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So many Questions
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So we are about to start our homeschool year. This is our second attempt. Last year I became so overwhelmed and felt like I was failing at everything and put the kids in school. I really regretted doing that since I love having my kids home with me. I just constantly feel like I’m not doing enough, or they won’t learn enough. So last year we did AO, and I LOVED the books. It just seems like too much for us. This year I will have a 3rd grade, 1st grade and a K. I can’t imagine doing it all for all of them. My first grader wants to do AO year one but its way to advanced for her. I would like to do a hybrid between the two but after making my sample schedule it just seems like WAY too much especially x3 kids. I am having trouble fitting it all into 1 week. This is what I have Everyday is Bible, math, poetry, literature,copywork, scripture memorization. Then the things I am supposed to have 2x a week science, history, art, music, composer study, drawing, keyboarding, foreign language, free reading, projects ect… So I would like to know what you are doing, what does your schedule look like. I’m worried if I cut anything out they won’t be learning enough. Also can anyone direct me to a video that gives an example of narration. I have read about it but still feel like I am doing something wrong, an example would help wonders. Thanks so much
Take a peek here – http://www.sabbath-mood-homeschool.com/p/preparing-cm-schedule.html?m=1
Less really is more. Keep cutting back until there is peace in your home and schedule. It isn’t a cram it all in fest, but a life of learning.
Perhaps look at what you do already in your day and work from there. For example I read to my children every night before bed, this week we’ve been on a poetry kick as my 5 year old loves poetry — takes only a few minutes and our poetry is done and it does not feel like “work”. My kids also love Shakespeare. We read Macbeth last year and they spent months after that putting on various parts of the play — for me as a surprise (ie. they got together as a group and figured it out and didn’t want me to be part of it as they wanted me just to enjoy and be surprised when i watched). Today at horseback riding my two younger boys spent 2 hours searching the rocks around the farm for lizards, they caught a few, put them in a pail to observe (pleaded a bit to keep them) and then released them back into the wild — nature study, no planning on my part for that one, just happened and it was great! A schedule is helpful but I find that it is even more helpful for me to write a journal of the things we did during the week instead of focusing on the things we didn’t get to. My two sons have a desire to learn more about lizards so I’ll put our other nature study ideas aside as we have fun with their new passion. I remind myself at least once a month that there is no way I can “get it all done” nor do I want to, life is a journey of learning…
I have 4 kids, the older two are graduated and the younger two are K and 1st this year. I have been blessed to be able to use the things I learned the first time around from the mistakes I made, and try to avoid those same mistakes this time.
The biggest thing I learned is that joy in the journey is worth a million completed worksheets. The joy lights the fire that fuels the love of learning which will carry them further than I could ever take them by trying to teaching them everything.
That said, here is my schedule for my kids this year.
Family subjects we do together:
History/Bible/Geography from SCM Genesis Through Deut and Visits to Africa. (The History and Geography are optional, but my 1st grade daughter LOVES it, and my K son tags along as his interest leads. We don’t do ALL the parts of this, ie the commentaries, etc. but savor the readings and other books a great deal. Takes 15-20 minutes max/day, although almost daily we spend time looking at the wall map and talking about where things are located.
Physical Education- the kiddies love Tae Kwon Do class. 3x week 50 minutes
Audiobooks- we always have something going, for example Blue Fairy Book by Andrew Lang or Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling or Winnie the Pooh by AA Milne. We listen in the car on our way to our various appointments and actvities.
Lit Read Aloud- one of the books from the SCM list (Ie All of a Kind Family or Little House books) 15 min/day or 1 chapter daily. Picture books at bedtime and/or afternoon quiet time as interest leads.
1st Grader:
Beginning Reading- SCM Delightful Reading and reading practice. Daily for about 10 minutes 2x a day. The first one is reading intruction. The second session later in the day is practice on books like Hop on Pop or Bob Books or Dick and Jane. I keep it short- never more than 10 minutes at a time and if I see undue frustration or inattention we stop and come back to it later.
Math- Math U See Alpha and Calculadders and Life of Fred, Apples. My girl LOVES math! MUS about 10-15 minutes 4 days/week, Calculadders daily 2 minute fact drills and Life of Fred one day a week read the story and do a few problems related to the story- 10 minutes.We do the Calculadders at a different time than the other math work each day.
Copywork- SCM Delightful Handwriting- my girl is begging to learn cursive, but I told her she must learn to print her lower case letters first (She only learned upper case in K via Handwriting W/O Tears).
Learn to Narrate- Aesops Fables read aloud and then narrate.
Handicrafts- currently working on beginning sewing by making a pillow out of felt and learning finger knitting. As interest leads- usually she will pull this out if I get out my crocheting in the afternoons.
Kindergartener-
Letter/Number/Color of the week- while my daughter is working on her stuff, as his interest leads. Color pages, counting activities, puzzles etc.
Handwriting Without Tears- 5 minutes/day or as interest leads
MUS Primer- 5 min day or as interest leads- he usually wants more.
Speech and Occupational therapy 2x week each. Ugh~ Its really helping him, but a huge drain on our time.
In addition to a very light schedule for K and 1st, we start with only a couple things at first, then add subjects when comfortable one at a time. Going from “all free time” to having to sit and work for a hour is too much for them (and me!) Keeping every one from feeling overwhelmed is important so so we take it one thing at a time.
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