Help/advice with independent work

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  • December 31, 2015 at 12:23 pm
    rutsgal
    Participant

    Hello ladies !

    If I can gather my thoughts clearly here…. I am trying to create a balance between group work , parent led ( such as math ) and things that can be done independently. There are days that I feel as though 90% of our school is led my me , I feel that we are super heavy on parent led / group work and hardly anything that is independent . Maybe this is the way it should be  at this stage and I need to be ok with this??

    I guess what I am trying to figure out is that I need something worthwhile & educational. Not  rote busy work for one to do on their own while I am doing math or reading with the other.  And we do not rely much on computer based learning , I would prefer to not make a habit out of it at this age.

    I find that in these situations the child I am not working with just ends up playing around waiting for us to finish.  How do you moms handle this? Do you let them have free time to do whatever they wish while working 1 on 1 with another? I have thought about creating a reading list that they must choose from during these times.  My kids are 4th and 2nd . I am more concerned with my 4th grader .

    Any thoughts , ideas or advice is much appreciated !!

    Thanks ladies 🙂

    Jamie

    December 31, 2015 at 12:44 pm
    Tristan
    Participant

    At my house it works out like this:

    Group work is first (ex. we do scripture study, picture study, composer study, and history with everyone, high school to baby).

    Then I start working with smaller groups (ex. I do science with all but the high schooler, I do math with the 4th and 5th grader together because they are in the same level/lesson).

    Then I work one on one as needed.

    What are school age kids doing if they aren’t in a group I’m working with or the one on one person I’m working with?  Any of these:

    • Reading 1 chapter in their independent literature book.
    • Copywork
    • Math worksheet (we use Math U See so they only have 1 new lesson every week.  The rest of the week is practice pages that don’t need me.)
    • Practicing/playing with instruments (we have guitar, piano, harmonica, recorder, and the typical little kids drum and tambourine).
    • Beginning reading games/activities (the 6 year old).
    • Personal scripture study.
    • Art or handicrafts.
    • Writing (we have projects and they always know what is the next part they can work on.  Oldest does One Year Adventure Novel independently.)
    • Nature study
    • Play with a not school age sibling or two or four.  I have a newborn, 2 year old, 3 year old, newly turned 5 year old.  None of these are school age.  So the 6, 8, 10, 11, and 14 year old can spend time with these little guys.  They may pull out playdoh, puzzles, duplos, crayons, etc. They may read a book to them, or in the case of the baby, just snuggle him and talk or sing to him. They often lead the little boys in fun songs or play games like “Can you find something red?”

    I don’t know if that is helpful.  I think play is just fine and school work doesn’t have to fill up the whole day.  For us it was mostly teaching them how to do each of those things independently so they were comfortable working on them without me.

    December 31, 2015 at 1:42 pm
    kellywright006
    Participant

    Tristan:
    I loved the list above…..I find that my 5 & 7 year old take the 2 year old and (chuckle) make a fort with all the blankets and pillows in the house. Or go in the basement and fill their grocery cart with the real food items of MINE in the pantry. LOL, I know you are laughing with me.  🙂

    Do you structure the above list? How do you follow-through and make sure there isn’t a tornado left from them playing with the little one?

    I always fell like I need to have some sort of ‘system’ that structures their time until I am ready to work with them. I loose track of people and I don’t have as many as you. (We have 7 girls).  🙂

    Thanks for listening!

     

    December 31, 2015 at 2:59 pm
    rutsgal
    Participant

    Tristan Thanks for your response ! Thanks for sharing what works in your  home – if definitely spurs my thinking and creative juices 🙂

    I guess I am looking for some slight structure to be in place for them if I am not working with them at the  moment. Like you said that you wanted to teach them how to do those things independently so they could do it independently on their own.

    I never thought of using copy work in this way. We have always done it as a group , the older  copying / transcribing a little bit more than the younger but they were always working on the same passage . I could just arrange it so that when I am doing math with my younger , my 4th grader could do his writing.  Hmm…. Lightbulb moment !   This would give me the motivation to incorporate written narration more than I have been .

    The reading list I was thinking about starting was above and beyond their daily reading literature chapter books. Maybe more like creating a “book basket ” with special books collected just for this situation.

    For my 2nd grader ? I will need to think and brainstorm more for her. I know if it’s the same everyday she will get bored quickly , she likes choices and variety.

    Thanks Tristan and Kelley !

     

     

    December 31, 2015 at 3:00 pm
    Tristan
    Participant

    I can picture that grocery shopping in the basement!

    The only structure I give is the kids have an assignment sheet that lists what needs to be done each day that week.  They can do the day’s work quickly or take until afternoon (if work is not complete by 3pm they are stuck sitting at the table until they complete it at that point).  Some of my kids plow right through their list with no play breaks.  Others sprinkle breaks in liberally.  And a few things are NOT assigned, they are free choice: handicrafts, nature study, instruments, playing with younger siblings.  If a child does one, great.  If they don’t, I’m okay with that too.

    Keeping the house from looking like a tornado hit is always a work in progress.  We’ve worked really hard on “if you are done with it please put it away”.  One thing that helps is many of the things they would get out to use with younger siblings are in tubs with lids.  They get one tub off the shelf (maybe the playdoh), they use it and enjoy it.  Before they can leave to do something else or get a different tub out to play with they must clean up the playdoh tub.  It’s just something we’ve repeated often.  And if I find that they did NOT pick up what they got out they 1. have to leave what they are doing to come put it away, get it out again, and put it away again (repeating what they should have done the first time). 2. Lose the opportunity to use that bin again for a few days.

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