Ok folks! I need your help! School starts for us on Monday (the 13th) and I am trying to figure out some sort of schedule to go by. My eldest is a boy grade 3. Next is my daughter, grade 1. Then, my youngest son, PK. My question is do I do the same kind of lesson at the same time with them? Meaning, do I start with Math all around and Teach DS1 his math, then go to DD and teach her lesson while he's working on his stuff OR do I do Math with DS and Writing or something else with DD at the same time. Any help you can give me would be appreciated.
I do try to "piggy back" when I can. For a long time, my now 4th and 6th graders did the same stuff - whatever the 6th grader was working on, my 4th grader did. One year (2 years ago) I hit the trifecta and had ALL THREE doing world history (yay). And next semester, all three will be working on geography. For science, my youngest piggybacks on either child, depending on the area of study. However, there are several areas where they need me solo, so here is how I do it. We start with math first thing -- that way if anyone needs help, I am in math mode. Then as each finishes, they can work on "solo" work - spelling lesson, penmanship - stuff that doesn't "need" me much at all. When they are all at a point where we can jump together again, we do history or science reading outloud, and maybe a small project together. What is different is the amount of work each child is required to do with the project. My youngest may do the coloring part, while my oldest needs to write a paragraph on the person in the picture as well. Then, they each do writing solo with me -- the others practice guitar or spanish (online -they can do it on their own) or any required reading while they wait their turn. By then we are winding down for the day. We may do art, latin, or Religious ed together or read together some more, and that's it. So overall, we start together, drift apart, come together again, throughout the day, depending on what we are working on or what the child needs to do next. I use a checklist so the kids can always see if there is work to be done while they wait for me. It takes a while to find a flow that works best for you. good luck!
My oldest two are two years apart, and my son is three years younger than that. I have taught science and history across the board with success.
Karly: That is exactly what I will have in January! We do math and language arts (like phonics or grammar) separate. We do history, science, literature, and any other subjects together. There are areas where my oldest is just more interested, like history, so I have just gotten in the habit of running two history curricula each year. Usually, one is world history (which I am far more hands-on about), and the other is US history, for which we use living books and he simply narrates what he's read.
Karly, this is my 11th year of schooling Other People's Kids (our ds is long since done hs!), so we may have anywhere between one and ten kids at a time, and even if they happen to be the same age or grade, they aren't necessarily doing the same courses because we try very hard to match the materials and the levels to the kid rather than have a one-size-fits-all like public and most private schools. We never know how many we'll have or when someone will pop in or leave, until it happens and we have to adjust. And I have to say that DH is there with me so we can split up "teaching assignments". Most of the time he does math and Bible and some of the history and science, and I do the reading/language arts, and some of the history and science, and all the planning/recordkeeping. Most of the time, we don't have preK, K, or 1st graders, but sometimes we do. Usually while one requires my attention, the others do stuff they can do alone, until I am free to go over it with them. They know they can interrupt briefly if they're really stuck, but most of the time they don't. I put their assignments on a whiteboard, so they don't have to keep asking me "what do I do now?". They work mostly independently, then put their work on my desk and I'll check it when I have time, and give it back and they correct anything that was incorrect and give it back. Then I can see which concepts they really didn't "get" and we have to go over only the stuff they couldn't quite get alone, instead of having to do whole lessons every word together. With the ages of yours, I think I would try doing some stuff together, probably the 3rd grader's science and history stuff with the 1st grader "tagging along" and the preKer listening in, do read-alouds together, and have a certain tub of toys/manipulatives and worksheets that the preKer gets to do only during school time (so it stays interesting - maybe have two tubs and alternate by weeks). The 3rd-er will be able to do some stuff independently while you work with the 1st-er, and vice versa, even if you're right handy to answer questions.
I have ds 2nd grade and dd 1st grade, and LO 2 yo. We start off on different subjects. I start Ds on math and dd on reading. Because if they are both working on math they get confused because if I just say no the is wrong it is a 3, they don't know who is wrong. So we do one does math while the other does reading. Then the other does math and the older does spelling. I also have one start with memory work ( since they do alot of the same things ) then after we are done with the other subjects the other one will do their memory work. It goes like this Ds memory work DD plays with LO DS math DD reading DS spelling finishes math on his own DD does math with me LO dumps out chicken feed DS and DD do handwriting or other subject Lo plays in my lap with coloring book both do grammer together LO pours water on dog in living room floor both do science together LO listens, is the sun in our solar system both do geography/history LO tries to eat the map dd does memory work Ds plays with LO Everybody goes outside to play, and clean up LO's school day.
I love all the advice you've given me. I appreciate it! And aggie, I think my DS2 will be in the same boat as yours! lol
