Homeschoolers I need help!

[grayspinner]

Breath deeply. It is gonna be okay.


1. Your kids are not "behind" or "ahead". They are where they are.

2. Your kids are still very little. They have a LONG time to learn all they ought to learn before leaving home. Its okay.

3. The first days/week back from break are the roughest. All the information has dropped out of their brains & they can no longer do the simplest things. Plus the 'getting back to routine' leads to foot dragging & limp child syndrome.

4. Regardless of any ADHD/ADD type issues that might be there. Most 9 year old boys are easily distracted, have trouble working independently, have trouble working longer than 15 min at a time.

5. For early elementary - total school time should be maybe 2 hours. Spread this out into short 15 minute sessions.

6. Have some goals. Your goals do not have to be the same as the schools. My early elementary (k-4) goals were that they would see learning as a lifelong adventure. That they would see learning as a good, pleasurable thing that is satisfying in and of itself. That they would BEGIN to be discovering how to learn (how to use the library, the computers...). That they would learn to read & write and do basic arithmetic. Now your success/acheivement is measured against your standards - not the school systems.

7. Try to assess their skills through practical application. The goal is not to complete worksheets - but to read & write. So read books together (you read some, they read some) on topics that your kid finds interesting. Have them write letters, stories, whatever they are interested in to practice your handwriting, grammar, spelling...

Knowledge of other subjects is best evaluated (and learned really) through conversation. Talking about it will give you a good idea if you kid has mastered the info or not.

8. While it IS good to have your math facts memorized - it is also OK if they don't. Constant practice over the years will get them memorized - focus instead on doing math problems. Let them count on their fingers or skip count - yes it is slower (encourage memorization) but it is okay, being fast is not all that important (especially at this age).

BTW - Abeka is not all that great a program in my (and so many other homeschoolers I know) experience. Math U See, Saxon or Teaching Textbooks are so much better programs.


9. One of my favorite curriculum is the simple homeschool. This is such a great way to learn science & I also REALLY like her history courses. Plus, it is really affordable. My kids have really enjoyed it since we switched over to it last year. Check out www.thesimplehomeschool.com
_________________
Melinda
with 4 great kiddos - Josh (15), Nathan (14), Corrie ( 12 ) and Rylee (9)


Melinda's Lotions & Potions Hyena Cart
PM me for custom knitting!

[grayspinner]

What I would suggest to you is that you spend about 15 minutes doing math. One of the best ways to teach math to an active little boy is to use a white board. You write the problem on the board. Have him tell you the answer & you write it down. He has to tell you each step & where to put each number. Take a break. Eat something.

Then spend 15 minutes with him reading to you. Take a break. Eat something.

Then spend some time reading aloud to him about science/history/whatever. Read as long as you both are enjoying it. Take a break. Eat something.

Then do some type of hands on art/science/cooking - make a mess. Have fun. Take a break. Eat something.

Then spend some time outside. Talk about the world, explore. Go inside & eat something.

Also make sure he gets a good night's sleep each night.
_________________
Melinda
with 4 great kiddos - Josh (15), Nathan (14), Corrie ( 12 ) and Rylee (9)


Melinda's Lotions & Potions Hyena Cart
PM me for custom knitting!

[CrunchyClark]

A book you might want to check out is "A Thomas Jefferson Education for the 21st Century". It's a quick read. It talks about the roots of our school system (to have a labor force that is literate and can follow directions of a 'boss' aka teacher), historical methods for teaching, historical methods for creating independent thinkers (leaders), and how it all fits into our modern life.

Basically, DeMille theorizes that children go through phases of learning. Up until about age 10-12 children should be playing, learning your family values, and just enjoying being around their parents and 'growing up'--there is basic three R's type instruction that occurs naturally every day as a part of the above. Then they enter a pre-scholar phase where they will naturally want more challenging work, leading up to a scholar phase at about 13-15 where they will want to be working on learning 4/6/8 or more hours a day. They will naturally want to do this to further their own education.

I've personally seen this with my children as my oldest has entered scholar phase. He will spend hours reading or working something out that only a few years ago would have bored him to tears and I would have had to 'make' him learn it. I've also realized that all this time, he HAS been learning a great deal, but since he's not been tested, I just wasn't aware it was all coming together.
_________________
Holly
~Mama~ to boys L (15) & J (11.5) & B (6/25/11)
Surro-mama to C (6) and her twin sibs M&M (4)
www.momufactured.com
www.necessitae.com

[meowsandy]

[Jo&Co]

Melinda, I am always so encouraged by your home-schooling posts. Thank you!
_________________
Jody
SAHM to our treasures:
Evan -- Nov. 2003
Graeme -- Oct. 2005
Torin -- Aug. 2007
Bronwyn -- July 2009
Guess Who -- August 2011

Will knit for yarn!
Casual Raveler

[grayspinner]

You are welcome Jody

It's all about perspective. Now that I'm homeschooling middle schoolers (almost high schoolers - ack!), I see how sweet & precious that preschool & early elementary time is. How much they benefit from just basic things like play, music, exploration, reading together and simply having a learning rich environment.

There is SO MUCH repetition in their school career, relax about it & it'll be so much better. The relationship is SO important, that makes the later years so much easier.

These early years are the time to really concentrate on life habits - good sleeping & eating habits, learning to take care of the house & getting in the habit of doing chores, being helpful & using good manners. Work on having good relationships within the family & with their friends. There is PLENTY of time for academics.

A good solid foundation creates a teachable kid that makes academics so much easier later when they are teens
_________________
Melinda
with 4 great kiddos - Josh (15), Nathan (14), Corrie ( 12 ) and Rylee (9)


Melinda's Lotions & Potions Hyena Cart
PM me for custom knitting!

[CrunchyClark]

Completely agree with Melinda! Mine are similar ages (14 and 11).

I am blown away daily by how helpful and sweet my kiddos are. We have no teenage angst here.
_________________
Holly
~Mama~ to boys L (15) & J (11.5) & B (6/25/11)
Surro-mama to C (6) and her twin sibs M&M (4)
www.momufactured.com
www.necessitae.com

[Leimarie]

I so needed to hear all of what you've said Melinda! Thank you.
_________________
-Lisa
Happy wife of Vince and proud WAHM to Evan, Andrew, Francesca, Mikaela, Nate and our precious Miranda Gloria who is waiting for us in Heaven!

Now stocking at CreativLEI Made

www.creativlei.com

[mama2LilynDevon]

I endEd up signing the kids up for the online program time4learning. They've been using it a few days and seem to like it. Right now the only requirement I have is that they do one lesson in each subject. They can do whatever they'd like after that. The lessons are only 5-10 long and there are 3 subjects for Lily and 5 for Devon. As of right now that is all the schooling they are doing. Lily will do some reading with me and I'll probably end up working a little more on Math with Devon. Lily's been sick this week so we haven't done anything else. I think I've been putting so much stress on myself because I was afraid they would hate being homeschooled and want to go back to school and then they wouldn't be at their grade level. In the process I've been making them and myself miserable. We'll be okay. I just need to relax and ignore my engineer dh that would like for them all to be rocket scientists.
_________________
Amanda, wife of 1, mom of 5

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[SynEpona]

Amanda ... have you tried a non-traditional schedule? When we were homeschooled, at various points my mom was working part time or shifts, and we'd do our independent work when we could, and then the things we needed her help/teaching with, would wait for evening, or weekends. (This was mostly for the younger kids, once the older ones were big enough to be 'in charge' at home ... my youngest brother was 8 when we started home schooling, and I was 15)

I'm just thinking that taking one textbook subject, like Math, and being able to schedule it when your (or your DH) can focus on Devon, and the other parent can deal with the other kids, may be a less distracting environment.

I'm also a big fan of not pushing academics on wee little people. This article sums up much of what I think about academics at a young age.
http://www.excellenceineducation.com/better_late_than_early.php

We're opting out of sending DS to JK (4 year old kindy) here, and all our friends think we're weird, but I just don't see the need for a 4 year old to NEED to be school, or be pushed to learn to print, or read, or anything. Also, in our area, the JK & SK (5yo kindy) curriculum is exactly the same, and I just can't see that it'd take 2 years to learn! ( a good friend teaches kindergarten in our school district).
_________________
Rochelle ~ Finn & Cate's Mama
Wallets & More at SynEpona March 2012

[toadallyscrumptious]

I love hearing the perspective of all the moms who have been homeschooling a long time and have older children. It really helps calm me to hear that being non-traditional in our schooling will not harm my children. In my heart I know I'm doing what's right for our family. At the same time, I often fear I'm not doing enough ifykwim. I know it is a common fear.
_________________
Di Linh - mom to Gavin (8), Evelyn (6), Everett (b 12/01/09), Charm (14), Bunnicula (2), Rosa (2)

Toadally Scrumptious
Toadally Scrumptious feedback

[Kristina93]