Comments on: Homeschooling: Late summer blues

By: Planning a new school year — Owlhaven

Planning a new school year — Owlhaven — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 02:29:42 +0000

[...] I got the griping out of my system the other day, because I’m feeling more cheerful about the start of school. I’ve organized my [...]

By: Faith

Faith — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 21:45:36 +0000

Wow! I needed this right now. Even the comments were a blessing to me. We now have an eleven year old daughter from foster care (adopting). She is Deaf and is sooo far behind in everything. English is a second language for the Deaf and she has no real grasp of it at all. Right now, we are perplexed with how to teach this child. I will read this post and the comments again. Thanks.

By: RichMOMents

RichMOMents — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 05:26:53 +0000

Probably everything has been said about this topic that can be said… But as a former ps teacher, turned hser, and adoptive mom, all I can add is that sometimes family togetherness/bonding is more important than formal education. You can get a lot of places without formal education, but you can’t get anywhere without a secure bond. And for adoptive kids, that’s pretty high on the priority list.

~from a mom who is alternately cringing and ecstatic, thinking about September!

By: Carey

Carey — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 17:10:29 +0000

We’ve been home 3 months with our kids, 8, 5 and 3. I’ve done some homeschooling with the gonna be 3rd grader who’s never been to school. Thanks for reminding me that it takes time, and not to worry or rush.

By: Cari

Cari — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 04:04:21 +0000

I agree with a previous poster that suggested reading history or science based books…’combine’ subjects, if you will. Our hsing has some years that we’re right on top of everything and then we have years like last year, with the arrival of the baby, that we just get through the basics. All of my kids are voracious readers and I am constantly amazed at all the facts they pick up. One thing I have pursued when we go to the library is each child gets 7 books-2 history, 2 science, 1 how-to/craft/cookbook/something along those lines,1 biography or autobiography, and 1 of their choice. It seems to work out pretty good. This year I will have two that are starting hs studies, and for them, I will assign certain books that I want them to read. But…it does help cover those subjects that have a tendency to get lost in the shuffle.

By: darci

darci — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 22:25:59 +0000

oh mary, i can only imagine. we just have the 2 school age kids right now, and the other day i just allowed myself a bit of a fantasy about them in school, me going for a long run with the baby in the baby jogger…:) ahh well, i’ll get back in shape in, oh, 20 years when they’re all grown.

By: Jennie S.

Jennie S. — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 21:43:40 +0000

I’d like to second the suggestion of incorporating historical fiction into your reading plan. Sonlight (while we don’t use their whole curriculum) has some wonderful reading lists and books for doing this. Also, instead of worrying about a science “curriculum”, try getting some Usborne books on science and nature and just read some together. Pick something the kids are interested in and go for it! There’s tons- insects, space, volcanoes, weather, botany… All of these you could easily cover with just books from the library. Have the older elementary kids read sections from the books they choose, and write a paragraph about each day’s reading (I’d say no more than 3 days a week should be more than adequate).

Lapbooks are another really great way to teach subjects to various grade levels. I think Evan Moor publishing has books on all different subjects that allow you to create these books, and they are FUN for the kids!

Unit studies are another great way to incorporate various subjects, so even if you don’t teach “history” per se that day, you did a read-aloud that covered that period. We are doing “A New World Of Adventure” this year from Learning Adventures. For $120 you get a full curriculum which is already planned out daily. Lecture notes, notebooking, vocabulary, grammar, spelling, Bible, Literature, Science and History are all included! It’s for grades 4-8, but could easily be “tweaked” for all your grade levels. We did it 2 years ago, and the kids BEGGED to do it first. (We did A World of Adventure first, which is the first in the series on Ancient cultures through the explorers). There are lots of cooking projects, craft projects, and Fine Arts (classical composers) in it, as well. Great for various learning styles!

With a clan your size, any way you can teach multiple kids the same thing, the less stressed out you’ll be. We tried more structured Abeka with my kids last year, and they both asked where all the projects went. Clearly, they missed AWOA!

Anyway, using a unit study, I think, would allow you to teach most of your kids the same topics so you’re not running yourself ragged. Tapestry of Grace is also great for this (but it’s pricey, since various grade levels require different books). It also infuses the “FUN” into homeschooling, which, if I didn’t have, I’d go nuts, too. Last year was BORING, so I want to avoid repeating that. I’m kind of looking forward to A New World of Adventure, though I must say, the 1200 pages of plans (no, I’m not kidding), is a bit daunting! Still, I know enough to know I don’t have to do it all- it’s there if I need it!

Best of wishes for a WONDERFUL school year! (Oh, and I have two bios and 1 from China who starts kindergarten this year after 3 1/2 years home with us…Way to go- adoption can be so wonderful!)

By: Becky D.

Becky D. — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 03:30:45 +0000

I know this discussion is getting old but I wanted to stop by and say not to worry I”m sure they’re learning more than you realize. Your garden is great science. I don’t have as much homeschool teaching experience as you do but I do have a few hints. My older two graduated a few years ago and hopefully we’ll have more years homeschooling when we adopt soon. Anyways one of my older ones was special needs and she taught me a lot about different things for homeschooling. Although your children aren’t special needs in the same way the language difficulties might need similar modifications. I don’t know what you use for math but we loved Math-U-See. Also an idea for a bit of grammer that isn’t complex at all would be daily grams. It’s meant to be a supplement but we used it a lot during the years we were spending so much time on reading fluently. For things like science history art etc we found rotating those worked better as in spend 6-9 weeks on science everyday then spend 6-9 weeks on art whatever. That way we could do one “extra” thing at a time but still do everything over the course of the year. Transitions were hard for this child so it worked for her. Also maybe computer based/workbook based like Alpha Omega or Christian Light might make school easier too. Even if workbooks etc aren’t your favorite sometimes compromise is needed.

By: Barb

Barb — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 03:23:45 +0000

Why do we moms have to feel guilty about EVERYTHING?! I guess it keeps us on our toes… Don’t you think that the basic reason for home schooling is to have them learn at their speed and level in the environment of love and understanding… Science can be learned by playing outside, looking at pictures and books, playing with siblings and casual conversation in the home! It sounds like you are doing great! Enjoy and don’t feel guilty!

By: Dawn

Dawn — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 00:51:37 +0000

I, too, feel that certain dread when I know that the beach days are coming to a close. I just told my kids the other day that the days of partying were coming to a close. Cookies, gum, soft drinks, and loads of computer time and videos can’t go on forever!! LOL!
I have 7 school aged this yr, along with my 2 yr old. My 2 oldest have graduated. It is with much excitement, along with a whole lot of fear and trepidation, that I embark on a new school yr. We’ve been at this for over 13 yrs now. Whew!
I just honestly wish the long days at the beach never came to an end. Sigh.
Dawn in SC(who spent another lovely day at the beach today with 8 children. It doesn’t get any better.)