DS13 has an English class during this time frame. 12-1: Lunch and break time. Every other day DS13 has an online math class (it is MWF one week, T/TH the next), and he has to grab a quick lunch and be online by 12:15. 1pm until 2 or 3: Finish school work, DS11 and DS13 back in their designated spaces, and also getting guitar practice done in another room sometime in this interval. They can ask me questions during this time, but really they rarely do. They bring me completed work to correct, and I TRY and return it promptly. They are both almost always done by 3pm and sometimes sooner. Each boy has a checklist of what work to do each day. DS13 is theoretically supposed to be writing assignments for his two outside classes down in a planner, but is not being very successful with that.Â đŸ™„ It's more like a frantic rush every Sunday night to see if all the English homework is finished, and for the math class he just finishes the homework after each class meeting. So their daily list for each of them looks something like: Read 1 Bible chapter Read fiction book at least 20 minutes (From English class assigned reading for DS13, from a list of options I have for DS11). English class homework (DS13) / IEW writing book (DS11) Word Roots worksheets (2 units per week for DS11, 1 unit per week for DS13 since he has vocab work for English class) Math - class time/homework for DS13, plus additional work he is choosing to do on non-class days, 45 minutes timed work from AoPs textbook for DS11. Both boys also have math club homework each week to fit in somewhere. Guitar practice (supposed to be 30 minutes/day for each boy, I think DS13 frequently does less, but I have other fish to fry with him so I don't really make a big deal about it) Science - each boy is doing a different science textbook, and do daily assignments (reading, questions, and/or experiment) from a syllabus I prepared History - DS13 is reading a history textbook and answering a few short questions about each reading. DS11 is doing history with me and DS9 during read aloud time. DS11 and DS13 both can do all this on their own. DS13 asks DH for math help if he gets stuck because I forgot the high school level math he is doing. Occasionally I find myself helping DS11 with math in the afternoons, but pretty rarely. He is finding Pre-Alg to be pretty easy so far.   Edited November 9, 2020 by kirstenhill 1 Quote
Drama Llama Posted November 10, 2020 Author Posted November 10, 2020 1 hour ago, bensonduck said: Is Physical Science Oak Meadow 8? I’ve done several years of Oak Meadow middle school science with my oldest and one thing that they are WONDERFUL at is writing the experiments to the students. They really break down the directions into bite size pieces so the kids know what to do and expect. I’d think that after the first couple weeks your child might be able to do the hands on part on his own (maybe with the sibling as a lab partner). Don’t worry if you don’t get to all the projects either. There are so many of them and so many different ways Oak Meadow presents info. Yep. It's one thing we actually own.  We did a few weeks of it in early September, so it's not brand new. Quote
Melissa in Australia Posted November 10, 2020 Posted November 10, 2020 (edited) I think it a very good schedule. your circumstances are way different from anything I have experienced. I can only give examples of what I did. In the beginning of my homeschool journey I was homeschooling 4 and had a baby. I also started full time study (bachelors) Each of my children had their own workspace ( desk) We tried working at the kitchen table but there was lots of book shoving and it didn't work at all.  When we first started homeschooling we started off with a few key subjects and gradually added in something else every couple of weeks or so.  I looked at it like juggling plates. if I was learning how to juggle plates I would only add in the next one when I had the ones I was trying to juggle down pat. not that I can juggle plates, but life feels like it sometimes Edited November 10, 2020 by Melissa in Australia spelling 1 Quote
Drama Llama Posted November 10, 2020 Author Posted November 10, 2020 Thanks everyone, To extend the plate juggling analogy a little more, I think my problem (or one of my many problems) is that I feel like on January 4th, I need to be prepared to add a few flaming torches and a blindfold into my routine. I anticipate that my transition back to work is going to be really hard on the kids and on me. So, while I think the idea of adding one plate at a time makes sense in theory, I also think that we'll need to add a little faster than I otherwise would, because come January I don't anticipate that we'll be able to add anything else. Today both kids did math, although DS13 probably did about 10 minutes total, they attended online Tae Kwon Do class, and I read a chapter to them at lunch. We'll probably hold there for a few days, and then we're moving next weekend, so that will probably be the new thing.  4 Quote
Momto6inIN Posted November 12, 2020 Posted November 12, 2020 We get a later start than many hs'ers - we do morning meeting at 8:45 and them work on math first thing because math in the afternoon sucks for everybody. After that I rotate who I work with and they do things on their own in between until lunch. We take a long break from 12 to 2 and after lunch they go outside and/or have time to work on their own projects. At 2 we start back up and work til we're done. For the younger middle schoolers, 5th and 6th graders, that's usually only another hour or two. In 7th and 8th they often go til 5ish. We usually save the fun stuff like science experiments for after everything else is done in the afternoon. 1 Quote
BlsdMama Posted November 12, 2020 Posted November 12, 2020 On 11/8/2020 at 8:52 AM, BaseballandHockey said: I need to get a homeschool routine reestablished. I think a routine will do my kids some good, and my 8th grader has missed a huge amount of school, so I need to get him ready for high school.  The routines we planned before my middle son's death never really got off the ground, and wouldn't make sense now anyway, since they incorporated so many things like cousins, and scheduling around medical procedures, and my husband's participation, that won't factor in now. So, we need to build something from scratch. I'd love to hear from other people for what their routines are like with this age. I'll have a 5th grader and an 8th grade. Both pretty typical kids, but both not functioning close to normal due to grief. I'll be working 40 - 60 hours a week, from home, about 6 hours a day that's scheduled and the rest on my own timeframe, so ideas from parents who are juggling other responsibilities would be great. But really, more than ideas for what our schedule could look like, I'd like to hear what works for other people. You might appreciate "folding" them together where you can. If the girls haven't had a ton of writing instruction, IEW could be a nice gentle ramp up in a limited time frame. I sit down with my high school and middle schoolers for a "table time" of IEW and Fix It. Fix It is 5-10 minutes at best and four days a week. IEW is about 20 minutes of MY effort and then additional on their part. I also use Rod & Staff 1-2 levels below their grade level so it's pretty much self teaching. We use Nicole the Math Lady to teach Saxon. If you opt to go with IEW, you could use which historical time period paired with a spine, like SOTW or Genevieve Foster's books, etc.  I tend to be a CM bent educator, but I was so frustrated with myself in not fulfilling my "picturesque" homeschool. I had a friend tell me, "Don't use textbooks. They aren't you. You'll never be happy with it." I bought into it for a while. But the truth is that I purchase freedom with texts and structured curriculum. I have a checklist for each kiddo and when it's done, it's done. Then you can work on that wood project, read that book, watch that documentary, do that experiment. We don't have any gaming systems and don't allow tv during the day and often at night, so they get good at filling time constructively.  Consider a "teaching time" at the table, independent work, and a family read aloud. Those would be my must haves.  I have a 14yo, 12yo, and 10yo right now. The 14yo looks drastically different than the 10yo, and the 12yo is in between. We get up in the AM, do a Bible study time together as a large group. Littles fade away, I do table time with olders. They fade away to do independent work and the littles work at the table. Read aloud in the evening normally.  Currently we are reading Pilgrim's Progress so have been doing it in the AM with Bible. It has an ebb and flow.  You're right in that they are mourning. The structure might give them less time in their head? I think I'd start with Nicole & Saxon and the IEW/Fix It if it were me - that's a balance of independent work and free time. It's also some of you but not heavy on you. Assign classic or historical fiction at or below their reading level.   Instead of a read aloud, maybe a family Audible book that you listen together but you could work too? Later, fold in a mostly independent grammar and a history spine. I'd add science last or maybe outsource it. 2 1 Quote
PeterPan Posted November 12, 2020 Posted November 12, 2020 3 hours ago, BlsdMama said: I tend to be a CM bent educator, but I was so frustrated with myself in not fulfilling my "picturesque" homeschool. I had a friend tell me, "Don't use textbooks. They aren't you. You'll never be happy with it." I bought into it for a while. But the truth is that I purchase freedom with texts and structured curriculum. I have a checklist for each kiddo and when it's done, it's done. This is so true! Quote
Ausmumof3 Posted November 13, 2020 Posted November 13, 2020 We do approximately six weeks on one week off with a big break over summer.  Our on paper schedule starts at 9 with math and music if there’s time after math, 10 with language subjects (includes foreign language) 11 is morning time which is morning basket style.  We have lunch then do one after lunch subject per day rotating through science, history, art and geography.  My eighth grader does extra math in the evening because he wants to finish his program and typically reads lit, my sixth grader doesn’t do much more than the four hours.  Afternoons are for chores, crafts or sports and housekeeping for me.   At the beginning of the year we were starting at 8.30 and fitting in a half hour of independent reading but we are struggling with the earlier starts for some reason.   it’s probably not enough but any more sends us all insane.  I hope it all works out. 1 Quote
Ausmumof3 Posted November 13, 2020 Posted November 13, 2020 Your schedule looks good . I have to be honest I can’t imagine trying to teach public school and homeschool at the same time that sounds hard.  Having a math tutor will help I guess.  I was wondering if you could have youngest add a written narration to that reading? Even just one sentence.  You might have that covered already elsewhere I just didn’t see any writing.  On the other hand doing a lighter schedule for now is probably the sensible thing.  do you mind sharing what lego robotics is/looks like if you have time? My youngest would love something like this. Quote
Drama Llama Posted November 13, 2020 Author Posted November 13, 2020 14 hours ago, Ausmumof3 said: Your schedule looks good . I have to be honest I can’t imagine trying to teach public school and homeschool at the same time that sounds hard.  Having a math tutor will help I guess. Yeah, it's not ideal, but I need to bring in income, and there's a pandemic, so we'll muddle through. 14 hours ago, Ausmumof3 said:  I was wondering if you could have youngest add a written narration to that reading? Even just one sentence.  You might have that covered already elsewhere I just didn’t see any writing.  On the other hand doing a lighter schedule for now is probably the sensible thing. I think we're going to skip writing for him for a while. We knew that this year was going to be pretty disrupted so we homeschooled English throughout the summer.  DS10 finished Treasured Conversations, and the fiction unit from The Creative Writer 1.  If we get other things running smoothly, then maybe I'll add something in the spring, or I'll wait and add something in the summer.  14 hours ago, Ausmumof3 said: do you mind sharing what lego robotics is/looks like if you have time? My youngest would love something like this. My youngest two got lego mindstorm kits for Christmas last year, when they were 9 and 10. I didn't buy them, but I know they were expensive. To be honest, I can't tell you much about it, because I haven't been really involved in homeschooling him since his brother went back to the hospital in May. I know he likes it, and he spends time with it, and shows me cool stuff he makes.  Sorry, that is probably completely unhelpful. I posted a thread about what lego robotics stuff to get, but it would have been deleted when I left and came back. There was a lot of expertise.  1 Quote
ByGrace3 Posted November 13, 2020 Posted November 13, 2020 First, I am so sorry for your loss. I hear you wanting samples of routines, so I will offer that, but if we were going through what you are, I doubt it would look anything like this. Hugs! I have a 5th, 8th, and 10th grader this year. I print planner sheet (we use Scholaric.com) and on Monday morning they have their weekly work on one page on a clipboard ready to go for them. My 8th grader works mostly in his room where it is quiet, but occasionally can be found on the living room floor cuddling our 90 lb German Shepherd. Monday - Thursday he works independently and has live classes. I work from home on Tuesdays and Thursdays and other than him being in two of those online classes, I am not available for much help. He takes a break for lunch and dog cuddles or play occasionally, but generally stays on task as he wants to get done-- to play outside and has tennis lessons 3 nights a week. On Fridays, he plays tennis in the morning instead of evening for 2 hours so gets a later start-- I try to keep Friday to a lighter day for that fact. My 5th grader -- I schedule her subjects so that she does extra of the subjects she doesn't need me for (history and Bible-- VP Self Paced) on the days I work and then on MWF we do all of the LA that I do with her, and she has Math every day. She works at her own pace, choosing what to do when on the days I work. She usually works at the kitchen table or counter. On days I work with her, we get the mom-needed subjects done first. Routine is a bit of a dance . . . I allow flexibility but they have to be wise to know when things need to be done and leave time for that -- make sure piano gets done when it can and not leave it until everyone is in live classes and you are stuck . . . . My older dd does her work mostly completely independently in her room... Notice, no one uses our lovely school room. đŸ˜‰Â Â 1 Quote
kiwik Posted November 16, 2020 Posted November 16, 2020 On 11/9/2020 at 7:39 AM, BaseballandHockey said: This is all great. I guess what I want to know is the nitty gritty. Like what rooms are your kids in?  Do they all do the same subject at the same time, or do they choose the order they work through things? If you say they work 3 hours, do they work for 3 hours straight, or work for an hour and then go ride their bike for a while, and then work some more and stop for a snack? My guess is that we'll need really high structure, and low volume. I work 30 hours ha week about 2/3 from home and it is really hard. After 3 years at 11 years old I am now able to do a little work during school hours. I do that by having some subjects just tick the box. We have to do exercise and music practice first or it doesn"t get done. Then we do LA (Lantern English 1) I help with the writing 3 days but grammar, vocab and reading he does independently at my work. We have Acellus time (MS geography, music, coding and G6 science) and he does scratch programming. He does reading at night and more on at work days. I do history with him 3 days. 1 Quote
kiwik Posted November 16, 2020 Posted November 16, 2020 (edited) On 11/16/2020 at 4:58 PM, kiwik said: I work 30 hours ha week about 2/3 from home and it is really hard. After 3 years at 11 years old I am now able to do a little work during school hours. I do that by having some subjects just tick the box. We have to do exercise and music practice first or it doesn"t get done. Then we do LA (Lantern English 1) I help with the writing 3 days but grammar, vocab and reading he does independently at my work. We have Acellus time (MS geography, music, coding and G6 science) and he does scratch programming. He does reading at night and more on at work days. I do history with him 3 days. We work together in the lounge and when ds13 is home he does too. He does 15 minutes on the trampoline between subjects and 30 mins before school. He is gifted with ASD and it helps him regulate. Ds13 is at highschool this year but has a lot of time off with gut problems. They have their own couches and coffee tables but when ds13 gets too annoying I send him to his remove and get him to cast his laptop to the TV. When he wants help he types it on the screen. Edited November 22, 2020 by kiwik 1 1 Quote
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