Hello all, I am new to homeschooling, as a matter of fact it has only been a little over 2 weeks. I pulled my 7 year old out of school due to behavior and being held back in the 1st grade and not learning anything. Well I also have a 6 year old that is still in school and I think is starting to get mad that I haven't pulled her out also. Well I can't handle 2 kids right now and have tried explaining that to her. Anyway, I have several sites that I go to to get worksheets and curriculum. I don't have the money to spend on books so I am winging it with free printables. Well the first few days were great, we had fun and she really enjoyed it. Now she is not very cooperative, I try to incorporate crafts and internet time, but she seems bored. Our days consist of math, science, social studies, civics, vocabulary, spelling, and reading, I also let her pick something she wants to learn about and we make a journal for the whole week on this subject. I try to make it fun, but I think either she isn't having fun or she is bored because I don't have the learning structure set up right. I don't know what to do!! I am enjoying this and I want her to have fun also. She has ADHD but I have her off her meds because I think the school was over-exagerating. We take 15 minute breaks every so often and lunch time to. If someone could give me some pointers on how to make it fun for her, and how to set up lessons properly I would greatly appreciate it. Thank You, hmesklmomof2
I think the very first thing I would do is identify what type of learner she is (auditory, kinesthetic, etc) and make sure you are tailoring your day to that style.
I have lots of lesson plan ideas and lists of things we did at that age on my familyd blog - feel free to check it out to get some ideas of we did - I have three at home now, and while it does seem daunting, my two girls are so close in age we "piggy back" the younger on the older for her schoolwork and it works beautifully. For the past two years, we have been able to do the same history (with many writing, map, etc assignments) for all three kids - and it is not as daunting as one would think! Good luck!
Very few children enjoy all of their subjects. Mine isn't a fan of Math or Grammar, but she loves History, Spelling, Bible, and Science. I try to get her to do the ones she doesn't like to get them "out of the way" first. Then I let her do the ones she does like in any order she wants. That gives her a feeling of "control" over her studies.
Why not try going to the library and just picking out books on subjects she wants to read about? Believe it or not - that's a great way to learn!! Have you tried audiobooks for her to listen to while you are in the car?
Honestly, many times it takes awhile. They need to be able to switch gears here. Personally I think it may be easier on you bringing them both home at the same time. When I first began (many years ago) I pulled 4 out at one time and started. They can help each other just by being together. One lady made a great suggestion too. Just let them read a lot at first My children always loved the Your Story Hour tapes. They are stories of famous people. That is history and they love it Mostly don't stress out. Just do school loosely for a bit and take time to adjust. Then add more on as you go.
If she is just coming out of Public School you really should take a little time to let her find the joy of learning again. Take her to the library and let her choose what to read and learn and who cares if it's not what is on the lesson plan. Basically just throw out the lesson plan for a few weeks/months until she finds the joy of learning...then slowly start to structure her day more. Right now just focus on fun learning by letting her choose the books, and do more hands on stuff. Ex: if she chooses a magic tree house book about dinosaurs then find some activities to do about dinosaurs to help her learn (it's history and science) maybe do a dinosaur dig in a sand box, or let her make her own fossils from play clay and sticks/stones/leaves from outside. Use some dinosaur stencils and let her do rubbings with crayons or chalk.
I agree with alot that has been said. Take some time off from "school", and let her adjust. I would also take both out of ps at the same time. It can be hard for children to understand that we love them all the same when they see 1 of their siblings getting something that they want. Also, let her read, read, read, read!! Most kids can learn more than you can imagine just by reading. It really shouldn't matter hope that helps.
My own personal vote is to bring both kids home. Not just let them read, but they're not too old for read-alouds with cuddle time on the couch, so if they choose a book that's too "big" for them, but still within their listening comprehension, let that one be a mommy-read-it. You might want to pick some classic children's books that would interest them but they're not skilled enough to read for themselves yet, and read a chapter a night before bed. Being read to broadens the listening/speaking vocabulary, that their reading vocabulary can catch uo to later. Choose nonfiction books too -- and they can each make their own lapbook, or cooperate on one together. Don't forget about children's educational television -- the kids think it's tv time, so don't tell them it's educational -- like PBS, some of Discovery channel, some of History channel, some of Science channel, TLC, National Geographic, whatever you have that's educational at your house, or you can get educational videos from the library and Netflix. Happy Homeschooling!!!
COunt me on the both in, I think it will help dd to enjoy learing if they are learning together. I also agree with the PBS, and if you dont have tv cable check out your local ION life. ALso check with library and look for science videos that look interesting, the Eyewitness science videos are exciting for the kids to watch. Use them as themes and look up books to go with there are these really great ones, I forget the pubisher name but they have science, and geography books and books around the world of places and people that are simple reading so your older dd can read along, with our aloud while little dd follows and talks with the two of you about teh subject matter. Then go nline and research Printables for whatever you are studdying.. try FREE printables for yada yada y ada Also look at Mathfun.com and calvarykids.com it has math printables you can pick and choose what they need practice on from addtion of ones twos threes, to mult and division. Look for Computer games at the library too! these are great! Our library system has really good ones you can check out. We also have a thing called an "institution card" at our library where we are considered a school, we just show themour afidavit and sing up. This card gives us 6 weeks of keepinb books and computer stuff, the videos are unfortunately still are 2 weeks, but if they are late there is no charge! Go to Donnayoung for organising lessons she has tons of great stuff! Printables! dltk has great stuff for kids too , color pages, crossword puzzles etc. they update every so often too. and Colorado mom has freebies every month! sign up for that and you may find the cash to purchase some of her stuff, its not that costly and we tried otu the earthquake freebie last year and are doing the forensic this year and planning to get I think it was the USHistory for next year, my kids are all older now but we were there! I have homeschooled for 13 years going into our 14th, weee! Anyway if I can think of some more stuff I will tell you! OH! Discovery Kids! dot com I mean, and scholastics has stuff to do on thier web site! Use them for fun stuff for kids that is still lesson and learning.. I believe they ahve all the core subjects too! Do copy work that is exciting to write , like one of thier favorite story books, have them copy part of it and draw a picture to go with it. I could go on and on, so shut me up! lol
Try looking at resale shops near you for books. I have been so lucky to find a lot of educational games, books and other materials everytime I go (usually too many!) Perhaps try scheduling something fun to look forward to "after our bookwork is finished" like going to the park or having a picnic lunch at the playground. Homeschooling is really so much more fun than going to ps, so show them/her how much more freedom they/she has now. Have a party to celebrate in some way. Go on a little memorable vacation together. Above all, remember that 30 children in a classroom do not receive much personal attention, or education. Most of their time is spent learning the rules and transitioning between activities. You will notice if she is learning something, if she is bored, if she needs a hug, if she is frustrated, if she is excited--she is very lucky to have you tutoring her. You will probably have taught her more in an hour than all ps classrooms do all day long. And she is more likely to remember what you teach her because she is relaxed and comfortable and with someone she loves and trusts. Does she know that she is lucky or does she feel different and stupid? Have you joined any homeschooling groups so that she can meet other cool, lucky kids like herself? You will also meet other Moms who homeschool and most likely feel better about how you are doing. It's a good thing that you are concerned--it just shows you care about your daughters! You are doing a great job! Remember that you are also transitioning into a new role and taking on new responsibilities--she doesn't have to learn everything in one afternoon, and neither do you=) Just keep caring and learning=)>
We signed up for netflix - for 8.99/mo the cheapest rate they have - and we get to immediately download lots of movies (we have xbox live so we can watch it right on the TV). The kids are watching Treasure island (cartoon) now, and we have bios on Columbus and Ponce De Leon coming up in the next few days. IMO - as long as the kids do some reading and math every day, they are learning - whether the books are "fun" or curriculum, or if the math is a workbook on part of a dice rolling game - doesn't matter. We use a lot of games in our curriculum and that helps make the learning easy!
I cannot tell you what to do. I will tell you what I do. I don't do that many subjects all at once. At that age civics, history, science, and well most subjects don't have to be all the time. They are building vocabulary and background knowledge for more thorough studies later. I usually start by instilling a love of learning by allowing them to pick books to read aloud. In fact we take turns picking the next family read aloud. Then I figure out what skill they need the most. At first this is reading. So phonics is done everyday as are read alouds. Later, I add handwriting which is also done daily. My son is doing math daily now too but he is going on 10 soon. Everything else is done when the time feels right. Sometimes we are looking at birds and reading a science book. Sometimes we are on a history kick and sometimes we are taking a field trip to the fire station to learn about fire safety but we don't even attempt to get everything in everyday or even every week. As long as they are practicing what I consider important skills consistently. Many parents would not feel comfortable doing this but I would rather put extra energy into getting them reading then a wide variety of parent initiated activities. Since he is now a good reader I'm not concerned about vocabulary since he is getting it in reading. Now I focus on math with him daily and do not fear he is falling behind in Language Arts. It takes time to figure out what works for your family. I will say that it might not be all that much harder to have two home then one. It might even be easier especially if one is feeling left out. I'm sure that could lead to the thought that my parent loves my sister more then me. I realize that sometimes parents choose different schooling options because different children have different needs but that isn't the reason you are giving her. You are saying you can't handle two and your sister is the one who is getting my attention. Hope you can figure it out.
I am new to homeschooling this year as well. I have to agree with the ladies in here. Don't be as much concerned about keeping things set up as a classroom atmosphere. One of the reasons you gave was your DS not learning. That says right there the traditional methods don't work. Let her discover the joy of learning while she doesn't even realize she is doing it. Reading can contain: history, world news (use a newspaper), recipes (also has math), spelling, grammer, punctuation, and comprehension. Videos can contain: visual to story-line comprehension, history, the classic stories, geography, other cultures and languages. There are a lot of great web sites that have games. Look at past postings on here. Ava posted a great one, wish I could remember it exactly. It was on todays post as a link, if that helps. If I find it I will post it again here.
I found the thread that has all the great web sites from Ava Rose. It's in todays posts: "A bit frustrated..." The sites are also listed on Ava Rose's blog on her postings. I will try to type it in here, not sure if I am allowed to or not. If it doesn't show just look up a thread of Ava Rose's, it's at the bottom of her posts. Don't be overwhelmed by how many there are. It's like a store and you are shopping. You don't have to use them all. Good luck. http://www.underthegoldenappletree.blogspot.com/
Just a thought from someone who takes meds for ADD and has, off and on, since childhood - try her on the meds for a bit and see what kind of difference it makes for you and her. It may be true the school was exagerating but there's also the chance they'll be a big help. And trust me, for the kid dealing with ADD having tools like meds is often a relief, like being handed glasses when your vision is blurry.
I love Netflix, too. We've watched a lot of vids. By the way, if you're one of us Facebook addicts, you can connect your Netflix act to your FB act (through Netflix) so that the vids you rate show up on your FB wall. And if you're linked to the circle of Homeschoolspot FBers , then you can share your stars and reviews with all your homeschooling friends!
Thank you so much for all the responses! It has helped a lot. The only problem with bringing both of them is that i am a single mom, well I have a live in boyfriend who thinks I made a mistake by even taking my 7 year old out. I had to get a part time job and am studying to become a tax preparer at the same time. So my plate is full. He won't buy the things I need like a writing board for the wall, ink for my printer, art supplies or printer paper, hence why i had to get a part time job. It seems like everyone around me is trying to make this as hard as they can for me, which on top of trying to teach her is making it very difficult for me. I had planned on after I get things rolling with my 7 year old I will bring my 6 year old in on it too, i have told her this. I wonder if there is someone out there that is in the situation I am in? Also the school is giving me a hard time about pulling her out. Again thank you for all the responses.
I recently found two math workbooks for 2nd grade while I was unpacking. I don't need them, my DS is in 5th grade. They were never used. Do you want them? Send me a message by clicking on my name here and choosing that option to let me know.
