Schooling dc who are 6 years apart!

[scrapbookbuzz]

Good morning, all! Thank you for indulging all my questions here!

 

Some of you may have read my thread Needing Encouragement and I thank you for your responses. On there I stated that while I wanted to homeschool we might be keeping dd in ps next year and putting ds in as well.

 

However, this morning dd expressed some interest in coming back home. So, then, I got to thinking:

 

**How in the heck to teach two kids who are six years apart?**

 

I only have two. I don't have any inbetweens to help.

 

Anyone have any suggestions?? Thanks!

[Orthodox6]

First off, I would not worry !

 

We have only four children, with these age-gaps: #1 to #2 was 2.5 years. #2 to #3 was 5 years. #3 to #4 was 5 years. So age-spread is what I know best !

 

Do you like to teach multi-level? Many people do. The Sonlight program tries to help with that teaching approach. Six years is quite a spread, though. I'm sure there are other multi-level programs which have pleased families, and users of them shall leap to your aid !

 

My own "personality quirks" steer me far away from multi-level teaching. I feel far more secure if each child has his/her own program to follow. Your older child will have more "autonomy" in working. Schedule the "independent" work to be done while you are one-on-one involved with the younger student.

 

If the thought of two at once still unnerves you, then perhaps a "boxed program" (everything from one supplier) will relieve the worry. Pre-made teaching plans spares one from having to create two sets of work plans.

 

Just some varied thoughts. HTH !

 

Antonia

[Chris in VA]

Mine were 10 years apart, so I couldn't combine anything. I tried to keep one occupied on independent work (even chores and stuff like that) while the other one and I worked. It's fairly simple, really.

[Impish]

I'll be in the same boat! Diva is 10, Tazzie is 4, Princess is 2.5! Its going to be an interesting challenge, lol! I'll be following this thread to see what suggestions come!

 

For our family, we know that hsing is the only alternative for our dc. I plan to try TOG for some, but being Canadian, I already know that year 3 and probably year 4 aren't going to work particularily well for us. I do plan on using yrs 1 and 2, and multilevel teaching...at least seeing how it goes, lol! Other than that...we'll see. Diva's so much older, however, that I see her being fairly independant in many ways, which leaves me being able to spend a fair bit of time with the Littles and teaching them.

[LinRTX]

My last two and the only two I now teach are 7 years apart. Looking at the age of your two, I'm guessing that the little one is just doing readiness or early reading/math. He should not take much time. Then you can concentrate on the older. My little one liked to be there for any read alouds, science projects, or history projects we were doing.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Linda

[Carrie12345]

I combine my 5&6yos, but my 10yo is completely separate except for History.

 

I schedule loose "shifts". Ds works independently while I work directly with the girls. The girls work semi-independently (or go play) while I work directly with ds. When ds really, truly has to have my undivided attention, I save that work for when dh gets home so we can tag team the kids. Especially when it's something that the toddler can make a real mess of!

[WyoSylvia]

:lurk5:

[keptwoman]

Mine are 5.5 years and 4 year gaps. I have seperate programs for all of them. It's not so bad.

[mom31257]

Mine are 6 years apart. My ds is about to turn 6 next week and dd turned 12 this year. He did Kindergarten this year, and she was in 6th.

 

For history, I did Mystery of History this year specifically because it had ideas for all ages and was highly recommended. I can't say we did everything in the program, but the lessons were short enough that he would sit and listen to them. I chose to do only the activities that I knew would interest him. To enrich her experience with it, I had her do lots of reading from lists I found on here and in the SL catalog.

 

I also did unit studies in science to go along with hers. I did this same thing last year. So, I didn't really use a curriculum, just lots of library books and letting him participate in some of her things. I'm going to try and do it this next year also if I can bring it down to his level. She'll be doing Rainbow Year 1, so we'll see how it goes since it will be Physics and Chemistry.

 

Obviously, we can't do math, reading, English, etc. together. I am going to try and do a vocabulary program together next year. It's called Roots and Fruits. The list of roots have asterisks by those that are appropriate for younger students. I'll have him do 1-2 a week, while she'll do several including his roots.

 

My dd is a very independent learner so that helps. I give her a list for the whole week. On Monday morning we sit down and have a meeting to talk about the coming week (field trips, appointments, etc.). She plans which assignments she'll do on which days. She goes and starts her work. I do school with my ds. We break for fixing lunch. While they eat, I read history to them. After history we do activities, questions, etc. Then we do science. After that, I sit down with dd and we do things like discussion of what she read that morning. etc. She can always come to me for questions while I'm working with her brother, also. We start school by 9:30 and are usually done by 2:30.

[Sandy in Indy]

This year I had a high school senior and a second grader. What I have a hard time figuring out is how people with kids **close** in age manage!

[Vida Winter]

It simply becomes a juggling act. I have 3dc at home, all around 5 years apart. I cannot combine them. I can, however, have the older read to the younger, and my older student can do most of her work independently.

 

Play-doh helps for the youngest. Sorry this is probably not much help.

[CLHCO]

Mine are 14 (x2), 8, and 3, so I have a 6 year gap and a 5 year gap. It's no problem so far. The most needy age is about 1st-4th, while they're learning so many of the basics and don't follow directions on their own well yet. By the time they're in middle school they can do much of the work on their own while you are getting to the point where the next in line needs the constant attention. Younger ages also school for far fewer hours in my education style, so there is time for older ones where direct interaction is necessary.

 

I do not combine curriculum but we do study the same science or era of history at the same time. This makes it a bit easier to keep my focus, and extra things like movies, science projects, or field trips will apply to all ages, even if books and assignments do not.

 

Schooling olders during toddler years is the difficult thing. You're through that part.